Niamh Cusack, Kika Markham and Stella Gonet have been cast in the ensemble for the Tricycle theatre’s Women, Power And Politics season which runs from 4 June to 17 July (press night 11 June).
The season, timed to follow swiftly on the heels of next week’s general election, explores the role of women in politics through nine plays dealing with historical and contemporary aspects of the theme.
Cusack is currently appearing in Andersen’s English at the Hampstead theatre. Her many stage credits include Dancing At Lughnasa at the Old Vic, Mammals at the Bush theatre and The Enchantment and His Dark Materials at the National Theatre. She has also worked frequently with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Gate theatre in her native Dublin.
Markham, who returns to the stage following the death of her actor husband Corin Redgrave earlier this month, received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2000 for Song At Twilight at the Gielgud theatre. Her other stage credits include The Permanent Way at the National Theatre and Homebody/Kabul at the Young Vic, while she has been seen on screen in Spooks, Poirot and Midsomer Murders.
Gonet, recognisable for her television roles in The House Of Eliott and Holby City, has appeared frequently at the National Theatre in productions including Skylight, Racing Demon, The Voysey Inheritance and Hamlet, while she has also starred in Royal Shakespeare Company productions including Three Sisters, The Revenger’s Tragedy and Measure For Measure.
The cast also includes Claire Cox, Simon Chandler, Oliver Chris, Heather Cranley, John Hollingworth, Amy Loughton, Tom Mannion, Lara Rossi and Felix Scott.
In addition to the nine plays by Bola Agbaje, Moira Buffini, Zinnie Harris, Sam Holcroft, Marie Jones, Lucy Kirkwood, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Sue Townsend and Joy Wilkinson, the season also includes three short plays by upcoming playwrights, plus verbatim monologues edited from interviews with politicians including Oona King, Edwina Curry, Ann Widdecombe and Jacqui Smith.
BBC correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti, playwright and critic Bonnie Greer and politician Clare Short will also host post-show discussions during the season.
The Women, Power And Politics season plays at the Tricycle theatre following Twelfth Night, which ends its run on 29 May.
CB