Cast Announced for Almeida's 'Chain Play II'

After the huge success of the Almeida's fundraising event in March last year, the theatre invited writers Stephen Adly Guirgis, Richard Bean, Neil LaBute, Abi Morgan and Tanya Ronder to write Chain Play II. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham and performed by Holly Aird, Cavan Clerkin, Brendan Coyle, Amanda Drew, John Marquez and Javone Prince, Chain Play II will be performed for one night only on 29 February 2008 at 7.30pm.

Written over a three month period, each writer was given two weeks to add a scene of between ten and fifteen minutes before passing the script onto the next writer.   Chain Play II brings together another creative team closely associated with The Almeida Theatre and its work.  In their fifth year of support, the Almeida's Principal Sponsor Coutts & Co has generously extended its sponsorship by supporting Chain Play II for a second year.

Holly Aird was last at The Almeida Theatre in Howard Davies' production of The Iceman Cometh.  On television she is best known for playing Forensic Pathologist Frankie Wharton in the BBC's hit drama series Waking The Dead.  Her other television credits include Soldier Soldier and Secret Life.  Her film credits include Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch.

Cavan Clerkin is making his Almeida debut in Chain Play II.  His theatre credits include Indhu Rubasingham's production of Clubland for the Royal Court and Bloody Poetry for the White Bear.   His film work includes Pierrepoint, Spivs and Gangster No 1 and on television his roles include Karl in the BBC's Pulling as well as Primeval, Judge John Deed and Jonathan Creek.

Brendan Coyle was last at the Almeida in Michael Attenborough's production of The Late Henry Moss.  Previously his theatre credits include Buried Child for The National Theatre and The Weir at the Royal Court and on Broadway.  He can currently be seen on television in Lark Rise to Candleford.  His other television credits include Shameless, Waking The Dead and True Dare Kiss. 

Amanda Drew was last at the Almeida in Michael Attenborough's production of Enemies.  Her other theatre work includes Otherwise Engaged at the Criterion Theatre and Blithe Spirit at Savoy Theatre as well as Madame Bovary:  Breakfast with Emma for Shared Experience.   On television she is best known for playing Dr May Wright in EastEnders. 

John Marquez was last at the Almeida in Lindsay Posner's production of The Hypochondriac.  His other more recent theatre credits include Emperor Jones and Market Boy for the National Theatre.  Later this year he can be seen in the Young Vic's forthcoming production of The Good Soul of Szechuan.  His television credits include Hotel Babylon, Doc Martin and Suburban Shootout.

Javone Prince was last at The Almeida Theatre in Roy Williams' Out of the Fog, a new commission presented alongside Michael Attenborough's production of Big White Fog which was written and performed especially for young people in North London.  His other theatre credits include Indhu Rubasingham's production of Sugar Mummies for the Royal Court.  He can be currently seen on the BBC's Little Miss Jocelyn.

The Almeida will present Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in April this year directed by Rupert Goold. Richard Bean's version of Moliere's The Hypochondriac was directed at the Almeida by Lindsay Posner in 2005 starring Henry Goodman.  The Almeida has previously presented Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things, The Distance From Here andmost recently Michael Attenborough directed Sinead Cusack and John Hannah in his two hander, The Mercy Seat.  WriterAbi Morgan is currently under commission from the Almeida andin 2005 Rufus Norris directed Tanya Ronder's new version of Lorca's Blood Wedding with a cast led by Gael Garcia Bernal. 

In 2004 Indhu Rubasingham directed Another America:  Fire – an opera presented as part of the PUSH04 Season at the Almeida.  Her other more recent theatre work includes Free Outgoing for the Royal Court, Heartbreak House for Watford Palace Theatre, Fabulation and Starstruck for the Tricycle, Yellowman at Hampstead Theatre, Bombay Dreams on which she was Associate Director, Tanika Gupta's Sugar Mummies and Roy Williams' Lift Off and Club Land both for the Royal Court and The Waiting Room by Tanika Gupta for The National Theatre. 

The first Almeida Chain Play was written by Samuel Adamson, Moira Buffini, David Hare, Charlotte Jones, Frank McGuinness and Roy Williams.  Tom Cairns directed Michelle Austin, Jenny Jules, Alastair Mackenzie, Danny Sapani, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Jodie Whittaker who performed the piece as the theatre's major 2007 fundraising event. 

Tickets from £275 upwards can be reserved via the Almeida Theatre's Development Department on 020 7288 4938.