Cast Set for World Premiere of DARKNET at Southwark Playhouse

Potential Difference today announces the world première of Darknet, a new play by Rose Lewenstein. Russell Bender directs Robin Berry as Steve/Mitch, Greer Dale-Foulkes as Candy, Jim English as Jamie, Naveed Khan as Gary/John, Ella McLoughlin as Kyla, Gyuri Sarossy as Allen, Rosie Thomson as Stacey. Darknet opens at Southwark Playhouse on 18 April, with previews from 14 April, and runs until 7 May 2016.

Welcome to Octopus Inc., the internet giant that allows users to exchange personal data for currency. But not everyone is prepared to sacrifice their privacy for an easier life. A teenager subverts the system in an attempt to save her mother. A visionary tech exec takes shortcuts to get ahead. A convicted cybercriminal chooses between two kinds of freedom.

Darknet navigates the hyperlinked world of data transparency and the uncharted deep web, uncovering the things we share and the places we hide. "With new innovation comes fear of the unknown." The production has been developed with input from top academics, journalists and specialists working in technology, cybersecurity and online behaviour. Writer Rose Lewenstein and director Russell Bender have worked on Darknet together over the past three years. Their organic relationship means they work together closely from the outset with each stage of research, writing and development workshops informing the next.

Robin Berry plays Steve/Mitch. His theatre credits include Dagestan (Penned In The Margins), The Elephant Man (South East Asia Tour), One Man Two Guvnors (National Theatre). His film & TV credits include Jungle Book: Origins, Urban Hymn, Arthur & Merlin, Clash of the Titans, Descent 2, Silent Witness and Law & Order UK.

Gyuri Sarossy plays Allen. His theatre credits include Creditors (Young Vic), The Absence of War, The Seagull (Headlong Theatre), The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (Orange Tree Theatre), Tonight at 8.30 (Nuffield/ETT); 'Tis A Pity She's a Whore (Cheek By Jowl). His television credits include The Coroner, Tchaikovsky, Egypt and Einstein and Eddington. His film credits include Mercenaries, Another Life, Until Death.

Naveed Khan plays Gary/John. His theatre credits include Pitcairn (The Globe Theatre / Out Of Joint / CFT), Pioneer and After the Rainfall (Curious Directive), 59 Minutes To Save Christmas (Sheffield Theatres / Barbican / Slung Low), The Trial (Watford Palace Theatre). His television credits include Birds of a Feather, Catherine Tate's Nan and River. His film credits include Survivor and Second Coming.

Greer Dale-Foulkes plays Candy. Her theatre credits include The Playboy of the Western World (Southwark Playhouse), The Provoked Wife (GoPeople), Gibraltar (Arcola Studio), The Tempest (Watermill, Newbury), While the Sun Shines (Lion and the Unicorn), This Year It Will Be Different (Theatre 503), Head/Heart (Box of Tricks Tour/Theatre 503), Lidless (Trafalgar Studios), One Night in November (Coventry Belgrade), The Theatre Ep (High Tide/Latitude), Lulu (Gate Theatre), Judgement Day (Almeida). Her television credits include Call The Midwife and The Last Station; and for film, Magpie.

Ella McLoughlin plays Kyla. Ella made her professional stage debut in Herons (Lyric Hammersmith).

Jim English plays Jamie. His theatre includes Dancing Through The Shadows (Hull Truck Theatre), Hurling Rubble At The Moon (Park Theatre), Death At Dawn (Cloud Nine/Linskill Centre), Solid Air (Theatre Royal Plymouth), What You Will (Shakespeare's Globe), Harvest (Greenwich Theatre), Happy Hour (Hull Truck Theatre/Bench Marks). His television includes New Blood; Doctors; and for film, The Pact and Gone.

Rosie Thomson plays Stacey. Her theatre credits include Stinkfoot and The Manuel Oracle (The Yard), Starlore For Beginners (Theatre 503), Fracture/Two Fish (HighTide), Stepping Out (Salisbury Playhouse), Don Juan Comes Back From The War (Finborough Theatre), The Kitchen and The Cherry Orchard (National Theatre), Fen (Finborough Theatre/NT Studio), Yes Prime Minister (Gielgud Theatre), Scrabble (DryWrite/Latitude), I Caught Crabs In Walberswick (Eastern Angles/High Tide/UK Tour), The Hothouse (National Theatre), Sleeve Notes, (The Apathists/Theatre 503) and The Most Humane Way To Kill A Lobster (Young Vic/Theatre 503). Her television credits include Dream Team, A Touch of Frost, Judge John Deed, Family Affairs and Second Sight. Her film credits include Women & Children and Enigma.

Rose Lewenstein has been a member of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme and their subsequent groups, including the 2012 Supergroup. Her first play Ain't No Law Against Fish 'N' Chips received a staged reading at the Royal Court Young Writers Festival. Her other credits include Now This Is Not The End (Arcola Theatre), Game Of Life (Yard Theatre), Only Human (Theatre 503),Entries On Love (Rich Mix). Her latest play Psychoslut was featured in the Women@RADA season. She recently took part in film London's Microwave scheme and is co-writing a new feature film. In addition to her work as a writer, Lewenstein has led playwriting workshops for the National Theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama and East 15 Acting School. She is published by Nick Hern Books.

Russell Bender directs. His work as a director includes Kiss Of The Earth (Concert Theatre, 25 venue UK tour), The Shroud (Rich Mix/Norfolk and Norwich Festival), Game Of Life (The Yard), EMO (ATC/Bristol Old Vic, Young Vic). He has developed work at Battersea Arts Centre and the National Theatre Studio. In 2011 he was a staff director at the National Theatre. He has assisted directors including Simon McBurney, Bijan Sheibani and Tom Morris. He was a runner up of the 2009 JMK award for young directors and the 2012 Leverhulme Bursary at the National Theatre Studio. He has taught at UCL, East 15 Acting School and Central School of Speech and Drama. Outside of his theatre work, Russell has 8 years' experience in freelance software development.

Alongside the performances, Potential Difference will be presenting a series of post-show events exploring some of the ideas behind the show including privacy, security and how to stay safe online.

Potential Difference is a theatre company with a passion for telling stories that communicate complex theoretical ideas and their impact on the world around us. With each piece, they collaborate with academics and specialists, allowing their input to infuse the story, characters and staging. Through this unusual creative process, they aim to create theatre that is intellectually and viscerally engaging and challenges the divide between sciences and arts.