Nottingham Playhouse and Mansfield Palace Theatre have announced the cast selected to take part in their summer community production, The Trials.
Twelve actors aged from 13 to 19 will play the jury in Dawn King’s play about the gathering pace of environmental change and a generation being held to account for it. They will perform alongside three professional actors who will play the defendants. The Trials is produced in partnership with Donmar Warehouse.
The young cast are Jamie Adlam, Noah Baguley, Nevaya Davidson, Abi Dring, Luca Gale-Hall, Joseph Grainge, Thomas Pears, Jessica Pywell, Finley Ramowski, Chloe Revill, Marley Simpson and Bernice Thomas.
Professional actors Mark Jardine and Rebecca Crankshaw will be joined by a third defendant who is still to be cast.
The young performers from Nottingham and Mansfield were selected through open workshops. Cast member Noah Baguley who is 19 and from East Leake said, “I’m so excited to be a part of this production. It’s an incredibly daunting and powerful play that really focusses on the impact that the climate crisis will have on children. It’s something I've never really seen talked about and is addressed beautifully and gut-wrenchingly by Dawn King.”
Bernice Thomas, who is 18 and from Woodthorpe, added, “it’s been a wonderful opportunity to be a part of The Trials at Nottingham Playhouse. Rehearsals have been amazing in getting to know the cast and the creative team and I can’t wait to perform on stage.”
Co-directors Omar Khan and Hannah Stone, who both began their careers as youth theatre tutors at Mansfield Palace Theatre, commented, “we’ve managed to put together such an incredibly talented cast for this production. The young people involved have approached rehearsals with an insightful wisdom beyond their years and we’re excited to see what they go on to do after their experience on The Trials.”
The creative team includes Maria Terry (designer), Laura Wolczyk (lighting designer), Amanda Priestley (sound designer), Keiren Hamilton-Amos (movement director), Anita Gilbert (vocal coach) and assistant director Scarlett Sanders.
The Trials will run at Nottingham Playhouse from Wednesday 14 until Friday 16 August and at Mansfield Palace Theatre on Saturday 17 August.