Cast for Nell Gwynn revival confirmed

Full casting has been announced for a new production of Nell Gwynn, Jessica Swale’s award-winning play, which will open this summer as a co-production between Theatre By the Lake, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Storyhouse Theatre.

First seen in the West End in 2016, the play returns in a new staging directed by Bryony Shanahan, whose previous work includes Bloody Elle, Let the Right One In and No Pay No Way!.

The company will be led by Rose Shalloo as Nell Gwynn and Guy Woolf as King Charles II. They are joined by Stanton Wright as Edward Kynaston, Jamie Ross as John Dryden, Sufia Manya as Nancy, Celia Cruwys-Finnigan as Rose Gwynn, Adam Clifford as Lord Arlington, Elliot Harper as Charles Hart, Burhan Kathawala as Ned Spigget, and Tamsin Dowsett as Assistant Director and Offstage Cover.

Set in 1660 as theatres reopen following years of suppression, the play charts the rise of Nell Gwynn from orange seller to one of Britain’s first actresses, navigating the shifting social and political landscape while capturing the attention of King Charles II.

Theatre By The Lake artistic director Liz Stevenson said the revival comes ten years after the original production “stormed the national stage”, adding that the new staging will combine the aesthetic of the Restoration period with live music and “powerhouse performances”.

The creative team also includes Jess Curtis as set and costume designer, Candida Caldicott as composer and musical director, Mark Distin Webster as lighting designer, Pete Malkin as sound designer, Sundeep Saini as movement director, Bronya Arciszewska as costume supervisor and Liv Barr as casting director.

Performances begin at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 12 June to 4 July 2026, followed by a run at Theatre by the Lake from 9 July to 1 August 2026, before the production continues at Storyhouse Theatre from 21 August to 6 September 2026.