Full Cast Announced for West End CLYBOURNE PARK

By: Robert Diamond Nov. 15, 2010

Stuart McQuarrie and Jason Watkins join Lorna Brown, Sarah Goldberg, Michael Goldsmith, Lucian Msamati, Sam Spruell and SopHie Thompson for the West End transfer of Bruce Norris' critically acclaimed Clybourne Park, directed by Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director of the Royal Court.

Having recently received four nominations for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, Clybourne Park is the latest transfer from the Royal Court, after successes with both ENRON and Jerusalem earlier this year. Following a sell out record-breaking run, Clybourne Park will transfer for a limited 14 week season, opening for previews at Wyndham's Theatre on 28 January 2011.

In 1959 Russ and Bev are selling their desirable two-bed at a knock-down price. This enables the first black family to move into the neighbourhood, creating ripples of discontent amongst the cosy white urbanites of Clybourne Park. In 2009, the same property is being bought by Lindsey and Steve whose plans to raze the house and start again is met with a similar response. Are the issues festering beneath the floorboards actually the same fifty years on?

Norris' hilarious satire explores the fault line between race and property. Written in two parts, over two generations in 1959 and 2009, the company play a different role in each act. Clybourne Park was originally staged at the Playwrights Horizons in New York in February 2010. This new Royal Court production has been described by critics as "Genius as Miller meets Ayckbourn" (The Times); "sparky satire on modern race manners" (Daily Mail); and "the funniest new play of the year" (The Evening Standard).

Bruce Norris' previous credits include The Pain and the Itch (Royal Court, 2007), The Infidel, Purple Heart and The Unmentionables.

Lorna Brown's theatre credits include Short Fuses at the Bristol Old Vic, Once on this Island at Hackney Empire, Things of Dry Hours at the Royal Exchange and 93.2FM at the Royal Court. On television, she has appeared in Catherine Tate, The Bill as Leanne Samuels and French and Saunders.

Sarah Goldberg's credits include Miss Lilly Gets Boned at the Finborough, Six Degrees of Separation at The Old Vic, Apologia at the Bush Theatre and the Wallace Shawn readings at The Royal Court Theatre.

Stuart McQuarrie can currently be seen in the feature film Burke & Hare with Andy Serkis, Mike Leigh's Another Year and will soon appear in William Ivory's Any Human Heart on Channel 4. Previous film credits include Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Franklyn and his extensive television work includes Extras, Silent Witness, Whistleblowers, Peep Show and A Very Social Secretary. On stage Stuart has appeared in Wanderlust and Relocated at the Royal Court, Happy Now directed by Thea Sharrock (National Theatre), The God Of Hell directed by Kathy Burke at the Donmar Warehouse and Taming Of The Shrew at the RSC.

Lucian Msamati's theatre credits include Ruined at the Almeida, Death and the King's Horseman and The Overwhelming at the National Theatre, Pericles at the RSC, The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui at the Lyric Theatre and Fabulation at the Tricycle. On screen, he has appeared in Ashes to Ashes, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency and Spooks.

Sam Spruell's theatre credits include The Caretaker at Theatre Royal Bath, Pornography at the Birmingham Rep and Traverse Theatre. On film, he has appeared in The Hurt Locker, Defiance, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and London to Brighton. On television, he has appeared in Luther, The Fixer, Ashes to Ashes, Foyle's War and Spooks.

SopHie Thompson's theatre credits include Measure for Measure at Shakespeare's Globe, Into the Woods at the Donmar Warehouse, for which she received an Olivier Award for Best Actress In A Musical, Company at the Donmar Warehouse and Wildest Dreams at the RSC for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award. On television, she played Stella Crawford in EastEnders and also appeared in May Contain Nuts, A Room with a View, The Railway Children and Persuasion.

Jason Watkins is currently filming the third series of the critically acclaimed BBC Three show Being Human having recently completed work on BBC Four's upcoming Dirk Gently. Other television credits include Lark Rise to Candleford, Psychoville, Muderland with Robbie Coltrane, Conviction and Little Dorrit. His stage appearances include The Late Henry Moss at the Almeida, Our Class, Landscape With Weapon, A Laughing Matter and She Stoops To Conquer at the National Theatre, Sir Peter Hall's Kafka's Dick and Filumena at the Piccadilly Theatre and the RSC's A Servant For Two Masters at the New Ambassadors for which he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. Film work includes Nativity, Wild Child, The Golden Compass and Confetti.

Artistic Director of the Royal Court Dominic Cooke directs after collaborating with Norris on The Pain and the Itch in 2007 - his first production in post at the Royal Court. Other credits at the Royal Court include Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever, Seven Jewish Children, Wig Out!, Now or Later, Rhinoceros and two plays in Mark Ravenhill's epic play cycle Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat. His recent credits elsewhere include Arabian Nights and Noughts and Crosses, both for the RSC, as adapter and director. He won the Olivier award for Best Director and Best Revival for The Crucible.

Tickets are also available via The Royal Court Theatre box office in person, by phone and online

020 7565 5000/www.royalcourttheatre.com

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