Menier Chocolate Factory announces full casting for the world première of Terry Johnson’s THE SEX PARTY

Cast: Will Barton (Tim), Amanda Donohoe (Magdalena), Lisa Dwan (Gilly), John Hopkins (Jake), Timothy Hutton (Jeff), Jason Merrells (Alex), Pooya Mohseni (Lucy), Molly Osborne (Hetty) and Kelly Price (Camilla)

Designer: Tim Shortall; Lighting: Ben Ormerod; Sound: John Leonard

Four couples gather in a suburban London home for an evening of wine, cheese, and more intimate pleasures. Some are curious, some are more familiar, and one is rather unexpected. Thus a promising evening is poised to go beyond anyone’s expectations.

The world première of this play by Terry Johnson similarly promises to surprise, perhaps shock, and most certainly entertain!

Will Barton plays Tim. His theatre work includes The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson (Park Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe), The Libertine (Theatre Royal Bath, Theatre Royal Haymarket), Toast (Park Theatre, UK tour and 59E59 Theatres, New York), Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Joking Apart (Nottingham Playhouse and Salisbury Playhouse), The Boy on the Swing (Arcola Theatre), The Bowmans (The Watermill Theatre), and Festen (Almeida Theatre tour). For television, his work includes A Confession, There She Goes, Vanity Fair, Theresa Vs Boris: The Battle to be PM, Switch, New Tricks, How Do You Want Me and Barking; and for film, Official Secrets, Ilkley, The Theory of Everything, City Slacker, and Oscar and Lucinda.

Amanda Donohoe plays Magdalena. Her theatre credits include Star Quality (UK tour), Teeth ‘n’ Smiles (Sheffield Theatres), Hedda Gabler, Miss Julie, The Admirable Crichton, Great Expectations (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Graduate, HRH (West End), and Uncle Vanya (Broadway – Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Broadway Debut by an Actress). For television, her work includes LA Law – as series regular Cara Jean 'C.J.' Lamb (Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture for Television), Emmerdale – as series regular Natasha Wylde, Bad Girls – as series regular Lou Stoke, Toast of London, Pramface, Air Force One is Down, Murder City, Lucky Day, In the Beginning, Bob Martin, Frasier, Ally McBeal, Deep Secrets, The Thorn Birds, Murder Most Horrid, A Woman’s Guide to Adultery, Briefest Encounter, Shame, Hidden Room, Laughter of God, An Affair of the Mind, and Game Set and Match; and for film, Castaway, The Lair of the White Worm, The Rainbow, The Madness of King George, The Princess Switch, Blue Iguana, The Swing of It, Trafficker, The Calling, Starship Trooper 3, Wild About Harry, Circus, Writer’s Block, Liar Liar, One Night Standard, The Substitute, Dark Obsession and Paper Mask (Variety Club of Great Britain Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture).

Lisa Dwan plays Gilly. Her theatre work includes Happy Days (Riverside Studios), The Love and The Collection (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Lansburg), No’s Knife (The Old Vic), Shining City (Irish Repertory Theatre, New York), Not I/Footfall (Royal Court Theatre, Old Vic, UK tour), Illusions (Bush Theatre), Goran Bregovic: Margot, Diary of an Unhappy Queen (Barbican), Beside the Sea (South Bank Centre), Not I (South Bank Centrem Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, Battersea Arts Centre), Whiskey in the Jar (Soho Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest, Silence (Town Hall Theatre Company), History of the World at 3am (Andrews Lane Theatre), An Bacchae (Taibhdhearc Theatre) and The Old Law, As You Like It (Nun’s Island Theatre). For television, her work includes Bloodlands, Pale Sister, Top Boy – as series regular Lizzie, Trust, Rock Rivals, Fair City, The Big Bow Wow, Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog and The Morbegs; and for film, Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain, The Tailor of Panama, The Ones, Moving Target, Oliver Twist and Lord Lucan.

John Hopkins returns to the Menier to play Jake – he previously appeared in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ - The Musical. His theatre work includes The Boys in the Band (Park Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre), Ross (Chichester Festival Theatre), Ben Hur (Tricycle Theatre), Holy Warriors (Shakespeare's Globe), Private Lives (Edinburgh Lyceum), A Mad World My Masters, Titus Andronicus, Candide, Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, Venus and Adonis, King John, Julius Caesar, Love In A Wood (all RSC), Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (Sheffield Crucible), The Deep Blue Sea (Chichester Festival Theatre) and The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre). For television, his work includes Poldark, Endeavour, The Lodge, Stan Lee's Lucky Man, Catastrophe, Dancing On The Edge, Hacks, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, Merlin, Identity, Wire In The Blood, Robin Hood, The Path to 9/11, Nicholas Nickleby, Love In A Cold Climate, and two series as Detective Sergeant Scott in Midsomer Murders; and for film, The Face Of An Angel, Alice In Wonderland, The Experiment and The Pool.

Timothy Hutton plays Jeff. Hutton started his career winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe award for his performance in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People. His other film credits include John Schlesinger’s The Falcon & The Snowman; Harold Becker’s Taps; Alan Rudolph’s Made in Heaven; Fred Schepisi’s Iceman; Sidney Lumet’s Daniel and Q&A; Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer; Robert De Niro’s The Good Shepherd; John Krasinski’s directorial debut, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men; Bill Condon’s Kinsey; John Sayle’s Sunshine State; Ted Demme’s Beautiful Girls; also Beautiful Boy, Serious Moonlight, Lymelife, Off the Black, Secret Window, The General’s Daughter; and, most recently Julie Taymor’s The Glorias.On stage, as a member of New York’s Circle Repertory, he originated the lead role in the Broadway production of Craig Lucas’ Prelude to a Kiss and also starred in Babylon Gardens directed by Joe Mantello. He additionally appeared in the Los Angeles stage production of The Oldest Living Graduate, a role he later reprised for a live broadcast on NBC television. He also directed Nicole Burdette’s Busted for the New York-based theatre company Naked Angels. On television, he appeared in the critically acclaimed The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix and Jack Ryan for Amazon. Prior to that he starred in American Crime, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Other television credits include Nero Wolfe (for which he also served as executive producer, director and music supervisor), A Long Way Home (Golden Globe nomination) and Mr & Mrs Loving (which he developed and produced). Behind the camera, he has directed a number of music videos, including “Drive” by the Cars, “Not Enough Love” by Don Henley and the Neil Young concert film Freedom. He also directed Grandpa’s Ghost, an episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories based on a story he wrote. His feature film directing debut, Digging to China, starring Kevin Bacon, premièred at the Sundance Film Festival to standing ovations.

Jason Merrells plays Alex. His theatre work includes How The Other Half Loves (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Five Finger Exercise (Coronet Theatre), Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors (RSC), A Christmas Carol (Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple), Uncle Vanya (HOME), Twitstorm (Park Theatre), Twelve Angry Men (UK tour), The Pleasureman (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow), Chekhov (National Theatre Studio) and Saved (Bolton Octagon (Manchester Evening News Saward for Best Actor in a Supporting Role). His television work includes Happy Valley, Finding Alice, I Knew Jesus, Agatha Raisin – as series regular Sir Charles Fraith, Legends of Tomorrow, Safe House, Death in Paradise, Emmerdale – as series regular Declan Macey, Lark Rise to Candleford, Waterloo Road – as series regular Jack Rimmer, The Hitch, Cutting It – as series regular Gavin Ferraday, and Clocking Off; and for film, The Jealous God, Do Not Disturb and A Small Obsession.

Pooya Mohseni plays Lucy. She is an award-winning Iranian American actor, writer, filmmaker and transgender activist. She recently appeared in the world premiere of the Lucille Lortel-winning play English (Atlantic Theater Company). Her other stage performances include Hamlet (Play On Shakespeare Festival), Comedy of Errors (Play On Shakespeare Festival), One Woman (United Solo), She,He,Me (National Queer Theater), Our Town (Pride Plays), Galatea (The WP Project), The Good Muslim (EST), White Snake (Baltimore Center Stage), an audible production of Chonburi Hotel & The Butterfly Club (Williamstown Theater Festival). Her film and television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Big Dogs, Falling Water, Madam Secretary, Terrifier and See You Then, streaming on all digitalplatforms.

Molly Osborne returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory to play Hetty. She previously appeared in Indecent and Fiddler on the Roof (also Playhouse Theatre). Her television work includes Call the Midwife.

Kelly Price returns to the Menier to play Camilla. She previously appeared in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ - The Musical and A Little Night Music (also Garrick Theatre – Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical). Her other theatre work includes The Woman in White (Palace Theatre), Mamma Mia (Prince Edward Theatre), It’s a Wonderful Life (Avalon), Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre), Desperately Seeking Susan (Novello Theatre), Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), The Misanthrope (Comedy Theatre), Zack, That Day We Sang, Little Shop of Horrors (Royal Exchange Manchester), Stepping Out (Salisbury Playhouse), Boeing Boeing, Company (Sheffield Crucible), Perchance to Dream (Finborough Theatre), One Man Two Guvnors (National Theatre tour), All the Angels: Handel and the First Messiah (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre), Aspects of Love, Passion (Hope Mill Theatre), Othello (ETT), Peter Pan (Troubadour Theatre), and What’s New Pussycat? (Birmingham Rep). Her television work includes Granchester, The English Game, Endeavour, Waterloo Road, Accused – Helen’s Story, Massive and Kombat Opera; and for film, The Sense of An Ending and A Bunch of Amateurs.

As a playwright, Terry Johnson’s work includes Dead Funny, Prism and Ken (Hampstead Theatre), Insignificance, Cries from the Mammal House, Hysteria (Olivier Award for Best Comedy), Piano/Forte, Hitchcock Blonde (Royal Court Theatre), The Graduate (West End and Broadway), Mrs Henderson Presents (West End and Toronto), Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick (Olivier Award for Best Comedy) and The London Cuckolds (National Theatre). His directing credits include La Cage aux Folles (Menier, West End and Broadway; Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical; Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award); Rookery Nook (Menier); Oh! What a Lovely War, Fings Ain't What They Used T'Be (Theatre Royal Stratford East; marking the 50th Anniversary of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop), The Libertine (West End and Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago) and Dumb Show (Royal Court Theatre). West End and Broadway directing credits also include The Duck House, End of the Rainbow, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Rain Man, Whipping It Up, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Elton John's Glasses. His work for television includes Not Only But Always (Channel 4, which won five International Award nominations, Best Film at Banff and the Best Actor Bafta for Rhys Ifans), The Man Who Lost His Head (ITV), Cor, Blimey! (ITV) and The Bite for the BBC and ABC Australia. Nicholas Roeg's film of Insignificance was the official British Entry at Cannes in 1985. His plays have won him the Playwright of the Year Award 1995, Critics' Circle Best New Play Award 1995, The League of American Theatres and Producers Best Touring Play Awards 2001, plus two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, two Writers Guild Best Play Awards, Time Out Best Play Award, the Mayer-Whitworth Award and the John Whiting Award.