Casting has been announced for A Monster Calls, which plays at the Rose Theatre Kingston from 24 March-9 April, before visiting Bristol Old Vic and then Washington in the US from 25 May to 12 June.

Anthony Aje will play ‘Conor’, with Bridgette Amofah as ‘Mum’, Greg Bernstein as ‘Harry’, Nathaniel Christian as ‘Anton’, Keith Gilmore as ‘Monster’, Eleanor Kane as ‘Lily’, Tom Lorcan as ‘Dad’, Sarah Quist as ‘Ms Godfrey’, Lauran Rae as ‘Sully’, Anita Reynolds as ‘Grandma’ and Paul Sockett as ‘Mr Marl’, with Raffaella Covino and Samuel Wood.   They will be joined by musicians Seamas Carey and Luke Potter.

Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?

Based on an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, Patrick Ness’s piercing novel A Monster Calls is brought vividly to life in this Olivier award-winning production by visionary director Sally Cookson. 

From the critically acclaimed bestseller, A Monster Calls offers a dazzling insight into love, life and healing.  

Director Sally Cookson says: "A Monster Calls tells Patrick Ness’s searing story of Conor, a thirteen year old boy struggling to cope with grief, guilt, shame and a mountain of other confusing feelings building up from within.

“Towards the end he asks, ‘How do you fight it? How do you fight all the different stuff inside?’ ‘By speaking the truth,’ comes the reply. 

“Sounds simple but, as Conor discovers, speaking the truth is often much harder than you think.

“We are so thrilled to be remounting our adaptation of A Monster Calls, especially at a time when young people are reeling from the effects of the pandemic. The production shines a light on what it means to be a teenager in a tough world and uses the shared experience of theatre to remind us that we are not alone."

A Monster Calls has remount direction by Felix Hayes as Remount Director, writer in the room Adam Peck, with set design by Michael Vale, costumes by Katie Sykes, original music composed by Benji Bower, lighting by Aideen Malone, sound by Mike Beer, projection by Dick Straker, movement direction by Dan Canham and aerial direction by Matt Costain.

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.