Joe Cole, Kerron Darby, Holli Dempsey Join Bush Theater's School Season

The Bush Theatre is delighted to announce that Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt and Brick Lane's Christopher Simpson will be joined by Joe Cole, Kerron Darby, Holli Dempsey, Mandheep Dillon, Otto Farrant, Susannah Harker, Richard Henders, Claire Price, and Andrew Woodall in the Schools Season: The Knowledge by John Donnelly and Little Platoons by Steve Waters. In response to one of the most urgent and divisive issues of our times the Schools Season will bring about a series of talks, debates, and events which will examine education in Britain today.

Steve Waters and John Donnelly have written two very different plays about the current education system, which will run in rep. John Donnelly's The Knowledge is a sharp and shocking account of a failing school, whilst Steve Waters' Little Platoons is being written in response to the first acts of the coalition government and aims to examine the motivation behind a group of parents starting their own free school in West London.

Joe Cole will be starring as Mickey in The Knowledge and Brandon in Little Platoons. His theatre work includes Polling Booth at Theatre 503, Relish at the National Youth Theatre, Brixton Rock at Young Vic Theatre, Bus at the Cockpit Theatre, and Talking to Byron at the National Youth Theatre/Roundhouse. For television his work includes Injustice, Citizen Shane Pilot, Stanley Park, The Bill, and Concrete Jungle. For film, Joe has appeared in Do Or Die 3D Teaser, Come Fly With Me, Hand, Assessment, and Six.

Kerron Darby plays Daniel in The Knowledge and Marcus in Little Platoons. Kerron has trained at the Identity Drama School, the United Kingdom's first black drama school. His theatre credits include Totally Over You at the Arcola Theatre and Gunshot at Stratford Circus. On screen, he has appeared in The Bill, Casualty, BBC2's Beautiful People and Silent Witness.

Holli Dempsey makes her debut at the Bush Theatre as Karris in The Knowledge and Sadie in Little Platoons. Her theatre experience includes Make Love Not War at Talawa, No Way Home at Made in the Shade, Our Baby Charlie at the Theatre Royal Stratford, Reparations on the Black History Tour, and The Final Hour at Breaking Walls. She has also appeared in The Bill and Tracey Beaker on television. Dots, The Fighter's Ballad, and Game Keeper's Without Games are her film features.

Mandheep Dillon is another talented actress that makes her debut at the Bush Theatre. She will be featured as Sal in The Knowledge and Amitha in Little Platoons. Her theatre experience includes Annie, Oliver, Twisted Minds, New Path, Life, and The Tempest. She made her feature film debut in Some Dogs Bite.

Otto Farrant makes his Bush Theatre debut as Sam in Little Platoons. His recent theatre credits include The Habit of Art and Oepidus at the National Theatre as well as The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. He has been in The Bill on ITV; as well as in the films Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Great Ghost Rescue, and the critically acclaimed Clash of the Titans.

Joanne Froggatt will be playing Zoe in The Knowledge and Polly in Little Platoons. She is best known for her role in Downton Abbey, but has appeared in numerous TV and stage productions including All About My Mother at The Old Vic, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Royal Exchange Theatre, and Be My Baby at Soho Theatre Company. On screen she has appeared in Identity, Life on Mars, Island at War, Coronation Street and BAFTA Award winning drama See No Evil: The Moors Murderers. In December Joanne will make her film debut in the independent film In Our Name.

Susannah Harker will be playing Lara Orme in Little Platoons. Her recent theatre credits include A Good Death at the National Theatre Studio, Lucky Seven at The Hampstead Theatre, On the Shore of the Wide World at the Royal Exchange/National Theatre, She Stoops to Conquer, Venus Observed, and Coriolanus at the Chichester Festival Theatre. On television, Susannah has appeared in Pride and Prejudice, Faith, The Memoires of Sherlock Holmes, and Till we Meet Again. Her recent roles in film include The Calling, Trance, Intimacy, The Crucifier of Blood and Surviving Picasso.
Richard Henders makes his return to the Bush Theatre as Martin in Little Platoons. Most recently he appeared in The White Guard, Love's Labour's Lost, Anything Goes, The Cherry Orchard, Summerfolk, The Merchant of Venice, Candide, and Caroline or Change all at the National Theatre. He was also in Pacific Overtures at the Donmar with an Olivier award nomination, and Kiss the Sky at the Bush Theatre, as well as many more. His television appearances include Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The Children of the New Forest, and The Narnia Chronicles; meanwhile his film appearances include Vroom, A Night With a Woman and A Day With Charlie.

Claire Price plays Rachel De Witt in Little Platoons. She has appeared in a tremendous amount of film, theatre, and television shows. Her previous work in theatre includes The Power of Yes and Cyrano at the Royal National Theatre, Private Lives at The Hampstead Theatre, Blood Wedding and Coriolanus at the Bloomsbury Theatre, and starred as Dr. Faustus in Dr. Faustus at the Bristol Old Vic. She won the Ian Charleson Award in 2002 for The Relapse. Claire's television appearances include Murder in Mind: Sleeper, Dalziel & Pascoe on BBC, and Twelfth Night on Channel Four. In film, Claire has appeared in Cuckoo, Solo Shuttle and Hereafter.

Christopher Simpson will be starring as Maz in The Knowledge and Pav in Little Platoons. Christopher's theatre work includes Fallujah at Truman Brewery and The Bacchae of Baghdad at The Abbey. He has also starred in feature films Ever Here I Be and Brick Lane.

Andrew Woodall plays Harry in The Knowledge and Nick Orme in Little Platoons. For theatre his work includes Hedda Gabler at Gate Theatre in Dublin; and Much ado About Nothing, The Voysey Inheritance, The Life of Galileo, Luther, The Shape of the Table, Racing Demon, and Women Beware Women all at the National Theatre. On television, Andrew has appeared in Hearts & Bones, Harbour Lights, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Nature Boy, Kavanagh QC, Degrees of Error, Seaforth, Headhunters, Prime Suspect III, Between the Lines, Underbelly, Wish me Luck and Place of the Execution.

Designed by Signe Beckmann, lighting by Mark Doubleday and sound by Tom Gibbons.

LISTINGS:

Bush Theatre, Shepherds Bush Green, London, W12 8QD

www.bushtheatre.co.uk

Box Office: 020 8743 5050

The Knowledge and Little Platoons

Seat prices

Previews
7.30pm £15 / £7.50 concessions
Post Press nights
7.30pm £20 / £10 concessions
2.30pm £15 / £7.50 concessions
A response to LITTLE PLATOONS by Adam Brace, £5 / £3 when bought with a ticket for LITTLE PLATOONS
Equity Nights 7.30pm, £15 for equity members
Audio Described Performances 2.30pm, £15 / £7.50 concessions
Captioned Performances, 2.30pm, £15 / £7.50 concessions

Performance dates The Knowledge
25, 26, 31 January, 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 19 February
7.30pm
Previews:
12-15 January
7.30
Matinees
29 January, 12 February
Post show panel discussions

Teachers to Playwrights - 25 January (this is also Equity Night)

Exclusion - 31 January

Equity Night
25 January
Audio Described Performance
29 January
Captioned performance
12 February

Performance dates Little Platoons
27, 28, 29 January, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18 February
Previews
19-22 January
Matinees
5, 19 February
A Response to LITTLE PLATOONS by Adam Brace, working in association with Toby Young
10-12 February, immediately after the performance of LITTLE PLATOONS (exact time TBC)
Post show panel discussion

300,000 young people without a place - 3 February

Equity Night

27 January

Audio Described Performance
5 February
Captioned Performance
4 February