Casting is announced today for the world premiere of Marika Mckennell’s E8, presented by The North Wall in association with The Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe 2019.
Tina Chiang (Bodyguard, Chimerica) will play Polly, Parys Jordan (Witness for the Prosecution) will play Mo, Harry McMullen (The Red Lion) will play Ryan and Alice Vilanculo (Rosemersholm) will play Bailey.
Directed by double Fringe First Award-winner Ria Parry, E8 is a searing examination of life in an alternative provision school. Writer and spoken word poet Marika Mckennell has drawn from her personal experience working in PRUs (pupil referral units) in Hackney to paint a vivid portrait of young people who fall through the cracks in mainstream education.
Taking place over an hour of real time, E8 tells the story of Bailey, a student waiting for a decision that will change her life, and her relationship with her peers and Polly, her head teacher, who is preparing to leave the school.
(L-R) Tina Chiang, Parys Jordan, Harry McMullen, Alice Vilanculo
Tina Chiang
Tina studied at RADA. Theatre credits include: Mountains (Royal Exchange & UK Tour, Yellow Earth), Labour of Love (Noel Coward Theatre), Cyrano de Bergerac (Southwark Playhouse), Chimerica (Harold Pinter Theatre), Still Ill (Kandinsky/Shuffle Festival), From Shore to Shore (Freedom Studios), M.Butterfly (GBS, RADA), Fox Attack (National Theatre of Scotland/Oram Mor), Hong Kong Impressions (CAS/Theatre Noir), Why the Lion Danced (UK Tour, Yellow Earth), wAve/Boom (UK Tour, Yellow Earth), Girls’ Night (Royal Court YPT).
TV credits include: The Bodyguard, Good Omens, Chimerica, Rellik, Kiss Me First, Fearless, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Casualty, All About the McKenzies, Run.
Parys Jordan
Parys trained at Rose Bruford College. He is predominantly a theatre actor, and he has most recently finished a extended run of Witness for the Prosecution in London.
Harry McMullen
Harry trained at LAMDA. Television Credits include: Doctors (BBC); Moving On (BBC); All at Sea (BBC); Common (BBC); Massive (BBC).
Stage Credits include: Jordan in The Red Lion (Scotland Tour); Eight Percent; The Straits; Blackberry Trout Face; Brass Razzo.
Credits whilst training: Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret; Richard/Joe Schwinn in A New Brain; Charlie in Sucker Punch; Polykleitos in Welcome to Thebes.
Alice Vilanculo
Alice recently finished training with the National Youth Theatre REP Company.
Theatre credits include: Rosmersholm (Duke of York Theatre); Three (Arcola Theatre); To Kill a Mockingbird (Lyric Hammersmith); Macbeth (The Garrick Theatre); Victoria’s Knickers (Soho Theatre); Consensual (Soho Theatre).
E8 will take place at 4.10pm daily at Pleasance Dome from 31 July – 26 August (except 14 Aug). Book tickets here.
