Cast Announced For The World Premiere Of GREAT APES

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere of Great Apes from the novel by Will Self; reimagined for the stage by Patrick Marmion.

Great Apes is a new play by Patrick Marmion directed by RSC and Donmar actor Oscar Pearce (Wolf Hall, Real Thing), based on the novel by Will Self opening at the Arcola Theatre on Monday 19th March.

Great Apes is a hilarious, uncanny and unnervingly original take on humanity's place in the evolutionary chain. It is a modern odyssey into the abiding mystery of what it means to be a human being.

When Turner Prize winning artist Simon Dykes wakes up one morning after a wild night out, he finds his world has changed beyond recognition. His girlfriend, Sarah, has turned into a chimpanzee. And, to Simon's horror, so has the rest of humanity.

Suffering a nervous breakdown Simon is immediately taken to Charing Cross hospital where he's treated for being under the psychotic delusion that he's a human being. Here he comes under the care of charismatic and controversial chimp psychiatrist, Dr Zack Busner who helps Simon come to terms with his condition.

Artist Simon Dykes is played by Bryan Dick whose stage credits include Years of Sunlight (Theatre 503); Hobson's Choice (Jonathan Church Productions), Seminar (Hampstead Theatre); Public Enemy (Young Vic Theatre); Kursk (Young Vic); Tinderbox (The Bush Theatre); Amadeus (The Crucible Theatre); The Alchemist (National Theatre);The Life of Galileo (National Theatre) and Bone (Royal Court Theatre).

Ruth Lass plays male psychiatrist Dr Zack Busner. Ruth's credits include A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian (Hull Truck); Hospital At The Time of the Revolution (Finborough Theatre); The Rest Is Silence (World Shakespeare Festival) ; The Tempest ( Jericho House - Tour & Barbican);The Girl on the Sofa (Edinburgh International Festival/Royal Lyceum) and Les Justes (Gate Theatre).

Donna Berlin (Charlotte Busner): Stage credits include Of Kith And Kin (Sheffield Crucible Theatre/Bush Theatre); Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange/West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Rolling Stone (Manchester Royal Exchange/West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Bacchae (Northampton Theatre Royal) and Blood Wedding (Northampton Theatre Royal).

Ruth Everett (Jane Bowen): Stage credits include The Lower Depths (Arcola Theatre); Don Quixote (RSC); Dr Faustus (RSC); The Alchemist (RSC); Tiger Country (Hampstead Theatre); 'Tis Pity She's A Whore (Cheek by Jowl); King Lear,(Shakespeare's Globe Theatre); Dangerous Corner (Salisbury Playhouse) and Antony and Cleopatra (Chichester Festival Theatre).

John Cummins (Gambol): Stage credits include The Alchemist (RSC), Don Quixote (RSC); Doctor Faustus (RSC); Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange & WYP); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare's Globe); Eternal Love (UK Tour -ETT / Globe Theatre); Stuart: A Life Backwards (High-Tide & Sheffield Crucible);The Vortex (The Rose Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (Ludlow Festival) and Anne Boleyn (UK TOUR -ETT / Globe Theatre).

Stephen Ventura (Kevin Whately): Stage credits include Cinderella (Oxford Playhouse); Running Wild (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre); The Fifth Column (Southwark Playhouse); The One That Got Away (Theatre Royal Bath); The Dog And The Night And The Knife (Arcola Theatre); The Orphan Of Zhao (RSC) and Boris Godunov (RSC).

Vivienne Smith (Sarah Peasenhulme): Stage credits include Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (UK and Ireland Tour).

Writer and producer Patrick Marmion is a journalist, theatre critic, speaker and Associate Lecturer at the University of Kent. Previous plays include The Divided Laing (Arcola Theatre), Terms & Conditions (White Bear), Pieta - After Chekhov (Finborough & Print Room), Osterley (Urban Scrawl), The Institute (Etcetera). Screenplays include 'Mushroom Soup' (Sam Mendes/Renaissance Films),' Kids FM' (Working Title Television), 'Maid Marion' (Channel Four Films), 'Archie Tanner & The Dodo' (Children's Film & Television Foundation) and 'The Dead Guy' (based on novel of same title).

Making his directorial debut is award-winning actor Oscar Pearce. A regular with the RSC his credits include Wolf Hall, Greg Doran's celebrated A Midsummer Nights Dream and the renowned Spanish Golden Age Season. He has appeared in the West End many times including the Donmar Production of The Real Thing, which transferred to Broadway and I.D. at the Almeida. His portrayal of Chris in All My Sons at the Bolton Octagon won him the MEN best supporting actor. This is his third collaboration with the Arcola after appearing in the feted Jenufa and the more recent success, The Divided Lang.

Movement director Jonnie Riordan is a graduate of Frantic Assembly's 'Ignition' programme. As Movement Director his credits include Connections Festival 16/17 (National Theatre), Maggie & Pierre (Finborough Theatre), CAUGHT (Pleasance Theatre), Cracking, Hooked and Bat Boy (Iso Productions, New Wimbledon Studio). As a Director: Man Up (Frantic Assembly Ignition, Stratford Circus, Latitude), Boy Magnet and White Noise (ThickSkin) and Found (The Albany). Jonnie is directing the first stage adaptation of Nigel Slater's Toast at The Lowry in May. .

Set and costume design is by Sarah Beaton, recipient of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design. Design credits include Faust (Schauspielbuhnen in Stuttgart), Mother Christmas (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs),Babur in London (Theatre Rigiblick, Zürich/Lilian Baylis Studio), Crocodiles (Royal Exchange, Manchester), This Is Living (Trafalgar Studios), Diary of a Madman (Sherman Cymru/Tobacco Factory), And Now: The World! (Derby Theatre), And Here I am (Arcola, Palestine Tour) and The Man I Live With (Oxford Playhouse).

Matt Haskins is an international lighting designer. Credits include Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre), Roundelay, Truth and Reconciliation (Royal Court), No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution, Kiss Me (Hampstead Theatre), Crocodiles (Royal Exchange, Manchester), A Bright Room Called Day (Southwark Playhouse), Dream Story (Gate Theatre) and The House of Mirrors & Hearts (Arcola Theatre), Walk with Me (Girl Effect/Punchdrunk) and Dido, Queen of Carthage (Kensington Palace).

Sound design is by Dan Balfour. Recent credits include: #Dr@cula, The Devils (Royal Central School Of Speech Drama), Seafret (Old Red Lion, HighTide Festival), Figures Of Speech (Almeida Theatre), I Call My Brothers, Caught, Red Helicopter (Arcola Theatre), RE: Home (Yard Theatre), DREAM, Jenufa -Opera Works (English National Opera), Walking the SOLO (Bush Theatre), Nude (The Hope Theatre) and Deathwatch (The Roundhouse),

Co-producer Steve Hennessy is the author of over 20 plays for stage and radio and the founder of Stepping Out Theatre, the country's leading mental health theatre company. They have been producing work on mental health themes with theatre professionals and mental health service users since 1997. Steve's work includes the acclaimed Lullabies of Broadmoor Quartet (Oberon Books) - four plays about well known Broadmoor patients which toured nationally in 2011. The Divided Laing was Stepping Out's 54th production.

Great Apes is produced by the Arcola Theatre in association with Stepping Out Theatre.