Full cast set for Emma stage adaptation including Amelia Kenworthy and Kit Young

Rose Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of Ava Pickett’s new version of Jane Austen’s Emma.

Marking the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, the production is directed by the Rose Theatre’s artistic director Christopher Haydon and runs from 17 September to 11 October, with a press night on 22 September.

Amelia Kenworthy will take the role of Emma Woodhouse, joined by Kit Young as George Knightley, Nigel Lindsay as Mr Woodhouse and Lucy Benjamin as Mrs Bates.

The company also includes Josh Bilyard as Rob Martin, Jessica Brindle as Isabella Woodhouse, Bobby Lockwood as Elton, Sofia Oxenham as Harriet Smith and Adrian Richards as John Knightley.

Pickett’s version moves Emma’s matchmaking and social meddling into the present day, swapping drawing rooms for dance floors. The creative team features Lily Arnold on set and costume, Kloé Dean as movement director, Philip Gladwell on lighting, Kieran Lucas on composition and sound, Haruka Kuroda as intimacy and fight director, Juliet Horsley as casting director, Claudette Williams as voice and dialect coach and Melissa Mowry as associate director.

Supported by Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions, the show explores romance, friendship and self-discovery through Austen’s familiar characters in a new setting.