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The highly anticipated Birmingham Rep co-production of I, Daniel Blake that exposes the stark reality behind the cost-of-living crisis receives its Midlands’ premiere at the theatre from Tuesday 13 – Saturday 24 June 2023.
The first stage adaptation of Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or and BAFTA award-winning film will be written by actor and comedian Dave Johns who won the Best Actor award at the British Independent Film Awards and Best Newcomer at the EMPIRE Awards for his role in the film. Ken Loach said, “This story is more relevant now than ever. And who better to put it on stage than Dave Johns, the original Daniel Blake?”
David Nellist will play Daniel. Originally from Wallsend in Newcastle, he appeared as Mike Stamford in Sherlock on BBC ONE with Benedict Cumberbatch and was recently in Stonehouse opposite Matthew Macfadyen on ITV. His theatre credits include West End productions Billy Elliott, War Horse, The Pitmen Painters and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and closer to home A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Not Too Tame, Shakespeare North Playhouse, Northern Stage), and Close the Coalhouse Door (Northern Stage). Bryony Corrigan will play Katie. Inspired to become an actor after doing work experience at Northern Stage aged 15, Bryony is best known as series regular Vanessa in Mischief Theatre’s The Goes Wrong Show on BBC ONE. Her theatre credits include the recent stage adaptation of Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island (Watermill Theatre) and My Romantic History at Live Theatre, which she won Performing Artist of the Year for at the Journal Culture Awards. Kema Sikazwe (also known as Kema Kay) will play China, a role he played in the film after being spotted by Ken Loach on a visit to Newcastle. The actor, rapper and singer wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed Shine at Live Theatre – a show about his experience of moving to Newcastle aged three which is about to be adapted for a TV musical drama. The rest of the cast are Janine Leigh who appeared alongside Joanne Froggatt in Channel 4 film In Our Name, Micky Cochrane (Billy Elliot the Musical, Curve), and former Northern Stage Young Company member Jodie Wild making her professional stage debut.
Dave Johns is a multi-award-winning film actor, stage actor and stand-up comic who has written for theatre and radio, including the stage adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption. He says, “I was thrilled to be asked to adapt Paul Laverty’s screenplay. But I didn’t just want to put the film on stage, I wanted to update the story for 2023, making it contemporary and exploring more of single mum Katie’s journey and the family unit she forms with Daniel. To show the kindness, compassion, humour, and hope that can help us through the toughest of times. Sadly, during my research it was disheartening to find not much had changed since the film’s release. The story is still as relevant as it was in 2016; maybe even more so now with the cost-of-living crisis making it even harder for those who are already struggling. Daniel and Katie’s story could be anyone’s.”
With 14.5m people in the UK now living in poverty*, and more people than ever relying on food banks, Director Mark Calvert says, “It’s a big responsibility to honour the film but also to find ways to raise awareness of the hardship huge numbers of people in our country are facing right now. I’ve spent months volunteering at local food banks, and I can tell you that this is not fiction. It is reality. And the cost-of-living crisis affects even more people now than when the film was
Released in 2016. For me I, Daniel Blake frames the working-class experience in modern Britain – there’s hope, humour and humanity in the story, but audiences should feel angry and outraged; I know I am.”
To book tickets for I, Daniel Blake at The Rep visit Birmingham-rep.co.uk, call 0121 236 4455 or visit the box office during opening hours.