A Merry ‘Little’ Christmas at Bristol Old Vic: Casts announced for two productions this Festive season.

Bristol Old Vic today announced the casts for not one, but two productions for the festive season.

The hotly-anticipated magical Theatre production of The Little Mermaid – directed by Olivier Award-winner Miranda Cromwell (Death of a Salesman – Young Vic, West End & Broadway) and written by Sonali Bhattacharyya (Chasing Hares – Young Vic) and The Weston Studio’s enchanting Little Red (& other winter tales), directed by Lisa Gregan and written by Bristol Old Vic writer in residence Florence Espeut-Nickless, continue Bristol Old Vic’s festive tradition of creating spectacular stories for all ages.

The Little Mermaid is a story about love, hope, and how no one is too small to change the world. It takes Andersen’s classic fairytale and reimagines it for a new generation with live music, daring aerial performance and a script by Sonali Bhattacharyya.

The Little Mermaid stars Liana Cottrill in the title role. Bristol born-and-bred, Liana was discovered through Bristol Old Vic’s Youth Theatre outreach work aged just 16. She joined the Young SixSix project as a founding member in 2018 and has performed in productions at Bristol Old Vic including Lysistrata, Antigone, Romeo and Juliet and Son of Helios. Since then, she has trained at Bristol School of Acting and played the lead role in Bath Theatre Royal’s Wendy: A Peter Pan Story last Christmas. She is also a Movement Director and part of IMD Legion, who are current UK Hip Hop Champions.

She is joined by a stellar cast including John Leader who plays ‘Kai’. Previous credits include Wuthering Heights (Wise Children/ National Theatre); A Monster Calls (The Old Vic); The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Bridge Theatre) and extensive work with Shakespeare’s Globe.

Nandi Bhebhe plays ‘Coral”. Nandi is well-known for productions such as Wuthering Heights (Bristol Old Vic/Wise Children); Bagdad Café, A Monster Calls (Old Vic, London); Ubu, The Tin Drum (Kneehigh); Fela! (National Theatre) and MGM/Working Title’s film Cyrano.

Bristol-based Alison Fitzjohn plays ‘Inky Slick’. Her theatre work includes The Outrun (Edinburgh Lyceum and International Festival), Dixon and Daughters (National Theatre), Oz (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Olivier-nominated Alice's Adventures Underground (Les Enfants Terribles), Horrible Histories (Multiple West End, International and UK tours) and TV/Film work including True Love (Channel 4), The Outlaws (BBC/Prime) and BAFTA nominated Stuffed (Agile Films).

Michael Elcock takes the role of ‘Richard’. His theatre credits include Julius Caesar (Southwark Playhouse); Cowbois (RSC & Royal Court Theatre); The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare’s Globe); Hex (National Theatre); The Meaning Of Zong (Bristol Old Vic); Arthur/Merlin (Iris Theatre); 846 Live (Theatre Royal Stratford East); In A Word (Young Vic); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regents Park Open Air Theatre). Corrina Buchan playing ‘Jocasta’, is a queer actor and theatre-maker. She has devised for companies such as Complicité, Wayward Productions and the Wardrobe Ensemble. Theatre credits include Unfortunate (Southward Playhouse/UK Tour); Deathdrop: Back in the Habit (West End & UK Tour), Drac & Jill,Little Women In Black (both Wardrobe Theatre) and Sam Wanamaker Festival 2019 (Shakespeare’s Globe).

Holly Downey is an aerialist specialising in Straps & Spiral. An ex-artistic gymnast & graduate from the National Centre for Circus Arts, UK. Holly’s dynamic career has taken her worldwide, including performances in the international stadium tour of Marvel Universe Live, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Tarot), Cirque Bijou, Disneyland Paris' Le Roi Lion, and on board MSC Grandiosa. She joins the team as Circus Director and ensemble.

The cast is completed by musicians Alex Heane (Jane Eyre, National Theatre/Bristol Old Vic; Wise Children, Wise Children) and Harry Miller (Peter Pan, National Theatre; The Colour of Dinosaurs, Otic/Bristol Old Vic).

Speaking today, director Miranda Cromwell said:
"I’m so thrilled to be collaborating with these brilliant actors and an epic creative team to create some theatrical magic for my spiritual hometown Bristol this Christmas! To bring this story to life we will be all-hands-on-deck, devising, jamming, singing and playing in the air. We hope you come and join the party under the sea…"

The creative team also includes Composer Femi Temowo (Choir Boy, Bristol Old Vic), Designer Ruby Pugh (The Beekeeper of Aleppo UK Tour) Lighting Designer Zeynep Kepekli (Plantation A, Arcola Theatre; The Meaning of Zong, Bristol Old Vic), Sound Designer Holly Khan (Bellringers, Hampstead Theatre; Dreaming and Drowning, Bush Theatre), and Associate Director Julia Head (Lessons, Almeida; Lysistrata, Bristol Old Vic).

Little Red (& other winter tales) runs in The Weston Studio from 6 Dec – 12 Jan. Join Little Red in the deep, dark woods for music, adventure and overcoming the monsters. This re-telling of the classic tales Little Red Riding Hood, The Red Shoes and The Little Match Girl, is a story about finding the heart of Christmas and is aimed at children aged 3+ and their families.

The ensemble cast includes familiar faces Sasha Frost whose credits include Noises off (West End); Folk (Hampstead Theatre) and film & TV work The Salt Path (BBC Film), Star Wars: The Force Awakens and His Dark Materials; Guy Hughes, who has worked all over the UK with companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Cheek By Jowl, Shakespeare’s Globe, Bristol Old Vic, Edinburgh Lyceum, and Liverpool Everyman, and Jenny Smith, an actor and theatre maker known for her dynamic work at the Wardrobe Theatre with The Good, The Bad and The Coyote Ugly and Little Women in Black. She has toured the country with Macbeth and A Midsummer Nights Dream with The Handlebards, and has helped develop new work at theatres including the National Theatre and Hampstead Theatre.

Director Lisa Gregan (Orpheus & Eurydice, Bristol Old Vic) has assembled a creative team including Writer-in-the-Room Florence Espeut-Nickless (Destiny–Tobacco Factory/Pleasance Theatre), Designer Edwina Bridgeman (Snow Mouse and Igloo, both Travelling Light), Composer Jack Orozco Morrison and Lighting Designer Imogen Senter.