Shakespeare in the Squares announces full cast for Twelfth Night

Shakespeare in the Squares has announced the full cast for their return to London’s garden spaces this summer with Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Sioned Jones directs Lucy Ireland (Viola), Carys McQueen (Olivia), Marissa Landy (Feste), Priscille Grace (Maria) Lee Drage (Antonio/Sea Captain), Richard Emerson (Malvolio/Officer) Toby Gordon (Orsino/Sir Toby Belch) and Fred Thomas (Sebastian/Sir Andrew Aguecheek). The tour opens on 13 June at Arundel and Ladbroke Gardens, with previews from 7 June, and runs until 7 July.

A highlight of London summertime, Shakespeare in the Squares’ tour will cover 22 outdoor London venues, with 27 performances, making 2023 its most ambitious season yet. Each performance is tailor made to its venue, offering a unique audience experience where no two shows are the same. The company works with the garden committees and other local organisations to create an intimate experience for each London community.

Shakespeare in the Squares celebrates its sixth anniversary with a new production of Twelfth Night set in the 1920s. This glorious romantic comedy of mistaken identity follows the wonderfully complex and entangled lives of siblings Viola and Sebastian.

Lucy Ireland plays Viola. Her theatre credits include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Theatre Royal, Nottingham), Footloose (UK & International Tour), From Here (Chiswick Playhouse), and The Gravy Bunch (Bread & Roses). Credits whilst training include Anne Boleyn, Betty Blue Eyes and Our Town. Lucy’s workshops include Obella, The Bachelor Girls and The Devil’s Advocate. Lucy is also one half of writing partnership, Barrow & Ireland with Ben Barrow. Their new musical, From Here had its world premiere production at Chiswick Playhouse in July 2021.

Carys McQueen plays Olivia. Her theatre credits include Cabaret (Playhouse Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (UK tour), Pardoned (The Other Palace), Publico (Manoel Theatre), Max and Ivan: Commitment (Soho Theatre), and Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas (Lyric Hammersmith). For television, her credits include Life of Ryan.

Marissa Landy plays Feste. Her theatre credits include A Non-Emergency (Edinburgh Festival Fringe and UK tour), Publico (Manoel Theatre), The Cat’s the Thing (Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Drayton Arms Theatre) and Some Old, Same Oldies (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).

Priscille Grace plays Maria. Her theatre credits include Reputations (The Other Palace), The Little Match Girl (Old Royal Navy College Grounds, Greenwich), Dido’s Bar (Royal Docks) and Cinderella (Oxford Playhouse).

Lee Drage plays Antonio/Sea Captain. His theatre credits include, Aloe Aloe (Bush Theatre), The Spanish Tragedy (Old Red Lion), Chariots of Fire (Gielgud Theatre), Oh What a Lovely War (UK tour), The Water Engine (Old Vic Tunnels), The Hot Mikado (Watermill Theatre), and Saturday Night (Jermyn Street Theatre). His television credits include Silo.

Richard Emerson plays Malvolio/Officer. His theatre credits include Chess (London Coliseum), Manhattan Parisienne (The Other Palace) A Chorus of Disapproval (Harold Pinter Theatre), Il ritorno d’ulisse in patria (La Pietra), How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Wilton’s Music Hall), The Vaudevillians (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), The First Man (Jermyn Street Theatre), Major Barbara (Guild Theatre), The Lie (Vienna’s English Theatre), Uncle Maroye (MarinDržic Theatre, Gdansk Shakespeare Festival), Romeo and Juliet (Fort Lovrijenac, Dubrovnik and Bermuda Shakespeare Festival), Hamlet (Salisbury Playhouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Twelfth Night (Forest Forge Theatre), and The Taming of the Shrew (Guildford Shakespeare Company). His film credits include The Last Photography, Radio, The First Man and Not for Sale.

Toby Gordon plays Orsino/Sir Toby Belch. His theatre credits include Small Change (Omnibus Theatre), The Wolf of Wall Street, The Great Gatsby (Hartshorn Hook), York Mystery Plays (York Minster Cathedral), and Antigone (Barbican).

Fred Thomas plays Sebastian/Sir Andrew Aguecheek. His theatre credits include Salome (Southwark Playhouse), The O’er Wrought Heart (Hereford Cathedral) and Macbeth (Greenwich Theatre).

Sioned Jones directs. She is an actress and theatre-maker and has previously performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the company, and directed The Tempest in 2022. Her other directing credits include Ljubljana Junction (Roborough Studios), Cocktail Conversation, Madame Life, Christmas Presence (Union Theatre), Basket (Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and Expectations (Oval House Theatre). As an actress, her credits include Small Change (Omnibus Theatre), Martha, Josie and The Chinese Elvis (Park Theatre), Bury The Dead (Brickdust Theatre/Finborough Theatre), Lettice and Lovage (Menier Chocolate Factory), Thirteen, Women Beware Women and All’s Well That Ends Well (National Theatre).

Further details can be found on the Shakespeare in the Squares website.