Nottingham Playhouse announces the stellar cast and creative team for the regional premiere of Beth Steel’s Olivier-nominated West End hit, Till the Stars Come Down.
Joe Alessi (The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui, Antony and Cleopatra, RSC; Moonlight & Magnolias, Nottingham Playhouse) plays Uncle Pete; Leah Brotherhead (The Ladies Football Club, Sheffield Crucible; Hullraisers, Channel 4) is Maggie; AK Golding (Twelfth Night, Nottingham Playhouse; The Colour Room, Sky Originals) is Sylvia, the hopeful bride; Graeme Hawley (Abigail’s Party, Royal Exchange; A Very Very Very Dark Matter, Bridge Theatre) is John; Ivan Ivashkin (Summerfolk, National Theatre; The Capture, BBC) is the groom, Marek; Emma Pallant (Punch, Nottingham Playhouse, Young Vic and West End; Cowbois, RSC and the Royal Court) returns to Nottingham Playhouse as Hazel; Sadie Shimmin (Leopoldstadt, The Wyndham’s Theatre; Coronation Street, ITV) is the outspoken aunt, and Howard Ward (The Crucible, Shakespeare’s Globe; Call the Midwife, BBC) plays Tony, the patriarch of the family.
Ellie Daley, Anya Marshall and Amelia Yates, all from the Television Workshop, will play the children Leanne and Sarah.
Award-winning playwright Beth Steel, from Mansfield (Wonderland, Nottingham Playhouse regional premiere 2018 and Hampstead Theatre London 2014 – winner of the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright; Labyrinth, Hampstead Theatre) is joined by Director Caroline Steinbeis (Black Comedy, Orange Tree Theatre; Three Sisters, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse); Designer Oli Townsend (Three Sisters, Shakespeare’s Globe; The Lion Inside, UK Tour); and Lighting Designer Johanna Town (Private Lives, Royal Exchange Theatre; Identical, Nottingham Playhouse); Sound Designer & Composer Oliver Vibrans (Under Milk Wood, Theatr Clwyd; Three Sisters, Shakespeare’s Globe); Movement Director is Ewa Emini (The Wolves, Sainsbury Theatre; Choir Boy, Stratford East); Fight Director & Intimacy Coordinator is RC-Annie (Electra/Persona, National Theatre; Mother Courage, Shakespeare’s Globe); Voice & Dialect Coach is Kate Godfrey (Prima Facie, UK and Ireland Tour; The Importance of Being Earnest, Noel Coward Theatre) and Casting Director is Helena Palmer.
Caroline Steinbeis, Director of Till the Stars Come Down, commented:
“One of the greatest joys of my job is working with actors, and I couldn’t be more excited about the company we’ve assembled for Till the Stars Come Down. We have some of the finest actors working today, but what has struck me most is their generosity, commitment and willingness to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the process. They are the beating heart of this production, which we’re creating especially for Nottingham Playhouse.
“There’s something incredibly exciting about making this play here. Beth Steel has written a story that is both deeply personal and universally recognisable. To bring this home to Nottingham feels like a celebration. I have a feeling this is going to be a very special production – a joyful, moving and fitting homecoming for one of the city’s most remarkable writers.”
Adam Penford, Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, said:
“It feels like Beth’s brilliant play is finally coming home – to the county in which it’s set! It was a hit at the National Theatre and in the West End, and has been produced all over the world, so we are thrilled to have its regional premiere at Nottingham Playhouse. I’m also delighted to be welcoming, and welcoming back, so many actors from the East Midlands. With Caroline directing and a fabulous cast, it’ll be a great evening’s entertainment.”
Till the Stars Come Down was recently featured in Faber’s 75 Great Plays from the last 75 Years.
You’re invited to the wedding of the year!
It’s Sylvia and Marek’s big day and the Stone family have gathered in Mansfield. The bride, her sisters and aunties are getting their glam on and everyone’s on their best behaviour. For now. But once the vows have been made and the drinks start flowing, deep-seated family resentments begin to bubble up. When secrets start spilling out, alliances shift, and by the end of the night, nothing will ever be quite the same again.
Funny, relatable and deeply moving, this brilliant night out explores what happens when we’re forced to choose between family, and love. Till the Stars Come Down was nominated for two Olivier Awards and transferred from the National Theatre to the West End in 2025.
Till the Stars Come Down is sponsored by Kin Lifetime Planning.
Tickets are now on sale: nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Till the Stars Come Down is the third play by local writers to be featured this season at Nottingham Playhouse. Previous productions included the world premiere of Jane Upton’s Scenes from a Friendship and William Ivory’s comedy drama The Market Deeping Model Railway Club. Nottingham Playhouse is committed to supporting local writers and creatives.
Till the Stars Come Down
5 – 26 September 2026
Press night: Thu 10 Sep, 7pm
Audio Described + Touch Tour: Thu 17 Sep, 7.30pm; Sat 19 Sep, 2.30pm
BSL Interpreted: Fri 18 Sep, 7.30pm
Captioned: Sat 19 Sep, 7.30pm
Relaxed Performance: Wed 23 Sep, 6.30pm
Posted on 30 July 2026
