Birdsong 

by Sebastian Faulks, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff. Directed by Imogen Front.
Birdsong

Wednesday 11 – Saturday 21 November

At the Tower Theatre, Stoke Newington

Who are we, that we do this to each other?

France, 1910. Stephen Wraysford, a young Englishman, visits Amiens on business and finds himself distracted and soon entranced by Isabelle Azaire, a married woman. Six years later, he returns to France as a soldier, worn down by war, loss, and heartbreak. Now the leader of a wayward troop of young men, Stephen must face the ghosts of his own past and try to stay human in an increasingly inhuman world.

First performed in 2010, Rachel Wagstaff’s celebrated adaptation of the best-selling novel by Sebastian Faulks has gained critical acclaim across the UK. Described as a “tour de force of writing” (The Latest), Birdsong beautifully captures the intensity and complexity of love, loss, courage and friendship, against the backdrop of the First World War.

Buy Tickets
Wednesday 11 November at 7.30pm
Thursday 12 November at 7.30pm
Friday 13 November at 7.30pm
Saturday 14 November at 3pm
Saturday 14 November at 7.30pm
Tuesday 17 November at 7.30pm
Wednesday 18 November at 7.30pm
Thursday 19 November at 7.30pm
Friday 20 November at 7.30pm
Saturday 21 November at 3pm
Saturday 21 November at 7.30pm

Age Guidance: 14+. Content Advice

Cast
Stephen Wraysford : Ben Naisbitt 
Isabelle Azaire : Oran Lynch
Jack Firebrace : Paul Graves
René Azaire/Captain Gray : Julian Farrance
Bérard/Colonel Barclay : John Stivey
Lisette Azaire : Emily Hassan
Jeanne Fourmentier : Amelia Roden-Kirk
Arthur Shaw : Simon Billington 
Michael Tipper : Pablo Tranchell 
Tom Brennan/Lucien Lebrun : James Forster 
Joseph Evans : Rob Scarlett
Turner/Ensemble : Sam Eaglesham
Marguerite/Nurse/Ensemble : Laura Piccirillo

Production Team
Director : Imogen Front
Set Design : David Taylor
Costume Design : Kathleen Morrison
Lighting Design : Stephen Ley
Sound Design and original music composed by : Colin Guthrie

Stage Managers : Neha Das, Sarah Ambrose
Assistant Director : Alistair Brown
Lighting Operator : Juliet Webster
Sound Operator : Tara Atri

  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal
  • “Birdsong” in rehearsal

Photography by Marc Gascoigne

Ben NaisbittBen Naisbitt has recently moved to London and this is his first performance with the Tower Theatre company. He is an English teacher which goes hand in hand with his love of theatre and his ability to try and entertain a crowd (or classroom). He is incredibly grateful to be part of this cast and hopes he can contribute to a brilliant show.
Óran LynchÓran Lynch is an Irish actor from Dublin, trained at the Gaiety School of Acting and Bow Street Academy. Her work spans both theatre and screen with credits including A Christmas Break (BBC iPlayer) and the role of Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest. She has worked across a range of theatre productions in Dublin and London, with a particular enjoyment of emotionally rich and varied roles. This is her second production with the Tower, having previously played Doris in Flare Path in May last year. She’s delighted to return to the Tower and to be part of another wonderful production with the company.
Paul GravesPaul Graves is an actor, writer and theatre maker who’s been with the Tower since 2018 and is the co-founder of Liminal Space Theatre Company. He’s played an eclectic range of characters at the Tower including; a dog, an insect, a child, a Scotsman (twice), a man who goes up and down a ladder a lot, and a man trapped inside a polar bear outfit. Credits with the Tower include Moby Dick (Starbuck/co-writer), The Little Prince (Lamplighter/Co-writer), Metamorphosis in Lockdown (Gregor/Co-writer), Coram Boy (Meshak), Kensuke’s Kingdom (Stella puppeteer), Trainspotting (Renton) and 1984 (Winston).
Julian FarranceJulian Farrance is making a return to the Tower stage after a long absence. He has previously appeared in seven shows for the Tower : 5/11, Damages, Loot, The Doctor’s Dilemma, One Man Two Guvnors, The Return of the Marionettes and Sherlock Holmes. He has also directed for the Tower with The Ladykillers and his own First World War play Shoot the Bugger! He has been involved in numerous productions as actor and director for other companies.
John StiveyJohn Stivey joined the Tower back in the early 2000’s and had the great delight of being in The Kitchen, Cold Comfort Farm and The Winters Tale (which was also performed in Paris). After a small absence of approximately 25 years where John has performed in many different shows, most recently as Francis Nurse in The Crucible with SEDOS and as Dennis in the musical Rock of Ages with SMP. This year, shows with the Tower have been My Night with Reg and the rehearsed reading of The Mirror and the Light at All Hallows Church by the Tower which he thoroughly enjoyed. Soon to be playing Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls with ELODS, John is first looking forward to getting to know the cast of this show.
Emily HassanEmily Hassan has been involved in several shows with the Tower over the last three years. She made her directorial debut last year with The Secret Garden, acted in The Mirror Crack’d, The Real Inspector Hound and The Mirror and the Light, and operated lighting for Flare Path. She will also be directing Pride and Prejudice next Summer Season, including a tour to the Brighton Open Air Theatre. Before joining the company, favourite roles included Medea, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Varya in The Cherry Orchard. Emily is also a member of the National Youth Theatre. She is really enjoying the rehearsal process for Birdsong.
Amelia Roden-KirkAmelia Roden-Kirk joined the Tower Theatre in 2026 and this is her first show with the company. Previous professional theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. After a hiatus of more than a decade, earlier this year she returned to the stage to play Laura Wade in The Watsons with the Putney Theatre Company.
Simon BillingtonSimon Billington is an Actor and Priest. He enjoyed is Tower debut earlier this year playing Casca and Octavius in Julius Caesar. Previous credits whilst in Oxford included Athos in The Three Musketeers (Story Museum), the one man play Scaramouche Jones (St Barnabus Church), Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (Oxford Castle and Museum) and Mr Vincent Crummles in Nicholas Nickleby (Oxford Playhouse). Before this Simon was in a number of children’s and classic plays around the country. He is a published researcher in theology and theatre.
Pablo TranchellPablo Tranchell first performed at the Tower in the 2018 production of To Kill A Mockingbird as Jem, and the year after that as Alan Turing’s young Greek lover in Breaking The Code – before leaving London to study Film Production at Anglia Ruskin University in 2020. They returned to the Tower in 2025, playing Dickon in The Secret Garden. While Pablo’s current focus is film, theatre has been a big part of their life, with many childhood years spent performing with Angel Shed Children’s Theatre and taking part in the Shakespeare School’s Festival, taking on roles such as Hamlet, Macbeth, Henry V, and Apemantus in Timon of Athens. Pablo also did their Work Experience at the Tower Theatre, having fond memories of constructing a picket fence in the parking lot, as well as working on film screenings at the Tower.
This is James Forster‘s first show with the Tower, and he is thrilled to be joining the cast of Birdsong. After co-founding a theatre company at university, he is excited to return to the stage after a long hiatus. Past performance credits include The Seagull, The Graduate, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lear (Edward Bond), and The Crucible. James also writes for stage and screen.
Drawing upon his success as a full-time music producer & touring DJ, Rob Scarlett has turned to acting to further explore his creativity and enjoy a new type of performing art. He is currently studying at All-In Actors school. This is Rob’s second production with the Tower since joining last March – he appeared in Ink previously. He is grateful to the team at Tower and excited to help bring such a poignant work to life.
Sam EagleshamThis is Sam Eaglesham‘s first production with the Tower. Prior to graduating last year, he was heavily involved in his university’s drama society, with past roles including Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edgar in King Lear, and Emmett in Legally Blonde. He is excited to take part in what is sure to be an upbeat and optimistic show in the form of Birdsong.
Laura PiccirilloLaura Piccirillo joined the Tower this summer, and this is her first production with the company. As an NYT graduate and performing in amateur productions while studying, Laura is returning to the world of theatre after 10 years and is excited to get back on stage.
Imogen FrontImogen Front has worked on a range of Tower shows since joining the company in 2024, including acting roles in The Chimes, The Secret Garden and Brief Encounter, and operating lighting for Clyde’s. Outside the Tower, Imogen is an actor, with recent roles including Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice for BBC Radio 4, and several audiobooks for Harper Collins. She assistant directed last year’s Black Men Walking at the Tower and cannot wait to make her directorial debut with Birdsong.
Kathleen MorrisonKathleen Morrison (Costume Design) crossed over from architecture to costume design on retirement 9 years ago and has found that her skills as an architect helps inform shape, line, colour and the attention to detail. She has designed costume for multiple productions at the Tower Theatre for both period dramas (such as Coram Boy, The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, Gainsborough’s Girls, An Enemy of the People, Antigone, Kindertransport, Shakespeare in Love and Anne Boleyn) and contemporary plays (including Handbagged, Kensuke’s Kingdom, King Charles III, Labour of Love and Girls).
Colin GuthrieColin Guthrie (Sound Design and Original Music) has acted, directed and musical directed for many Tower shows since joining in 1984. Directing credits include Crime and Punishment, A Chorus of Disapproval, The Voysey Inheritance as well as the last play to be produced at the Tower’s old home in Canonbury, Strangers on a Train. Musical directing credits include Return of the Marionettes, The Producers (which won the coveted Minack Trophy in 2014), and, most recently, Moby Dick, for which he also composed the music. Colin has composed music for many Tower shows, including David Copperfield, Lark Rise and Coram Boy. Acting credits include Kafka’s Dick, Her Naked Skin and Shining City. Colin plays accordion and sings with Americana band The Replacement Hipsters and on Friday nights he can usually be found in a Forest Gate pub playing and singing loudly with The Dog Jammers.
To top