Leonidas, McElhinney Lead Almeida Theatre's THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, 6/10-7/31

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Michael Attenborough will direct Dimitri Leonidas, Ian McElhinney, Justin Salinger and Ruth Wilson in the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's Through A Glass Darkly.  Previewing from June 10 with press night on June 16 and booking until July 31, Jenny Worton's new adaptation of Through A Glass Darkly has designs by Tom Scutt, lighting by Colin Grenfell and sound and music by Dan Jones. 

Karin is a young wife, an older sister and an only daughter. In her kaleidoscopic internal world the boundaries between different realities blur and shift.  Karin's family go on their annual holiday together. On a bleakly beautiful island her husband, father and brother argue over the best way to help her. As events spiral out of control, Karin realises that she must take command of her own destiny.

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Through A Glass Darkly was Sweden's contribution to the Venice Biennale in 1962 and in the same year it won the Oscar for best Foreign Language Film.  Through A Glass Darkly is the only one of Bergman's films for which he ever gave permission for a stage adaptation. 

Dimitri Leonidas (Chris) will make his professional Theatre Debut in Through A Glass Darkly.  His film credits include Tormented, Fairy Tale and Centurion and on television his credits include Doctors, All About George, The Bill as the role of Josh Irvine in the BBC's Grange Hill.

Ian McElhinney (David) was last at the Almeida in Michael Attenborough's production of There Came a Gypsy Riding.  His extensive theatre work in Ireland includes many performances at The Gate and The Abbey Theatres in Dublin and The Lyric in Belfast.  His London theatre work includes Attenborough's production of Amphibians for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Observe The Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme for Hampstead Theatre.  His film credits include Cup Cake, Bittersweet, Leap Year, Closing the Ring, The Front Line, Omagh, The Boxer and The Michael Collins Story.  On television his more recent credits include New Tricks, Scapegoat, Little Dorritt and Murphy's Law.

Justin Salinger (Martin) has worked extensively for the National Theatre where he can currently be seen in Cat in a Hat.  His other theatre credits include Under the Blue Sky and The Food Chain for the Royal Court, The Birthday Party at the Lyric Hammersmith and Privates on Parade for the Donmar Warehouse.   His film credits include Enduring Love, Daylight Robbery and Velvet Goldmine and on televisions his credits include New Tricks, Whistleblower, Beau Brummell and Murphy's Law.

  Ruth Wilson (Karin) was last on stage playing Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Rachel Weisz at the Donmar Warehouse for which she recently won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.  Her other theatre credits include Philistines for the National Theatre and Good for Sound Theatre.  She won a Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated for performance as Jane Eyre.  Her other television credits include Queenie in A Small Island, Freezing, Mad, A Real Summer and Capturing Mary, as well as the current ITV series, The Prisoner.

Last year The Almeida Theatre Company, under the Direction of Michael Attenborough, were invited to take part in the Ingmar Bergman InterNational Theatre Festival at the Dramaten (Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden) in Stockholm, to perform a rehearsed reading of Through A Glass Darkly. 

Swedish film and theatre director, playwright and screenwriter Ingmar Bergman's (1918-2007), films include Smiles of a Summer Night, Scenes from a Marriage, The Magic Flute, Autumn Sonata and the Oscar winning Fanny and Alexander, The Virgin Spring and Through A Glass Darkly.   He directed extensively for the stage and was Executive Director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and at the Residenz Theater in Munich.

Michael Attenborough is Artistic Director of The Almeida Theatre where his productions have been The Mercy Seat, Five Gold Rings, Brighton Rock, The Late Henry Moss, Enemies, There Came A Gypsy Riding, Big White Fog, Awake and Sing!, The Homecoming, In a Dark Dark House, When the Rain Stops Falling and Measure for Measure which completed its sell out run earlier this month. Previously, he was Associate Director, Mercury Theatre, Colchester (1972-74), Leeds Playhouse (1974-79), Young Vic (1979-80), Artistic Director, Palace Theatre, Watford (1980-84), Artistic Director, Hampstead Theatre (1984-89), Principal Associate Director, Royal Shakespeare Company (1990-2002). On leaving the Royal Shakespeare Company he became an Honorary Associate Artist.  Attenborough's freelance work includes productions at the National Theatre, the Royal Court, in the West End and on Broadway.

The Almeida Theatre and Coutts & Co are delighted to announce their continued partnership as the private bank announces their eighth year of continued support as Principal Sponsor of the Islington based award-winning theatre. This long standing partnership is Coutts foremost Arts sponsorship, making the historic private bank, the Almeida's most generous corporate supporter.

 As a charity, the Almeida relies on private support in addition to box office income and subsidy from Arts Council England. The generosity of corporate sponsors, such as Coutts, provide vital financial stability and enables the theatre to fulfil its artistic vision, programming productions of a scale and ambition that would not otherwise be possible.