Snippets: on casting Colin for Vernon God Little (April-June 2007)
10th May 2007: Theatregoers were treated to a post-show Q&A session with the writer, director (Rufus Norris) and cast of Vernon God Little at the Whatsonstage.com Outing to the Young Vic on 10th May 2007. A tiny excerpt:
On casting Colin Morgan, still in drama school, as Vernon
Rufus Norris: Good casting directors have their spies in many places. We did have to look pretty hard for that part and it took a long time. Colin was literally the last person we saw. There were two others who were alright but when Colin came in on the last day we knew we had our Vernon.
Colin Morgan: It was nice of DBC Pierre to say that he thought I really looked like Vernon. It was good casting I suppose.
Picture of Colin Morgan and Andrew Clark at the Q&A session:
also: Casting was confirmed on 8th March 2007. This snippet from the news at the time:
Colin Morgan will make his professional theatre debut in the lead role of Vernon. He is currently studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and says: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been given the opportunity to work and perform at the Young Vic. Still being at Drama School it’s really exciting to move to a new city and start my first professional acting job. I can’t wait to begin rehearsals for this challenging and exciting new show“
also: DBC Pierre visited the rehearsals (as Colin mentions above). In an article in the NewStatesman on 30th April 2007, DBC Pierre describes the problems translating his book. He also gives a small insight into meeting the cast in London. Here perhaps we understand his interest in the casting of Colin as Vernon:
"Over the course of the past year the elements fell into place for a production of Vernon God Little at the Young Vic, directed by Rufus Norris and adapted by Tanya Ronder. The idea that Vernon will reach a professional English-speaking stage is just dawning on me, and with it a sense that I will see the work concretely brought to life for the first time outside of the imagination. I have met Tanya Ronder, have exchanged some correspondence regarding finer points of the book's plot, and have an invitation to visit rehearsals to meet the main characters, including Vernon, the beleaguered companion I shared intense years with. And that's a curious feeling. It must be akin to meeting for the first time the sibling you were separated from at birth. I say it without fear or concern whatsoever for the nature of the work theatrically - not least given the calibre of the team bringing it to life - because there's a calm that comes with knowing a theatrical production is a wholly original work unto itself, and not a mere translation."