ABOUT
Gideon is a touching and resonant new show that tells the true story of young composer (Gideon Klein) whose tenacity burned brightly even as the world around him collapsed.
The show, directed by Sue Dunderdale, aims to shed light on a dark and curious past that is often forgotten. In a world polarised by politics, faith, and identity, where truth itself can be contested, Gideon speaks to 2025 with an unsettling urgency.
Underscored by a live chamber ensemble that reconstructs Klein’s music with the music that inspired him (jazz, folk, classical and more), the play captures the fragility of freedom as history moves faster than those living through it. The show reveals intimate snapshots of everyday life under an increasingly brutal regime… in this case, Prague 1938, as fascism rises and restrictions against Jewish people tighten.
Gideon’s ensemble and creative team come from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. They seek to create an intersectional piece about remembering those that have been lost to hate and war as they were, not how they died. Yet, they want part of the legacy of these real people to be a lesson from history about propaganda, demonisation, and the power of creativity in adversity.
CAST
MAX GALLAGHER
is an actor-musician, composer and MD whose theatre credits include War Horse (National Theatre/UK & Australia Tour), Richard III (Hull Truck/Northern Broadsides/Hull City of Culture 2017), The Duchess of Amalfi’s Steward (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Globe), and Brief Encounter (Watermill Theatre, Newbury). As a pianist, he has performed in The Fall of the House of Usher (Watermill Theatre, Newbury) and PIAF (Bridewell/Charing Cross).
as GIDEON
REBECCA SCROGGS
has performed in The Suicide and Danton’s Death at the National Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lyric Hammersmith), Steel (Sheffield Crucible) and Doubt (Chichester Festival Theatre). Her television credits include Constellation (Apple TV+), Eastenders, Casualty, Death in Paradise (BBC) and Grace (ITV).
as ILONA / FRAN / ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
ROSIE HILAL
Rosie’s theatre credits include The Hard Problem (National Theatre), The Oresteia (Shakespeare’s Globe), and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre). Her screen work includes All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix), and London Road (BBC/National Theatre).
as LISA
ALASTAIR MICHAEL
is a Manchester-based actor and producer. His theatre credits include Catching Comets (UK Tour), The Trial (Northern Tour), and MOTH (Hope Mill Theatre). His television work includes a recurring role in Silent Witness (BBC).
as GUSTAV / JAKOB
