A stellar cast of actors has been assembled for a script-in-hand performance of Softcops, Caryl Churchill’s rarely performed masterpiece about the criminal justice system.
It will be performed on Sunday 30 October at 11.30am in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 50th Birthday celebrations.
Arthur Darvill will play Pierre. He is best known to television viewers for playing Rory Williams in Doctor Who.
John Marquez, who will play Vidocq, plays regular character, PC Penhale in ITV’s popular series, Doc Martin.
Geoffrey Streatfeild, who last performed for the RSC in Michael Boyd’s award-winning Histories Season – playing Henry V amongst other roles – will play Lacenaire and Conspirator. He has just completed a series of Spooks for the BBC playing Calum Reed.
The cast also includes: Samuel Collings (Luc), Nigel Cooke (Minister), Craig Ritchie (Lafayette and Warder), Tim Steed (Headmaster and Conspiritor) and Howard Ward (Magistrate and Bentham).
Softcops, which was premiered by the RSC in 1984, was inspired by Michel Foucault’s theoretical book, Discipline and Punish and explores the ways governments seek to depoliticise subversive acts. Caryl Churchill’s other plays include: Top Girls, Serious Money, Cloud Nine, The Skriker, A Number and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?
SOURCE