Tamsin Greig and Alex Jennings to appear in Dear Elizabeth at Gate Theatre
The cast appearing in Ellen McDougal's next production at the Gate Theatre, Dear Elizabeth, has been announced, and it sees a number of actors take on the roles of poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell throughout the play's run.
Written by Sarah Ruhl, a series of guest actors will take on the roles of the poets, who wrote over 400 love letters to each other over a lifetime. Appearing between 17th January and 9th February, the guest actors will be Travis Alabanza, Jade Anouka, Tim Crouch, Tamsin Greig and Alex Jennings. Full casting will be announced in January.
Announcing the five guest performers, director McDougall said: "One of the reasons this play feels so powerful is that it presents the idea that we can have intimate, intense relationships that resist easy definition. Robert and Elizabeth's relationship lived somewhere between a romance and a friendship and I want this piece to celebrate intimate relationships in all their forms.
"For this reason, being able to present a multiplicity of voices telling this story - from performers, many of whom are writers, poets, artists, themselves, feels really exciting."
Greig is currently starring in the Pinter at the Pinter seasons, taking lead roles in the plays Landscape and A Kind of Alaska, while Anouka's theatre credits include the Shakespeare Trilogy at the Donmar, and Jamie Lloyd's production of Doctor Faustus.
Alex Jennings is the only performer to have won Olivier Awards the musical, play and comedy categories (Too Clever by Half, Peer Gynt, and My Fair Lady). His recent screen credits include The Crown, while he played the role of Willy Wonka in the West End production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2014.
London based performer Travis Alabanza's theatre credits include Jubilee at the Lyric Hammersmith, and their own show Burgerz. Tim Crouch's writing includes the plays My Arm, ENGLAND (a play for galleries) and An Oak Tree.
The production will be designed by Moi Tran, with lighting by Jessica Hun Hang Yun and sound design by Jon Nicholls.
Dear Elizabeth is at the Gate Theatre from 17th January to 9th February.
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