A powerful return of David Edgar’s seminal play Destiny will take place at The Cockpit Theatre, London, on 3 May. Marking the play’s 50th anniversary, this revival has been produced to coincide with national elections in Wales and Scotland, and local elections across England – sparking a vital discussion about the direction of our country’s politics.
CAST & PANELLIST ANNOUNCEMENT
Producers Byline Times and Bylines Network are delighted to announce a distinguished cast of leading stage and screen performers:
Roger Allam, award-winning stage and screen actor (Les Misérables, The Thick of It, Endeavour, Game of Thrones), takes the role of Cleaver, a member of a far-right political movement.
Emma Manton – acclaimed actor with the RSC and The Office (UK) will play Liz, a young woman resisting far-right extremism.
Geoffrey Streatfeild – renowned RSC actor and star of Kinky Boots and The Other Boleyn Girl, will play Rolfe, a businessman who aligns with an extreme right-wing political party.
Hardeep Matharu – Byline Times editor-in-chief and cultural commentator, taking the role of Mrs Howard, a disaffected Conservative.
Akshay Khanna –star of Murderbot (Apple TV), The Doll Factory (Pramount), Chloe (BBC) and Red, White and Royal Blue (Amazon Studios), playing the urbane and ruthless Crosby and hot-headed street enforcer Attwood
More familiar names will be announced as cast members in the coming weeks.
Five decades after it first electrified British theatre, Destiny returns on the eve of elections to the Welsh Senedd, Scottish Parliament and UK councils, drawing stark parallels between contemporary politics and the rise of the far right in the 1970s. This is more than just a revival. It is the return of one of the most important plays of the late twentieth century at a time when its lessons are more relevant than ever.
This version of the play, abridged exclusively by Edgar, will be followed by post-show discussions exploring the play’s continued resonance – Edgar’s critically acclaimed forensic examination of the populist right is strikingly prescient for 2026. This may explain why cast members and panellists have put aside family events and other projects to take part.
As Geoffrey Streatfeild put it: “In an era of resurgent nationalism, with anti-immigrant sentiment weaponised by a far-right party on the cusp of power, David Edgar’s unsurpassed examination of how such forces arise is sadly more prescient and necessary than ever.” Panellists include:
· David Edgar – playwright
· Kenan Malik – writer and commentator on race, identity and politics
· Yasmin Alibhai-Brown – journalist and author on multiculturalism & immigration
· Asad Rehman – Friends of the Earth