Willem Dafoe Named Venice Theatre Head; Royal Court’s ‘ECHO’ Adds Nine To Cast; Damien Molony Joins ‘Bergerac’ – Global Briefs 

Willem Dafoe Named Artistic Director Of Venice Theatre Department

Willem Dafoe has been named Artistic Director of the Venice Biennale’s Theatre Department. Dafoe will hold the role for a two-year term from 2025 to 2026. The appointment was confirmed by the department board, headed by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. “I was first surprised then happy to receive Pietrangelo Buttafuoco’s invitation to be the Director of the International Theatre Festival of La Biennale di Venezia 2025-2026,” Dafoe said. “I realize that I am known as a film actor, but I was born in the theatre, the theatre trained me and galvanized me. I am a stage animal. I am an actor. Theatre taught me about art and life. I worked with the Wooster Group for twenty-seven years, and I have collaborated with great directors from Richard Foreman to Bob Wilson. The direction of my Theatre program will be charted by my personal development. A sort of exploration of the essence of the body.”

Sheila Atim, Jodie Whittaker & Jeremy O. Harris Among Names Set For ‘ECHO’ At London’s Royal Court

Nine additions have been made to the cast of the Royal Court Theatre’s production of ECHO written by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, NASSIM) and directed by Omar Elerian. Sheila Atim, Monica Dolan, Jessica Gunning, Jeremy O. Harris, Adrian Lester, Nick Mohammed, Mawaan Rizwan, Jodie Whittaker, and Benedict Wong have all joined the cast and will perform on select dates. Across the play’s three-week run, a different performer will take to the stage at each show without having a clue of what is going to be asked of them. Unrehearsed and unprepared, the script becomes their guide.

Damien Molony To Star In ‘Bergerac’

Damien Molony (The Split, Brassic, Crashing) has signed on to star in the leading role of Jim Bergerac in the six-part UKTV Original series Bergerac. The series is produced by BlackLight TV. Filming will begin this month, with locations in the UK and the Channel Island of Jersey. The series is written by Toby Whithouse (The Red King, Being Human), alongside Brian Fillis (Trust, Sirens), Catherine Tregenna (The One That Got Away, Three Pines), and Polly Buckle (Love Rat, A Discovery of Witches). Banijay Rights will handle international distribution for the series. Bergerac is based on the original series created by Robert Banks Stewart, which starred John Nettles and ran for nine series on the BBC between 1981 and 1991.