Dominic Hill to Direct Citizens Theatre's Co-Production of ENDGAME

The Citizens Theatre's new co-production of Endgame featuring David Neilson and Chris Gascoyne in the roles of Hamm and Clov runs from Thursday 4 February - Saturday 20 February 2016.

Trapped in an endless struggle for control, Hamm and Clov exchange cruel insults while Hamm's parents Nagg and Nell look on from the confines of their rubbish bins. Regarded as one of Beckett's greatest works, Endgame offers a brutal yet darkly comic meditation on death, mixing the absurd with the macabre.

David Neilson, best known for his current role as Roy Cropper in Coronation Street, will play the cruelly manipulative Hamm. Neilson has appeared in the soap since 1995. The character has featured in a number of high-profile storylines. He was last seen on stage as Lucky in Waiting for Godot at the Library Theatre Manchester, one of two Manchester arts organisations who, together with Cornerhouse merged to form HOME.

Hamm's servile companion Clov will be played by former Coronation street star Chris Gascoyne. Gascoyne has appeared in a wide range of theatre productions throughout the UK, most recently appearing on stage as Ray Say in the critically acclaimed play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, a co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse and Birmingham Rep Theatre.

The Citizens Theatre's Artistic Director Dominic Hill will direct this production of Endgame. Joining Hill on the creative team are long time collaborators designer Tom Piper and lighting designer Lizzie Powell. Piper and Powell previously collaborated with Hill on The Libertine last year. Powell has also lit Citizens productions of A Christmas Carol and Fever Dream: Southside. Piper was recently awarded an MBE for his outdoor installation commemorating the centenary of WWI. The striking installation entitled Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red comprised of 888,246 ceramic poppies cascading from the Tower of London. Hill last directed Beckett double bill, Krapp's Last Tape and Footfalls as part of his inaugural season at the Citizens Theatre in 2012. This production of Endgame marks a new partnership with HOME.

Speaking about Endgame Hill said, "I'm very excited about working with HOME. Walter Meierjohann's reputation as a theatre maker and his ambitious outward looking programme feels very in tune with what we are doing here at the Citizens. I've been in conversations with David and Chris for a long time about this project, their excitement and enthusiasm is inspiring and I can't wait to welcome them here to the Citizens Theatre next year."