Kate Duchêne: A Life on Stage and Screen

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With the Donmar Warehouse about to open a brand new production of Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, the incredible Kate Duchêne sat down to talk about the new show and why Hellman's writing feels particularly resonant today. Despite never doing a Hellman show before, she tells us about how her writing stands out among her contemporaries and why she's so excited to bring this show to a 2022 audience. In a world as politically divided as it is today, the show feels particularly relevant and will see Kate star alongside a stellar cast that includes Patricia Hodge and Caitlin Fitzgerald. We also get to hear Kate talk about reuniting with Ellen McDougall following their joint collaboration with Katie Mitchell on the National Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast and why the Donmar Warehouse felt like the perfect venue for a revival of Watch on the Rhine.

Kate Duchêne has worked extensively in theatre for over 30 years, starting out in Edinburgh before moving to the Royal Shakespeare Company and then to the National Theatre where she has notably worked with director Katie Mitchell. With credits spanding from Hecuba in Women of Troy to Clytemnestra in Iphigenia in Aulis to God in Everyman, Kate Duchêne is truly one of our most remarkable actresses working today. In this very special interview, we hear her talk about her illuminating career including reflections on playing Miss Hardbroom in the hit original TV series adaptation of The Worst Witch. As she prepares to play Anise in Lillian Hellman's timely play, we also get a glimpse of Kate's warm personality and wonderful sense of humour.

Watch on the Rhine plays at Donmar Warehouse from 9 December to 4 February with tickets available now from the Donmar Warehouse website.

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