Original Theatre Company have provided a fantastic season of online productions thus far and are now announcing their first live production since March 2020. 

Ben Brown’s political drama A Splinter of Ice will be filmed live on stage at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, as a high quality, three-camera recording. Set for release on the company’s streaming platform, the production will then tour UK theatres in early summer 2021 with tour dates being announced shortly.

The production will star Oliver Ford Davies (Peter Gynt, Troilus and Cressida, Richard II) as Graham Greene, Stephen Boxer (The Remains of the Day, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew) as Kim Philby and Sara Crowe (Tonight at 8:30, Bedroom Farce, Calendar Girls the Musical) as Rufa Philby.

The stage is set in Moscow, 1987, with the end of the Cold War in sight. We join novelist Graham Greene as he finally travels into the heart of the Soviet Union to meet with his old MI6 boss, Kim Philby, having refused to do so for 30 years. Under the watchful eye of Kim's Russian wife, Rufa, the two men set about catching up on old times. With a new world order breaking out around them, how much did the writer of The Third Man know about Philby's secret life as a spy and did Philby betray his friend as well as his country?

The show is written by Ben Brown and directed by Alan Strachan with Alastair Whatley. This was the team behind the award-winning West End play Three Days in May, which inspired the Oscar-winning film The Darkest Hour, and they are delighted to be working together again.

Of the new production, Brown said: “I'm thrilled to be working again with Alan Strachan and Oliver Ford Davies and to be joining forces with Stephen Boxer, Sara Crowe and Alastair Whatley for the premiere, at last, of my new play, online prior to a national tour.”

Alastair Whatley, who is the Artistic Director of the Original Theatre Company, shared similar excitement, saying: “I am thrilled that we are producing Ben's fantastic new play with such a wonderful cast and creative team. The plan was to open this in front of audiences at the end of March, but alas, once again, plans have changed. Instead of cancelling, we will now film the production at the beautiful Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, releasing the play to our audiences around the world, before then returning to stages across the UK as soon as theatres re-open.”

The show will be available to stream on Original Theatre Company’s online platform from 15 April to 31 July 2021. You can find out more about booking early bird access and tickets to the show here.