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Falling for one another as undergraduates in the early ‘90s, Lucy and Emma forged what seemed like unshakable relationship, founded on a shared passion for politics and an unswerving commitment to the Labour cause. Riding on a wave of national optimism, both were elected to Parliament - Lucy in 1997 and Emma in 2001 – bright young things for whom the sky was the limit. Fast forward to 2019: Lucy’s brief, ultimately failed, stint as Labour Leader abruptly ended her political career and she has now returned to her first passion, environmental campaigning. Whilst Emma has established the new Progress party. We meet Emma and Lucy with four days to go until the general election, in which Progress – a new centrist party – looks set to dramatically shake-up the political landscape. However, Emma’s infidelity – kept secret from the media – has ended their relationship and they’ve barely spoken in a year. Until now. With a breaking story threatening to completely derail the Progress party’s election campaign, the only person who can save it – and put Emma within reach of 10 Downing Street – is her estranged wife.

A New Dawn is set in real-time over a morning that could change the direction of both the country and Emma and Lucy’s future. A timely examination of some of the UK’s current political challenges and the complex relationship between personal and political loyalties. At its heart it asks: what is the price of sacrificing truth in pursuit of a better life?

We are looking for a group of actors to collaborate with on the first presentation of this script. We need actors who work well as an ensemble and are comfortable working on a changing and developing script with director and writer. The show will run both matinee and evening shows on the 20th October at the King’s Head Theatre, London, and an evening show on the 21st October at the Union Theatre, London. Rehearsals will be arranged according to cast availability between 23rd September and 19th October and held in London. This job is PAID equity minimum across rehearsals, tech and performance dates.


The Team

Olly Kendall (Writer)
Olly was selected for the Royal Court’s ‘Introduction to Playwriting’ course in 2016. A New Dawn is his third full length play. He has had his writing performed at the Bridewell Theatre, the Ophelia Theatre, the Linenhall Theatre and at the Claremorris Fringe Festival of Drama. He previously worked as a media adviser to former Lib Dem Leader, Charles Kennedy MP.

Layla Madanat (Director and Producer)
Layla is a Jordanian-Palestinian director currently based in London. Layla trained in Directing with Lee Lyford in conjunction with the Bristol Old Vic, culminating in a showcase performance of Carly Wijs’ Us/Them at the Bierkeller Theatre. As a producer, Layla has brought productions to the Edinburgh Fringe, including new writing and musical theatre shows with a range of companies. Most recently, Layla directed Maya Pillay’s Colour is too Sweet, which ran to sell-out audiences at the King’s Head Theatre in July.
Other credits include:
Things We Do Not Know (Process Theatre), Leicester Curve
Half/نص by Eleanor Nawal (GEMA Collective), Tristan Bates
Noura by Heather Raffo (Global Arab Female Voices), Rich Mix
Into the Deep (Popcorn Productions), toured Bristol, Manchester and London

Rebecca Kendall (Producer)
Rebecca has produced over 30 theatre productions across the UK including at; the Arcola, Wilton’s Music Hall, the Pleasance (London), The Cockpit, the Edinburgh Fringe, and at The Bridewell Theatre. Rebecca is also a theatre investor: recent investments include Glengarry Glen Ross (Christian Slater), King Lear (Ian McKellan) and Daisy Pulls It Off. She has participated in the SOLT producers’ course.


Casting Breakdown

Lucy (F, mid-40s, any ethnicity)
Former Labour Party leader, and Emma's estranged wife. Lucy is guided by her unswerving principles: a commitment to fairness, social justice, protecting the environment and the defence of the truth. Her unwillingness to compromise over allegations of racism within the Labour Party ultimately led to her losing the Party’s leadership. She has a steely core, but she can border on inflexibility: once she has made her mind up she rarely changes it for anyone. Her professional single-mindedness conceals a personal vulnerability. Lucy is forced to bury her emotions, as she wrestles with a significant internal conflict.

Emma (F, mid-40s, any ethnicity)
Leader of the new centrist Progress party - pretty formidable but we meet her at a time of vulnerability and fatigue. Nevertheless, as a politician and a person, she’s self-confident, pragmatic and a natural communicator. There’s selfishness there too - it was Emma who cheated on Lucy and it was her who convinced Lucy that raising a family would compromise their political careers. She has a gentle bonhomie and there’s certainly sensitivity under thick skin, but she’s capable of a searing honesty that can at times manifest as cruel or self-interested.

Jon (M, early-mid 30s, White-Mediterranean)
Communications Director for the Progress Party - a bit of an enigma, cynical, smart, and definitely a political street fighter. He came to the UK after the Kosovo crisis in the late 90s and has assimilated like a pro, losing his native accent and ultimately winning a place at Oxford. He met Emma and Lucy whilst working for the Labour Party and has known them for a decade.

Please submit a self-tape of the relevant character extract. Please submit the self-tape to newdawncasting@gmail.com by 4PM on FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER. Recalls will be held on 21ST SEPTEMBER in LONDON.

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