Mark Puddle sells The Lord Chamberlain’s Men to Peter Stickney

Mark Puddle sells The Lord Chamberlain’s Men to Peter Stickney for an undisclosed sum

 

In May 2016, Peter Stickney will take over from Mark Puddle as the new owner and Artistic Director of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

Mark, who created the company in 2005, will complete the handover in May. Peter, who is about to direct his first production for the company, performed as an actor with The Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 2007 and 2008 and has been the associate producer for the last three years.

Peter said, “Since I first performed with the company in a tour of Romeo and Juliet. I knew that I was part of something special. The venues the company performs at, the strong following the company has and the unique nature of playing Shakespeare as he intended it to be seen, in the open-air with an all-male cast. I was hooked! I returned the following year to perform again and have worked for the company ever since.”

It has been eleven years since Mark Puddle, when aged just 25, convinced Buckingham Palace that he should be allowed to recreate The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (TLCM)*.  In that first year, 2005, TLCM toured to a few venues, a handful of audience members and the odd peacock! They now play to over 40,000 audience members a year at 80 of the most beautiful and historically important venues in the country.

Puddle, 36, is credited with creating an artistically vibrant theatre company that has produced clear, bold storytelling coupled with huge commercial success. All this accomplished without any Arts Council funding or grant aid, surviving on ticket sales alone. One of his proudest achievements, he said, was “that we led the way in creating the outdoor Equity Guidelines and as such the open-air sector is a much safer and more reputable place to work than when we first started.”

Over the last eleven years, TLCM has travelled more than 100,000 miles, to over 200 venues in seven different countries and performed in excess of 1,000 shows to more than 300,000 people. The company travels the whole country from Truro to Inverness and everywhere in between, including an international leg of the tour, which this year takes in France, Holland and Germany. The company have added a few new venues this year as well as returning to all their old favourites.

On what to expect in this next chapter for the company Stickney said, “First and foremost, I’m not going to fix what isn’t broken. Mark has done a fantastic job. To build a theatre company from scratch with no public funding whatsoever, surviving purely on ticket sales, is incredible in this day and age. What I am looking to do is explore new opportunities. We are well known, and rightly so, for our fantastic open-air tour in the summer but I am keen to see us move indoors as well, to theatres or other performance venues to give the company a year-round presence and allow us to tackle other of Shakespeare’s great plays and perhaps, even, other authors. I also aim to raise the international profile of this magnificent company.”

Mark Puddle added, “I am delighted that The Lord Chamberlain’s Men will be owned and managed by a former actor of the company. Peter’s energy, love of Shakespeare and passion to take the company forward means that he is the right person to build on the considerable achievements of the last eleven years. I want to thank our amazing audiences, venues and team for what has been a remarkable eleven years and hope everyone continues to join Peter and The Lord Chamberlain’s Men on the next chapter of this extraordinary journey.”

Peter’s first production as Artistic Director is Much Ado About Nothing. The cast includes James Lavender, Jon Tozzi, Jordan Bernarde, Joshua Meredith, Matthew McFetridge, Nathan Coenen and Oliver Buckner. It opens on 8th June and then tours nationally until 4th September before heading to France, Holland and Germany and finishing on 25th Spetember.

 

Peter Stickney summed up by saying, “It is a huge honour to be taking over the artistic direction of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men. I look forward to taking the company on into the next decade and beyond!”

ROALD DAHL’S CITY OF THE UNEXPECTED SEEKS 6,000 PERFORMERS FOR WEEKEND-LONG CENTENARY CELEBRATION IN CARDIFF

ROALD DAHL’S CITY OF THE UNEXPECTED
Wales Millennium Centre & National Theatre Wales
Directed by Nigel Jamieson
17-18 September 2016, Cardiff city centre
http://www.cityoftheunexpected.wales/

Wales Millennium Centre and National Theatre Wales have today called out to the people of Cardiff, Wales and Britain to take part in Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected, Cardiff’s landmark celebration of Wales’ foremost storyteller. Director, Nigel Jamieson, leads the search for a cast of 6,000 volunteers, including 2,000 choristers, 1,000 dancers, 50 Morris Minor drivers, 40 bald men, 13 magicians, four brass bands, three excavator drivers, a Spitfire pilot, firemen, circus artists, aerialists, rockclimbers, grandparents, children and a performing mouse. Anyone interested in taking part, whether as a performer, a maker or an organiser, is encouraged to get in touch.

Over the weekend of 17-18 September, Cardiff will celebrate the centenary of one of its most well-known sons, Roald Dahl, with an extraordinary weekend-long event, showcasing both his distinctive voice and the jewels of the city’s buildings, parks and its people. The city will be transformed into a place where the laws of physics and civic predictability will give way to the laws of magic, mischief and the unexpected.

The whole city will be humming with whispers of Roald Dahl; on street corners and from rooftops, in markets and cafés, on lampposts and even on your mobile phone. Some of his best-loved stories will be told in the unlikeliest of places by well-known fans.

Eye-popping visual spectacles will turn heads and madcap events will defy the laws of physics in some of the city’s most iconic locations, including Cardiff Castle and the National Museum. A cast of thousands, from parkour artists to farmers, from pigeon fanciers to puppeteers, will give heart-stopping performances both intimate and epic.

Nigel Jamieson, director, said: “Roald Dahl’s imagination has touched the most extraordinary number of people around the world. For generations, he has been part of our bed times, our childhoods, and the development of our imaginations. It is thus fitting that the weekend celebrating his birth in Cardiff will involve one of the most ambitious mobilisations of a city’s inhabitants ever attempted, together transforming it into a place that will unlock the child in everyone and create a city of wonder and surprise.”

Luke Kelly, Managing Director of the Roald Dahl Literary estate and Roald Dahl’s grandson, said: “Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected is undoubtedly going to be one of the highlights of the Roald Dahl 100 celebrations this year. We cannot think of a more fitting or creative way to honour Roald’s Welsh beginnings than by transforming his birth city into a place of magic, cooked up by such a dynamic team in Wales Millennium Centre, National Theatre Wales and Nigel Jamieson. To borrow a phrase from Roald, we will be watching with glittering eyes as the spectacle unfolds. We hope everyone who participates has a wonderful time.”

Phil George, Chair, Arts Council of Wales said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting this fantastic celebration of Roald Dahl’s life and stories in the city of his birth. And what an amazing opportunity for thousands to participate in a playful transformation of a much-loved city. A truly gloriumptious event.”

Anyone keen to take part is invited to register their interest at this website:http://www.cityoftheunexpected.wales/

Nigel Jamieson is one of the world’s leading theatre and large-scale event directors.
He began his career in London, where he worked at the National Theatre, directed Trickster Theatre Company and Odyssey Theatre, and was founding director of both the London International Workshop Festival and the London Festival of New Circus. He was awarded a Greater London Arts Award for his outstanding contribution to London Arts.
Subsequently moving to Sydney, he went on to direct Tin Symphony for the Sydney Olympic Opening Ceremony, the ABC Millennium Broadcast, the Closing Ceremony of the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, the Opening and Closing of the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea, shows for the Hannover and Aichi World Expos, the Opening of European City of Culture celebrations in Liverpool, Jose Careras at Ankor Watt, a historic gathering of two thousand Aboriginal performers in the central desert of Australia, and most recently Clusters of Light, about the life of Mohammed.
His theatre work has toured the world extensively. It has included Minutes of Separation with Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes, the multi-award-winning Theft of Sita, Honour Bound andAll of Me, and many other international collaborations including the ground-breaking arena show How To Train Your Dragon for Dreamworks and the epic aerial production As The World Tipped.

Follow City of the Unexpected on Twitter:
#UnexpectedCity
@thecentre
@ntwtweets

Extra events announced for The Maids at Trafalgar Studios

• The Jamie Lloyd Company presents two free post-show Traf Extras events celebrating playwright and reprobate Jean Genet on the set of his play The Maids, currently playing at Trafalgar Studios

• Play Reading: Bertie Carvel, Jonathan Broadbent and Marc Wootton in Genet’s Splendid’s

• ‘Jean Genie’: Jean Genet and David Bowie-inspired evening of drag performances with Victoria Sin and supergroup Denim

The Jamie Lloyd Company presents Bertie Carvel, Jonathan Broadbent and Marc Wootton in a reading of Jean Genet’s play Splendid’s as well as a Genet and David Bowie-inspired evening of drag performances and music in the latest Traf Extras events designed to bring audiences closer to the onstage action. Each event will take place after that evening’s performance of The Maids, currently playing at Trafalgar Studios.

Playwright, reprobate, activist and queer pioneer of the mid 20th century, Jean Genet was known for his sexually and politically innovative writing. His powerful psycho-drama,The Maids, can now be seen in the West End until 21 May in a contemporary full throttle adaptation starring Uzo Aduba, Zawe Ashton and Laura Carmichael.

On Friday 6 May, London’s finest drag artists will come together for an evening of spectacular performances on the striking set of The Maids in ‘Jean Genie‘, one of a series in the Traf Extras season. Named after David Bowie’s iconic anthem which was inspired by the writer, the event combines drag performances, Bowie songs and readings from Genet’s novels in a queer takeover of Trafalgar Studios featuring super-thrilling drag queen Victoria Sin – a performative girl in a normative world – and drag super group Denim, plus more. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Stonewall.

On Friday 13 May, Jonathan Broadbent, Bertie Carvel and Marc Wootton will take to the stage for a reading of Splendid’s, a breakneck mixture of melodramatic oratory and camp altercation combining Genet’s trademark dark wit with underground queer patois and gangster bravado. One of Genet’s masterpieces, Splendid’s was only unearthed years after the writer’s death. Jessica Edwards directs this reading and first major outing of the play since its premiere in 1995.

Jean, Scott and Bravo are in a fix, trapped on the penultimate floor of Splendid’s, Paris’s most exquisite luxury hotel, with only a radio set and their tommyguns for company. Food, water, and alcohol are in perilously short supply. The cops are preparing to shimmy in through the windows. The press are gathered outside. The Blaze of Glory boys have pulled off the most glamorous heist of the decade – almost.

Their only hope of survival is the beautiful, young heiress they have taken hostage. A perfect bargaining chip – except, someone has accidentally killed her. Can the gang hatch a scheme to buy themselves an extra couple of hours of freedom?

Tickets to Splendid’s and Jean Genie are free but must be booked in advance online at www.atgtickets.com/shows

DAMIEN MOLONY COMPLETES CASTING FOR NO MAN’S LAND

Damien Molony completes casting alongside
Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart
and Owen Teale in
No Man’s Land

Written by Harold Pinter
Directed by Sean Mathias

  • Final casting confirmed for Sean Mathiasproduction of Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land.
  • Damien Molony joins previously announced cast members Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and Owen Teale.
  • UK tour to include the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield from 3 August, Theatre Royal, Newcastle from 15 August, Theatre Royal, Brighton from 22 August and New Theatre, Cardiff from 29 August.
  • Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End from 8 September to 17 December with opening night for press on 20 September.

It is announced today that Damien Molony, best known for his roles in BBC’s Being Human andRipper Street, will play the role of ‘Foster’ in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, completing casting for the play. Molony joins the previously announced Ian McKellen as ‘Spooner’, Patrick Stewart as ‘Hirst’ and Owen Teale as ‘Briggs’ in Sean Mathias’ production, which will tour venues across the UK from 3 August prior to a limited engagement at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre from 8 September.

Most recently seen as Anthony in Channel 4’s Crashing, Damien Molony’s other television roles include Hal in BBC’s Being Human, DC Albert Flight in BBC’s Ripper Street, DS Jack Weston in Channel 5’s Suspects and Robert Putnam in HBO’s The Devil You Know. Notable theatre credits include The Hard Problem and Travelling Light for the National Theatre, If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep for the Royal Court Theatre, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore for West Yorkshire Playhouse and The Body of an American for The Gate and Royal & Derngate. Film credits include Tiger Raid and Kill Your Friends.

No Man’s Land will embark on a UK tour, opening in Sheffield from 3 August, followed by dates in Newcastle, Brighton and Cardiff. The production will then head into London’s West End where it will play a limited 14 week engagement at the Wyndham’s Theatre from 8 September with opening night for press on 20 September. No Man’s Land was first performed at the iconic Wyndham’s Theatre in 1975 with Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, following its premiere at the National Theatre.

Directed by Sean Mathias, this production of No Man’s Land received highly acclaimed reviews at the Cort Theatre in New York whilst in repertory alongside Waiting for Godot, also starring stage and screen friends, McKellen and Stewart and directed by Mathias. The production ofWaiting for Godot had transferred from London where it celebrated a sell-out run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, the last time McKellen and Stewart shared a West End stage.

One summer’s evening, two ageing writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst’s stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men. 

Sean Mathias  says “Directing No Man’s Land in America proved to be one of the greatest joys in my career. Always challenging but bringing immense rewards too. Like a prospector mining for diamond nuggets. I look forward to working on this new production with Ian, Patrick, Owen and Damian and discovering all kinds of unexpected jewels together.”

No Man’s Land will have set and costume design by Stephen Brimson Lewis and lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski.

This production of No Man’s Land is produced by Stuart Thompson, Flying Freehold Productions and Playful Productions.

LISTINGS

Website: www.NoMansLandThePlay.com

Instagram: instagram.com/nomanslandplay

Twitter: twitter.com/NoMansLandPlay

Facebook: www.facebook.com/No-Mans-Land-358999847603550/

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

First performance Wednesday 3 August 2016
Last performance Saturday 13 August 2016

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm
Thursday at 2pm and Saturday at 3pm
(No matinee on Thursday 4 August 2016)

Prices
From £19

For full details either visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call: 0114 249 6000

Theatre Royal, Newcastle

First performance Monday 15 August 2016
Last performance Saturday 20 August 2016

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday at 2pm and Saturday at 2.30pm

Prices
From £16

For full details either visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk or call: 0844 811 2121

Theatre Royal, Brighton

First performance Monday 22 August 2016
Last performance Saturday 27 August 2016

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm
Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Prices
From £25

For full details either visit www.atgtickets.com/brighton or call: 0844 871 7650

New Theatre, Cardiff

First performance Monday 29 August 2016
Last performance Saturday 3 September 2016

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Prices
From £11

For full details either visit www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk or call: 02920 878889

Wyndham’s Theatre, London

First performance 8 September
Last performance Saturday 17 December
Opening Night for Press on Tuesday 20 September

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm
(Wednesday matinee performances at Wyndham’s Theatre begin from 28 September)

Prices
From £10 (No booking fee on all tickets at the Wyndham’s Theatre)

For full details either visit www.NoMansLandThePlay.com or call: 0844 482 5120

Relaxed Performance of The Railway Children on 22 June

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE

TO HOLD A RELAXED PERFORMANCE

AT KING’S CROSS THEATRE IN LONDON

AT 2.30PM ON WEDNESDAY 22 JUNE 2016

 

At 2.30pm on Wednesday 22 June, there will be a ‘relaxed performance’ of the Olivier Award-winning The Railway Children – Live on Stage at London’s King’s Cross Theatre. Relaxed performances are designed to benefit those with autism, sensory and communication disorders or a learning disability. 

 

The National Autistic Society has worked closely with the production and advised on adjustments to the show and talked to both front-of-house staff and the cast to increase understanding of autism. There will be volunteers on hand on the day from the National Autistic Society.

 

Some adjustments will be made to the production as necessary including sound and lighting levels and some sound and smoke effects. Audience members will be able to leave and enter the auditorium throughout the show as needed and a chill-out area will be available in the foyer. ‘Visual Stories’ (detailed information and photos) of both the theatre and the show will be sent to all bookers in advance.

 

In addition, Mousetrap Theatre Projects will have 250 seats at £15 each for this performance, which will be offered to all special secondary schools in Greater London – these schools encompass a huge variety of learning needs, not only those on the autistic spectrum.

 

The relaxed performance is open for general sale as usual and there are no restrictions other than the usual age related ones (children under 2 will not be admitted, children under 11 must be accompanied by an adult). There are access rates of either £24.75 or £12.50 (with the usual complimentary companion seats).

The Olivier Award-winning production of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s novel The Railway Children is now running at King’s Cross Theatre until 8 January 2017.

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 show will celebrate its 2nd Anniversary on 16 December 2016.

The cast of The Railway Children includes Martin Barass as Mr Perks, Suzy Cooper as Mother, Sophie Ablett as Bobbie, Matt Jessup as Peter, Beth Lilly as Phyllis, Lindsay Allen as Mrs Perks, Peter Gardiner as Doctor/Butler, Connie Hyde as Mrs Viney, Shaun McCourt as Jim, Blair Plant as Father/Schepansky, Moray Treadwell as the Old Gentleman and Adam Collier, Helen Brampton, Alan Drake and Julie Gilby. The children’s ensemble is made up of four teams of ten children aged between 8 and 16.

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, 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.

The Railway Children is 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.

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                        8 January 2017

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 from £54.50 + Limited edition show poster)

From 31 October 2016, 5,000 tickets are available from £10 at select performances, with 25% off for Under 16s

 

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 & 6pm

*Extra performances:          1pm on 24 November & 1, 8 December (no 2.30pm performances on these dates)

2016-17 CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

 

Monday 19 December               1pm & 4.30pm

Tuesday 20 December               No performance

Wednesday 21 December          1pm & 4.30pm

Thursday 22 December              1pm & 4.30pm

Friday 23 December                  1pm & 4.30pm

Saturday 24 December              No performance

Sunday 25 December                No performance

Monday 26 December               1pm & 4.30pm

Tuesday 27 December               No performance

Wednesday 28 December          1pm & 4.30pm

Thursday 29 December              1pm & 4.30pm

Friday 30 December                  1pm & 4.30pm

Saturday 31 December               2.30pm

Sunday 1 January                      No performance

Monday 2 January                     1pm & 4.30pm

Tuesday 3 January                     2.30pm

Wednesday 4 January                2.30pm

Thursday 5 January                   No performance

Friday 6 January                        No performance

Saturday 7 January                    1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 8 January                      2pm

Shakespeare and storytelling combine in this story of loss at Leicester Square Theatre

May 16th – May 21st 2016

Leicester Square Theatre

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions.”

Critically acclaimed Cambridge University Footlights and

Royal Central alumna Lowri Amies bears all in her new play Words, Words, Words, to be performed at the King’s Head

Theatre and the Leicester Square Theatre this Spring. An exploration of the grieving process, Lowri interweaves

Shakespeare with personal stories to shed light on a subject which goes largely unacknowledged and unsupported, especially amongst young people – the death of a parent.

 “an amazing talent (…) cleverly incorporates quotes from the Bard’s plays yet still makes sense to those who are not so familiar with them” Vivienne Lafferty

When Lowri lost her mother, she lost her voice. The vocabulary of her childhood disintegrated, the old words failed to fit the new story. Denial, shock…acceptance? Can she rewrite a version of herself which can speak these new words? Words, Words, Words is one girl’s attempt to confront grief in her own voice amidst a sea of others. As an actor, she can borrow Shakespeare’s words to play many parts – Juliet, Rosalind, Macbeth, Hamlet – but can she

play herself?

“Superb new play by Lowri Amies – raw, honest and emotional. Highly

recommended.” @L_Anstey

“Enjoyed your brave and personal Words, Words, Words last night.” @H_Rietveld

“Very much enjoyed Words, Words, Words; poignant & witty in a very modern while

traditionally theatrical sense.” @greanep

The show premièred as part of the Black Box Festival at the Etcetera Theatre in January, and his since played dates at the Miller Theatre and King’s Head Theatre. Given the universality of its message and subject matter, it was not only extremely well received by the artistic community, but also generated interest from the healthcare profession.

Network of Independent Critics

Network of Independent Critics:

Two Weeks Left in Crowdfunding Campaign

https://igg.me/at/NICritics

Founded in early 2016 by Katharine Kavanagh and Laura Kressly, the Network of Independent Critics exists to champion quality arts writing outside of the mainstream press. They have selected 21 experienced performance critics from an international applicant pool to come to Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a one week stay, and their crowdfunding campaign is now two weeks away from closing.

Through the NIC’s campaign, the critics will benefit from an affordable immersion into the largest arts festival in the world, where they can hone their skills, increase their portfolio and network with their peers. Artists and performers at the festival will benefit from the presence of specialised, knowledgeable writers – who may otherwise find costs of attending prohibitive – that will see and review work that oftentimes falls outside of mainstream publications’ radar. Funds raised will be split equally between participants to go towards living costs in Edinburgh.

With salaried arts critic posts disappearing, the internet offers a direct route to tailored critical coverage for readers. The demand for this work exists, but making independent criticism a sustainable vocation is still a struggle.

The scheme will also include a week of mentorship in reviewing circus for 3 participants, in partnership with TheCircusDiaries.com, the UK’s only publication dedicated to circus critique. Applications for these places will be opening soon.

The critics who have been selected, and their specialist areas of interest, are:

Amy Stutz – dance and plays with integrated music

Benjamin Huxley – poetry and spoken word

Ben Walters – cabaret

Beth Madeline Iredale – physical theatre and street performance

Victoria Durham – work from minority groups

Callum Moorin – stand up, sketch and musical comedy

Carl Woodward – work by young people

Charlotte O’Growney – new musical theatre and small cast shows

Eda Nacar – BAME performance and classical adaptations

Fergus Morgan – student and low-budget shows

James Waygood – LGBT theatre

Joanna Trainor – In-Yer-Face theatre

Johnny Fox – new musical theatre

Kirsty Alexander – children’s theatre

Lee Anderson – new writing

Mary Nguyen – opera and musical theatre

Meaghan McGurgan – work not normally seen in Asia for a Hong Kong readership

Michael Davis – female-led performance

Natalie O’Donoghue – drag and cabaret

Steve Stratford – LGBTQ performance

Rosie Curtis – experimental performance

Search for young actors

OKLAHOMA

Grand Opera House York

Thursday 4 – Saturday 6 August

Grand Opera House York is looking for young male performers aged 14 – 21 years to take part in their 2016 Stage Experience: Oklahoma. If you fit the bill please contact[email protected] for an application form.

The theatre has already cast Reece McMahon as Will Parker and Conor Mellor as Curley McLain, both from York; Caitlin Galgie from Great Ayton in Middlesbrough will play the part of Laurey and Sophia Bonini from Harrogate in the role of Ado Annie. The cast spent an afternoon at Piglets Adventure Farm Park with the new-born lambs and piglets doing photos to publicise the show.

The first show ever written by the Rodgers and Hammerstein team guarantees to be another blockbuster for our stage experience team, and has something for everyone – a good story, big songs, catchy tunes, dance routines, and love interests – all of which will showcase the enormous wealth of talent in our cast and crew”.  Clare O’Connor, Producer.

Stage Experience is an intensive two week project for ten to 21 year olds, who will be directed by professional director and choreographer Louise Denison, who will be joined by the musical director Adam Laird.

The project will run from Saturday 23 July, culminating in four performances from Thursday 4 to Saturday 1 August. As well as budding actors, Stage Experience welcomes young and aspiring theatre technicians, who will work with the professional team on sound, lighting, set, props and costumes.

Be sure not to be miss what has been billed as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most innovative show – on for 3 days only!

Tickets: from £16 from box office on 0844 871 3024 or book online at www.atgtickets.com/york

Frank Sumatra

May 9th – May 18th, 8.45pm, Theatre N16

Bev and Keith are a nice young couple who like to do their bit for the environment, and spend ten quid a month sponsoring an orphaned orangutan in a Sumatran sanctuary. They’re also trying hard for a baby. When their adopted orangutan turns up on the doorstep, he’s soon got his grippy feet firmly under the table and they find themselves parents to a hairy, delinquent teenager.

The dark and absurd comedy is performed in the style of a live radio recording and is described as Paddington Bear gone wrong. And not a bear.

“Sitcom meets Kafka” British Theatre Guide

Frank Sumatra is a Geordie! The play began life after it was commissioned for a tour of North East venues last year and is now coming to London to take part in the Wandsworth Fringe Festival. Jamie Eastlake, artistic director of Theatre N16, says: “I loved Frank Sumatra when I read the script and knew it would be a brilliant way to show off some cracking Geordie talent and humour down here.”

Frank Sumatra is written by Newcastle playwright Mike Yeaman. His comedies Lucky Numbers and

Canoeing For Beginners have been translated into several languages and produced in Europe and

New Zealand, as well as in the UK. The production is directed by Neil Armstrong (Writers’ Guild of

Great Britain and National Comedy award nominations) and has Pip Chamberlin, Dean Logan and Hannah Walker in the cast.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company that wants to change the face of the theatre industry. It is a bastion for the arts, making theatre accessible and affordable for audiences and in turn allowing artists to survive financially.

The Killing of Charles Bravo

May 9th – May 19th, 1pm & 4pm, Theatre N16

In May 2016, for an extremely limited run, Twenty Seven Live Ltd and Theatre N16 will play host to an exclusive, site specific, promenade performance, based on a real life murder case that took place right in the heart of Balham.

In 1876, a lawyer named Charles Bravo was murdered in his own house, by an unknown assailant, using the most devastating of poisons. To this day, no one knows the truth, or the real murderer, despite many motives and characters that have now been etched in history. Audiences will meet the very people who wandered these corridors, contemplating their fate, whilst exploring the historical rooms at The Bedford Arms, Balham.

The Times called it “the most disgusting exhibition to have been witnessed in this generation”, with many writers and novelists, including Agatha Christie, exploring this dark and sinister side of the Victorian Era.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company that wants to change the face of the theatre industry. No matter how little money a production has behind it, if it has potential and that spark of innovation, they want to know. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for the arts, making theatre accessible and affordable for audiences and in turn allowing artists to survive financially.