Hattie Morahan will star in the world premiere of Nick Dear’s The Dark Earth And The Light Sky at the Almeida theatre this winter.
The actress, who is currently appearing in Carrie Cracknell’s production of A Doll’s House at the Young Vic, will play the wife of tormented writer Edward Thomas in Dear’s 1913-set drama, which plays at the Islington venue from 8 November to 12 January.
Directed by Richard Eyre, The Dark Earth And The Night Sky tells the story of the dissatisfied writer, who after meeting fellow poet Robert Frost, emerges from his cocoon of self doubt to become one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. On the verge of success he makes the drastic decision to enlist, confounding his friends and family.
A regular on the National Theatre stage, Morahan has appeared in Time And The Conways, Iphigenia At Aulis, The Seagull and Dear’s drama Power at the Southbank venue. She will be joined in The Dark Earth And The Night Sky by Pip Carter, who has also appeared at the National in Present Laughter and The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other, and is currently starring in Laura Wade’s elitist club-set drama Posh at the Duke of York’s theatre. The actor will exchange toff for poet to take on the role of the enigmatic writer whose life is set to change forever.
Carter and Morahan will be joined by Pandora Colin, who returns to the Almeida following her performance in The House Of Bernada Alba, Dan Poole, who was last seen in Jerusalem, and two actors who are best known for their on screen appearances, Ifan Huw Dafydd and Shaun Dooley.
Star of Gavin And Stacey and Sherlock, Dafydd has been seen on stage in As You Like It at Theatre Clwyd in Wales, while Shaun Dooley, who has a plethora of on screen credits to his name including Benidorm, Great Expectations, The Borrowers and Hustle, has also starred in The White Devil at the Lyric Hammersmith.
The Dark Earth And The Night Sky will open at the Almeida theatre following King Lear starring Jonathan Pryce, which plays from 31 August to 3 November. In the meantime, Morahan and Carter can be seen at the Young Vic and the Duke of York’s respectively until 4 August.