We are delighted to announce thefull casting for the UK première of Kate Attwell’sTestmatch- our upcoming co-production with Orange Tree Theatre and English Touring Theatre

Diane Page directs Aiyana Bartlett (India Two and Daanya), Aarushi Ganju (India One and Messenger), Haylie Jones (England Three and Two), Tanya Katyal (India Three and Abhi), Bea Svistunenko (England One and One) and Mia Turner (England Two and Memsahib).

Testmatch opens at the Orange Tree on Saturday 24 April and runs until 18 May, with previews from 20 April and comes to the Octagon from Thursday 23 May until Saturday 1 June.

Diane Page said today: “I’m really excited to be directing the UK premier of Kate Attwell’s play Testmatch and to be back again at the Orange Tree. I’m looking forward to working on the play with our fantastic cast and team, and to sharing it with audiences in both Richmond and Bolton.”

Lord’s, present day. The Women’s Cricket World Cup: England versus India. There’s a rain delay. Stuck in the same locker room together, tensions mount, ambitions are laid bare and a whole new tactical game begins.

Calcutta, 1800. Two British administrators encounter challenges on the field of play that threaten the entire regime.

In this game of integrity and power, past and present collide.

Kate Attwell is a playwright, television writer and devised theatre maker. She is currently working on commissions for Manhattan Theatre Club, A.C.T., EST and Playwright's Horizons. Her previous productions include So Long Willy, and her work has been developed at Portland Centre Stage at the Armory, The Bushwick Starr and New York Theatre Workshop.

Diane Page returns to the Orange Tree to direct for a third time, following revered productions of Dael Orlandersmith’sYellowman in 2022, and as the 2021 JMK Award winner, directing Statements After An Arrest Under The Immorality Act. Her other credits include; The Tempest, Julius Caesar (Shakespeare’s Globe.), Lost and Found (Royal Opera House), Out West (Co- director, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre).

Aiyana Bartlett plays India Two and Daanya. This marks her UK debut. Her theatre credits include A Hundred Words for Snow (Gothenburg English Studio Theatre). Her television credits include Piglets.

Haylie Jones plays England Three and Two. Her theatre credits include Lear (Hope Mill Theatre, Shakespeare North Playhouse), Romeo and Juliet, Little Women, Stig of the Dump (Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre), and A Brew, A Terrace And The 184 (Oldham Coliseum Theatre). Her television credits include Blind Spot, Stay Close, Coronation Street, and The Cup; and for film Wanderland, Public House and Jamais Vu.

Tanya Katyal plays India Three and Abhi. Her theatre credits include The Empress (RSC); and for television Eternally Confused and Eager For Love.

Bea Svistunenko plays England One and One. Her theatre credits include The Tempest (Shakespeare's Globe), Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet (Guildford Shakespeare Company), and A Very Expensive Poison (The Old Vic). Her television credits include 3 Body Problem, Litvinenko, Industry; and for film, Beetlejuice 2 and Cost of Living.

Mia Turner plays England Two and Memsahib. Her theatre credits include Boys (Tabard Theatre).

Aarushi Ganju plays India one and Messenger. Her theatre credits Unlocking Canons House (Canons House), Roobaroo (The Space), Henry VII (The show must go on(line)) and Face Off (The UnDisposables). Her television credits include The Three-Body Problem.

The creative team includes: Director: Diane Page; Designer: Cat Fuller; Lighting Designer: Rajiv Pattani; Sound Designer: Simon Slater.

Testmatchcomes to the Octagon from Thursday 23 May – Saturday 1 June. Tickets start from £15 and are on-sale now.