Carrie Hope Fletcher to star in Caucasian Chalk Circle revival

Carrie Hope Fletcher is heading to Kingston in a new revival of Caucasian Chalk Circle.

The Heathers star will play Grusha Vashnadze in Rose Theatre's artistic director Christopher Haydon's own production of Bertolt Brecht's piece, adapted by Steve Waters with music by Michael Henry.

It runs from 1 to 22 October, with design by Oli Townsend, movement by Lucy Cullingford, lighting by David Plater, sound by Gareth Fry, assistant direction by Layla Madanat with casting by Christopher Worrall and consultancy by Stuart Burt.

Also in the season will be a new staging of Anthony McCarten's The Two Popes, starring Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones) and Nicholas Woodeson (Baptiste), running from 9 to 23 September. The piece first ran in Northampton pre-pandemic and plays in association with Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham and Oxford Playhouse. It has composition by Anne Dudley, associate direction by Sarah Stacey, set and costume design by Jonathan Fensom, lighting by Charles Balfour, sound by David Gregory and video by Duncan McLean.

The Rose, ETT and Leeds Playhouse revival of The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Denzel Westley-Sanderson, plays from 1 to 12 November, with set and costume by Lily Arnold, lighting by Zoe Spurr, sound by Beth Duke, assistant direction by Becca Chadder and dramaturgy by Phillippe Cato.

The season closes out with a new version of A Christmas Carol by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, with music by Eamonn O'Dwyer and directed by Rosie Jones. Frankie Bradshaw is the set and costume designer, with the show running from 2 December to 2 January.

Haydon said of the new season, "Nothing beats the shared collective experience that comes from one group of humans telling gripping tales to another group of humans – live and in real-time. I want the Rose to become a place that takes the familiar and makes it feel fierce and fresh. So, I am delighted that this season includes radical reinterpretations of some of the greatest stories from around the world.

"We have work that will fire the imaginations of young and old alike, and I hope audiences will discover that every show is as entertaining as it is enriching. So, put a date with the Rose in your diary this season – we're ready to transport you, we're ready to surprise you and, most importantly, we're ready to offer you a great night out."

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