Daniel Monks: Acting and Activism in London Theatre

After arriving onto the London theatre scene. Daniel Monks has established himself as one of the most exciting actors around. He is now currently back at the Donmar Warehouse in Benedict Andrews' adaptation of The Cherry Orchard. He was last seen on stage in Jamie Lloyd's acclaimed production of The Seagull where he played the iconic role of Konstantin opposite Emilia Clarke and Indira Varma. Now as Pyotr Trofimov, he is once again demonstrating his prowess as an actor to audiences, and it is likely we'll see more spellbinding performances from him in the future.

In this brand new interview with Daniel Monks, he talks to us about his London theatre career, looking back on highlights like The Normal Heart and The Seagull. He talks fondly of his time coming to London from Perth, Australia and the journey he has made from writing and directing to coming back to acting.  In our interview, Daniel also talks candidly about the ongoing struggles disable actors in the industry face, commenting specifically on the recent controversy around Shakespeare's Globe's casting of Michelle Terry in the role of Richard III. Still, he is encouraged by the progress made in London with actors like Lizzie Annis and Francesca Mills also delivering strong impacts on the industry. We also talk about the trailblazing directors he's worked with like Benedict Andrews and Jamie Lloyd who Daniel praises for having such courage to reimagine classic works. He also praises outgoing artistic director Michael Longhurst for his vision and openness to reimagining Richard III as Teenage Dick, bringing his talent to the consciousness of London audiences. It's a fascinating discussion and we look forward to seeing what else he does next in the future.