Twelfth Night: A Cornish Tale

The Gatehouse Theatre and Stafford Shakespeare are delighted to announce that BAFTA-winner MOLLY WINDSOR has joined the cast of this summer’s TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale.

Molly will take on the role of Viola in the production, which runs from June 21-July 7 and is sponsored by Staffordshire University.

She is best known for her roles in the 2009 Channel 4 film The Unloved (2009) and the 2017 BBC miniseries Three Girls (2017), about the Rochdale child grooming scandal.

It was for that role that she won the 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.

In 2017, Molly was also named as a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, one of the 20 members of the prestigious group from the film, television and gaming industries.

She has also starred in hit BBC One series Traces (with Martin Compston), War of the Worlds (with Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern) and prime-time ITV drama Cheat.

TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale director Sean Turner said: ‘Molly is one of the most exciting acting talents I have ever come across, I am thrilled to be finally working with her, and on one of Shakespeare’s most complex and endearing roles.’

Producer Mike Groves said: ‘Molly is an exciting up-and-coming artist and I’m very pleased she has accepted the role of Viola. We are very lucky to have attracted a talent such as Molly to Stafford Shakespeare.’

Gatehouse general manager Gary Stevens said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have Molly join us in Stafford this summer.

‘She is very, very highly regarded in the industry and winning a BAFTA at such a young age just goes to show how prodigious her talent is.

‘The opening of TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale is now just a few months away and there’s a real buzz about this production already.

‘Tickets sales are outstripping A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM so our advice is to book now for the best seats.’

Work on the set is taking place at the Gatehouse workshop in Beaconside, helped by a partnership with KEEP BRITAIN TIDY’S OCEAN RECOVERY PROJECT.

This will see litter and debris washed up on the shores of South West England being used to create the set of the Stafford Shakespeare production before being recycled.

TWELFTH NIGHT will be the 32^nd Stafford Shakespeare production, with the first being HENRY V at Stafford Castle in 1991.

Last year, the event was moved to the Gatehouse Theatre where it achieved a record audience for a drama at the venue, with more than 5,000 people attending.

Tickets for this year’s production are available now, starting from just £23.00. Larger groups and school visits will receive a discount. Call the Box Office on 01785 619080 for details.

Twelfth Night (June 21 – July 7)

Directed by: Sean Turner

Musical Director: Stephen Hyde

Movement Direction: Amy Lawrence

Set & Costume Designer: Alfie Heywood

Lighting Design: Barry Smith

Sound Design: Hattie North

TOP COMIC SEANN WALSH JOINS STAFFORD SHAKESPEARE CAST

The Gatehouse Theatre and Stafford Shakespeare are delighted to announce that SEANN WALSH has joined the cast of this summer’s TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale.

Seann will take on the role of Malvolio in the production, which runs from June 21-July 7.

Described as ‘the best observational comedian of his generation’ (The Guardian), this Edinburgh Award nominee has been touring Back From The Bed throughout 2023 and 2024. His previous tour show After This One, I’m Going Home ended with standing ovations around the country.

Seann has appeared on Live At The Apollo, Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Last Leg, The Stand Up Sketch Show, Alan Davies’: As Yet Untitled, World’s Most Dangerous Roads, Battle In The Box and Series 22 of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, where he placed fifth.

Seann can also be heard on his regular podcasts What’s Upset You Now, alongside co-host Paul McCaffrey and Oh My Dog with Jack Dee, where they interview a special guest all about their relationships with their beloved dogs.

You can catch Seann’s stand-up special Kiss on his YouTube channel. Recorded live at the Bill Murray pub, Seann recounts living through the centre of a media storm in his distinctively shambolic, intense and energetic trademark style.

Seann’s acting credits include The Lovebox In Your Living Room, Clown, and The Bystanders which won him the award for Best Actor in a feature film at the 2023 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.

This will be Seann’s Shakespearean debut and he said: ‘It is my extreme pleasure to be joining this wonderful cast and playing this legendary comic character in arguably Shakespeare’s funniest play.’

TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale producer Mike Groves said: ‘I’m ecstatic about how this cast is coming together and developing our project. Seann is a real talent for us which will continue our work at showing how relatable and easy to understand Shakespeare really is.’

Director Sean Turner added: ‘Seann’s singular comic talents are perfectly suited to this role. I can’t wait to see what fun we can dream up together with this most crowd-pleasing of characters.’

Gatehouse Theatre general manager Gary Stevens said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have Seann join us in Stafford this summer.

‘He’s a perfect fit for the role of Malvolio and I can’t wait to see his natural humour mixed in with Shakespeare’s comedy writing. There’s going to be laughs galore, that’s for sure.

‘The opening of TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale is now just a few months away and there’s a real buzz about this production already.

‘Tickets sales are outstripping A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM so our advice is to book now for the best seats.’

Work on the set is taking place at the Gatehouse workshop in Beaconside, helped by a partnership with KEEP BRITAIN TIDY’S OCEAN RECOVERY PROJECT.

This will see litter and debris washed up on the shores of South West England being used to create the set of the Stafford Shakespeare production before being recycled.

TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale will be the 32^nd Stafford Shakespeare production, with the first being HENRY V at Stafford Castle in 1991.

Last year, the event was moved to the Gatehouse Theatre where it achieved a record audience for a drama at the venue, with more than 5,000 people attending.

Tickets for this year’s production are available now, starting from just £23.00. Larger groups and school visits will receive a discount. Call the Box Office on 01785 619080 for details or visit www.gatehousetheatre.co.uk to book.

Twelfth Night (June 21 – July 7)

Directed by: Sean Turner

Musical Director: Stephen Hyde

Movement Direction: Amy Lawrence

Set & Costume Designer: Alfie Heywood

Lighting Design: Barry Smith

Sound Design: Hattie North

NETFLIX STAR JOINS STAFFORD SHAKESPEARE CAST

The Gatehouse Theatre is delighted to announce that NATALIE ANDERSON has joined the cast of this summer’s TWELFTH NIGHT.

Natalie will take on the role of Olivia in the Stafford Shakespeare production which runs from June 21-July 7 and is set in 1950s Cornwall.

She recently played Claire Walker, who met an untimely end in the hit Netflix drama FOOL ME ONCE, starring Michelle Keegan.

She has also featured in critically-acclaimed BBC shows including HAPPY VALLEY and last year’s Stephen Graham drama BOILING POINT, as well as earlier roles in THE ROYAL (ITV) and EMMERDALE (ITV). In 2021 she appeared in the Liam Neeson action film MEMORY, which also starred Guy Pearce.

She said: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining the Stafford Shakespeare company at the Gatehouse Theatre this summer and can’t wait to take on the wonderful role of Olivia in one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, ‘Twelfth Night’.’

The annual Stafford Shakespeare production has been a highlight of the county’s cultural calendar since 1991 and last year’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM attracted a record audience for a drama show at the Gatehouse.

General Manager Gary Stevens said: ‘We are delighted to have Natalie join the cast. It shows again just how prestigious the production is.’

TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Sean Turner, will be the 32nd Stafford Shakespeare production, with the first being HENRY V at Stafford Castle in 1991. Last year, the event moved to the Gatehouse Theatre where it achieved a record audience for a drama at the venue, with more than 5,000 people attending. Producer Mike Groves said: ‘I’m thrilled to be working on another Stafford Shakespeare project. It’s become a real passion of mine to champion regional theatres and their produced work.

‘Having this level of cast and creatives on board is a very exciting piece of the puzzle that will bring this production to life.’

Tickets for TWELFTH NIGHT are available now at an Early Bird rate of just £22.00 until February 12. Book via the Box Office on 01785 619080 or www.gatehousetheatre.co.uk

Directed by: Sean Turner

Musical Director: Stephen Hyde

Movement Direction: Amy Lawrence

Set & Costume Designer: Alfie Heywood

Lighting Design: Barry Smith

Sound Design: Hattie North

Sam, Lucinda and Loris (above) from Evolution of Fishermen

We are delighted to announce that Sam Lightfoot-Loftus and Lucinda Freeburn will be returning to Stafford Shakespeare for this year’s production, TWELFTH NIGHT: A Cornish Tale.

They played Cobweb and Peaseblossom in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM last year.

Sam will play the Sea Captain (and understudy for Sebastian and Aguecheeck) and Lucinda will be part of the ensemble (and understudy for Viola and Olivia).

In addition, we have Loris Scarpa joining the ensemble and be the understudy for Feste and Malvolio.

Together, they are three members of the musical band Evolution of Fishermen, which will be providing the originally-composed foot-stomping Cornish folk music that will support this production.

The band are unusual in that they are made up of actor-musicians.

Producer Mike Groves said: ‘For me, it’s always great to have people return to us, as it shows that they’ve enjoyed the previous experience.’

Take a look at the band in action here.