A note from the director, Craig Norman
I’m thrilled to introduce the cast for this play telling the story of the Mercury 13, who in the early 1960s passed a series of gruelling NASA astronaut selection tests, but were denied the chance to fly in space. Jerrie Cobb took the fight all the way to the US Congress, but was unsuccessful in overcoming the gender attitudes of the time.
…we…had a great turnout for auditions. There was so much talent in the room, we could have cast the play several times over! Thank you to everyone who came along to read: I’m sorry we couldn’t cast you all. I hope to see you in another SLT show soon!
Between the auditions and callbacks, we were all saddened to learn of the death of Mary Wallace (“Wally”) Funk. Wally was the last surviving member of the Mercury 13. We hope to honour them all by sharing their story.
The cast have all told me they can’t wait to start working on this amazing play, and Assistant Director Kelly Q and I can’t wait either!
The cast:
Jerrie Cobb – Flora Blissett
Jackie Cochran – Caroline R Doyle
Dr Lovelace – Randy Brown
Harvey/Circus Bob/Congressman Waggoner – Andy Barrett
Helena – Alison Ryan
Jack Ford/John Glenn – Joe Dominic
Mayor/Reporter/Congressman Anfuso – Ian Cuthbert
Mrs White/Young Woman/Female Reporter – Jemima Dunn (new to SLT)
They Promised Her the Moon plays at the South London Theatre, T Fire Station 3 – 7 November 2026. Tickets on sale soon.
