FULL EDEN CAST ANNOUNCED

Full casting for the world premiere of Hannah Patterson’s Eden at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs includes Laurietta Essien, Mariah Gale, Sean Jackson, Yolanda Kettle, Adrian Richards and Michael Simkins. 

EDEN

WRITTEN BY HANNAH PATTERSON
DIRECTED BY MATTHEW XIA 

7 FEBRUARY - 16 MARCH

‘It’s perfect, isn't it? The most perfect spot I think I’ve ever seen… An unspoiled, natural beauty. Which makes it utterly ripe for development…’

Hampstead Theatre presents the world premiere of Hannah Patterson’s Eden. Directed by Matthew Xia, Eden is inspired by real events and is a modern-day David and Goliath drama about the importance of fighting for what’s right – whatever the outcome.

Eden is an idyllic coastal village of astonishing beauty, and home to an active community who are eager to protect it at all costs. Even the infamous Aaron Chase, an American property tycoon intent on building a luxury golf course, can’t name a price they’ll accept. But his star employee Sophie, a former Eden resident, might be able to broker a deal, so Chase plans to exploit her invaluable connections and local knowledge. Forced to confront her past, will Sophie be content to act as Chase Enterprises’ bulldozer or will deeper loyalties come to the fore?

Hannah Patterson returns to Hampstead Downstairs after the two successful productions Platinum and Giving. Her play Playing With Grown Ups was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best New Play and transferred to 59E59 in New York as part of the Brits Off Broadway Festival. Having participated in a residency with Paines Plough, she has written for and performed as part of the company’s Come to Where I’m From series. As a writer for film, she is currently working on an adaptation of her play Much with Tilt Films and two features for the BFI. She has been invited to participate with projects on the Edinburgh International Film Festival Talent Lab, London Film Festival’s Think-Shoot-Distribute, Creative England’s Net.work and the LA CineStory Screenwriting Lab. Hannah is currently on the Headlong Headstart writer’s programme and the UK film industry’s leading mentoring scheme Guiding Lights, under the guidance of David Hare.

Matthew Xia was previously Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre, RTYDS Director in Residence at The Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Associate Director at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Directing work for the Royal Exchange includes Frankenstein, Wish List (also Royal Court), Into The Woods and Brink. Other directing work includes Shebeen (Nottingham Playhouse/Theatre Royal, Stratford East), Dublin Carol (Sherman Theatre); Blue/Orange, The Sound of Yellow and Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (Young Vic/Eclipse); Suckerpunch Boom Suite (The Barbican/NitroBEAT); Migration Music and Scrappers (Liverpool Everyman/Playhouse); Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Cinderella, Jean Genet's The Blacks and I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky (Co-Director, Theatre Royal Stratford East/Barbican); Bush Meat (HighTide); Mad Blud and Aladdin (both Associate Director, Theatre Royal, Stratford East); Soundbites: Ruth the Divorcee and Barry the Love-Sick Bee (Lyric Theatre Studio/Bestival); Soundbites: Abandonment (Rich Mix) and Wild Child (Royal Court Rough Cut). Matthew has also worked extensively as a Composer and Musical Director for Theatre Royal Stratford East and numerous other UK theatres and events.

Laurietta Essien plays Alison. Her theatre credits include The Mysteries (Royal Exchange); Generations (Chichester Festival Theatre); Come Closer: Speak What You Feel (Royal Exchange); Sixteen (SPID Theatre); The Crucible (Abbey Theatre); Talking to Terrorists (Calypso Productions); Anthony and Cleopatra (Manchester Royal Exchange); Sisters of the Moon (Channel Theatre Company) and The African Maiden (Women of Nigeria International). Her Television credits include Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, In the Dark, Doctors, Banana, Holby City, Eastenders and Silent Witness.

Mariah Gale plays Jane. Wendy & Peter (RSC); Measure For Measure (Shakespeare’s Globe); Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (Royal & Derngate, Northampton/Manchester Royal Exchange/Northern Stage); Proof (Menier Chocolate Factory); Gruesome Playground Injuries (Gate); Three Sisters (Young Vic); The Pitchfork Disney (Arcola); Silence (RSC/Filter); The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hamlet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Anthony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and The Tempest (all RSC); The Sea (Haymarket); Vernon God Little (Young Vic); ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Southwark Playhouse); Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park); Musik (Arcola); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe) and Playhouse Creatures (Northampton Playhouse). Her film credits include Rare Beasts; Hercules; Abraham’s Point and Hamlet. Her Television credits include Doctors, Dr Who, Father Brown, Broadchurch, Lucky Man, The Hollow Crow, Frankie, Death Comes to Pemberley, New Tricks, The Diary of Anne Frank, Skins and Oliver Twist.

Sean Jackson plays Bob. Her theatre credits include Mrs Dalloway (Arcola); Macbeth (Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury); The Hook (Northampton/Liverpool Everyman); Antony and Cleopatra and Holy Warriors (both Shakespeare's Globe); Richard III (Nottingham Playhouse/York Theatre Royal); Say It With Flowers (Hampstead Theatre); Beauty and the Beast, Waves (also New York); The Seagull, A Dream Play, The Mandate, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Talking Cure and Ivanov (all National Theatre); Richard II, Hamlet (also Broadway) and The Wild Duck (Donmar Warehouse); The Jewish Wife (Young Vic) and Henry V (Manchester Royal Exchange). His film credits include Eddie the Eagle. His Television credits include The Innocents, Da Vinci's Demons (2 series), The Fear, Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Eastenders and No Man's Land.

Yolanda Kettle plays Sophie. Her theatre credits include Oil (Almeida); The Deep Blue Sea (National Theatre); For Services Rendered (Chichester Festival Theatre); Little Light (Orange Tree); Coolatully (Finborough); Birdland (Royal Court); Anhedonia (Royal Court at Wilderness Festival); A Tale of Two Cities (Royal & Derngate); Pride and Prejudice (Regent's Park); Hello/Goodbye (Hampstead Theatre); A Doll’s House (Young Vic/Duke of York’s); The Seagull (Arcola) and Saved (Royal Court Gala). Her Television work includes Marcella (Series 2), The Crown (Series 2), Howards End, Doc Martin (Series 8), The Collection, Love, Nina, Father Brown and Holby City. Her Radio work includes A Change in the Willows, The Darkwater Bride and The Soulbreaker. 

Adrian Richards plays Golf Caddie/Journalist/Security Guard/Tailor. Adrian trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre work includes Der Rosenkavalier (Glyndebourne); The Winter's Tale and Macbeth (both National Theatre); Don Juan in Soho (Wyndham's Theatre); Wild Honey (Hampstead Theatre); The Suicide (National Theatre); Die Entführung Aus dem Serail (Glyndebourne) and Advice For The Young At Heart (Theatre Centre).

Michael Simkins plays Chase. His theatre credits include The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich (RSC); Dessert (Southwark Playhouse); Fracked! or: Please Don’t Use the F-Word (Chichester Festival Theatre/UK tour); Good Canary (Rose); The Argument (Hampstead Downstairs); Hay Fever (Theatre Royal, Bath/international tour/West End); Oh! What A Lovely War (Theatre Royal, Stratford East); Yes Prime Minister (Chichester Festival Theatre/UK tour/West End); Loyalty (Hampstead Theatre); King Lear, A View from the Bridge and A Small family Business (all National Theatre); Chicago (Cambridge Theatre); Donkey’s Years (Comedy); Mary Stuart (Apollo); The Old Masters (Comedy); Democracy (Wyndam’s); Mamma Mia! (Prince Edward); Company (Donmar/Albery) and Burn This (Hampstead Theatre/Lyric). His film credits include Greed, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, The Iron Lady, V for Vendetta, Topsy-Turvy, Wilde and Heidi. His Television credits include NPX Project, Endeavour, Prank Me, Harlots, Grantchester, EastEnders, A Touch of Cloth, Lead Balloon, Minder, Lewis, New Tricks, Casualty, The English Harem and Green Wing.

Eden plays Downstairs from 7 February - 16 March

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