‘Stranger Things’ Star Linnea Berthelsen to Make U.K. Stage Debut in ‘Darkling’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Linnea Berthelsen, best known for playing Kali Prasad/008 in the second and final season of Netflix’s smash hit “Stranger Things,” is to make her U.K. stage debut in the “Darkling” at London’s Bush Theatre.

The solo play is presented by Actors Touring Company and co-produced with the Bush Theatre. Described as “an epic story of a life ravaged by ecological disaster,” it was written by Titas Halder and directed by the Actors Touring Company’s Olivier-award-winning artistic director Matthew Xia.

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“Darkling” exposes the human impact of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster. The production weaves memory and trauma into a visceral narrative that aims to serve as a powerful indictment of corporate malpractice. As per the description, “This human story confronts the systemic impact of industrialisation on poorer nations, raising urgent questions about environmental exploitation and the fight for justice in the global South.”

“Matthew is someone I’ve admired and have hoped to collaborate with for many years,” said Berthelsen. “And after seeing and falling in love with Titas’ work on ‘Foal,’ I knew that joining Darkling would be a special opportunity. Titas’ script is incredibly nuanced, human and very alive. I’m thrilled to be working with this exceptional creative team.”

“Darkling” opens at Bush Theatre on Sep. 5 before touring to Birmingham Rep, Oxford’s The North Wall Arts Centre, and HOME, Manchester until Nov. 14.

“It is a privilege to collaborate with Linnea, who will bring a magnetic intensity to the role,” said Xia, artistic director of Actors Touring Company. “Titas has written an extraordinarily beautiful and poetic text, and working with a performer of Linnea’s calibre gives us the chance to make something epic, intimate and unmistakably theatrical. We are proud that “Darkling” sits at the very core of ATC’s mission: to champion globally minded contemporary theatre and bring these vital narratives to audiences across the U.K.”

Added Halder: “I’m thrilled that Linnea will be performing in ‘Darkling.’ When I wrote the piece; a human story about how an ecological disaster rips through one family, I could have never imagined that we would one day be making this play with such an extraordinary team, led by the brilliant Matthew Xia, and anchored by such a truly mesmeric actor as Linnea. I know she will bring a special and profound emotional depth to this solo play, a portrait of an entire life.”

“Darkling” is made possible with the support of Arts Council England, Cockayne Grants for the Arts, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation and the Wates Foundation. ATC is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.