Last Updated on 17 May 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
Cast and creatives have been announced for this year’s first two main productions at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has announced casting for its new productions of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Carousel, and Romeo and Juliet.
Carly Bawden and Declan Bennett will play the two lead roles of Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow in Carousel which will run at the London outdoor theatre from 31 July to 25 September.
John Pfumojena will play Enoch Snow, Joanna Riding will be Nettie Fowler and Natasha May Thomas will play Louise Bigelow.
The theatre’s first production after reopening will be Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet from 17 June to 24 July, which has now revealed full casting alongside the previously announced Isabel Adomakoh Young as Juliet and Joel MacCormack as Romeo.
Cavan Clarke has been cast as Mercutio, Emma Cunniffe as the Nurse, Peter Hamilton Dyer as Friar Lawrence and Michelle Fox as Tybalt.
Also confirmed are Aretha Ayeh as Benvolia, Ellie Beavan as Lady Capulet, Tom Claxton as Peter, Ryan Ellsworth as Lord Montague, Andrew French as Lord Capulet, Sarah Hoare as Gregora and the Apothacary, Irvine Iqbal as Prince Escalus, Richard Leeming as Paris, Priyank Morjaria as Sampson, Louise Mai Newberry as Lady Montague, Shadee Yaghoubi as Abraham and Marc Zayat as Balthasar.
The creative team for Romeo and Juliet has also been announced including lighting designer Ciaran Bagnall, designer Naomi Dawson, voice and text director and season associate director Barbara Houseman, movement director Ingrid Mackinnon, fight director Kev McCurdy, associate director Jon Pashley, director Kimberley Sykes, sound designer and composer Giles Thomas and casting directors Stuart Burt and Annelie Powell.
The theatre has also revealed its first participants in its Creative Team Associates programme which provides jobs for artists early in their career to broaden their experience by making large-scale work with support and mentoring by the season’s lead creatives. For Romeo and Juliet, they are Christian Bravo on sound, Catja Hamilton on lighting, Fiona Kennedy on voice, and Darcel Osei on movement.
For Carousel, the creative team includes associate director Joanna Bowman, musical supervisor and orchestrator Tom Deering, associate musical director Mark Dickman, co-costume designer Molly Einchcomb, season associate director and voice and text director Barbara Houseman, lighting designer Aideen Malone, choreographer Drew McOnie, associate choreographer Ebony Molina, children’s casting director Verity Naughton, set designer and co-costume designer Tom Scutt, director Timothy Sheader, fight director Kate Waters and casting directors Lucy Casson, James Orange and Jacob Sparrow. Annie May Fletcher is creative team associate on sound and Simisola Majekodunmi is creative team associate on lighting.
Because of the content of Carousel, the theatre is supporting charity Refuge which is committed to a world where domestic violence and violence against women and girls is not tolerated and where women and children can live in safety.
The 2021 season, which also includes children’s shows Anansi the Spider with Unicorn Theatre and Dragons and Mythical Beasts alongside Romeo and Juliet and Carousel, will follow Covid-secure procedures for as long as necessary including an initial 50% reduction to seating capacity.
