Lizzie Annis has long been eyeing the dream role of Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie — and now she stars opposite Amy Adams in The Duke of York’s Theatre production in London, running until August 27.

“Laura fascinates me as a person — so much of her time is spent in her inner life, separate to the external world,” Annis says of a character who walks with a limp as a consequence of a childhood illness. “I value her vulnerability and tenderness, as well as her strength and fire. There’s something powerful in the way she relates to her body, a lot of her internal pain is manifested in her physical disability.”

Annis, who has cerebral palsy, thinks a lot about the storytelling opportunities inherent in disabled bodies. “There is something so interesting to see unconventional bodies in space, they are full of stories,” explains the actress, who is encouraged by the industry’s increasing inclusion of disabled performers. “In the last five years it feels as though the industry has become open and engaged, and we’re seeing more stories come through that have previously been hidden.”

Her one-woman show Trouble “very playfully and authentically and unashamedly looks at femininity, sexuality and disability, and the thorny intersection between those ideas”, she says, adding that she hopes one day to turn the piece into a short film.

Annis, 26, has also been busy on the small screen, in a leading role in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin. Of that character, she says, “I love Zacaré because she knows exactly who she is, she’s not afraid to tell anybody that or let anybody see that. She’s so confident and secure in her power. She’s a Druid and is like a conduit for the rhythms of the earth. I enjoyed connecting with her centre and steeliness.”

Annis grew up in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, where she started acting in Rose Theatre productions at age 13, later studying English literature at Bristol University and graduating from the Oxford School of Drama in September 2020. She wants to work across theatre, TV and film; she would love to play a Shakespeare heroine — or villain — and also adores period dramas. “Please get me in a bonnet. I love that culture of emotional repression — there can be so many layers of storytelling going on in period drama.”

Annis is also attached to star in a feature, as yet untitled, and still in early development with The Development Partnership, inspired by the true story of Abbey Curran, the first disabled woman to compete in the Miss USA pageant.

Contact: Rachel Briscoe, The Artists Partnership 

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