Casting has been announced for Distance at the Park Theatre, a play that shines a light on male mental health and suicide (the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK).
Telling the story of Steven – a man trying to make sense of his world – Distance will star Adam Burton (Jerusalem, Watermill Theatre) as the lead character, alongside Doreene Blackstock (Much Ado About Nothing, The Globe) as Folami, Richard Corgan (A Provincial Life, National Theatre Wales) as The Duke, Lindsay Fraser (Out Of The Cage, Park) as Sonja, and Abdul Salis (Barbershop Chronicles, National) as Alan.
Steven, recently separated and heading towards divorce, bumps into an old friend on the journey to a job interview. A complex recent past and a fragile present collide, as Steven tries to make sense of the world around him and his place within it. We accelerate headlong into Steven’s chaotic and troubled inner life, as the everyday encounter unravels into something dark, disturbing and unrestrained.
Writer Alex McSweeney has stated of the play’s creative origins: “I wrote Distance because five people I know have killed themselves in little over five years. All of them were men.
“I wanted to try and understand why suicide is particularly prevalent among men. While the crisis in masculinity might be regarded as a well-trodden path in terms of explaining the pressures that men are feeling, it is important to acknowledge that a crisis in male wellbeing is something that affects women, children, families and society itself.”
Distance is directed by Simon Pittman (Associate Director, Frantic Assembly). Performances begin 5 September.