There’s a chill on the breeze and rain in the air… which must mean summer’s here! Of course, when the cast of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s first production of the 2014 season, All My Sons, takes to the tree-lined stage at the famous uncovered auditorium, the sun will be brighter and the evenings will be warmer.
This is why you’ll see no wet weather training in Tommy Ga-Ken Wan’s images from the rehearsal room. There’s not a surprise sprinkler system to simulate a sudden storm or a cunningly secreted industrial fan for practising playing against the wind.
All weather-based japery aside, the cast is intent on bringing Arthur Miller’s tale of denial, guilt and responsibility to the stage in a production that is sure to be moving. Former Emmerdale star Tom Mannion plays Joe Keller, a man accused of shipping faulty aircraft parts during World War II, causing the death of 21 pilots. Previous Olivier Award nominee Brid Brennan plays his wife, who harbours a suspicion about the truth of the situation but refuses to believe her son Larry has died during the war. Amy Nuttall (Downton Abbey, Emmerdale) plays Ann, Larry’s former lover who hopes for a second chance of happiness with his brother, Chris.
Take a look at the cast in the rehearsal room. They take to the stage from 15 May.