Acting Company Announced for Tricyle Theatre's THE GREAT GAME: AFGHANISTAN

Sagar Arya, Daniel Betts, Paul Bhattacharjee, Lolita Chakrabarti, Michael Cochrane, Vincent Ebrahim, Nabil Elouahabi, Tom McKay, Danny Rahim, Jemma Redgrave, Jemima Rooper, Hugh Skinner, Ramon Tikaram and Rick Warden are announced as The Acting Company for the Tricycle Theatre's Afghan Festival, The Great Game: Afghanistan.

Directed by the Tricycle's Artistic Director Nicolas Kent and Theatre Director Indhu Rubasingham, assisted by Rachel Grunwald, the world premieres of the Afghan plays by Stephen Jeffreys, Ron Hutchinson, Amit Gupta, Joy Wilkinson, David Edgar, J.T Rogers, David Greig, Colin Teevan, Ben Ockrent, Abi Morgan, Richard Bean, Simon Stephens and Naomi Wallace will be presented in repertoire throughout the festival. Designs are by Pamela Howard and Miriam Nabarro, lighting is by James Farncombe, with sound by Tom Lishman.

Previews for The Great Game: Afghanistan begin on 17 April with a press day on 24 April and the season runs until 14 June 2009.

The Festival will explore Afghan culture and history through fifteen plays, a ten day film programme, Qawali Sham Sufi Group concert, ceramic and photographic exhibitions, discussion sessions, writers' talks and play readings (in conjunction with The National Theatre Studio).

Sagar Arya's theatre credits include A Fine Balance at Hampstead Theatre and Twelfth Night at the Albery Theatre. His screen credits include A Short Stay in Switzerland, Survivors and The Sarah Jane Adventures for the BBC.

Daniel Betts' stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing at the Sheffield Crucible, Little Women at the Duchess Theatre, Skylight at The National Theatre and Easter for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His television credits include The Fixer, Ultimate Force, Murphy's Law, William and Mary and on film he has been seen in Hunger and Tom's Midnight Garden.

Paul Bhattacharjee's previous Tricycle credits include Guantanamo and Fashion Robin. His other stage credits include A Disappearing Number for Theatre Complicite, Playing with Fire and The Malcontent for The National Theatre, Blood Wedding at The Almeida Theatre, Twelfth Night at the Albery Theatre, Hobson's Choice for the Young Vic and Edward III and The Island Princess for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His screen credits include EastEnders, Waking The Dead and Spooks. Bhattacharjee's film credits include White Teeth and Dirty Pretty Things.

Lolita Chakrabarti has stage credits including Free Outgoing at the Royal Court, John Gabriel Borkman at the Donmar Warehouse, The Waiting Room, Dragon and A Midsummer Night's Dream for The National Theatre and Grimm's Tales for the Young Vic. Her screen credits include Extras, Forgiven, Bodies, The Last Detective, Silent Witness and the film Venus.

Michael Cochrane's previous Tricycle stage credits include Bloody Sunday, Dance of Death Parts 1 & 2 and Nuremberg. His other theatre work includes Over The Moon and The Merchant of Venice for the Old Vic, Married Love at the Wyndham Theatre and It Runs in the Family and Funny Money for The Mill at Sonning. His screen credits include lead roles in Wings, Love in a Cold Climate, King's Royal, Fortunes of War and Pie in the Sky.

Vincent Ebrahim's theatre credits include Nathan the Wise for Hampstead Theatre, Credible Witness for the Royal Court, The Ramayana for Birmingham Rep/National Theatre, Aureng-Zebe for The National Theatre Studio and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Lyric Theatre. Screen credits include Compulsion, After You've Gone, New Street Law and Meet the Magoons and films Through the Fire and Shadowplay.

Nabil Elouahabi was previously at the Tricycle in Crossing Jerusalem. Other stage credits include Sparkleshark for The National Theatre, Balti Kings Shahbab for the Lyric Hammersmith and Don't Look At My Sister Innit for West Yorkshire Playhouse. He was an EastEnders regular playing Tariq Larousi and recent television credits include The Path to 9/11, Generation Kill and Law and Order. Nabil's film work includes The Greatest Journey, Charlie Wilson's War, The Boat People, Code 46, In This World, Ali G Indahouse and The Sum of All Fears.

Tom McKay's theatre credits include Frost/Nixon at the Gielgud Theatre, Rough Cuts for the Royal Court, On The Third Day at the New Ambassadors Theatre, Macbeth at The Almeida Theatre, Henry V and Mother Clapp's Molly House for The National Theatre and Macbeth and Lord of the Flies for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His work on screen includes Being Human, Primeval, Octavia and Joe's Palace.

Danny Rahim will make his stage debut in The Great Game: Afghanistan at the Tricycle Theatre. He has previously appeared on television in Unforgiven and Goodness Gracious Me.

Jemma Redgrave returns to the London stage after her performance as Varya in last year's Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Cherry Orchard. Her other stage work includes A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Albery Theatre, Major Barbara for the Piccadilly Theatre, Chatsky for The Almeida Theatre and Our Town at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Her screen roles include Eve Ranger in Cold Blood, Dr Eleanor Bramwell in Bramwell, Eleanor in The Buddha of Suburbia, Francesca Rochester in Judge John Deed and Dee Stanton in Like Father Like Son as well as Mansfield Park, Waking the Dead, Tom Brown's Schooldays, The Grid, Inspector Linley, Amnesia, My Family and Mixing It.

Jemima Rooper's stage credits include Her Naked Skin at The National Theatre, A Respectable Wedding at the Young Vic, Us and Them at Hampstead Theatre and Do We Live and New Writers Fest at the Royal Court. She has recently been seen on television as Amanda Price in Lost in Austen, as well as Thelma in Hex, and Nicki in As If.

Hugh Skinner's theatre work includes Angry Young Man at the Trafalgar Studios, The Enchantment at The National Theatre and Senora Carrar's Rifles at the Young Vic. His screen work includes Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Bonkers and Day of the Dead.

Ramon Tikaram's work on stage includes Jesus Christ Superstar at the Lyceum Theatre, Aladdin at the Old Vic, Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, The Ramayana for The National Theatre and The L.A Plays at The Almeida Theatre. He is best known on television for playing Ferdy in This Life. His other screen credits include Harris in Daylight Robbery and Prashant in Dream Team as well as Moving On, Wired, Silent Witness and The Chase.

Rick Warden's theatre work includes Stoning Mary and Sweetheart for the Royal Court, Dealers' Choice for The National Theatre and Cue Deadly for Riverside Studios. His screen credits include Bonekickers, Primeval, Trial and Retribution XIV. His film work includes Doomsday, Mr Right and Imagine Me and You.

ADDRESS Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR

BOX OFFICE Phone 020 7328 1000

In person 10am - 9pm Monday - Saturday, 2 - 9pm on Sundays

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Tickets: For full festival pricing go to: www.tricycle.co.uk/afghanistan