Stones in His Pockets tour reveals casting

Casting has been announced for the upcoming revival of Stones in His Pockets, a co-production with Octagon Theatre Bolton, the Barn Theatre, Cirencester and Wiltshire Creative.

It will open at the Barn from 23 August to 14 September, with a national press night on 27 August, before playing at Salisbury Playhouse from 1 to 19 October, and the Octagon Theatre from 22 October to 2 November.

Set in rural Ireland, Marie Jones’s award-winning comedy sees a small village community turned upside down when a Hollywood studio arrives to film a blockbuster.

Northern Irish actors Shaun Blaney and Gerard McCabe will star as Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn.

Blaney is known for his one man show In The Name of The Son, which played at the Edinburgh Fringe. Further theatre credits include Cyprus Avenue (Tron, Glasgow), Rhino (Tinderbox Belfast) and Little Women (Lyric Theatre).

McCabe has worked extensively at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, where his credits include The Threepenny Opera, What The Reindeer Saw, Smiley, Pride and Prejudice and The Jungle Book.

The production, which premiered in 2021 to mark the play’s 25th anniversary, is directed by Matthew McElhinney, son of Jones and the play’s original director Ian McElhinney. Sound design is by Gregor Donnelly, with lighting design by Alex Musgrave, sound design and composition by Harry Smith, and AV by Ben Collins and Alex Tabrizi.

Jones commented: “I never thought the original magic of Stones in His Pockets could be recreated. What’s truly remarkable about this 25th anniversary production is that it captures all the original charm while feeling as if I wrote the play just yesterday. I’m thrilled to see Stones return to the stage and am eager to follow its renewed journey.”

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