Russell Tovey returns to the Donmar Warehouse this summer in The Guilty, a real-time thriller by Chloë Moss.
Tovey joins a growing number of film & TV stars appearing on London stages this year. Directed by Felix Barrett, the one-hander centres on a single performer in a confined space, with events unfolding in an increasingly unstable point of view.
Tovey plays Joe, a police officer working the night shift, alone in a control room answering emergency calls. When a woman named Emily phones in distress, what begins as a routine interaction starts to fracture. Forced to act on fragments, half-heard details, unclear signals, missing context, Joe’s confidence steadily erodes, and the night takes on a mounting sense of wrongness. The audience is confined to his perspective, experiencing events only as he does, in real time.
Moss adapts The Guilty from the films Den Skyldige and The Guilty, bringing the story to the stage in a form that emphasises voice, listening and the limits of knowledge. Her previous theatre work includes This Wide Night, Run Sister Run and The Gatekeeper, alongside extensive television writing.
The production is directed by Felix Barrett, founder and artistic director of Punchdrunk, whose work is often associated with large-scale immersive environments.The creative team includes set designer Alex Eales, lighting designer Anna Watson, sound designer Gareth Fry and video designer Luke Halls.
Tovey returns to the Donmar following his appearance in Constellations. His theatre credits include Angels in America, A View from the Bridge and The History Boys, alongside extensive work in film and television.
Also announced today, the Donmar’s new 2026 season will feature Adeel Akhtar, Monica Dolan, Paul Hilton and Lyndsey Marshal in the world premiere of Mass.
The Guilty runs from 20 June until 15 August at Donmar Warehouse, London
Related News
Donmar Warehouse announces major revival of No Man’s Land starring Rupert Everett and Simon Russell Beale
Sophie Okonedo to lead A Month in the Country at the Donmar Warehouse
INTERVIEW: “It’s one of the last social interactions where our phones aren’t available to us.” Russell Tovey on theatre as his religion
New play Mass to premiere in London starring Adeel Akhtar, Monica Dolan, Lyndsey Marshal & Paul Hilton
Latest News
Broadway legend Patti LuPone returns to the London Coliseum for Valentine’s Day 2027
Helen of Troy never got to tell her side. Watch the trailer for the play that does
After a sell-out world tour, The Choir of Man returns to the West End this Christmas
