Hannah Arterton, Sîan Brooke, Tracey Ullman & More Lead MY CITY at the Almeida Theatre

Stephen Poliakoff will direct the world premiere of My City, his first new play for 12 years, running at The Almeida Theatre from 8 September - 5 November, with press night on 15 September 2011.

The cast comprises Hannah Arterton (Waitress), Sîan Brooke (Julie), Sorcha Cusack (Summers), Tom Riley (Richard), David Troughton (Minken) and Tracey Ullman (Lambert). Designs are by Lez Brotherson with lighting by Oliver Fenwick and sound and music by Ben and Max Ringham.

How would you feel if, 15 years after you last saw them, you bumped into the one person who had the biggest influence on your life? On a dusky evening, Richard Kenton finds his primary school headmistress lying on a park bench in the shadow of St Paul's Cathedral. As he becomes reacquainted with her and the other teachers that helped shape him, memories of their vivid and imaginative lessons come to life and their tales of London inspire him once more.

Hannah Arterton (Waitress) is making her professional stage debut in My City, having graduated from RADA.
Sîan Brooke (Julie) has recently played Jean in Mike Leigh's Ecstasy at the Duchess and Hampstead Theatres. Previously her theatre credits include Joseph K at the Gate Theatre, Wanderlust for the Royal Court, Dido, Queen of Carthage for The National Theatre, The Birthday Party at the Lyric Hammersmith and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet and King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company. On television her credits include Silk, New Tricks, Doc Martin, The Commander and Cape Roth.

Sorcha Cusack's (Summers) theatre credits include Madagascar for Theatre 503, The Grapes of Wrath for Chichester Festival Theatre, A Miracle for the Royal Court, as well as Romeo and Juliet, King John and Antony and Cleopatra for the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Five Wives of Maurice Pinder, Peer Gynt and Playboy of the Western World for The National Theatre. Her many television credits include Pete V Life, White Heat, Mrs Brown's Boys, Casualty, The Bill, Jane Eyre and Judge John Deed. Her film credits Middletown and Snatch.

Tom Riley (Richard) has recently played Septimus Hodge in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia on Broadway. For the Royal Court his many credits include Paradise Regained, The Verticle Hour, Posh, Censorship and Victory. He was last on stage in London at the Riverside Studios in Hurts Given and Received. His television credits include ITV's Monroe, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Lost in Austen as well as roles in Poirot, Lewis and Miss Marple. Riley's film credits include Romeo in St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold and Freddie Butler in Happy Ever Afters as well as Return to the House of the Haunted Hill, I want Candy and A Few Days in September.
David Troughton (Minken) has worked extensively for the Royal Shakespeare Company playing the title roles in Richard III and Henry IV as well as Bolingbroke in Richard II, Caliban in The Tempest, Kent in King Lear and Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. He played Harvey in Season's Greeting, George Aldred in Playing With Fire and The Duke in Measure for Measure, all for The National Theatre. His other roles include Matthew Harrison Brady in Inherit The Wind at the Old Vic and Dad in Alan Bennett's Enjoy at the Gielgud Theatre and on tour. His television credits include New Tricks, Doctor Who, Fingersmith, A Very Peculiar Practice, All The King's Men and on film his credits include Madam Bovary, Dance with a Stranger and The Chain.