(in order of appearance)
Anna Marx – Catherine Wolfe Donohue
Anna is very excited to be in a KDC play after not doing anything for ages. In her spare time, she likes swimming and talking about herself in the third person. What she lacks in acting ability, she makes up for in punctuality and love of the semi-colon; to prepare for the part she watched three series of Dallas before realising the play is set in Illinois.
Darren Evans – Max ‘Goose’ Graves / Carlo / Dr Richard Winmore
Having studied with City Academy drama centre in 2010, this will be Darren’s third KDC production, completing the ‘Moore trilogy’, having starred in Blood Wedding directed by Kate Moore and, more recently, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot directed by Duncan Moore. Having performed a variety of roles over the years, this will be Darren’s first display of multiple roles within one production. He is looking forward to working with Kate again and performing with such a wonderful cast.
Mark Ewins – Oliver Albert Young (aka ‘The Twist’ or ‘Baby Face’) / Dr Leonard Rowntree / Radio announcer
Mark has performed with KDC since 2006, having had a variety of roles ranging from Shakespearian fools through to a terrified signal man. He is excited to be back at the Lion and Unicorn having previously performed in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Barons Court. Described as a collector of hobbies, Mark can be found eating and drinking to pay his rent whilst at night he retreats to the quiet life of community orchestras, swimming, ice skating and trout tickling (I made that one up). Enjoy the show!
Cathy Abbott – Frances O’Connell
Cathy is delighted to be returning to the stage after a break of over five years. She joined KDC in 2000 and has lost count of the number of productions she has been involved in. Previous roles include: Viola in Twelfth Night, Andromache in both Troilus and Cressida and The Trojan Women, Simon in Lord of the Flies, Pope Joan in Top Girls. She has also played both Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor in separate productions of The Crucible (several years apart!).
In real life she is a children’s wear designer, who loves ice cream and is addicted to Instagram. If you want to know what Cathy had for breakfast, she will be more than happy to show you @CathyCatLondon.
Julia Pagett – Charlotte Purcell
Julia is a recent graduate from Drama Studio London and is currently represented by Inspiration Management. Before attending drama school, she attained a degree in French Studies from the University of Warwick. Julia’s upbringing in Africa, North America, France and the UK has helped mould her into the actress she is today.
Sarah Hudson – Pearl Payne
Sarah is delighted to be acting with KDC again after an absence of six years; back in 2009 she played Elizabeth in Six Degrees of Separation. Since then, she’s moved to Brussels and back, and performed in productions on both sides of the Channel including The Threepenny Opera, Hello Dolly, All My Sons, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Autobahn.
James Barton-Steel – Tom Donohue
James graduated from Mountview Academy of Performing Arts and is grateful for his first play with KDC. He took a rather unorthodox route after graduation, acting his way through a full-time job before having a lightbulb moment and returning to the stage; better prepared he hopes. James has appeared in, amongst others: An Ideal Husband (Sir Robert Chiltern/Criterion), The Accrington Pals (Ralph/The Pleasance), The Way of the World (Mirabell/The Gatehouse) and Greek (Eddie/Warwick Arts Centre). James is at home playing very English rakes and cads, so a Chicago steel welder is right in his comfort zone!
William Baltyn – Rufus Reed
William is a regular KDC actor, having most recently appeared in Manger A Trois in Summer 2014. Prior to this he played Prince Charles in The War of the Waleses in London, Stratford and at the Edinburgh Fringe. Other roles have included Konstantin Levin in Anna Karenina and a surprising number of nameless parts such as Father, Interviewer, Priest, Narrator and Zookeeper. He is relieved to have a name.
David Doyle – Dr Walter Dalitsch
Since being cast as ‘sheep number three’ in his school nativity play (reviewers said his ‘Baa’ sent shivers down the spine), David has secretly suspected he would return to the stage. In his job as a journalist he has to pretend to be knowledgeable about a host of subjects, so he is hoping it will be a small step to pretending to have a medical degree as the honest Dr Dalitsch.
Lionel Laurent – Leonard Grossman
French-born Lionel is making a return to theatre and London after several years in the Parisian wilderness. As a teenager he was always at home acting in modern American classics like Glengarry Glen Ross and The Crucible, so he’s excited that his first appearance with KDC is as a Chicago lawyer – even if his accent’s a little rusty!