The Royal Shakespeare Company is to continue celebrating the work of Shakespeare’s contemporaries by presenting Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta and Love’s Sacrifice by John Ford in Stratford.
Justin Audibert will make his RSC debut directing Marlowe’s play of religious conflict and revenge, The Jew of Malta. He is the artistic associate for HighTide Festival Theatre and Red Ladder. His recent credits include Beached for the Marlowe and Soho theatres and Hamlet for the Watermill Theatre.
Jasper Britton who played the title role in Gregory Doran’s productions of Henry IV Parts I and II will be the complex Machiavellian protagonist Barabas.
Love’s Sacrifice will be directed by Matthew Dunster, an associate artist at the Young Vic who will also be making his RSC debut.
Staged for the first time in 400 years, Love’s Sacrifice was the winning play of Scholars’ Pitch, a challenge set by RSC artistic director Gregory Doran for academics to suggest a forgotten 17th century play that would appeal to a modern audience.
At the centre of this tale of jealousy is Bianca, who will be played by Catrin Stewart. She recently had roles as Jenny Flint in Doctor Who and Emma in Ruth Jones’s Sky 1 comedy drama series Stella.
Playing her devoted and jealous husband the Duke of Pavy, a character with echoes of Shakespeare’s Othello, is Matthew Needham. He returns to the RSC after appearing in the 2013 productions of Candide and Titus Andronicus. He is currently appearing in Francis Beaumont’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe.
The cast for the productions includes Andy Apollo, Sheila Atim, Guy Burgess, Beth Cordingly, Geoffrey Freshwater, Marcus Griffiths, Rhiannon Handy, Simon Hedger, Julian Hoult, Matthew Kelly, Annette McLaughlin, Lanre Malaolu, Steven Pacey, Richard Rees, Colin Ryan, Nav Sidhu and Gabby Wong.
The Jew of Malta is designed by Lily Arnold with lighting by Oliver Fenwick. Music is composed by Jonathan Girling with sound by Claire Windsor. Movement is by Lucy Cullingford and fight director is Kev McCurdy.
The Jew of Malta runs in the Swan Theatre from Wednesday 18 March until Tuesday 8 September. Press night will be on Thursday 26 March.
Love’s Sacrifice is designed by Anna Fleischle with lighting by Lee Curran. Music is composed by Alexander Balanescu with sound by Ian Dickinson. Movement is by Charlotte Broom and video design by Dick Straker.
Love’s Sacrifice runs in the Swan Theatre from Saturday 11 April until Wednesday 24 June. Press night will be on Monday 20 April.