Atwell and Lowden to swap roles in Donmar play

Hayley Atwell is to feature in Shakespeare’s play about sex and power, Measure For Measure, on the London stage. The actress and Scots co-star Jack Lowden will swap roles during each performance at the Donmar Warehouse, to explore issues of gender and power.

The new production will be directed by the Donmar’s artistic director Josie Rourke. She said Atwell and Lowden – best known for Agent Carter and Dunkirk respectively – will swap roles as the novice nun and powerful politician, who agrees to save her brother’s life if she will sleep with him.

Other shows announced for the venue’s next season include Lyndsey Turner’s revival of Brian Friel’s Aristocrats and Muriel Spark’s The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie. All three will be directed by women.