Chris O’Dowd and more to star in The Brightening Air at the Old Vic

The Old Vic has announced complete casting for the upcoming world premiere of The Brightening Air, a new play written and directed by Olivier Award winner Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Seafarer).

The new production will see McPherson return to the theatre following the multi-award-winning Girl from the North Country in 2017.

The Brightening Air is set in 1980s Ireland and follows a family’s life disrupted by the arrival of “an ex-clergyman uncle, a sister-in-law seeking a miracle, and a prodigal brother hell-bent on trouble.”

The cast includes Derbhle Crotty (Portia Coughlan), Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty (Juno and the Paycock), Brian Gleeson (Bad Sisters), Aisling Kearns (Juno and the Paycock), Seán McGinley (A Whistle in the Dark), Hannah Morrish (The Merchant of Venice 1936), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) and Rosie Sheehy (Machinal).

Completing the company are understudies Ella Maria Carmen, Callum Cronin, Joseph McCarthy and Amy Vicary-Smith.

Set and costume design is by Rae Smith, lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Gregory Clarke, movement and intimacy by Lucy Hind, casting by Serena Hill, voice by Charlie Hughes-D’Aeth, dialect by Danièle Lydon and fight direction by Kate Waters. The associate director is Anastasia Osei-Kuffour, associate set designer is Niall McKeever, the costume supervisor is Poppy Hall, the props supervisor is Fahmida Bakht and the music associate is Benjamin McQuigg.

The Brightening Air runs at the Old Vic from 10 April to 14 June 2025, with a press night set for 24 April.

Tickets are on sale below.