Second professional actor announced for the community production of Sovereign

Rehearsals are now underway for the community production of Sovereign, with actor Sam Thorpe-Spinks joining the cast in the role of Jack Barak.

Sam will be joining Irish actor and stage combat fighter Fergus Rattigan who is playing lawyer Matthew Shardlake, to lead the 100-strong community cast of York Theatre Royal’s outdoor production of Sovereign from 15-30 July.

The play is an adaptation of C. J. Sansom’s acclaimed Tudor-set murder mystery novel, written by Mike Kenny.  Partnering with University of York, York Theatre Royal will bring the story to life on an outdoor stage at the university’s King’s Manor – one of the key locations in the book.

Sovereign follows Matthew Shardlake and Jack Barak as they await the arrival of Henry VIII who is travelling to York in spectacular style to display his power and ‘sort out’ the northern rebels. When the murder of a York glazier plunges Shardlake into a deep mystery which threatens the Tudor dynasty itself, he must work against time to avert a terrifying chain of events. Told through the voices of the people of York and featuring a large local cast and choir, this is set to be community theatre on a grand scale.

Sam Thorpe-Spinks, who will play Shardlake’s assistant Jack Barak – has previous connections to York, having studied History and Politics at the University of York. He is now a professional actor having trained at Guildhall – with television credits including ITVX’s A Spy Among Friends and Paramount+’s Sexy Beast. Theatre credits include Faceless (Park Theatre), Emanate (Kiln Theatre) and Something In The Air (Jermyn Street Theatre).

Juliet Forster, Mingyu Lin and John R. Wilkinson will direct the large-scale community production which, alongside the two professional actors, will feature a community cast and choir, and others volunteering in backstage production roles.

Juliet Forster, Creative Director of York Theatre Royal said, “We are delighted to welcome Sam to the cast of Sovereign. Jack Barak is a real lovable rogue and we are so excited to see Sam’s Barak and Fergus’ Shardlake come together on the stage.

Rehearsals are already underway with our 100-strong community cast and we have been so thrilled by everyone’s passion and enthusiasm!”

Sovereign is being staged from 15-30 July outdoors at King’s Manor in Exhibition Square in York.

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