Full casting announced for King Lear at Royal Exchange

Full casting has been announced for King Lear at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.

Joining the previously announced Don Warrington will be Harry Potter and Coriolanus actor Alfred Enoch as Edgar, Miltos Yerolemou (The Danish Girl, A Midsummer Night's Dream) as the Fool and Philip Whitchurch (Billy Elliot) as the Earl of Gloucester.

The cast will be completed by Fraser Ayres, Rakie Ayola, Rhys Bevan, Norman Bowman, Thomas Coombes, Sam Glen, Wil Johnson, Debbie Korley, Pepter Lunkuse, Miles Mitchell, Mark Springer and Sarah Quist.

Michael Buffong directs Shakespeare’s classic drama which is a co-production with Talawa Theatre Company and Birmingham Repertory Company. "As a Director it’s always a privilege to work with great actors like Don", Buffong commented.

"To have him joined by such a wonderful company puts us well on the way towards realising the vision I have for this King Lear. It’s going to be epic, exciting and passionate."

King Lear is presented as part of Shakespeare 400 commemorations and celebrations for Talawa’s 30th anniversary year. The casting making Warrington the first black British actor to play the role in a large-scale professional production in more than 20 years.

King Lear runs at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester from 1 April to 7 May, after which it transfers to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 19 to 28 May 2016.

For all our Shakespeare 400 coverage, visit our dedicated page.