Rebecca Trehearn will play Charity in the Broadway musical Sweet Charity—the first time in several years that Nottingham Playhouse has produced a musical.
In 2017, Trehearn won an Olivier Award for her performance as Julie La Verne in Show Boat, a Sheffield Theatres presentation at New London Theatre.
Nottingham Playhouse has unveiled its updated programme for 2018, the first under new artistic director Adam Penford. He said, “this is a really exciting year for the Playhouse. From new shows, written by award-winning writers, to investing in the development of local talent, we’re taking more risks and sharing local stories as well as presenting work that looks at the world through a wider lens.
“It’s the first time in several years that we have lead-produced a musical and I’m thrilled Rebecca has agreed to play the role of Charity. I’ve been a big fan for a long time.” Sweet Charity runs from Friday 31 August until Saturday 22 September.
Martina Laird, known as Comfort Jones in the BBC series Casualty and as DC Angie Rice in EastEnders, will take the role of Pearl in Mufaro Makubiko’s Shebeen, set in the Nottingham suburb of St Ann’s in the 1950s. She will perform alongside Nottingham-born actor Karl Collins who will take a short break from his role as Louis Loveday in Hollyoaks to play George in Shebeen. It runs from Friday 1 until Saturday 16 June.
The first Neville Studio production under Penford’s tenure will be Lava by James Fritz. Co-produced with the theatre’s associate artists Fifth Word, Lava follows the story of Vin and Rachel who survive when an asteroid hits a capital city. The play is about “grief, masculinity and the power of expression”. It will run from 14 until 30 June and will be directed by Angharad Jones.
The Playhouse’s professional artist development programme Amplify will start during the season. It aims to recognise the talent within the region and has been created to act as a hub for local artists committed to developing their career in the theatre industry.
Penford added, “supporting local artists is a fundamental part of Nottingham Playhouse’s work and we’re dedicated to providing opportunities for home-grown talent in all areas of our artistic programme.”