Cast set for Ardent Theatre Company’s Beyond Ourselves

Ardent Theatre Company has announced the cast for Beyond Ourselves, which runs at London’s Union Theatre from 7 to 12 November.

The show is the culmination of an 18-month initiative from Ardent Theatre Company, which has seen 40 young acting graduates from working-class backgrounds across the UK audition for a chance to join the Ardent8 ensemble. This has involved a number of industry-led workshops and a two-week London-based residency, culminating in the production of a new play written by Andrew Muir.

The selected participants, hailing from De Montfort University Leicester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Bournemouth and Poole College, began their journey in September 2022 with the first of the ten workshops.

The programme and production are aiming to shed light on the current state of the creative industry for young graduates aspiring to make a career in it. The play explores the obstacles they face and their determination to overcome them.

In something of a meta-theatrical twist, the plot follows a group of recent performing arts graduates who take over an empty space with the intention of creating something, anything, without concern for whether an audience will ever turn up to see it. The play raises questions about whether art is created for an audience or solely for the artist’s satisfaction.

The company includes Jacob Rayner Blair, Callum Diaz, Eddie Drummond, Danielle Laurence, Caoimhe Mackin, Thoma O’Neill, India Pignatiello, and Annabel Worsfold.

The creative team behind the production features director Muir, lighting designer Charlie Speck, stage manager Chloe Brown, and social media manager Gigi Pacifico. This project has been created with the cast on an Equity-agreed paid contract.