Casting has been announced for the first two plays in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Roaring Girls season that features two “rarely performed Jacobethan plays (which) reveal some of the great parts written for and about women”.
The plays are The Roaring Girl by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker; and Arden of Faversham, written in 1592 and published anonymously, but attributed variously to Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare.
The season is led by RSC deputy artistic director Erica Whyman.
The Roaring Girl is directed by Jo Davies. Lisa Dillon leads the cast as the fearless governess of London’s underworld Moll Cutpurse.
Lisa Dillon was previously with the RSC as Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew at the Richmond Theatre in 2012 and also played Desdemona in Gregory Doran’s Othello at Trafalgar Studios in 2004.
Her other credits include Sibyl in the Vaudeville Theatre production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives in 2010, the BBC’s Cranford Chronicles and Stephen Fry’s film Bright Young Things.
Arden of Faversham will be directed by Polly Findlay. The lead role of Alice Arden—“the largest role for a woman in all Elizabethan drama”—will be played by Sharon Small who will make her RSC debut.
She has appeared on television in the BBC’s Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Mistresses while on stage she has worked at the National Theatre, Royal Court and Donmar Warehouse.
The casts also include Joe Bannister, Ian Bonar, Peter Bray, Elspeth Brodie, Colin Brown, Faye Castelow, Keir Charles, Liz Crowther, Geoffrey Freshwater, Lizzie Hopley, Joan Iyiola, Tony Jayawardena, Christopher Middleton, Ken Nwosu, Tom Padley, Ian Redford, David Rintoul, Jay Simpson, Timothy Speyer and Harvey Virdi.
The Roaring Girl is designed by Naomi Dawson. Lighting is designed by Anna Watson, music composed by Gary Yershon, with sound by Simon Baker. It runs in the Swan Theatre from 9 April until 30 September.
Arden of Faversham is designed by Merle Hensel. Lighting is designed by Lee Curran with music and sound by Dan Jones. It runs in the Swan from 30 April until 2 October.