REHEARSAL SHOTS RELEASED FOR THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR

ThePatrioticTraitor_Press2TOM CONTI AND LAURENCE FOX

TO STAR AS CHARLES DE GAULLE AND PHILIPPE PÉTAIN

IN THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JONATHAN LYNN

 

“You were the sword but I was the shield. I love France. I also love you – as a son”

 

TOM CONTI and LAURENCE FOX will star in the world premiere production of THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR, opening at Park Theatre 17 February – 19 March, with a press night on 25 February. The Patriotic Traitor is written and directed by multi-award winning JONATHAN LYNN (‘Yes Minister’/’Yes, Prime Minister’/’My Cousin Vinny’/’Nuns on the Run’), with design by Georgia Lowe, lighting by Mark Howland, and sound by Andrea Cox.

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Tom Conti will star as Philippe Pétain and Laurence Fox will star as Charles de Gaulle, alongside Niall Ashdown asLeon Blum / General Weygand, James Chalmers as General Le Gallet / Captain de Courcel, Ruth Gibson as Yvonne de Gaulle and Tom Mannion as Lord Halifax / Pierre Laval.

 

The Patriotic Traitor tells the extraordinary true story of two close friends Charles de Gaulle and Philippe Pétain, who found themselves on tragically opposing sides in World War II.

 

This relationship, noble, comic and absurd, changed history: Marshall Pétain, a tough, uncompromising soldier who rose through the ranks to save France in 1916 at the Battle of Verdun, and General de Gaulle, the aristocratic, academic, awkward and equally uncompromising soldier who led France to freedom when Pétain became a Nazi collaborator.

 

In 1945 de Gaulle had his oldest friend tried for treason. But was it as simple as it seemed?  This extraordinary story is seen as Pétain waits for the verdict

IN THE HEIGHTS extends at King’s Cross Theatre until October 2016

TONY AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY MUSICAL

IN THE HEIGHTS

EXTENDS RUN AT KING’S CROSS THEATRE

UNTIL SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER 2016

Initially booking for a limited 4 week run, Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In The Heights has extended its run at King’s Cross Theatre for a third time, now booking for an additional 6 months until Sunday 30 October 2016. Tickets for the new booking period are on sale now. In The Heights returns to London following a critically acclaimed sell-out UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse in 2014.

 IN THE HEIGHTS

In The Heights is an uplifting and exhilarating journey into Washington Heights, one of Manhattan’s most vibrant communities – a place where the coffee is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggle can be deciding which traditions to take with you, and which ones to leave behind. With a gripping story and unforgettable Latin and hip-hop infused score, In The Heights is a ground-breaking contemporary musical about what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what it means to be home.

In The Heights opened at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre in 2008 where it was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, winning four for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. It also won the 2009 Grammy Award for its Original Broadway Cast Album and was nominated for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

The cast currently features David Bedella (The Rocky Horror Show) as Kevin, Josie Benson (Sweeney Todd) as Camila, Vas Constanti (Flashdance) as Piragua Guy, Jade Ewen (Sugababes) as Vanessa, Lily Frazer (Cats) as Nina, Philippa Stefani (Ghost the Musical) as Daniela, Sam Mackay (Wonder.land) as Usnavi, Antoine Murray-Straughan (Cats) as Graffiti Pete, Sarah Naudi as Carla, Eve Polycarpou (Mother Courage and Her Children) as Abuela, Joe Aaron Reid (Ghost, Broadway) as Benny and Cleve September (professional debut) as Sonny. The cast also includes Jocasta AlmgillCourtney-Mae Briggs, Michael Cortez, Gabriela Garcia, Reiss Hinds, Alexandra Sarmiento and Spin.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Tony-winning composer-lyricist of In the Heights. He also originated the lead role of Usnavi for which he received a Tony-Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. Lin-Manuel is currently starring in the title role in his newest musical Hamilton, which had its world premiere at The Public Theater in January 2015 before transferring to Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre in July 2015. The production has so far received a record-breaking 10 Lortel Awards, 3 Outer Critic Circle Awards, 8 Drama Desk Awards, the 2015 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best New Musical and the 2015 OBIE Award for Best New American Play.

In The Heights is directed by Luke Sheppard whose recent credits include Casa Valentina(Southwark Playhouse), Oliver! (Watermill Theatre), Adrian Mole (Curve Theatre), Next Fall (Southwark Playhouse), Bed And Sofa (Finborough Theatre) and Jet Set Go! (Jermyn Street Theatre). Luke is also Associate Director of Matilda in the West End and on Broadway.

It is choreographed by Drew McOnie, who won the 2015 Off West End Award for Best Choreography forIn The Heights at Southwark Playhouse. Recent credits include The Lorax (Old Vic), Hairspray (UK Tour), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith), Oklahoma! (UK Tour), Chicago (Curve Theatre) and Drunk(Bridewell Theatre). Drew is also the Artistic Director of The McOnie Company and an Associate Artist at The Old Vic, for which he is currently creating a new dance-thriller version of Jekyll and Hyde.

 

Tickets start at £22.50, with a selection of best seats available for Under 25s at a special rate of £15 at every performance.

In The Heights is conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda with Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. It is directed by Luke Sheppard with choreography by Drew McOnie, musical supervision by Tom Deering (Made In Dagenham, From Here To Eternity), set design by takis (Chicago, Curve Theatre), costume design by Gabriella Slade (Alice in Wonderland, Oxford Playhouse), lighting design by Howard Hudson (Adrian Mole, Titanic) and sound design by Gareth Owen. Casting is by Will Burton. It is produced in London by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment Ltd and Paul Taylor Mills.

 

King’s Cross Theatre is a brand new purpose built theatre at King’s Cross Station. The venue is also home to The Railway Children which will play in rep with In The Heights. King’s Cross Theatre features a late night bar at performances of In The Heights, opening an hour before every performance until late, with live music and DJs after certain performances. 

Twitter @InTheHeightsLDN

www.intheheightslondon.com

LISTINGS

Booking until Sunday 3o October 2016

KING’S CROSS THEATRE

Good’s Way, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4UR

Performances: Monday Tuesday Thursday Friday 8.00pm, Saturday 8.30pm, Sunday 6.00pm, Tuesday 3.00pm

Tickets: From £22.50 (with a guaranteed selection of £15 tickets per performance for U25)

Box Office: 0844 871 7604 | www.intheheightslondon.com

 

Further casting announced to join Kenneth Cranham in The Father

2015 CRITICS’ CIRCLE THEATRE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST ACTOR

Kenneth Cranham stars in

THE FATHER

Back in the West End for only five weeks

prior to a national tour

 

Duke of York’s Theatre, London                  24th February – 26th March 2016

                                                         ★★★★★                        ★★★★★                 ★★★★★                    ★★★★★

Guardian                              Observer                        Times                          Daily Telegraph

                         ★★★★★                     ★★★★★                    ★★★★★                   ★★★★★                     ★★★★★                                                       Mail on Sunday             Evening Standard              Sunday Times                      Daily Mail                    Financial Times

By Florian Zeller in a new translation by Christopher Hampton

Directed by James Macdonald

Following successful runs at the Theatre Royal Bath, the Tricycle Theatre in London and a West End season at Wyndham’s Theatre, Florian Zeller’s Moliere award-winning play, THE FATHER, will play at the Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited five week run, 24thFebruary – 26th March 2016, prior to a national tour.

“As playful as it is painful… unforgettable acting” Dominic Maxwell, The Times

Kenneth Cranham, recipient of the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performances in 2015, reprises his role as Andre. Now 80 years old, Andre was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne and her husband Antoine. Or was he an engineer whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pyjamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control.

“My play of the year…. Devastating drama” Georgina Brown, Mail on Sunday

Nominated for a Tony Award for Stephen Daldry’s An Inspector Calls on Broadway, Kenneth Cranham’s numerous stage credits also include The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre, The Homecoming at the Almeida and West End productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane, Loot, The Birthday Party and Gaslight. Screen credits range from the title role in Shine On Harvey Moon to Layer Cake,MaleficentHot FuzzOliver! and Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

“Kenneth Cranham is quite simply shattering” Sarah Hemming, Financial Times

Evening Standard Award nominee Amanda Drew will play Anne. Theatre credits include Three Days in the Country (National Theatre), Love and Information (Royal Court) and Enron (Royal Court, West End) whilst TV credits include ‘Broadchurch.

The cast also includes; Rebecca Charles (‘Homefront’, Les Liaisons DangereusesJulius Caesar)  Brian Doherty (‘Call the Midwife’,Tomcat, Death of a Comedian), Daniel Flynn (Stephen Ward55 DaysRichard II) and Jade Williams (Young Chekov Trilogy, Doctor Faustus, Romeo and Juliet).

Director James Macdonald has worked extensively off Broadway where he was recently the winner of the 2014 Obie Award for Best Director for Love and Information. He was Associate Director of the Royal Court from 1992 to 2007 and his credits includeCockDrunk Enough to Say I Love You, the European and US tours of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, Exiles at the National Theatre, andGlengarry Glen Ross in the West End.

Stunning… quietly devastating” Henry Hitchings, The Evening Standard

Florian Zeller is fast becoming one of France’s most well-known contemporary playwrights. His 2010 play The Mother was the winner of the Moliere Award, France’s highest theatrical honour.

Translator Christopher Hampton’s own work includes The Philanthropist, Savages, Tales From Hollywood and Les Liaisons Dangereuse. He has translated plays by Ibsen, Molière, Chekhov and Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3).

Designed by Miriam Buether; lighting designed by Guy Hoare; sound designed by Christopher Shutt. Presented in the West End by Theatre Royal Bath Productions, the Tricycle Theatre and Simon Friend.

 

LISTINGS

Venue:                Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG

Dates:                 24th February – 26th March 2016

Times:                 Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm; Thursday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

Press night:    Tuesday 1st March, 7pm

Tickets:              £20 – £49.50

Box Office:      0844 871 7623 /  www.atgtickets.com

Following the West End, THE FATHER embarks on a UK tour, visiting Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, w/c 28th March; Hall for Cornwall, w/c 4th April; Richmond Theatre, w/c 11th April; Theatre Royal Newcastle, w/c 18th April; Brighton Theatre Royal, w/c 25thApril; Birmingham Rep, w/c 2nd May; Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, w/c 9th May. For information on the tour please contact Jane Morgan Associates on 020 7263 9867.

Last Chance to see Olivier Award-Winning Goodnight Mister Tom in the West End

Fiery Angel, The Ambassador Theatre Group, CFT Enterprises, Fiery Dragons & The Children’s Touring Partnership present the Chichester Festival Theatre Production of
Goodnight Mister Tom

By David Wood
From the classic novel by Michelle Magorian

  • Last chance to see Goodnight Mister Tom at the Duke of York’s Theatre ahead of UK tour
  • Final performance of Angus Jackson’s Oliver Award-winning production in the West End on 20 February
  • The tour of this critically acclaimed production will open in Spring 2016 visiting Manchester, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Birmingham, Oxford, York, Richmond, Aylesbury, Woking, Bath, Cambridge, Cardiff and Newcastle

Audiences have just over two weeks left to catch the Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of Michelle Magorian’s classic Goodnight Mister Tom which will end its limited West End run on Saturday 20 February.  Adapted for stage by David Wood, this Chichester Festival Theatre production of Goodnight Mister Tom has enjoyed critical and public acclaim during its return to the West End after opening on 11 December 2015.

The cast, led by David Troughton in the central role of Tom Oakley, will embark on an extensive UK tour, opening at Manchester Opera House on 23 February.  The tour will continue on to Milton Keynes Theatre, Glasgow Theatre Royal, Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre, Oxford New Theatre, York Grand Opera House, Richmond Theatre, Aylesbury Waterside, Woking New Victoria, Bath Theatre Royal, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cardiff New Theatre and Newcastle Theatre Royal. David Wood’s stage adaptation enjoyed great critical acclaim in 2012/13, winning the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family.

Angus Jackson leads a stellar creative team that includes designer Robert Innes Hopkins(Oppenheimer; RSC/ West End), lighting designer Tim Mitchell (King and Country: Henry IV Part I And Part II; RSC/ Barbican) and sound designer Gregory Clarke (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; Chichester Festival Theatre & Children’s Touring Partnership). They are joined by composer ab9d17db0dc30d1f_orgMatthew Scott (Taken at Midnight; Chichester Festival Theatre/ West End), puppet designer and director Toby Olié (associate puppetry director of War Horse; West End) and choreographer Lizzi Gee (Future Conditional; Old Vic).

The novel Goodnight Mister Tom is now a modern classic and celebrates its 35th anniversary year in 2016. Michelle Magorian’s wonderfully uplifting tale is brought gloriously to life in this magical stage adaptation by David Wood. Set during the dangerous build up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and forges a remarkable and heart-warming friendship with the elderly recluse, Tom Oakley.

Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and commended for the Carnegie Medal, Goodnight Mister Tom is now a world-wide literary favourite and BAFTA award-winning TV film (starring John Thaw), and continues to inspire audiences and bring generations together.

David Troughton is currently playing the role of Tony Archer on BBC Radio 4’s long-running British contemporary rural drama, The Archers (since 2014). He has performed numerous times with both the RSC (The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Macbeth, Macbett, Henry IV: parts 1 and 2, Richard II andRichard III, The Cherry Orchard, The Tempest, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Venetian Twins) and the National Theatre (Season’s Greetings, Playing with Fire, Measure for Measure, Peter Pan and Fool For Love). He is also a regular on TV where his appearances includeGrantchester, Unforgotten, The Hollow Crown and many more.

Goodnight Mister Tom is adapted for the stage by David Wood OBE, the country’s leading writer and director of plays and musicals for children.  Also over the Christmas season, David’s Olivier Award-nominated stage production of The Tiger Who Came to Tea ran at the Lyric Theatre and his adaptation of The Witches enjoyed a run in Leicester.

Author Michelle Magorian was inspired to write Goodnight Mister Tom after hearing her mother’s tales about her time as a nurse in the war.  Published in 1981, it has been translated into 11 languages and won awards in the UK, America and Australia.  Her novel Just Henry won the Costa Award for children’s fiction in 2008, was adapted for television in 2011, and starred Sheila Hancock who appears briefly as her younger self in Michelle’s latest novel, Impossible! Michelle is currently working with the composer Stephen Keeling on the musical Sea Change.

The production is directed by Angus Jackson, whose work includes Oppenheimer for the RSC Swan and Vaudeville Theatre, King Lear for Chichester and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Browning Version for Chichester and the Harold Pinter Theatre, Bingo for the Young Vic and Chichester, The Power Of Yes for the National’s Lyttleton theatre, and Elmina’s Kitchen for the National’s Cottesloe theatre and the Garrick Theatre. Forthcoming work includes Don Quixote in a new version by James Fenton for the RSC’s 400th anniversary season, starring David Threlfall and Rufus Hound.

DREAMGIRLS confirmed for West End. AMBER RILEY will star as Effie White.

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Amber Riley will star as ‘Effie White’ in the West End production.

Dreamgirls will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw.

London’s Savoy Theatre with performances from November 2016.

Tickets go on sale spring 2016.

Website – Dreamgirlswestend.com
Twitter handle – @DreamgirlsLDN
Facebook page – DreamgirlsLDN
Instagram account – DreamgirlsLDN
Hashtag – #DreamgirlsLDN

85d62cf66e7a998a_orgAmber Riley will make her West End debut this year in the UK premiere of the Tony-Award® winning musical Dreamgirls. The American actress and singer best known for her role as ‘Mercedes Jones’ in the Golden Globe Award winning television musical comedy Glee, will play soulful singer ‘Effie White’ in the production which will open at the Savoy Theatre with performances from November 2016. Tickets will go on sale this spring with further dates, casting and creative team to be announced soon.

Amber Riley says: “I am so honoured and excited to not only be playing such an iconic role, but also to be working with Sonia Friedman and Casey Nicholaw. Working on the West End is now a dream realised, I just feel like this is going to be something special!”

Olivier and Tony-Award® winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Disney’s Aladdin andSomething Rotten!) will direct and choreograph Dreamgirls and says: “I am beyond thrilled to be directing and choreographing Dreamgirls in the West End. It was one of the first shows I saw when I moved to New York in 1982 and has been my favourite show ever since. We’ve begun to assemble a terrific cast of actors here in the UK. We also have a terrific design team lined up – it’s going to be a smart and sexy production. I’m so excited about working with Amber. I loved her on Glee and when her name came up for this, I thought – Wow, I think she could be incredible – and then when she came in to audition for us, she blew us away!”

Presented in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Book of Mormon and Funny Girl), Sonia Friedman says of Dreamgirls: “This great, now classic American musical is coming to London at long last, and I couldn’t be more excited to confirm that Amber Riley will be joining the cast of Dreamgirls for the West End season.  This new production will begin performances later this year, directed by the brilliant, multi-award winning Broadway director Casey Nicholaw.  Having met Amber and having had the privilege of hearing her sing two of the iconic songs from Dreamgirls: ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ and ‘I Am Changing’ – I was left with goosebumps, tingles and tears; I was completely knocked out by this talented performer. London is very lucky to be the first to see her Effie.”

Inspired by R&B music acts in 1960s America, Dreamgirls transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio, from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’, as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous and features the classic songs ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’ and ‘One Night Only’.

American actress and singer Amber Riley is best known for her role as ‘Mercedes Jones’ on the Golden Globe Award winning musical comedy, Glee. Additional television appearances include playing ‘Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North’ in the NBC live performance of the musical,The Wiz and competing in Dancing with the Stars, which she won in 2013. Riley’s numerous theatre credits include Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods andMystery on the Docks with the Los Angeles Opera. In November 2012, she made her New York stage debut to rave reviews in New York City Center’s Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club Parade.

Olivier and Tony Award®-winning Director and Choreographer Casey Nicholaw’s West End credits include co-director of The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Disney’sAladdin which opens in London this summer and The Drowsy Chaperone. On Broadway, credits include The Book of Mormon, Disney’s Aladdin, Something Rotten!, Elf: The MusicalThe Drowsy Chaperone, Monty Python’s Spamalot. Casey’s additional New York credits include the highly acclaimed City Center Encores! productions of Anyone Can Whistle, FolliesBye Bye Birdie and Can-Can, plus directing and choreographing the world premieres of Minsky’s at Center Theater Group in Los Angeles and Robin and the 7 Hoods at the Old Globe, San Diego. In 2016, Casey is set to direct and choreograph Tuck Everlasting on Broadway.

With book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger, the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett opened in 1981 and subsequently won six Tony Awards®. The original cast recording won two Grammy awards for Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday’s ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.’ In 2006 it was adapted into an Oscar winning motion picture starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx.

York Theatre Royal On Our Turf Project Nominated for Award

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York Theatre Royal’s On Our Turf project is shortlisted for a Hambleton District Council Community Award.

 

 

As part of the search to find and honour Hambleton’s community champions, the team at York Theatre Royal was delighted to hear that the On Our Turf project had made it to the shortlist for an Arts and Culture Award.

 

On Our Turf has been a collaboration between the theatre and four market towns in Yorkshire over the last three years. The ambitious project, funded largely by Arts Council England, aimed to co-programme and create work with communities around the region through a series of festivals and events. These have included large scale community productions, pop-up music and comedy events, workshops by world class artists and many surprising and engaging happenings that have enlivened the arts scene in Helmsley, Pocklington, Selby and Easingwold.

 

Ella Bond as Alice with the Caterpillar credit Tom SawyerThe project culminated in 2015 with a promenade production of Alice in Wonderland, directed by Phil Grainger, in Easingwold as part of the town’s LittleFest. Over 100 community members were involved in the making of the production and an audience of over 500 people saw it over the course of the weekend in October.

 

Beverly Bond, one of the community festival organisers said:

The event was highly inclusive and brought together many different groups of residents including people with learning disabilities, mental health service users, young people, elderly, local businesses, schools, the Women’s Institute, to name but a few. It did everything and more than a community arts project could be expected to achieve and I am very proud that this took place in our town. 

 

York Theatre Royal and the Arts Council are in the process of evaluating the three year initiative and are delighted that the Easingwold leg of the project has been recognised with an award nomination. The York Press named Alice in Wonderland the community production of the year at the end of 2015.

 

Abbigail Ollive, Head of Communications at York Theatre Royal:

On Our Turf has been a fantastic project to be involved in. It has brought communities together in creative ways and left a legacy to produce and curate work in these towns into the future. 

 

The Hambleton District Council Awards were launched two years ago to recognise and celebrate the exceptional contribution to the district made by countless residents – young and old. They cover everything from Community Group of the Year to Citizen of the Year.

 

Councillor Mrs Bridget Fortune, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Leisure Services said:

We want to reward the positive – and often unnoticed – voluntary work undertaken by our residents who all work hard to ensure their communities are a nice place to live. These individuals and groups work tirelessly for no pay, to provide excellent services, projects and experiences for their communities.  The awards will allow us to give them the praise they so richly deserve.

The Arts and Culture Award recognises individuals, groups or projects that have made an outstanding contribution to the arts and other cultural activities in the area.  The activity must have improved participation in the arts and be able to demonstrate high quality arts experience.

The award ceremony will be held on the evening of the 17th March.

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE EXTENDS ITS RUN TO OCTOBER 2016

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE

AT KING’S CROSS THEATRE IN LONDON

EXTENDS ITS RUN FOR A FOURTH TIME

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND

NOW BOOKING UNTIL 30 OCTOBER 2016

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY

Due to popular demand, the Olivier Award-winning production of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s novel The Railway Children – Live on Stage will be extending its run at King’s Cross Theatre for a fourth time until 30 October 2016, with tickets on sale Friday 5 February. 

The Railway Children opened at King’s Cross Theatre to critical and public acclaim on 14 January 2015, following previews from 16 December 2014.

The Railway ChildrenThe cast of The Railway Children includes Shaun Williamson as Mr Perks, Caroline Harker as Mother, Sophie Ablett as Bobbie, Matt Jessup as Peter, Beth Lilly as Phyllis, Lindsay Allen as Mrs Perks, Peter Gardiner as Doctor/Butler, Mark Hawkins as Jim/District Super, Connie Hyde as Mrs Viney, Blair Plant as Father/Schepansky, and Moray Treadwell as the Old Gentleman, with Helen Brampton, Rebecca Brierley, Timothy George and Daniel Griffin, plus a children’s ensemble made up of three teams of ten children aged between 9 and 15.

A purpose built 1,000-seat theatre, complete with a railway track and platforms, and with a state of the art air conditioning and heating system, was specially created for this production on King’s Boulevard, behind King’s Cross Station, a site which has been loaned to the production for the duration of the run by Google. The York Theatre Royal production, which is in association with the National Railway Museum, Matt Jessup as Peter%2c Sophie Ablett as Bobbie and Beth Lilly as Phyllis in The Railway Children. Credit Johan Persson. (1)features a live steam locomotive and a vintage carriage, originally built in 1896.

The production at King’s Cross Theatre is in support of the Railway Children Charity that aims to help homeless and runaway children throughout the world, with £1 per ticket donated to the charity. To date, £335,000 has been raised by the theatre production since its West End debut in 2010.

Directed by Damian Cruden, the Artistic Director of York Theatre Royal, with design by Joanna Scotcher, lighting by Richard G. Jones, music by Christopher Madin and sound by Craig Vear, Mike Kenny’s adaptation of The Railway Children was first produced by York Theatre Royal at the National Railway Museum, York, where it enjoyed two sell-out and critically acclaimed seasons in 2008 and 2009.  The production then opened at Waterloo Station in the former Eurostar terminal in July 2010, where it again played two critically acclaimed sell-out seasons and won the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment, before opening in Toronto in 2011 in a temporary theatre built at the base of CN Tower in Roundhouse Park.

The Railway Children tells the story of Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis, three children whose lives change dramatically when their father is mysteriously taken away. They move from London to a cottage in rural Yorkshire with their mother, where they befriend the local railway porter, Perks, and embark on a magical journey of discovery, friendship and adventure. But the mystery remains – where is Father, and is he ever coming back?

2016 marks the 110th anniversary of the publication of Edith Nesbit’s much loved classic children’s book The Railway Children, which has subsequently been adapted for the stage and screen, most famously in the 1970 film version directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins, Dinah Sheridan and Sally Thomsett.

The production is presented in London by Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Oliver Royds for BOS Productions and Sue Scott Davison, in association with York Theatre Royal and the National Railway Museum.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE

King’s Cross Theatre

Goods Way

King’s Cross

London N1C 4UR

Booking until                        30 October 2016

Running Time                       2 hours 10 minutes (including an interval)

Box Office                            0844 871 7604                   

 

Tickets                                 £25.00-£49.50, with 25% off for Under 16s (Premium Seats available at £69.50 +

                                           Limited edition show poster)

 

Website                               www.railwaychildrenlondon.com

Facebook                            www.facebook.com/railwaychildrenlondon

Twitter                                 @TRCKingsCross

Google+                              plus.google.com/+RailwayChildrenLondon

 

Performance Schedule:             Wednesday at 2.30pm & 7.30pm

                                               Thursday at 2.30pm

                                               Saturday at 1pm & 4.30pm

                                               Sunday at 2pm

*Extra performances:  1pm & 4.30pm on 14, 15, 18 February (no 2pm or 2.30pm performances on these dates), & 2.30pm on 19 February

 

2016 EASTER PERFOMANCE SCHEDULE

 

Friday 25 March                        2.30pm

Saturday 26 March                    1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 27 March                      No performance

Monday 28 March                     2.30pm

Tuesday 29 March                     2.30pm

Wednesday 30 March                2.30pm & 7.30pm

Thursday 31 March                    2.30pm

Friday 1 April                            2.30pm

Saturday 2 April                        1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 3 April                          1pm & 4:30pm

Monday 4 April                         No performance

Tuesday 5 April                         1pm & 4:30pm

Wednesday 6 April                    2.30pm

Thursday 7 April                        1pm & 4.30pm

Friday 8 April                            2.30pm

Saturday 9 April                        1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 10 April                         2pm

RAMBERT TO BREW UP A PERFECT STORM OF ART, SCIENCE AND NATURE

The UK’s longest established contemporary dance powerhouse, Rambert are back in Newcastle this year with a brand new show celebrating the dual forces of nature and art.  Thought provoking, visually stunning, and featuring Tyneside-born dancer Adam Park, the new tour is set to blow audiences away at Newcastle Theatre Royal 2 – 4 Feb ‘16.

 

The tour programme features two new pieces – the Picasso-inspired The 3 Dancers and Frames, which takes us into a choreographer’s world, and a third piece, which was one of the huge successes of 2014 – The Strange Charm of Mother Nature.

 

The 3 Dancers is inspired by the tragic love triangle behind Picasso’s masterpiece of the same name.  A new work from former Rambert dancer Didy Veldman, it will explore the eternal themes of the painter’s work: love, desire and death. An internationally-renowned choreographer, Veldman uses a total of six dancers, three dressed in white and three as their shadows or darker selves in order to delve into the social, psychological and human elements of Picasso’s work.

 

Veldman, well known for her theatrical style and earthy choreography, reveals how Cubism can be applied to movement to create the fragmented world which is so characteristic of Picasso’s work. The 3 Dancers features an original score by Australia’s leading composer Elena Kats-Chernin.

 

Frames is a new work from another Rambert alumni, Alexander Whitley, which lays bare the process of making a dance performance. Twelve performers assemble and dismantle the set, move lighting and change angles, constantly creating new spaces and playing with what’s revealed and what’s hidden in their sequences of highly technical dancing.

 

This thought-provoking work, which sees dancers create a stage within a stage, is a continuation of Whitley’s collaboration with award-winning visual artists Tuur Van Balen and Revital Cohen and is accompanied by a new score from Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason.

 

The Strange Charm of Mother Nature, which premiered in September 2014, is inspired by particle physics and the recent discovery of the Higgs boson ‘God Particle’. Continuing choreographer Mark Baldwin’s fascination with science which has seen previous pieces inspired by the theories of Einstein and Darwin, the show sees dancers fizz with the energy of the miniscule building blocks that created life, the universe and everything. The work is set to a musical score of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3, Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks and a new piece by Cheryl Frances-Hoad.

 

This season, the company once again features north-east born dancer Adam Park, aged 24, of Jesmond who trained at Dame Allan’s and Dance City and has been in the company for four years.  Adam last performed with Rambert at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2012 as part of the Seven for a Secret tour.

Rambert appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tue 2 – Thu 4 February 2016 (Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinee: Thursday 2pm). Tickets are from £12.00

(pay less online) and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

Five theatres to receive London Theatres Small Grants Scheme awards from the Theatres Trust through Cameron Mackintosh donation

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Five theatres to receive London Theatres Small Grants Scheme awards from the Theatres Trust through Cameron Mackintosh donation 

  • £25,000 awarded to five small London theatres in first round of London Theatres Small Grants Scheme
  • Grants awarded to Battersea Arts Centre, Bush Theatre, The Cockpit, New Diorama Theatre, and SPID Theatre
  • Awards go towards urgent building repairs, backstage and building access route improvements, and urgently needed new office and education space
  • First round of grants made possible by the Scheme’s first donor, the Mackintosh Foundation, run by Cameron Mackintosh
  • London Theatres Small Grants Scheme has the support of the Mayor of London and aims to build a fund to help small theatres with capital grants, in response to a London Assembly investigation into London’s small theatres

Three quarters of small venues surveyed in 2013 as part of the Economy Committee of the London Assembly’s ‘Centre Stage’ report into the needs of small theatres in London said they needed to significantly upgrade or repair their buildings but 93% had yet to raise the money to carry out the work.

The Theatres Trust is pleased to announce that five small theatres in London will benefit from the first round of its new London Theatres Small Grants Scheme, made possible through a donation from the Mackintosh Foundation.

The five successful projects are:

Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) in Wandsworth is awarded £5,000 to replace their temporary wheelchair ramp leading to the café / bar and first floor performance space with a new permanent ramp. This improves access to BAC and contributes to the major Haworth Tompkins-led BAC capital redevelopment and restoration project.

Bush Theatre in Hammersmith & Fulham is awarded £5,000 to repair the pitched roofs and dormer windows of their former Old Library building. These repairs help to maintain the condition of this locally listed theatre’s façade.

The Cockpit in Camden is awarded £5,000 to repair their leaky flat roof which sits over the theatre’s dressing rooms. This improves backstage conditions for performers and theatre staff and keeps costumes and equipment safe.

New Diorama Theatre in Camden is awarded £5,000 to install a converted storage container in their back yard to provide much needed space for their outreach programme and an accessible office space.

SPID Theatre in Kensington and Chelsea is awarded £5,000 to carry out urgent works to replace doors, and install disabled ramps and double glazing windows in their Grade II* building.

Cameron Mackintosh said: “It’s an honour for the Mackintosh Foundation to be the first donor to the London Small Theatres Grants Scheme and provide capital funding to help these theatres. Working with the Theatres Trust and the Mayor of London we’re making a start in helping to solve the urgent capital needs of London’s smaller theatres. This is so important for the next generation of artists and audiences and the continuing success of London’s theatre scene.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London’s smaller theatres are vital to its preeminence as a cultural capital on the world stage. Dotted throughout our city they entertain Londoners and bring in visitors, contributing to the local economy. In addition, they are a fertile seedbed for the vibrant talent and creativity that also feeds into the major houses, as well as film and television. These awards will help ensure some of our key players can get on with their core business, which is exciting work for the public to enjoy.”

Tim Eyles, Theatres Trust Chair said “London’s small theatres face so many challenges raising capital funding for repairs and upgrades, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to announce these awards today. We need to see more capital investment going into fringe theatres if we are to ensure theatre makers have a home in the city to make and present their work. I want to say a big thank you to Sir Cameron Mackintosh and the Mackintosh Foundation for their incredible support in making these first grants.”

Tom Copley, AM said: “Small grants can make a big difference. I’m delighted that five of London’s small theatres will be able to improve working conditions for performers and staff, make their buildings more accessible and restore historic buildings. Huge thanks must go to the Mackintosh Foundation for being the first donor to the London Theatres Small Grants Scheme, which will support London’s small theatres and help them to continue to grow.”

Darlington Civic Theatre – Gilbert O’Sullivan

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Global music superstar Gilbert O’Sullivan comes to Darlington Civic Theatre on Monday 15 February.

Gilbert O’Sullivan’s first taste of chart success came with ‘Nothing Rhymed’, a UK Top Ten hit in 1970, taken from his debut album Himself, but it was 1972’s ‘Alone Again (Naturally)’ that shot him to international stardom, topping the U.S. charts for six weeks and garnering three Grammy Award nominations. Soon after, he scored three UK number ones with the singles ‘Clair’ and ‘Get Down’ and the album Back to Front, before being named Songwriter of the Year at the 18th Ivor Novello Awards.

Gilbert O’Sullivan will be on stage with his fabulous ten-piece band to bring you all his hit songs as well as brand new compositions from his newly released album Latin Ala G. To catch a glimpse of what to expect, Gilbert O’Sullivan will be appearing on the BBC Radio 2 programme Friday Night Is Music Night on Friday 12 February.

Gilbert O’Sullivan is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Monday 15 February at 7.30pm. Tickets* are priced £29 & £30.50

*All prices include a £1 restoration levy

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk