We are delighted to announce the cast for Protest, Hannah Lavery’s bold new production celebrating youth activism, which opens at Northern Stage in Newcastle on 9 May before touring Scotland and opening the Edinburgh International Children's Festival on 29 May 2023.
The play features Tamara Fairbairn, Esmé Kingdom and Kirsty MacLaren, three young girls exploring what it takes to make a difference, the power of friendship, and the importance of believing in your own voice.
Tamara Fairbairn will take on the role of Jade. Tamara was nominated in the Newcomer category at the Offie Awards in 2022 for her performance as 'Marjory' in The Moors at The Hope Theatre.
Esmé Kingdom makes her professional acting debut as Chloe.
Kirsty MacLaren plays the role of Alice. Kirsty’s credits include the Olivier Award winning Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour for the National Theatre of Scotland and Live Theatre. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role. Kirsty can be seen appearing in Series 3 of The Crown (Netflix), playing the role of Violet.
Writer Hannah Lavery said: "It felt important to write a play for young people which offered hope. We are living in such tumultuous times that can leave us all and especially young people with a sense that we have no agency to inspire and create change. So, I wanted to celebrate those young people who within their local communities, within their schools, families and friendship groups are working to make their world a better and fairer place for us all.”
Protest is at the Edinburgh International Children's Festival from 29 - 31 May. The Festival on Tour includes performance dates at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, Perth Theatre, the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, Mareel in Shetland, Orkney Theatre, Eastwood Park Theatre in Giffnock, Lanternhouse in Cumbernauld and Tron Theatre in Glasgow.
Protest is co-commissioned and co-produced by Fuel, Imaginate and Northern Stage in association with National Theatre of Scotland.