This Sunday! Roger Allam, Celia Imrie & Kevin Bishop
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PRESS RELEASE 17-10-2017 IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE www.whitherwouldyougo.com / #whitherwouldyougo / @WhitherWould THIS SUNDAY! ROGER ALLAM, CELIA IMRIE & KEVIN BISHOP JOIN ALL-STAR CAST OF – ‘WHITHER WOULD YOU GO?’ - DIRECTED BY JAMIE LLOYD FOR REFUGEES On October 22nd at the Harold Pinter Theatre, a host of stars will gather to perform scenes from Shakespeare’s plays in response to modern-day refugee video stories. The evening will be directed by Jamie Lloyd. All profits go to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. The burgeoning cast includes such luminaries as Roger Allam, Kevin Bishop, Zoe Boyle, Bertie Carvel, Lee Evans, Martin Freeman, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Celia Imrie, Eleanor Matsuura, Wunmi Mosaku, James Norton, Jack Whitehall, Olivia Williams & many more will join together to create a one-night-only, never-to-be-repeated gala event in support of the millions of forcibly displaced people around the world. The evening includes a special guest performance by actor Jay Abdo, himself a refugee of his native Syria. Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘refugee’ speech from ‘The Book of Sir Thomas More’, written as a plea for tolerance during the London riots of May 1517 (500 years ago this year), ‘Whither Would You Go?’ pairs scenes from Shakespeare, read by stars of stage and screen with genuine refugee stories from around the world. Jamie Lloyd says ‘Whither Would You Go? uses the words of William Shakespeare to highlight our shared humanity. When we focus on what we all have in common, we can start a conversation. With more than 65m forcibly displaced people in the world – the highest levels ever recorded - we should be talking and we should be acting. ‘ Stephen Fry, who participated in the inaugural event in LA said 'Shakespeare has always been a friend to the marginalised. Who better to champion the needs of refugees worldwide?’ Olivia Williams, LA event alumni & London cast member said ‘Contributing to Whither Would You Go? is the answer to the question, ‘what can I do to help?’ NOTES TO EDITORS ‘Whither Would You Go’ is the creation of Ella Smith & Emma West, both actors & producers who wanted to harness the power of storytelling to bring tangible help to refugees. Their inaugural production took place in Los Angeles in March and sold out. Further productions are now planned for New York & Sydney. We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. An unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Often the first on the ground to help those forcibly displaced by conflict or persecution, UNHCR is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. All profits from ‘Whither Would You Go?’ go directly to UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency. Best known for his work with his eponymous theatre company (The Jamie Lloyd Company) for Trafalgar Transformed at the Trafalgar Studios, Jamie Lloyd has been credited with drawing new people to the theatre and introducing plays to a wholly diverse audience. He is a proponent for affordable theatre for young and diverse audiences and has been credited with ‘redefining West End theatre’ (Nick Curtis, Evening Standard – ‘Jamie Lloyd: The Playmaker‘). He has an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for ‘The Pride’ at the Royal Court – and has been nominated a further four times. His production of ‘Passion’ during his associate directorship at the Donmar Warehouse won an Evening Standard award for Best Musical. He has also worked at the National Theatre, the Old Vic and in the West End. A refugee of his native Syria, actor Jay Abdo’s career was cut short in 2011. During a trip to Beirut where he spoke to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, Abdo spoke out against the Assad government and how they were "responsible for killings within their borders". After returning to Syria, Abdo began to receive threats and was intimidated and criticized for his lack of patriotism. As a result, he moved to the United States in October 2011 to escape persecution. He joined his wife in Minnesota, where she was studying as a Humphrey fellow at the Fulbright Program and the couple later moved to Los Angeles so he could start acting again. After working several odd jobs, including delivering pizzas for Domino's Pizza and driving an Uber, he finally began to land major roles again, including QUEEN OF THE DESERT with Nicole Kidman, A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING with Tom Hanks & most recently 1ST BORN with Val Kilmer & William Baldwin. Kevin Bishop can currently be seen in the lead role of Fletcher in the BBC’s remake of PORRIDGE and will next be seen on stage in LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN alongside Jennifer Saunders. Kevin is a stalwart of the contemporary British TV comedy scene. He is best known for STAR STORIES, his own series THE KEVIN BISHOP SHOW and most recently THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW. Other recent credits include on stage in ONCE IN A LIFETIME at the Young Vic alongside Harry Enfield and as Nigel Farage in the BBC 2 mockumentary NIGEL FARAGE GETS HIS LIFE BACK. Zoe Boyle’s TV credits include: DOWNTON ABBEY, SONS OF ANARCY, GREYS ANATOMY, FRONTIER, FORT JAMES for Netflix & the BBC’s WITLESS. Her theatre credits include: KING LEAR & THE SEAGULL for the Royal Shakespeare Company directed by Trevor Nunn, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION for the Old Vic, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF as Maggie & PRESENT LAUGHTER. She is the recipient of a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Outstanding Ensemble for her work in DOWNTON ABBEY. Bertie Carvel is currently starring as Rupert Murdoch in INK at the Duke Of York's Theatre in the West End, and on screen as Simon in the BBC's hit drama DOCTOR FOSTER. Previously he starred in JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, COALITION, BABYLON and as Miss Trunchbull in MATILDA, THE MUSICAL in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the West End and on Broadway (Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical). Over the past decade Lee Evans has received rave reviews for his West-End theatre roles including; Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME alongside the legendary Michael Gambon, Mel Brooks’ musical THE PRODUCERS with Nathan Lane plus Harold Pinter’s THE DUMB WAITER, with Jason Isaacs - for which he received the London Theatregoers’ Choice Award - and Clive Exton’s BARKING IN ESSEX. Lee has won many accolades in the comedy world including ‘Special Contribution To Comedy’ Award at The British Comedy Awards 2011, the highly coveted ‘Perrier Award’ and the Time Out Award for Comedy. He has experienced huge success as an international film star with major starring roles in FREEZE FRAME THE MEDALLION, THE MARTINS, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, MOUSE HUNT, THE FIFTH ELEMENT and FUNNY BONES. He has also starred in several television series and television films; DOCTOR WHO, THE DINNER PARTY and THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY. Currently treading the boards of London’s West End in Jeremy Herrin-directed ‘Labour of Love’ for the Michael Grandage Company, Martin Freeman was most recently seen reprising his role of ‘Dr. John Watson’ in the much anticipated fourth series of SHERLOCK on both BBC One in the UK and PBS in the US. Martin is currently filming Ryan Coogler’s sci-fi drama BLACK PANTHER, alongside Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker and Lupita Nyong’o. Martin takes on the role of ‘Everett K. Ross’ in a story concerning the story of new ruler ‘T’Challa’ defending his land from being torn apart by enemies from outside and inside the kingdom of Wakanda. The film will be released in February 2018. Prior to this, Martin was seen in Crackle’s new drama STARTUP, alongside Adam Brody and Edi Gathegi. The series TX’d in September 2016 and ran for 10 episodes. Martin will also be seen in the big screen adaptation of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s GHOST STORIES. The thriller also stars George MacKay and Andy Nyman and is due to be released later this year. 2017 will also see Martin in the feature film adaptation of award nominated short CARGO. The post-apocalyptic thriller also stars Anthony Hayes, Caren Pistorius and Susie Porter. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s theatre credits include: DEATH & THE KING’S HORSEMAN, ANTIGONE, EDWARD II & Guildenstern in ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (NT 50th Anniversary show) for the National Theatre; A RESPECTABLE WEDDING, JOE TURNER’S COME & GONE, THE CHANGELING & FEAST for the Young Vic; THE LOW ROAD for the Royal Court and HAMLET for the Barbican. His film credits include: THE DOUBLE, DOCTOR STRANGE, JUSTICE LEAGUE, PADDINGTON 2 & MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Kobna’s TV credits include the BBC’s LITTLE BRITAIN, PULLING, SILK, FATHER BROWN, CLASS, WAGSTAFFE & THE SPLIT, as well as PHONE SHOP & MIDSOMER MURDERS. Celia Imrie’s many film credits include: HIGHLANDER, Kenneth Branagh’s FRANKENSTEIN, the BRIDGET JONES trilogy, John Madden’s BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, CALENDAR GIRLS & Woody Allen’s YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER. Her varied TV credits include: BERGERAC, THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY, DINNER LADIES, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS & BETTER THINGS as well as arguably her most iconic role in VICTORIA WOOD AS SEEN ON TV, where she shone in the now- infamous ACORN ANTIQUES sketches. In 2005 ACORN ANTIQUES became a West End musical directed by Trevor Nunn and Celia’s performance as Miss Babs won her the Olivier Award for ‘Best Supporting Actress in a Musical’. Last year she was honoured with the Barbara Tipple Best Actress Award by the Women’s International Film & Television Showcase.