A diverse, dynamic company of actors have been cast in our exciting new production of Lord of the Flies, which premieres in our Quarry theatre on 18 March - 8 April before touring to Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Rose Theatre and Northern Stage.

They are currently rehearsing in Leeds with Director Amy Leach (Macbeth, Oliver Twist) and her creative team in preparation for being castaway on a rugged, remote island created by the Playhouse’s talented workshop team, taking audiences on a thrilling journey from paradise to a hellish dystopia.

This Leeds Playhouse and Belgrade Theatre Coventry co-production, presented in association with Rose Theatre, brings William Golding’s 1954 classic story into the 21st century, reflecting the world we live in now while remaining faithful to his fascinating, thought-provoking central premise.

What would a group of schoolchildren do if they were left to their own devices? How would they survive?

Amy Leach, Deputy Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with this amazing cast and creative team on what looks set to be a real piece of event theatre – an unmissable opportunity for us to all come together and explore what it means to be human and what we are capable of in challenging times.

“This is a dynamic staging of a classic that will enable us to actively reflect and explore the world we live in today. It will, I’m sure, resonate across generations but will particularly chime with younger audiences – some of whom might be studying the original novel – who will see themselves, their struggles and their strength reflected back at them from the stage.”

In the midst of a raging war, a group of British children from a range of schools and backgrounds are left stranded after surviving a devastating plane crash. Ralph is voted the leader over outcast Piggy and rule-breaking Jack. As tensions rise and hunger – for both food and power – starts to grow, the group begins to divide and become as wild as their island surroundings.

Leeds actor Sade Malone (She/Her), who played Agnes Addo on four series of the BAFTA-winning CBBC show 4 O’Clock Club, has been cast as Ralph. Among her many theatre, TV, radio and film credits are: Cuckoo (Soho Theatre); Seasons in the Sun (East Riding Theatre); Hope Street (BBC); Tin Star (Sky Atlantic) and The Queen and I (Sky One).

Making his professional stage debut, Patrick Dineen (He/Him) is taking on the role of Jack. He has appeared in Doctors (BBC) and, while training at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama,  productions of London Road, Follies, and Romeo & Juliet.

Jason Connor (He/Him), a partially sighted actor, writer and theatre maker from Lancashire, is playing Piggy. His work focuses on pushing social and political boundaries, particularly emphasising LGBTQIA+ narratives, and recent projects include a collaborative devised performance Of Course It Hurts, and short film Nothing Happened.

The rest of the talented cast are: Jason Battersby (He/Him) as Roger (Crazy for You, Chichester Festival Theatre; All New Adventures of Peter Pan, York Theatre Royal; Wendy and Peter Pan, Leeds Playhouse); Eloise Pennycott (She/Her), who works bilingually in BSL and spoken English, is making her professional stage debut as Sam (Phoenix Rise, BBC; The Power, Amazon Prime; Becoming Elizabeth, Starz); Ciaran O’Breen (He/Him) as Eric (Galwad, National Theatre of Wales & Collective Cymru; Hansel & Gretel, Paddleboat; Getting There, Deafinitely Theatre); Adam Fenton (He/They), a disabled writer and actor who was Offie Nominated in 2022 for Lead Performance in play for their work on The Solid Life of Sugar Water, as Simon (Spring and Port Wine, Octagon Theatre; Living Archive, The Royal Court; The Howling, Graeae Theatre Company); Aki Nakagawa (She/Her) as Henry (My Neighbour Totoro, RSC at the Barbican); Justice Ezi (He/Him), a 2022 graduate of the Arts Education School of Acting, as Maurice (The Odyssey, exploring how to tell the story to modern audiences with the National Theatre and Arts Council England); Nate Leung (He/Him), who made his stage debut in Matthew Bourne’s 2015 production of Lord of the Flies at Sadler’s Wells, as Bill (Beauty and the Beast, Disney); John Carter (They/Him) as Perceval (Roar, Sony; Kaos, Netflix; Never Let Me Go, Hulu; Peter Pan, Birmingham Rep); Kyle O’Gara (He/Him) as Naval Officer (Doctors, BBC; Birchanger Green, Film4; Macbeth, Leeds Playhouse; Blood Brothers, Bradford Playhouse); Angela Jones (She/Her), winner of the 2022 Spotlight Prize, as Ralph on tour/understudy in Leeds (The Two Popes, Rose Theatre; Jerk, BBC); and Olly Rhodes (He/Him), as understudy on his debut theatre tour (Far Away, Donmar Warehouse; Hollyoaks, Channel 4; The Last Kingdom, Netflix).

The Lord of the Flies creative team comprises: Director Amy Leach; Set & Costume Designer Max Johns; Lighting Designer Chris Davey; Sound Designer & Composer John Biddle; Casting Director Lucy Casson; Fight Director Kate Waters; Movement Director Natasha Harrison; Associate Fight Director Kyle O’Gara; BSL Consultant Stephen Collins; Lead BSL Interpreter Sarah Cox; Audio Description Director Benjamin Wilson; Assistant Director Zoe Lack; Trainee Assistant Director and Audio Description Consultant Ada Eravama.