Full Cast and Creative Team Set For EMMA at the Rose Theatre
Performances run 17 September-11 October 2025.
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 24, 2025
In celebration of the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s birth, one of Britain’s most beloved novelists, the Rose Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of Ava Pickett’s (1536) new adaptation of Emma, the timeless story of romance, friendship, and the tricky business of figuring out what truly makes us happy. Directed by Rose Theatre’s Artistic Director Christopher Haydon (Never Let Me Go; The Caucasian Chalk Circle; Grounded), this new staging swaps drawing room duets for dance floor-fillers, bringing Emma’s matchmaking and mischief into the 21st century for longtime fans of Austen’s story and new audiences alike.
The cast includes Amelia Kenworthy (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) as Emma Woodhouse, Kit Young (Shadow and Bone; ALIEN:Earth) as George Knightley, Nigel Lindsay (Kiss Me Kate; Four Lions) as Mr. Woodhouse, and Lucy Benjamin (EastEnders; Detectorists) as Mrs. Bates, with Josh Bilyard as Rob Martin, Jessica Brindle (Top Girls at NT) as Isabella Woodhouse, Bobby Lockwood (The Outpost; Wolfblood) as Elton, Sofia Oxenham (Poldark; Extraordinary) as Harriet Smith, and Adrian Richards (A Midsummer Night’s Dream at RSC; Noises Off! in West End) as John Knightley.
The creative team joining Pickett and Haydon includes Lily Arnold (Set & Costume Designer), Kloé Dean (Movement Director), Philip Gladwell (Lighting Designer), Kieran Lucas (Composer & Sound Designer), Haruka Kuroda (Intimacy & Fight Director), Juliet Horsley CDG (Casting Director), Claudette Williams (Voice & Dialect Coach), and Melissa Mowry (Associate Director - Drama League Rose Directing Fellow).
Emma runs at the Rose Theatre in South West London 17 September - 11 October (Press Performance: Monday 22 September).
Ava Pickett, Writer, said: “Emma Woodhouse is one of my favourite literary heroines 'cos she's the ultimate ‘unlikeable female character’, and it's been such a joy to bring all of her good intentions, bad assessments, and wildly misplaced confidence to a story that's set now. I've had such fun watching Emma try to navigate the chaos of her early twenties (pointing out everyone else's shortcomings instead of her own) and redefine her relationship with Harriet Smith, to create a show that's as much about female friendship as it is about love. I can't wait for you to meet her (but don't take whatever she says about you personally)!"
Christopher Haydon, Director said: “I am absolutely buzzing about the phenomenal cast we have put together for the world premiere of Ava Pickett's hilarious adaptation of Emma. We have some of the best comic actors in the business in a cast stuffed with BAFTA and Olivier winners and nominees. Watching Ava develop this script over recent months has been an enormous pleasure - she brings real wit and heart to the story. I can absolutely see why Baz Luhrmann is such a huge fan of her work - she is one of the finest writers of her generation. Although Ava's is a thoroughly modern Emma, I have no doubt that Jane Austen would approve. In a year which marks the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth and the 30th anniversary of the release of Clueless (surely the greatest cinematic adaptation of Emma ever), I am delighted to be bringing this unbelievably fresh version of such a familiar and well-loved story to a London audience.”
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