Cast Revealed For THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS in Adelaide and Sydney

A star cast led by Tilda Cobham-Hervey will bring to life the highly anticipated stage adaptation of Pip Williams’ internationally bestselling novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, in Adelaide and Sydney this year.

Adapted by playwright Verity Laughton (Long Tan) and under the direction of Jessica Arthur (Chalkface, Wonnangatta), the co-production from State Theatre Company South Australia and Sydney Theatre Company will star Cobham-Hervey (I Am Woman, Hotel Mumbai, Things I Know To Be True) as Esme Nicoll, alongside Ksenja Logos (Gaslight) as Ditte and Mabel, Brett Archer (A View from the Bridge) as Harry Nicoll, Christopher Pitman (That Eye, The Sky) as Dr Murray, Rachel Burke (Macbeth) as Lizzie, Angela Mahlatjie (A Raisin in The Sun) as Tilda and Raj Labade (Tell Me I’m Here, The Office Australia) as Gareth.

The play will have its world premiere at Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre in September, before heading to the Sydney Opera House in October.

Cobham-Hervey, who last performed with State Theatre Company South Australia in its 2017 production of Vale, plays Esme, a young girl who takes it upon herself to preserve the ‘women’s words’ being neglected by the male lexicographers creating the first Oxford Dictionary. Set in 1886 and based on true events, the sweeping historical tale takes audiences from Esme’s formative years in the Scriptorium right into adulthood where she navigates love, loss and the power of language.

The Dictionary of Lost Words was an instant hit for Adelaide author Pip Williams in 2020, selling more than 500,000 copies worldwide and going on to become a New York Times bestseller. It was the first Australian work chosen for Academy Award Winner Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club in 2022, has won multiple awards including the MUD Literary Prize, NSW Premier’s Literary Award and the Australian Book Industry Award and is set to be adapted as a TV series.

Bringing Williams’ captivating world to vivid life is AACTA Award-winning set designer Jonathon Oxlade (Dance Nation, Beep and Mort), costume designer Ailsa Paterson (The Goat or, Who is Sylvia), Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest (Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, Prima Facie) and Composer/Sound Designer Max Lyandvert (Macbeth, The Kettering Incident).

Director Jessica Arthur says she is delighted to be working with such a talented team.

“Pip and Verity have set up such a vivid world for us to bring to the stage. Having worked with the creatives to realise how this story will be illustrated through set, sound, lighting and costume has already been an exciting process and to top it off we have such a brilliant cast breathing life into the characters. We cannot wait to share Esme Nicoll’s imaginative world with audiences.”

 Performances

Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, Sep 22-Oct 14, https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/the-dictionary-of-lost-words/

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Oct 26-Dec 16, https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2023/the-dictionary-of-lost-words

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