Joyous Olivier Award-winning comedy set to entertain Chester audiences this summer

The full cast has been announced for a major new production of Nell Gwynn which is set to delight audiences in Chester this summer.

Jessica Swale’s acclaimed, Olivier Award winning play will be staged at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre as part of the wider Storyhouse in the Park season.

Rose Shalloo is set to play the title role. She will be joined by Adam Clifford, Celia Cruwys-Finnegan, Tamsin Dowsett, Elliot Harper, Burhan Kathawala, Sufia Manya, Jamie Ross, Guy Woolf and Stanton Wright.

Nell Gwynn is a vibrant new co-production between Storyhouse, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake.

It runs from Friday, 21st August to 6th September and tickets are on sale now.

Swale’s joyous, warm-hearted and whip-smart celebration of theatre, power and possibility tells the remarkable true story of one of Britain’s first, and most famous, actresses. From selling oranges in the theatre pit to captivating audiences and catching the eye of King Charles II, Nell’s rise is as witty as it is revolutionary.

Packed with music, mischief and sharp humour, and featuring real historical figures and events (with generous embellishment) the show celebrates a woman who broke boundaries and claimed her place on the English stage. Bold, funny and unapologetically grown up, this production is aimed at existing Storyhouse audiences and fans of classic adaptations.

The fresh new staging is directed by Bryony Shanahan (Bloody Elle, Let the Right One In, No Pay No Way!) with set and costume design by Jess Curtis, lighting design by Mark Distin Webster, sound design by Pete Malkin and Movement Director, Sundeep Saini. Composer and musical director is Candida Caldicot.

Costume supervisor is Bronya Arciszewska, assistant director and offstage cover is Tamsin Dowsett, casting director is Liv Barr, company stage manager Kate Schofield, deputy stage manager is Emma Cook and Ella Duffy is assistant stage manager.

Rose Shalloo is Nell. Her theatre credits include The Selfish Giant (Vaudeville Theatre, Royal & Derngate), To Paint the Earth (Southwark Playhouse), Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer (National Theatre), Counting the Days (Arcola Theatre), Connected (Landor and Edinburgh Fringe), Malory Towers (Bristol Old Vic), A Christmas Carol (Old Vic) and The Crucible (Sheffield Crucible).

Adam Clifford appears as Lord Arlington and Thomas Killigrew. Stage credits include The Great Christmas Feast and In Night’s Darkling Glory (The Lost Estate), The Song Project (Royal Court), The Gospel According to Jesus Queen of Heaven (Tron), Hamlet (National Theatre) and The Shark is Broken (Sonia Friedman/Kenny Wax).

Celia Cruwys-Finnegan is Rose Gwynn, Lady Castlemaine and Louise de Keroualle. Her stage credits include The Bureau of Lost Things (Theatre 503), Mrs Littlewood and Boundless as the Sea (RSC), Death Comes to Pemberley (UK tour), and Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Mother Goose and Cinderella (all Theatre Clwyd).

Tamsin Dowsett is offstage cover/assistant director. Her stage credits include Hex (National Theatre), Wonderful Town (Opera Holland Park), Bat Out of Hell (US and Australia tours), 42nd Street (The Gatehouse), Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre) and Brass the Musical (Union Theatre).

Elliot Harper plays Charles Hart. His stage credits include Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical (West End and on tour), The Exorcist (Phoenix Theatre), One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre), Les Misérables (Queens Theatre), Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre), A Study in Scarlet (Southwark Playhouse), The Mill on the Floss (Everyman Cheltenham) and The Talented Mr Ripley (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch).

Burhan Kathawala is Ned Spigget. Theatre credits include The Bar at the Edge of Time (Frozen Light Theatre Company), Jack and the Beanstalk rock ‘n’ roll panto (Liverpool Everyman), Sleeping Beauty (New Wolsey Theatre), Scouts! The Musical (Gigglemug) and Your Toys (Slot Machine Theatre/Unicorn Theatre).

Sufia Manya plays Nancy, Queen Catherine and Ma. Her stage credits include A Matter of Life and Death and The Prince and the Pauper (New Vic), The Hired Man (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch/Hull Truck), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Bolton Octagon), The 101 Dalmatians Birmingham Rep) and The Smartest Giant in Town (Folksy Theatre).

Jamie Ross appears as John Dryden and is also music captain. His stage credits include The Little Mermaid and Sherlock Holmes and the Poison Wood (Watermill Theatre), A Christmas Carol and Tick, Tick…Boom! (Bridge House Theatre), Mythic (Charing Cross Theatre), The Secret Garden (Barn Theatre) and Footloose (West End and international tour).

King Charles II is played by Guy Woolf. Theatre credits include The Tempest (Waterloo East), HIV Voices (The King’s Head Theatre), Thyestes (Courtyard Theatre), As You Like It (the Globe), The Cher Show (UK and Ireland tour) and The Last Five Years (Theatre Royal Bath/Barn Theatre/Reading Rep).

And Stanton Wright is Edward Kynaston. Theatre credits include The Kite Runner (UK tour), Great Expectations (Mercury Theatre Colchester), Twelfth Night (RSC), Orlando (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Winter’s Tale (National Theatre) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (UK and Ireland tour).

Olivier Award winning Playwright Jessica Swale said: 

“It’s so exciting to see Nell Gwynn brought to life again, especially by Theatre by the Lake. At its heart, it’s about who gets to tell stories and whose voices are heard and that feels just as urgent now as it did then.”

Director Bryony Shanahan says: 

“When I first read the script for Nell Gwynn, it jumped to life right off the page. It demands to be told, to take up space, to be loud, to be funny, to be moving. At the heart of the story is Nell, and her story of radical change - whilst never forgetting your roots - drives us through the action. We see her step into a space she was never ‘supposed’ to occupy and transform it completely.

“I’m so excited for the production to lean into the joy of theatre itself; the chaos, the creativity, the community and the necessity. It is a love letter to the form and a celebration of one of the voices who helped to shape what theatre is today.”

Nell Gwynn is part of the 2026 Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre season which runs from 27th June to 6st September.

Gangs of New York playwright Kieran Lynn returns to the outdoor theatre-in-the-round with a bold, feelgood reimagining of one of Britain’s greatest legends. Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story opens on Friday, 3 July and runs until Sunday, 23 August.

The production is directed by Hannah Noone (The Snow Queen, Cinderella).

Then Let The Sun Shine! with Helen Redcliffe’s uplifting transformational drama which runs from Friday, 10 July to Sunday, 23 August.

Set in 1969 and directed by Rob Green and Lucy Thatcher, this coming-of-age story unfolds in a conservative UK town on the brink of cultural change. When a Woodstock-inspired festival arrives, fear and resistance gradually give way to collaboration, connection and joy.

And this year’s enchanting walkabout family show is Peter Pan.

Taking place from Tuesday, 28th July to Thursday, 13th August, children under eight and their families are promised a vibrant interactive adventure. Staying close to the classic Disney-style storytelling, the show features Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.

Meanwhile the festival site will once again feature the popular tepee bar, with a wider variety of food choices than ever before, craft beers and frozen cocktails, alongside a vibrant Street Food Weekend (27-28 June) launching the season with live music and free entry.

Across the summer visitors can also enjoy:

·       Moonlight Flicks – the return of Storyhouse’s atmospheric open-air cinema

·       Live comedy evenings

·       Thrilling Murder Mystery events

·       Outdoor yoga sessions in the park

·       Rhyme Time and Library Craft sessions for families

Whether audiences are coming for Nell Gwynn, Outlaws: A Robin Hood Story, Peter Pan, Let the Sun Shine! or a glass of wine under the stars, a family craft morning or late-night film screening, Storyhouse in the Park promises a summer long celebration of culture, community and creativity.

For more details, including full dates and ticket prices, visit: 

www.storyhouse.com

Follow Storyhouse on social media channels: 

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/storyhouselive/

X:                    @StoryhouseLive

Instagram:      @StoryhouseLive