''The Vote'' is a 2015 play by British playwright James Graham. The play received its world premiere at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Micha ...

as part of their spring 2015 season, where it ran from 24 April to 7 May 2015. Directed by

Josie Rourke Josie Rourke (born 3 September 1976) is an English theatre and film director. She is a Vice-President of the London Library and was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre from 2012 to 2019. In 2018, she made her feature film debut w ...

and set in a fictitious London

polling station A polling place is where voters cast their ballots in elections. The phrase polling station is also used in American English and British English, although polling place is the building

on election night 2015, the play was broadcast live on UK television channel

More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content When ...

on the night of the election. In 2019, the play was updated into a rehearsed reading production for that year's

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

Production history

''The Vote'' was written by playwright James Graham. On 3 November 2014, it was announced the play would premiere as part of the

's spring 2015 season and would begin previews at the

, London on 24 April with an official opening, and final night on 7 May 2015. Tickets for the play's short run were made available through a

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16t ...

. In addition to its theatre showing, a live broadcast of the play aired on the UK television channel

on the night of the election. ''The Vote'' is set in a polling station in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, during the final 90 minutes of polling for the 2015 general election on 7 May 2015, meaning it was the first ever play broadcast live at the exact time it was set. The broadcast attracted 555,000 viewers at its peak, making it the most viewed production in the history of the

. The broadcast was filmed using fixed-rig cameras, similar to those used in television shows such as ''

One Born Every Minute ''One Born Every Minute'' is a British observational documentary series which shows activities taking place in the labour ward. The first series aired on Channel 4 in 2010, the second in 2011. Series 7 made its debut on 10 March 2015. Productio ...

'', rather than conventional filming methods. Josie Rourke from Donmar Warehouse

The play was directed by

, with design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Oliver Fenwick, movement by

Stephen Mear Stephen Leonard Mear (born 1964) is an English dancer, choreographer and director best known for his award-winning work in musical theatre. In the 1990s, Mear taught dance at the London Studio Centre. In 2005 he and co-choreographer Sir Matth ...

, composition by Michael Bruce and sound design by Nick Lidster. The work which had been in development for a year previous reunited the Donmar Warehouse's artistic director Rourke with writer James Graham, who last worked together on the play ''

Privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

'', which also premiered at the Donmar. The play featured an ensemble cast of around 40, including

Catherine Tate Catherine Jane Ford (born 5 December 1969), known professionally as Catherine Tate, is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Catherine Tate Show'' (2004–2007), ...

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carter) ...

Nina Sosanya Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, radio actress and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in ''Teachers'', ''W1A'' and ''Last Tango in Halifax''. Early life and education Sosanya was born in ...

and Bill Paterson.

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

also starred alongside her real life daughter

Finty Williams Tara Cressida Frances "Finty" Williams (born 24 September 1972) is an English actress. Life Williams was born on 24 September 1972 in London, the only child of Judi Dench and Michael Williams. Williams trained at the Central School of Speech an ...

for the first time, playing a mother and daughter and marking her first performance at the theatre since 1976. A typical performance ran 90 minutes, with no interval. Describing the live broadcast, director Rourke said, "This is a unique opportunity for the Donmar to make a small theatre feel very big", whilst writer Graham added that he hoped to illuminate the "diverse, diligent and often hilarious individuals" who turn the "unglamourous" settings of polling stations into "places where history is made". In 2019, the play was updated into a one-off rehearsed reading production for that year's

, held on 12 December at

Bush House Bush House is a Grade II listed building at the southern end of Kingsway between Aldwych and the Strand in London. It was conceived as a major new trade centre by American industrialist Irving T. Bush, and commissioned, designed, funded, a ...

. All the original cast members reprised their roles, with the exception of Judi Dench, Timothy West, Bhasker Patel,

Kadiff Kirwan Kadiff Kirwan (born 3 February 1989) is a British-Montserratian actor. He is known for his roles in several British television series, particularly ''Timewasters'', ''Chewing Gum'', ''Fleabag'', and '' The Stranger''. Early life and education Bo ...

, Alice Hewkin,

Madalena Alberto Madalena Alberto is a Portuguese actress, singer and composer who has developed her career in the West End. Alberto received rave reviews for her role as Eva Perón in ''Evita'' in the West End (16 September - 1 November 2014), where the show arr ...

and

Chukwudi Iwuji Chukwudi Iwuji (; born 15 October 1975) is a Nigerian-British actor. He is an Associate Artist for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Early life and education Iwuji is one of five Nigerian siblings born to diplomat parents. When Iwuji was age 10, ...

, who were respectively replaced by Susan Brown,

Gawn Grainger Gawn Grainger (born 12 October 1937) is a British actor, playwright and screenwriter. Early life Some sources indicate he was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 12 October 1937. He is the son of Charles Neil Grainger and his wife Elizabeth (née Gal ...

Sartaj Garewal Sartaj Garewal is a British actor and voice artist who works in films, TV, theatre and audio. His films include ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003), ''Dirty War'' (2004), '' The Infidel'' (2010) and ''Baseline'' (2010). Notable st ...

, Calvin Demba, Shaofan Wilson, Lisa Caruccio Came and

Nonso Anozie Nonso Anozie (; born 17 November 1978) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Tank in ''RocknRolla'', Sergeant Dap in ''Ender's Game'', Abraham Kenyatta in ''Zoo'', Captain of the Guards in ''Cinderella'', Xaro Xhoan Daxos in th ...

. James Graham himself read out the lines of Catherine Tate's character's brother, Colin Henderson, while

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabe ...

was the narrator. Rourke said that putting the show in 2015 was the most fun she's ever had in a theatre, adding that "it's glorious to bring so many of these actors back together, and I hope it's a reunion that becomes a tradition."

Cast

Main cast

as Steven Crosswell, a presiding officer of the polling station *

as Kirsty Henderson, a poll clerk *

as Laura Williams, a poll clerk

Supporting cast

As listed in order of speaking on the

's website.

Cameo appearance

The cameo role of Kirsty's sibling, Colin/Coleen Henderson, was played by a different guest actor at each performance.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vote, The 2015 plays 2015 television films 2015 in British television 2015 United Kingdom general election English political plays Works set in the 2010s Plays set in London Works about elections Plays by James Graham