James Corden and Anna Maxwell Martin will star in the world premiere of Joe Penhall's The Constituent with Matthew Warchus at the helm.

Playing the Old Vic June 13 through August 10, the new play will star Martin as a hard-working opposition backbencher whose ideals of public office are tested by the demands of a man in crisis, played by Corden. The cast will also feature Zachary Hart (An Enemy of the People, Masters of the Air, Julius Caesar).

Said Warchus, "In a theatre once mainly renowned for classic revivals, I’m excited to present The Old Vic’s 25th world premiere since my tenure began in 2015—this urgently topical new play from Joe Penhall set in a local MP’s constituency office. In a landscape of increasing threat, what place is there for empathy? Is an open door policy now dependent on stab vests?"

Set and costume design will be by Rob Howell, and lighting design will be by Hugh Vanstone, with the rest of the creative team to be announced at a later date.

"I began writing this play four years ago, as I became fascinated and appalled by the growing antipathy towards elected politicians," Penhall shared in a statement. "But during lockdown it looked like theatre was done for, so when I showed a rough first draft to Matthew and he had such a confident vision for it, I was simultaneously thrilled and doubtful of our chances. It’s beyond exciting to be finally doing it and I feel utterly indebted to The Old Vic and everyone involved for getting us here."

Visit OldVicTheatre.com.