The cast for the première of Zoe Cooper’s Petrification at Newcastle’s Live Theatre has been announced.
James Baxter, who plays Sean, is best known to TV audiences as series regular Leroy in the BBC’s Still Open All Hours. For two years, he played Jake Doland in the long-running ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
He’s also a familiar face to audiences at Live through his appearances in productions of Present: Tense, Jump! and Swansong. His performance in Scarborough as a teenager embarking upon an illicit affair with his PE teacher won him a best-actor nomination for a Festival Fringe Award.
Middlesbrough-born Neil Grainger, playing Simon, first came to prominence as a regular in ITV’s revived Crossroads. More recently, he played the ongoing character of Gervaise in the first two series of the BBC’s Hebburn. At Live Theatre, he has previously appeared in Jump! and has worked extensively with the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where his credits include Time and Time Again, Clearing the Colours and My Sister Sadie.
Jamie Quinn, playing Aidan, trained at the Drama Centre London. His past work includes Black Watch (National Theatre of Scotland), The Slab Boys (Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow) and The Marriage of Figaro (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh). On TV, he has appeared in Two Doors Down, Still Game and Coming Up.
Director Mark Maughan commented, “both James Baxter and Neil Grainger worked on the show during its development phase, so I’m delighted that we’re able to welcome them back as we bring the show to full production. Joining with Jamie Quinn, whose work I’ve admired for a long time, I’m confident we’re going to create a show that is immersive, intoxicating and incisive.”
Petrification, which runs from 26 to 28 May, has a script that recreates the atmosphere of a booze-fueled night out at the pub, with all the action taking place around the audience.