Bertie Carvel and Doctor Foster writer reunite for BBC lockdown arts project
Carvel's Lockdown Theatre Festival ensures that plays cancelled by the coronavirus crisis are broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4
Doctor Foster's Bertie Carvel and writer Mike Bartlett are joining forces once again for the Lockdown Theatre Festival, which will see contemporary plays broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4 during quarantine.
The theatre project, created by Carvel, will see Bartlett's play Love Love Love and three other plays broadcast on the BBC stations on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June.
The revival of Bartlett's play, starring Nathan Barley's Nicholas Burns and The Bletchley Circle's Rachael Stirling, opened at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in March but its run was cut short due to the coronavirus crisis.
Other plays affected by the pandemic include Josh Azouz's The Mikvah Project, Winsome Pinnock's Rockets and Blue Lights, and E.V. Crowe's Shoe Lady – all of which will also air as part of BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine season.
The recordings will feature the casts of these cancelled plays, such as Katherine Parkinson (Shoe Lady), Karl Collins (Rockets and Blue Lights) and Josh Zare (The Mikvah Project).
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On the project, Carvel said: "All this work was going to waste! I wanted to create a cultural snapshot for posterity, because who knows what the future holds?"
"Theatres up and down the country are facing an existential crisis. I hope Lockdown Theatre Festival will demonstrate our community's positivity and resilience – but also shine a light on the challenges we face," he added.
Carvel portrayed cheating husband Simon in Doctor Foster, which was written by Mike Bartlett. The second series, also starring Suranne Jones and Jodie Comer, ended in 2017.
Lockdown Theatre Festival will air Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June on BBC Radio 3 and 4. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide
