One of the nation’s greatest playwrights chose Sutton for the first premiere of a full-length work in 25 years, and now he has picked his cast too.

Edward Bond has written more than 50 plays which have graced stages in the West End and at the National Theatre but his new work Dea will make its debut at The Secombe from May 24 to June 11.

Helen Bang will star in the title role, alongside Edward Avison-Scott as Johnson, Jolyon Price as Oliver, Christopher Birks as John, David Clayton as Cliff, Holly Joyce as Louise / Woman Prisoner, James Beedham as Whistler, Glenn Hanning as Sargeant, Alexander Huetson as Boyfriend / Brons, Sam Kacher as Smith, Ben Gilbert as Litvov, Alex Ranahan as Potter, Abe Buckoke as Clore and Joshua Pascoe as Abott.

The play leans on classical Greek and Jacobean dramatic problems of family and war to picture our collapsing society.

Tickets cost £16 or £14 concessions and £12 members. Go to suttontheatres.co.uk

Read our interview with Edward Bond here.