Cast announced for THE MEANING OF ZONG world premiere at Bristol Old Vic

News

Feb 21

Casting has been announced for Giles Terera’s debut stage play The Meaning of Zong, which plays at Bristol Old Vic from 2 April-7 May.

Co-directed by Terera and Tom Morris, this visionary play tells the true story of pioneering abolitionist Olaudah Equiano and how one man’s spirit can fundamentally change a nation.

The cast includes Giles Terera (Hamilton, West End) as Olaudah Equiano, Paul Higgins (The White Guard, National Theatre) as Granville Sharp, Michael Elcock (Hex, National Theatre) as Ottobah Cugoano, Bethan Mary-James as Joyi/Lord Mansfield (Pride & Prejudice, Nottingham Playhouse/York Theatre Royal), Alice Vilanculo as Riba (Splintered, Soho Theatre), Simon Holland Roberts as Sir John Lee/Robert Stubbs/William Woodfall (Saint Joan, Donmar), Kiera Lester as Ama/Gloria (Chloe, BBC), Eliza Smith as Annie Greenwood (Doctors) and Remi King as Arthur Pigot/Kelsall) who makes his professional debut. They are joined onstage by composer and musical director Sidiki Dembele.

The creative team is completed by set and costume designer Jean Chan, lighting designer Zeynep Kepekli, sound designer and co-composer Dave Price, and movement director Ingrid Mackinnon.

The Meaning of Zong explores Equiano’s unprecedented decision to tell his extraordinary life story as a weapon in the abolition movement. It follows how he joined forces with anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp to publicly condemn the massacre aboard the slave ship Zong, setting in motion events which would go on to galvanise the abolition movement in the UK.

Giles Terera said: “The Meaning of Zong is about the value of humanity and what we’re prepared to do to defend that. I wanted to tell this story because it explains how we all arrived at the Britain we are living in today. It explains why people feel the need to pull statues down. We can better understand where we are by acknowledging how we got here. It is a difficult subject but the best stories, though they can be the hardest to face are often the most rewarding.”

This will be the play’s long-awaited theatre debut, running at Bristol Old Vic from 2 – 9 April and 26 April - 7 May. It also tours to the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh from 13 – 23 April and Liverpool Playhouse from 10 – 14 May.