Burke, Dillon Lead DESIGN FOR LIVING At The Old Vic, Previews Sept 3

Noël Coward's witty and provocative romantic comedy, Design For Living returns to the Londonstage for the first time in over 15 years. Directed by Anthony Page and starring Tom Burke, LisaDillon and AnDrew Scott, Design for Living opens for previews on 3 September with a press night on15 September 2010.

Design for Living is a co-production with Nica Burns, Max Weitzenhoffer, Jay Harris. "It should be easy, you know. The actual facts are so simple. I love you. You love me. You love Otto. I love Otto. Otto loves you. Otto loves me. There now! Start to unravel from there." (Act 1) Originally written in 1932 to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and Coward himself, Design for Livingis a witty observation on the nature of relationships as three audacious young lovers flirt with fame andsuccess and discover its price.

From 1930s bohemian Paris to the dizzying heights of Manhattan society, Gilda (Lisa Dillon), a vivacious interior designer, leads playwright Leo (AnDrew Scott) and artist Otto (Tom Burke) on a merry dance of love, lust and betrayal. Pushed to a comical extreme, the only problem is that they love and lust after each other just too much.

Kevin Spacey, Artistic Director of The Old Vic said: "I am delighted to be opening our seventh seasonwith this compelling and witty Coward classic. Though written nearly 80 years ago, it's a play which iswonderfully modern in its study of young love and ambition. Gilda, Otto and Leo are great roles foryoung actors, and we are thrilled to be welcoming to The Old Vic three of the most exciting British stageactors of their generation. We undertook extensive auditions to get the right actors with the rightchemistry to bring these exuberant characters to life, and believe that in Lisa, Tom and Andrew we havefound a fantastic trio. We can't wait to see the play come alive under the direction of our AssociateDirector, Anthony Page."

Noël Coward is one of Britain's great comedy playwrights, well known for his many works includingPrivate Lives, Hay Fever, Blithe Spirit and Present Laughter.

Tom Burke plays Otto. Tom recently played the role of ‘Adolph' in Alan Rickman's Production ofCreditors (Donmar & Broadway), a role for which he received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer. Other recent theatre credits include Restoration (Salisbury Playhouse), Glass Eels (Hampstead) and The Cut (Donmar Warehouse). Film credits include Telstar with Kevin Spacey, Clean Skin with Robert Carlyle, The Kid and Cheri. Burke is also a familiar face from television having appearedin State of Play (BBC), Poirot (ITV), My Life with Barbara (Quickfire) and Dracula (BBC).

Lisa Dillon plays Gilda. Lisa is recognisable from her role as ‘Mary Smith' in the well received BBCseries of Cranford with Judi Dench. She is also a familiar face from the stage having recently appeared inPrivate Lives (Theatre Royal Bath & West End), When the Rain Stops Falling (Almeida), Under the BlueSky (Duke of York's) and The Master Builder with Patrick Stewart, also directed by Anthony Page. Dillonalso received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer in 2004. Following Design For Living, Lisa will continue her time at The Old Vic and perform in Richard Eyre's production of A Flea in Her Ear.

AnDrew Scott- Andrew most recently filmed Sherlock, a new drama for the BBC. Film credits include JohnAdams (HBO) and Lennon Naked where he played the role of Paul McCartney (BBC). Scott will also play the leadrole in a new film adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Duel, due for release later this year. Theatre credits includeCock (Royal Court) with Ben Whishaw and the highly acclaimed Sea Wall by Simon Stephens (Edinburgh). He was nominated for a Drama League award for his performance in David Hare's The Vertical Hour with JuliAnne Mooreand Bill Nighy (Broadway) and won an Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in 2005.

Anthony Page has directed both on the Broadway and West End stage as well as for film andtelevision. His most recent theatre credits include Beckett's Waiting for Godot (Broadway), Rosmersholm with Helen McCrory (Almeida) and The Lady from Dubuque with Maggie Smith (Theatre RoyalHaymarket).

Other theatre work includes A Doll's House, for which Page was awarded a Tony Award forBest Direction. Recent television work includes My Zinc Bed (Rainmark Films) with Uma Thurman andJonathan Price. Page also directed the critically acclaimed 1990s period drama Middlemarch (BBC).Director Anthony Page Designer Lez Brotherston Lighting David Hersey Sound Paul Groothuis

Cast: Tom Burke, Nancy Crane, Lisa Dillon, Matthew Gammie, John Hollingworth, AnDrew Scott, Maggie McCarthy, Maya Wasowicz and Angus Wright. Further casting to be announced.

Design For Living is produced by The Old Vic, Nica Burns, Max Weitzenhoffer, Jay Harris