Leicester Curve’s artistic director Nikolai Foster is to direct David Wood’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches—the first time the theatre has produced a Christmas show for young people and their families in its studio.
A co-production with the Rose Theatre Kingston, The Witches will play at Curve after opening in Hong Kong. It will go on national tour in spring 2016.
The cast features Sarah Ingram (Grand High Witch), Fox Jackson-Keen (boy), Karen Mann (grandma), Sioned Saunders (witch), Kieran Urquhart (Bruno), Elexi Walker (Mrs Jenkins) and Justin Wilman (Mr Jenkins).
Sarah Ingram took the role of Aunt Monica in See What I Wanna See at the Jermyn Street Theatre in September and October 2015. She was also in Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2011 and Flashdance the Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End in 2010.
Fox Jackson-Keen’s played the lead in Billy Elliot at Victoria Palace Theatre and was Roger in the Birmingham REP production of Philip Pulman’s I Was a Rat in 2013.
Karen Mann’s many theatre credits include the UK tour of a show about Susan Boyle, I Dreamed a Dream, in 2012 and productions for West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham REP and the Watermill Theatre, Newbury.
Sioned Saunders’s credits include Calamity Jane at the Watermill Theatre and on its UK tour in 2015, James & the Giant Peach at Birmingham Old Rep and on tour and Robin Hood and The Babes in The Wood at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich in 2011.
Kieran Urquhart played George in Rona Munro’s Scuttlers at Manchester Royal Exchange in 2015 and was in Jeff Young’s Bright Phoenix at Liverpool Everyman in 2014.
Elexi Walker appeared in Nicholas Pierpan’s You Can Still Make a Killing at Southwark Playhouse in 2012, played Katherine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew at Southwark Playhouse in 2011 and in 2010 was in Mojisola Adebayo’s Desert Boy at The Albany, Deptford.
Musician and actor Justin Wilman was on the UK tour of Calamity Jane. He performed in Cirque du Soleil’s production ZAiA and at the 2012 Diamond Jubilee pageant.
Joining Foster on the creative team are designer Isla Shaw, composer Dougal Irvine, magic consultant Neil Henry, lighting designer David Phillips, sound designer Sebastian Frost, movement director Mel Knott and casting director Kay Magson.
The Witches runs from Wednesday 9 December until Sunday 10 January 2016. Press night will be on Wednesday 16 December.