Exclusive: Casting announced for Gary Owen's reimagined The Cherry Orchard

Full casting has been announced for Gary Owen's new version of The Cherry Orchard, which opens at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff in October.

Denise Black (Coronation Street) will star as Rainey, a character modelled on Chekhov's Ranevskaya. Black's theatre credits include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Calendar Girls and Sister Act.

She will be joined by Simon Armstrong (Twelfth Night, Royal Exchange) as Gabriel (Gaev), Morfydd Clark (King Lear, Old Vic) as Anya, Richard Mylan (Killology, Sherman) as Ceri (Trofimov), Hedydd Dylan (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Sheffield Theatres) as Valerie, Matthew Bulgo as Lewis (Lopahkin), and Alexandria Riley (How My Light Is Spent, Sherman) as Dottie (Dunyasha).

Sherman Theatre AD Rachel O'Riordan directs and will be reunited with Gary Owen following their collaboration on Killology and Iphigenia in Splott.

Owen's take on Chekhov’s comedy transfers the play to early 80s Britain at the outset of Margaret Thatcher’s regime, and forms part of Wales’ Russia 17 season that marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution.

The Cherry Orchard runs at the Sherman Theatre from 17 to 28 October 2017, with previews from 13 October.