Casting announcement - The Dairymaids

​TESS creators Michael Blore and Michael Davies are delighted to announce the casting of three crucial roles for the forthcoming album recording of the show - the Dairymaids.

The trio - MARIAN, IZZY and RETTY - not only provide some comic relief but also give Tess significant support as she battles with her personal tragedies in the new British musical adaptation of Hardy's much-loved novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
 
Dipsomaniac dairymaid Marian will be played by SALLY JOLLIFFE, whose lead roles include productions at Birmingham's Hippodrome and New Alex theatres, as well as more intimate concerts and cabarets across the UK. She said: "I'm really excited about recording this beautiful score with a very talented cast and team."
 
NIKKI CROSS takes the role of Izzy, an old hand on the farm where Tess finds work. Nikki trained with leading young people's company Playbox Theatre, and recent credits include Singin’ In The Rain, The Pajama Game and Annie (Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa), Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, Godspell and Scrooge (The Loft), Humpty Dumpty (Talisman Theatre), The Full Monty, Boogie Nights, The Wedding Singer (Spa Theatre Company) and Hair (The Dream Factory, Warwick). Born in Bristol, she claims she is “very much looking forward to getting the chance to revive my native West Country accent!”   
 
The young and naive Retty will be played by PHILIPPA COTTLE, currently training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. A veteran of Rugby Theatre, she previously worked with composer Michael Blore on The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Other credits include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, the promiscuous teenager Ivy in Total Theatre's production of Bare, and Lois in Mountview's production of Kiss Me Kate. After TESS, she says she is “looking forward to graduation and seeing what the professional world holds for me”.

This is the second tranche of casting for the TESS album after the Chorus was announced earlier this month. Renowned casting director Anne Vosser will be holding auditions for five principal roles on March 31st and April 1st at the Dance Attic in Fulham, London. More details are expected to be released later this week. 
 
Produced by Sunim Koria, work on pre-production of the album will begin in April.
 
Lyricist Michael Davies said: “We are thrilled with the latest developments in casting and delighted to welcome on board so many performers of such quality and talent. It really feels that we are at the start of something rather extraordinary."