Royal Court Announces Cast For GET SANTA, Its First Christmas Show

The cast has been announced for The Royal Court Theatre's first ever family Christmas show, Get Santa! which previews from 1 December.

For 7 year olds and up, Get Santa! follows a ten-year old girl, Holly, in her quest to find the perfect family, meeting a host of weird and wonderful characters along the way.

Written and directed by the award-winning Anthony Neilson in collaboration with composer Nick Powell, the cast includes Bill Buckhurst, Imogen Doel, Tom Godwin, Amanda Hadingue, Gabriel Quigley, David Sterne and Robert Stocks.

It's Christmas Eve but Holly isn't happy. All she's ever wanted from Santa is to meet her real Dad for the first time. And every time, Santa's failed to deliver, bringing lots of useless presents instead.

Well, Holly's had enough. This year she has a plan. She's going to wait up and trap Santa when he arrives and get from him the only present she's ever wanted.

But that's only the beginning of the adventure: add in a very dim Elf called Bumblehole, a machine that changes Families and a Teddy Bear with an evil masterplan and you have the ingredients for a magical, musical and downright mischievous Christmas Show with a fresh moral.

Renowned for his pioneering, ground-breaking and imaginative new work, Anthony Neilson's work at the Royal Court Relocated, The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Winner Best Production in both the TMA and Scottish Theatre Awards), Heredity, The Lying Kind and The Censor, which won the Writers Guild and Time Out Award. His other work includes Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness (Headlong Theatre), Stitching (The Traverse, The Bush - Time Out Off West End Award) and Normal (Edinburgh Festival). His films include The Debt Collector and Deeper Still.

Nick Powell previously collaborated with Anthony Neilson on Relocated (Royal Court) and The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Winner Best Production in both the TMA and Scottish Theatre Awards). His credits include composing and designing sound for Dunsinane (RSC), The Priory (Royal Court), The Drunks (RSC), Tito Andronico (Madrid), Panic (Improbable), The Family Reunion (Donmar Warehouse), Relocated (Royal Court), The Vertical Hour by David Hare (Royal Court) and co-created and composed the musical The Wolves In The Walls for The National Theatre of Scotland and Improbable.

Bill Buckhurst last appeared in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe, and has worked extensively with the RSC as well as numerous appearances on television.

Imogen Doel makes her professional debut after graduating from LAMDA last year.

Tom Godwin most recently appeared in Earthquakes in London at The National Theatre and Enron at Chichester Festival Theatre and in the West End. His is currently working on his own adaptation of DBC Pierre's novel Ludmilla's Broken English in a collaboration with the Ilkhom Theatre from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, supported by The National Theatre Studio.

Amanda Hadingue appeared in Here Lies Mary Spindler, Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew at the RSC, Anthony Neilson's The Wonderful World of Dissocia, at the Royal Court.

Gabriel Quigley has appeared in Bliss/Mud at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Oran Mor for Paines Plough as well as several productions with The National Theatre of Scotland. On television, she has appeared in the Karen Dunbar Show and Chewin' the Fat.

On film David Sterne has appeared in Gulliver's Travels, Never Let Me Go, Round Ireland with a Fridge, Dorian Gray, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On stage, he has appeared in Nation at The National Theatre, Mary Barton and She Stoops to Conquer at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Of Mice and Men in the West End.

Robert Stocks has most recently appeared in Animal Farm for Palchetto Stage and Chatroom at The National Theatre.

The production will be designed by Miriam Buether. Her previous designs at The Royal Court Theatre include Sucker Punch, Cock, Relocated, My Child and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. Elsewhere, her designs have included Earthquakes in London at The National Theatre, Judgement Day and When the Rain Stops Falling at the Almeida and In the red and Brown Water and The Good Soul of Szechuan at the Young Vic. Lighting is by Chahine Yavroyan and sound by Nick Powell.

Get Santa! previews from 1 December 2010 and runs until 15 January 2011 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at The Royal Court Theatre. Tickets available online at www.royalcourttheatre.com or from the Box Office on 020 7565 5000.

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