Actress and writer Zawe Ashton, best known for her performance in Channel 4’s university sitcom Fresh Meat, will star in Anthony Neilson’s new play Narrative at the Royal Court.
The project, which until today remained unnamed, will be created by Neilson and his cast, which also includes Imogen Doel, Brian Doherty, Christine Entwisle, Barnaby Power and Oliver Rix, during the show’s production period before it is brought to the stage from 5 April.
For Ashton, Narrative marks a return to the Sloane Square venue, where she previously appeared in Gone Too Far!, Rhinoceros and The Arsonists as well as taking part in the company’s 2009 Young Writers’ Festival.
Though it will be Ashton’s first project with Neilson, three of her fellow cast members have previously worked with the writer/director. Doel appeared in Christmas production Get Santa, while Entwisle and Power both worked on The Wonderful World Of Dissocia. Royal Shakespeare Company regular Doherty and Rix, whose credits include I Am A Camera at Southwark Playhouse, both make their Royal Court debuts.
Neilson’s latest play will round off Dominic Cooke’s tenure as Artistic Director of the famous new writing theatre, providing a satisfyingly cyclical culmination, as The Wonderful World Of Dissocia was part of Cooke’s inaugural season in 2007. When Cooke steps down in April, he will be replaced by Vicky Featherstone, the former Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland.