The regional premiere of Tom Stoppard's extremely popular, award-winning drama Rock'n'Roll opens the spring 2009 season at the Library Theatre in Manchester. The production will be directed by Chris Honer, the Library Theatre's Artistic Director.

Set over a period of 22 years, opening as Soviet tanks are rolling into Czechoslovakia in 1968, and ending with a concert by the Rolling Stones in a newly free Prague in 1990, Stoppard's magnificent drama spotlights two differing worlds. Stoppard frames the action with music of the time from artists including The Beatles, Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, U2, Guns N Roses, and The Rolling Stones, with the ghost of Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett said to be always lurking in the background.

Rock'n'Roll runs from Friday February 13th, to Saturday March 14th, and tickets are now on sale. For more information, call the Box Office on 0161 236 7110 or click here. Show times are as follows:

Mon-Sat 7.30pm; Matinees Thursdays February 26th, March 5th & 12th, Sat February 28th, March 7th & 14th 2.30pm. Pre-show director’s talks Thursday March 5th (6.30pm) and Saturday March 14th (1.30pm). Study Workshop Saturday March 14th (10.30am).
 
Tickets: Mon eve £9.80; Tue/Wed eve, Thurs mat £12.25; Thurs/Fri eve, Sat mat £14.70; Sat eve £18.10. Various concessions from £7.35 (not Sat eve). Group & party rates and early-bird deals (Mon 16-Wed 18 February) available.

Heading the cast as Czech dissident Jan is Graeme Hawley, who spent much of 2008 playing the role of John Stape, Rosie Webster's kidnapper in ITV's Coronation Street. Graeme, who last appeared at the Library Theatre as Guildenstern in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in January 2007, also has TV credits in Emmerdale, Heartbeat, and Doctors.

Max, the communist academic, is portrayed by esteemed actor Hilton McRae, who last summer played the Scarecrow in Jude Kelly's adaptation of The Wizard of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall. He will appear later this year in the cinema as a lawyer in part of the Red Riding Trilogy, a series of films about the notorious Yorkshire Ripper killings in the 1970s and 1980s. He was also in the cast of the original London production of Mamma Mia.

David Crellin, a regular at the Library Theatre, having appeared in Chris Honer's productions of Much Ado About Nothing (2006), Beyond Belief (2004), Schweyk in the Second Word War (2003), and Measure for Measure (2000), plays the parts of Milan (a secret policeman) and the Waiter; Ken Bradshaw, who plays Ferdinand (a dissident), has TV credits in Coronation Street, Shameless, Hollyoaks, and Silent Witness; Annie Fitzmaurice, who takes on the role of Candida (a journalist), appeared in the Library Theatre's production of Tom’s Midnight Garden in 2003; Christopher Wright is another Library Theatre regular, with credits in Much Ado About Nothing (2006), The Real Thing (2005), Beyond Belief (2004), Pygmalion (2002), and My Night With Reg (1996), plays the parts of a Czech interrogator and Nigel (another journalist).