CURVE'S PHIZZ-WHIZZING CAST OF DESPICABLE TWITS AND ACROBATIC MUGGLE-WUMPS ANNOUNCED

A Curve and Rose Theatre Kingston co-production
ROALD DAHL’S THE TWITS
Based on the book by Roald Dahl
Adapted for the stage by David Wood

Director: Max Webster;
Designer: Georgia Lowe; Lighting Designer: Joshua Pharo;
Composer: Dougal Irvine; Movement Director: Deborah Pugh; Sound Designer: Carolyn Downing.

Curve – Studio
10 December –15 January
Press night: 14 December at 7pm

Curve and Rose Theatre Kingston are pleased to announce full casting for their upcoming production of Roald Dahl’s The Twits.

Mr. and Mrs. Twit will be played by Robert Pickavance and Jo Mousley. Robert has previously played other iconic Dahl characters on stage including The BFG and Grasshopper in James and The Giant Peach. The Muggle-Wump family will be played by Luke Johnson as Daddy Muggle-Wump, Liz Jadav as Mummy Muggle-Wump, Charlotte Workman as Girl Muggle-Wump and Alex Chang as Boy Muggle-Wump. The Roly-Poly Bird will be played by Jack Horner.

Composer and Curve Associate Artist Dougal Irvine returns to create new songs and music for the production, following his work on last year’s production of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. Director Max Webster will also be joined by Linbury Prize Finalist Georgia Lowe, both creating work at Curve for the first time.

The Twits is the second Made at Curve Christmas show created specifically for young people and their families and follows the unprecedented success of Nikolai Foster’s production of The Witches, which will run at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds over Christmas. The productions are programmed to coincide with the Dahl 100 anniversary.

Curve Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be presenting David Wood’s anarchic adaptation of The Twits during the Dahl 100 celebratory year. Following the success of The Witches last year, we are proud to be working with our friends at the Rose Kingston and Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong once again. Director Max Webster and our casting director Kay Magson have brought together a first class company of actors, who not only play instruments but also boast a host of acrobatic skills, and an exceptional creative team. We are looking forward to The Twits and their motley crew rocking up in LE1 to realise this most disgusting and sticky adventure for young people and their families.”

Roald Dahl’s The Twits begins at Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong 25 – 27 November before returning to Curve 10 December – 15 January. The show later performs at Rose Theatre Kingston 5 – 16 April 2017.

ENDS.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Robert Pickavance is Mr Twit. His previous theatre credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (The Globe & UK, Europe & America Tour); James and The Giant Peach (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Grand Gesture (Northern Broadsides); Wind In The Willows (Birmingham Rep); The History Boys (The Theatre by The Lake); The BFG (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster); Forty Years On (York Theatre Royal); Peter Pan (York Theatre Royal); To Kill A Mockingbird (York Theatre Royal).

Jo Mousley is Mrs Twit. Her previous theatre credits include: Horrible Christmas (Birmingham Stage); Brassed Off (Derby Theatre); The Full Monty (David Pugh Ltd); The Life And Times of Mitchell And Kenyon (Dukes Lancaster/Oldham Coliseum); Horrible Histories (Birmingham Stage); Blood and Chocolate (York Theatre Royal/Pilot Theatre/Slung Low); The Enough Project (Dep Arts/Theatre In The Mill/Lowry Studio); David Copperfield (Oldham Coliseum).

Liz Jadav is Mummy Muggle-Wump. Her theatre credits include Stoneface (Finborough Theatre); The Ugly Duckling (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, & Nottingham Playhouse); My Name Is Stephen Luckwell, The Elves and the Shoemakers, Under the Story Tree, Can You Whistle Johanna? (Nottingham Playhouse); The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, The Wind in the Willows (Illyria Theatre), Grimms (Trafalgar Studios), TASTE (The Theatre, Chipping Norton, & Theatre du Preau), My Dad’s Corner Shop (Derby Playhouse), Sanguine Nights, Awakening Durga (Kali Theatre) and Tamasha’s 25th Birthday. Her television credits include appearances in Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. Liz is the voice of Manisha in the latest season of Zombies, Run!

Luke Johnson is Daddy Muggle-Wump. Luke trained at Laine Theatre Arts. His theatre credits include: The Light Princess (National Theatre); Victor/Victoria (Southwark Playhouse); Wizard of Oz (London Palladium); Chicago (Istanbul, Morocco & Hong Kong); Chicago (Cambridge Theatre); The Lord of The Rings (Theatre Royal); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour); Boogie Nights (UK Tour).

Charlotte Workman is Girl Muggle-Wump. Charlotte trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts after studying Drama at the University of Hull. Recent theatre credits include: Brief Encounter (Torch Theatre); Once Upon a Christmas (The Unicorn); The Dragon & Fuente Ovejuna (Tangram Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol (The Dukes, Lancaster); A Spell of Cold Weather (Cahoots NI, The Lyric Belfast); All Join In & Charlotte’s Web (Polka Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Strangeface Theatre Co.). TV credit: Doctors (BBC). Charlotte is also a member of all female progressive indie pop band ‘The May Birds’.

Alex Chang is Boy Muggle-Wump. His theatre credits include: Song Unsung (Yellow Earth Theatre); Robin Hood (Theatre Royal Stratford); From Shore To Shore (Freedom Studios); A Pierre Dream (Aldeburgh Festival); Midsummer Night’s Dream, You Can Still Make A Killing, The Love Of The Nightingale, Sense & Sensibility, King Lear, Twelfth Night (ALRA); The Forgotten Of The Forgotten (Bush Theatre); Coram Boy (Bristol Old Vic).

Jack Horner is The Roly-Poly Bird. Jack began training as a Gymnast & Sports Acrobat at the age of 4 and attended The National Centre for Circus Arts and The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. His theatre credits include: Wendy & Peter Pan (Royal Shakespeare Company); Love Never Dies (West End & Universal Studios, Japan); Macbeth (Royal Opera House); Carmen (Glyndebourne Opera House); Die Zauberflote (Royal Opera House); Peter Pan (UK Productions). The previous two years have seen him write and direct shows including A Sweet Heist & Out Foxed (National Youth Circus). He is Associate Director for Metta Theatre.

Max Webster is the current Baylis Director at The Old Vic Theatre. His directorial theatre credits include: King Lear (Northampton Royal & Derngate & UK Tour); The Lorax (Old Vic Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (The Globe Theatre); Mary Stuart (Parco – Japan); James And The Giant Peach (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Twelfth Night (Regents Park Open Air Theatre); Orlando, To Kill A Mockingbird, My Young And Foolish Heart (Royal Exchange Theatre); My Generation (West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Shape Of The Impossible (Shed, National Theatre); Skewered Snails (Iron Oxide & Southbank Centre); Anna Karenina (Arcola Theatre); The Chalk Circle (Aarohan Theatre, Kathmandu & international tour); Sense (Company of Angels & Southwark Playhouse); Longing For Darkness (Havana Theatre Festival, Cuba & International tour); Carnival Under The Rainbow (Hilton Arts Festival, South Africa & National tour); Mustard (Company of Angels & Soho Theatre Studio); Feast Kakulu (Hilton Arts Festival, South Africa & National tour) and Finisterre (Theatre503 & Young Vic Genesis).

Georgia Lowe is the designer. Georgia was a Linbury Prize for Stage Design Finalist 2011 and was shortlisted for The Jocelyn Herbert Award 2011. Georgia was Trainee Designer for the Royal Shakespeare Company 2011-2012. Her recent design credits include: The Patriotic Traitor (Park Theatre); In The Night Time (Before The Sun Rises) (Gate Theatre); Re:Home Yen (Royal Court / Royal Exchange); Pomona (National Theatre/Royal Exchange); Four Fridas (Greenwich + Docklands International Festival); Defect (Arts Educational Schools); These Trees Are Made Of Blood (Southwark Playhouse); Need A Little Help (Tangled Feet); Pomona (Orange Tree Theatre); Far Away (Young Vic).

Dougal Irvine is the composer and a Curve Associate Artist. For Curve, his previous work includes The Witches (Curve Leicester & UK and Hong Kong tour). His other composer credits include The Buskers Opera (Park Theatre); Laila (Rifco), Teddy (Southwark Playhouse); The Interventionists (Lyric Hammersmith); The Snow Queen (Nuffield/Royal and Derngate); Future Fest (Lyric Hammersmith); Angry Birds (The Space, Havring); The Other School (St. James Theatre/NYMT); Captured By The Dark (Stop Gap Theatre); Blood Wedding and The Bacchae (Royal & Derngate) and A Song Cycle For Soho (Soho Theatre).

Roald Dahl’s The Twits LISTINGS
60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB
www.curveonline.co.uk
Twitter: @CurveLeicester Facebook: /CURVEtheatreLeicester

Curve – Studio
10 December –15 January
Press night: 14 December at 7pm

Hong Kong
25 November –27 November

Rose Theatre Kingston
5 April – 16 April 2017

CURVE
Box Office: 0116 242 3595
Monday – Saturday: 10am – 8pm (6pm non-performance days)
Sunday: one hour before the performance.
www.curveonline.co.uk