Hope Mill Theatre announces rescheduled dates for revival of RENT plus full creative team

A person sitting on a stage in front of a fire

Description automatically generated

Hope Mill Theatre announces rescheduled dates for
revival of RENT plus full creative team

It will run Friday 30th October to Sunday 13th December 2020

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester has announced rescheduled dates for its production of RENT, plus full creative team.

Due to the current Coronavirus outbreak, the venue has been closed since 17th March and has had to cancel or postpone all scheduled productions until further notice.

RENT, directed by Luke Sheppard, was due to open in July, with rehearsals beginning in June, however the musical will now open on Friday 30th October and run until Sunday 13th December 2020.

The venue has taken the decision to reschedule the run of RENT should they be able to open later this year, which they hope to be able to do.

All audience members who have already booked for the run of RENT have been contacted about exchanging tickets and refunds. 

Hope Mill Theatre would like to make it clear that it will only open If it is safe to do so and will comply with any government regulations given to venues. The venue will continue to review the situation as it develops.

William Whelton, Executive Director of Hope Mill Theatre, said: “These are extremely difficult and unsettling times for our industry and there is still a lot more clarity needed for venues.

“It is still unknown whether or not we will be able to open later this year, but we are staying hopeful and positive that we will be able to. As such, we must continue to look ahead and make plans. If we can reopen, it is vital that we have content to present – and I know this will be an incredible production.

“We will be making sure our audiences, staff, cast and production team feel safe and confident to be able to attend and work in the venue and we are planning at the moment for every eventuality, including the continuation of social distancing and making sure that all necessary risk assessments have been carried out.

“If we feel at any point that it is not safe or economic to reopen then we will review this decision. It would also be irresponsible for us to not anticipate a further postponement of this production in the current climate.”

Luke Sheppard, Director, said: “When the time is right, we are more committed than ever before to bringing RENT to the Hope Mill Theatre. The strong themes of love and hope that drive the piece have never felt more vital. The production we have planned will be a celebration of what it means to experience live theatre, and I look forward daily to sitting in this amazing space on opening night”

RENT’s creative team has also been announced: Director Luke Sheppard, Choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, Musical Director Katy Richardson, Set & Costume Designer David Woodhead, LX Designer Howard Hudson, Sound Designer Paul Gatehouse and Casting by Pearson Casting.

Artwork by Feast Creative.

Casting to be announced soon.

Rent is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson and is loosely based on Puccini’s opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists living, loving and working in Manhattan’s East Village, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

The show premiered off Broadway in 1996 before moving to Broadway later the same year. The show has been staged all over the world, including in the West End in 1998 and in 2005 was released as a motion picture. It features hit songs such as RentWithout You, La Vie La Bohème and the iconic Seasons of Love.

RENT was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop. Musical Arrangements by Steve Skinner, Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements by Tim Weil, Original Concept/Additional Lyrics Billy Aronson and Dramaturg Lynn Thomson.

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

Twitter: @Hopemilltheatr1

Facebook: Hope Mill Theatre

PARK THEATRE RECEIVES EMERGENCY FUNDING FROM ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

PARK THEATRE AWARDED EMERGENCY FUNDING

FROM ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND

AS PARK LIFE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN REACHES

50% OF TARGET

Park Theatre is delighted to have been awarded £35k in emergency funding from Arts Council England. Along with other monies raised since they closed their doors to the public on 18 March this counts towards a monumental fundraising effort led by the staff team.

Support from ACE comes at a point when Park Theatre’s public Go Fund Me campaign called ‘Park Life’ has reached 50% of its target of £100,000. This is the amount needed to fund a three-month reopening phase, once government support through the furlough scheme ends and theatres are told they can open again. The addition of the ACE grant will help fund staff salaries and help rebuild audiences prior to opening. Dependent on a reopening date, it offers Park Theatre the opportunity to safeguard some of its production fund, maintain a level of reserves and continue as much of its creative learning and community outreach activity as possible.

With social distancing realistically equating to a financial impossibility for theatres, the challenge now is not only the uncertainty of when venues can open again, but also whether there will be sufficient audiences confident enough to return to enjoy the shared experience that live performance offers.

Artistic Director Jez Bond says: “The response from the public at this time of crisis has been phenomenal and an incredible affirmation of the work we’ve done since opening seven years ago to establish our place in the local community. There has been a genuine outpouring of love and determination to help us survive that has considerably softened the blow of having to close for the foreseeable future.”

However, if reopening is postponed beyond the start of 2021 even more significant funds will need to be raised.

Jez Bond says ‘We feel grateful and fortunate to have been one of the organisations chosen to receive ACE funding at this time of crisis, but in reality it is still only a fraction of the investment needed from the government to ensure that the arts in this country survive the current pandemic.

There needs to be more government support to prevent permanent closures and we hope this will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, we owe it to our 900+ donors who have supported us during lockdown, to the staff who have worked so tirelessly to build Park Theatre’s reputation over the last seven years, and to those who helped us build our theatre in Finsbury Park to survive this.”

The Park Life campaign will remain open for donations for as long as the theatre remains closed.

To make a donation go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/park-theatre

So much more than ‘just a theatre’, Park Theatre is a community hub in Finsbury Park and has been a huge part of the redevelopment of the area. In seven years of providing affordable, accessible theatre, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Daytona starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, twenty five national tours, five Olivier Award nominations, has won Offie Awards for Best New Play and Best Foodie Experience (two years running), a West End Wilma Achievement in Accessible Theatre award and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.

LAMBERT JACKSON PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL PRODUCTION OF JASON ROBERT BROWN’S THE LAST FIVE YEARS WITH FULL CAST

LAMBERT JACKSON PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES VIRTUAL PRODUCTION OF JASON ROBERT BROWN’S THE LAST FIVE YEARS WITH FULL CAST

Lambert Jackson Productions, in association with The Other Palace, today announce a “virtual lockdown production” of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years starring Danny Becker (Jamie) and Lauren Samuels (Cathy), with Samuels also making her directorial debut. The actors will record their parts entirely in isolation, using only what is available to them, which will be edited together into a full-length show. The production will be streamed for three nights on the 25, 26 and 27 June at 7.30pm, with tickets at £8, and only a limited number of spaces available per show to emulate a shared theatre experience.

The award-winning musical, The Last Five Years, is an emotionally powerful musical about two New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. Written by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, the play has seen numerous productions around the world including a film adaptation starring Pitch Perfect’s Anna Kendrick, but it is now to be produced in an entirely new and innovative way. 

Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson today said, “It is the musical’s unconventional structure which allows this new form of livestream theatre to be created. Jamie tells his story chronologically from their love-at-first-site meeting, whilst Cathy tells her story in reverse, from the end of their turbulent relationship to the start. This means the two characters do not directly interact except for one song in the middle of the show when their timelines intersect.

“Whilst nothing can replace live theatre, this production of The Last Five Years will reflect the current global situation; it is relevant, thought-provoking and innovative and will open doors to a new way of thinking about theatre and entertainment.”

Danny Becker plays Jamie. His previous theatre credits include The Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre), The Light In The Piazza (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion/Royal Festival Hall), Singin’ In The Rain (Gaiety Theatre), Aladdin (Prince Edward Theatre), The Little Mermaid (UK tour) and The Who’s Tommy (Greenwich Theatre).

Lauren Samuel plays Cathy. Her previous theatre credits include The Big CornerLove Story (Octagon Theatre), A Hundred Words for Snow (Arcola Theatre),Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare’s Globe), La Ronde (Bunker Theatre), Bend It Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre – for which she was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actress In A Musical), We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre/ international tour), The Buskers Opera (Park Theatre), Water BabiesPeter Pan A Musical (Curve), Vampirette (Manchester Opera House), Children of Eden (Prince of Wales Theatre), The Last Five Years (Tabard Theatre) and Grease (Piccadilly Theatre).   

An exclusive presale will take place from midday on Thursday 4 June – please visit www.theotherpalace.co.uk

Tickets will go on general sale at midday on Friday 5 June.

Please find an image here – https://we.tl/t-scvo6rgths

Twitter:

@LJProds

@TheOtherPalace

Instagram:

@lambertjacksonproductions

@theotherpalace

Facebook:

Lambert Jackson Productions

The Other Palace

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat announces Summer 2021 dates at The London Palladium

SMASH HIT PRODUCTION

ANNOUNCES RESCHEDULED DATES FOR SUMMER 2021

Jason Donovan and Jac Yarrow to star in 2021 production

Performances will begin 1 July 2021 at The London Palladium

Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group are pleased to announce new performance dates for the smash hit production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium.

Due to the current global situation and the uncertainty around the resumption of West End shows,Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will defer its dates exactly 12 months, and Jason Donovan and Jac Yarrow are both confirmed to star again in the acclaimed show next year. Performances will now begin on Thursday 1 July 2021 (Gala Night: Thursday 15 July 2021 at 7:00pm) and play a strictly limited 10-week season to Sunday 5 September.

All existing tickets will be moved to the same seats for the equivalent performances by day of the week in 2021. Performance times remain unchanged. If you are a ticketholder you do not need to do anything as your point of purchase will be in touch with you soon to confirm the new date for your booking. Public booking reopens on Friday 19 June. See www.josephthemusical.com for all ticket information.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “The team and I are working hard behind the scenes to get the world’s most beloved theatre The London Palladium open and entertaining audiences this Autumn. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find a safe route to provide access both backstage and front of house. I am delighted that Joseph will be back on The London Palladium stage next Summer.”

Michael Harrison said: “We are pleased that, with the complete support of everyone at LW Theatres and the Really Useful Group, we can announce today rescheduled dates for the production. Joseph is the most joyous of musicals and we can’t wait to welcome audiences back to The London Palladium.”

Jason Donovan will return in the role of Pharaoh. He was originally in the show when he made his defining stage performance as the title character of Joseph in the 1990s, in a sold-out 18-month run which produced a No.1 single and best-selling soundtrack album. Jason raised the roof of the London Palladium this year as Pharaoh, who rocks ‘Song of the King’ in the iconic musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Jac Yarrow caused a sensation when he made his professional stage debut playing Joseph, following in the footsteps of a line of stars who have previously played the title character. His portrayal of Joseph won him unanimous acclaim, with his rendition of ‘Close Every Door To Me’ regularly stopping the show with standing ovations.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat enjoyed a completely sold out season last year. Audiences and critics were unanimous in their acclaim for the legendary musical – the first major collaboration by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber – as it returned to the London Palladium.

Released as a concept album in 1969,the stage version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has become one of the worlds most belovedfamily musicals. The multi-award winning show, which began life as a small scale school concert, has been performed hundreds of thousands of times including multiple runs in the West End and on Broadway, international number one tours, and productions in over 80 countries as far afield as Austria and Zimbabwe and from Israel to Peru! The show features songs that have gone on to become pop and musical theatre standards, including Any Dream Will DoClose Every Door To MeJacob and Sons, There’s One More Angel In Heaven and Go Go Go Joseph.

Told entirely through song with the help of the NarratorJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat follows the story of Jacob’s favourite son Joseph and his eleven brothers. After being sold into slavery by the brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled showman, the Pharaoh. As Joseph strives to resolve Egypt’s famine, he becomes Pharaoh’s right-hand man and eventually reunites with his family.

New production of the iconic musical, Hello, Dolly! is postponed

NEW PRODUCTION OF THE ICONIC MUSICAL

HELLO, DOLLY! DELAYED

A picture containing clipart

Description automatically generated

Michael Harrison and David Ian have announced that their new production of Hello, Dolly! is postponed.

Hello, Dolly! was due to begin performances at the Adelphi Theatre in London on Tuesday 11 August 2020 for a 30-week season. New season details and all further information will be announced at a later date. Ticket holders do not need to do anything. The point of purchase will be in touch with ticket holders soon about refunds.

Michael Harrison and David Ian said: “Whilst we are naturally disappointed that we aren’t able to stage the show this summer, we are completely committed to Hello, Dolly! Dominic Cooke’s new production is set to have a cast of 34 and an orchestra of 18 musicians. This, coupled with Rae Smith’s stunning new designs, means we do not want to compromise the length of run, so postponing until the time is right and schedules permit is the best option, but plans are already underway for the new season which we will announce as soon as we can. Dolly will most certainly be back where she belongs.”

With music and lyrics by the legendary Jerry Herman (La Cage aux Folles, Mack and Mabel, Mame) and book by Michael Stewart (42nd Street, Mack and Mabel, Barnum), Hello, Dolly! is one of the most iconic musicals of all time. Herman’s timeless score includes ‘Put On Your Sunday Clothes’, ‘Ribbons Down My Back’, ‘Before the Parade Passes By’, ‘Elegance’, ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ and of course, ‘Hello, Dolly!’.

Multi Olivier and BAFTA Award winning Imelda Staunton plays meddlesome socialite turned matchmaker Dolly Levi, as she travels to Yonkers, New York to find a match for the miserly, unmarried ‘half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder. But everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is for herself.

This production of Hello, Dolly! will also reunite Imelda with director Dominic Cooke,who most recently worked together to spectacular effect with the critically acclaimed National Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. Now Hello, Dolly! reunites star and director in this classic Broadway musical.

Hello, Dolly! also reunites Imelda Staunton with producers Michael Harrison and David Ian. Their production of Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre was awarded the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival, and for which Imelda also won the Olivier Award for Best Actress In A Musical for her acclaimed portrayal of Momma Rose.

For further information, please see: www.HelloDollyLDN.com

Social Media: @HelloDollyLDN

RSC’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF ROMEO AND JULIET TO PREMIERE ON BBC FOUR AS PART OF CULTURE IN QUARANTINE THIS JUNE

RSC’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF ROMEO AND JULIET TO PREMIERE ON BBC FOUR AS PART OF CULTURE IN QUARANTINE THIS JUNE

“A fresh, fleet, blade-sharp revival.”
Daily Telegraph, ★★★★

The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Romeo and Juliet (2019) will be broadcast on BBC Four at 9pm on Sunday 7 June as part of Culture in Quarantine, it was announced today.

The critically acclaimed production premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in Spring 2018 and transferred to the Barbican in November of the same year. The Company then embarked on an extended national tour of the UK in the Spring of 2019, which included visits to Norwich Theatre Royal, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Blackpool Grand Theatre, New Theatre, Cardiff and Glasgow Theatre Royal.

Romeo and Juliet is the first of six RSC titles to be broadcast as part of the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine programme running across television, radio and online. It aims to increase access to the arts at a time when the buildings that support them are closed, and to support artists and arts organisations in the process.

The six productions are currently part of the UK education syllabus and the broadcast will be supported by a week-long programme of GCSE lesson plans themed around Romeo and Juliet taking place from Monday 15 – Friday 19 June as part of BBC Bitesize Daily.

Focussing on Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, the lessons will offer special insights from RSC actors and directors about how to decode Shakespeare’s language and bring 400-year-old plays to life for today’s audiences.

Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, said; “I’m absolutely delighted that audiences across the UK will have the chance to experience the thrill of Shakespeare’s revolutionary love story afresh through BBC Culture in Quarantine this June. The play is fundamentally about how to give hope to the next generation in turbulent times, which feels incredibly relevant to now.

“To open with this production, which featured 140 regional young performers who spoke the famous Prologue wherever we toured across the UK in 2019, feels particularly timely as theatres across the nation come to terms with the unprecedented challenges ahead. Collaborating with our partner theatres in their schools and communities is central to what we do at the RSC. It is vital that we continue to listen to and reflect the voices of these communities in our work and deliver on our commitment that Shakespeare is for everyone. That can only be achieved with the necessary nationwide support for our industry.”

Other confirmed RSC titles being broadcast on BBC Four this June include Hamlet (2016, directed by Simon Godwin, with Paapa Essiedu in the title role); Macbeth (2018, directed by Polly Findlay, with Christopher Ecclestone in the title role and Niamh Cusack as Lady Macbeth); Much Ado About Nothing (2014, directed by Christopher Luscombe, with Edward Bennett as Benedick and Michelle Terry as Beatrice); Othello (2015, directed by Iqbal Khan, with Hugh Quarshie in the title role and Lucian Msamati as Iago) and The Merchant of Venice (2015, directed by Polly Findlay, with Makram J. Khoury as Shylock).

Details of future broadcast details will be announced in due course. Please check the BBC Culture in Quarantine website for further details.

Romeo and Juliet is directed by Erica Whyman and designed by Tom Piper with lighting by Charles Balfour. Music is by Sophie Cotton and movement by Ayse Tashkiran. The production features Bally Gill, who won the Ian Charleston Award in 2019 for the title role as Romeo in 2019 and Karen Fishwick in the role of Juliet.

Bally Gill made his RSC debut as part of The Other Place Mischief Festival in 2016. In 2017, he appeared in Vice Versa, Salome and Coriolanus. His other credits include The Island Nation (Arcola Theatre), A Local Boy (The Arts Theatre), Dinner with Saddam (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Bureau of Lost Things (Theatre 503) and NW (BBC/Mammoth Screen).

Karen Fishwick made her RSC debut playing Juliet in 2018. Previous credits include Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (National Theatre of Scotland/Live Theatre). Her other credits include Glasgow Girls (NTS/Citizens), Hansel and Gretel (Citizens Theatre), The Caucasian Chalk Circle, A Christmas Carol (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), Badults (BBC Three), James Kirk’s Comedy Blaps, The Illuminati (The Comedy Unit) and Tides and Telegrams (for The Winter Tradition).

The professional cast also includes: Afolabi Alli (Paris); Donna Banya (Gregory); Stevie Basaula (Sampson); Ishia Bennison (Nurse); Katy Brittain (Friar John/Apothecary); Raif Clarke (Peter); Beth Cordingly (Escalus); Paul Dodds (Montague); Josh Finan (Benvolio); Karen Fishwick (Juliet); Andrew French (Friar Laurence); Bally Gill (Romeo); Mariam Haque (Lady Capulet); Michael Hodgson (Capulet); Charlotte Josephine (Mercutio); John Macaulay (Cousin Capulet); Tom Padley (Balthasar); Sakuntala Ramanee (Lady Montague); Raphael Sowole (Tybalt) and Nima Taleghani (Abraham).

The professional cast are joined by young people from across the UK aged 12 – 18 who share the role of the Chorus. All 140 young people who participated in Romeo and Juliet are students in the RSC’s existing network of Associate Schools across the UK.

The BBC Culture in Quarantine broadcast of Romeo and Juliet features young chorus members from Hall Green Secondary School, Birmingham.

The Associate Schools Programme is the RSC’s partnership programme with regional theatres and schools across England. The ambition of the Associate Schools Programme is to bring about a significant change in the way young people experience, engage with, and take ownership of the work of Shakespeare. Through the programme teachers learn to explore Shakespeare with their students in the way actors do in a rehearsal room, using dynamic, active approaches. The programme is open to secondary, primary and special state schools in England and the RSC seek to recruit schools that serve areas of relatively high socio-economic deprivation.

The Royal Shakespeare Company is a charity and our mission is to transform lives through amazing experiences of Shakespeare and great theatre. To make a gift to the RSC, visit https://www.rsc.org.uk/support/make-a-donation/

Ross Noble shows headed to Soho Theatre On Demand, and Comedy Masterclasses and Taster Workshops announced

ROSS NOBLE SHOWS HEADED TO

SOHO THEATRE ON DEMAND

PLUS

COMEDY MASTERCLASSES & TASTER WORKSHOPS

Soho Theatre On Demand – https://www.sohotheatreondemand.com/
Comedy Masterclasses – https://sohotheatre.com/shows/comedy-masterclasses/
Comedy Taster Workshop – https://sohotheatre.com/shows/stand-up-taster-sessions/

Following the announcement two weeks ago of its (now sold-out) online Theatre Masterclasses, Soho Theatre announce the first of a series of online Comedy Masterclasses and Comedy Taster Workshops, alongside the announcement of six Ross Noble shows headed to Soho Theatre On Demand. 

Highlights:

–       Comedy masterclasses – top comedians JESSIE CAVEJEN BRISTERJORDAN BROOKES and SHAPPI KHORSANDI allow a sneak peek into the secrets of their page to stage creative process.

–       Comedy taster workshops for the complete beginner, led by Soho Theatre’s Comedy Associate LEE GRIFFITHS, taking place over four sessions, Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th June.

–       A series of six films from ROSS NOBLE’s Brain Dump Tour (filmed in UK and Australia) join Soho Theatre On Demand from Friday 5 June for a limited four week run.

Steve Lock, Soho Theatre’s Head of Comedy, said: ‘We’re so excited to bring six distinct shows from the ever brilliant master randomist – and one of the first comics to play at Soho Theatre – Ross Noble to Soho Theatre On Demand, as well as our first series of online comedy masterclasses with incredible artists giving us a unique insight into their work and their process, alongside the opportunity to learn the basics of comedy in our taster course.’


Soho Theatre’s digital service, Soho Theatre On Demand, is currently broadening the range of work available so that audiences can continue to see great theatre, comedy and cabaret, and provide an international platform for independent artists, theatre companies and practitioners at this time when venues are closed to performances.

Next week’s releases features six shows from everyone’s favourite randomist, ROSS NOBLE. Starting in comedy almost 30 years ago at the age of 15, Ross quickly built his reputation as one of the world’s best live stand-ups. Ross’ history with Soho Theatre goes back nigh on 20 years when, in the earliest days of the Soho Theatre Comedy programme, Ross performed a sell-out Christmas run in 2000/01 with his acclaimed show Slackers Playtime. Famed for his super quick freewheeling style and highly imaginative flights of fancy, this series of six comedy films, recorded during his Brain Dump UK and Australian Tour (2016/17), sees Ross dump all the stuff that’s in his head into a theatrical context with infinite possibilities.

The six films will be available to rent for 48hours at £4 each on Soho Theatre On Demand from 9am Friday 5 June (UK time) for a limited four week run. Ross Noble will donate 50% of his proceeds to UK charity Acting for Others, an organisation that provides financial and emotional support to theatre workers in times of need. 

EPISODE 1

Ross unwittingly stumbles into a food and drink jamboree of chaos.

EPISODE 2

There is a Classic car meeting in town – but everyone is going green and riding Pogo Donkeys.

EPISODE 3

A man in the audience is dressed as a mouse – and talk soon turns to voodoo.

EPISODE 4

Audience members are falling from the balcony and there is a filthy Heimlich enthusiast on the loose.

EPISODE 5

With a giant spider on stage and an arachnophobe in the front row – a rubber scorpion is the only way out.

EPISODE 6

A Kabuki malfunction leads to plaster erotica and a fun new game show – Harpsichord or not Harpsichord.

Have you ever wondered how your favourite performers take their shows from a blank page in a notebook to a packed room in stitches? Soho Theatre is excited to announce a programme of masterclasses offering a close look at a professional comedian’s process. Each Thursday, a performer will be looking back at one of their previous shows available on the Soho Theatre On Demand player and taking you step by step through its creation. From developing the idea, to performing on the opening night and beyond, they will be letting you in on the secrets of their creative process. The performers include Jessie Cave, a Soho Six alumna and Soho Theatre regular since 2013 with her debut BookwormJen Brister, another Soho staple who has performed five of her shows at the theatre since 2013, Shappi Khorsandi, a regular Soho performer and Jordan Brookes, who’s performed his last four shows at Soho Theatre since 2017.

Thursday 11th June     JESSIE CAVE

An acclaimed actress, writer and illustrator, Jessie Cave’s last solo stand up show Sunrise had multiple sell out runs at Soho Theatre and around the UK. Always confessional and never afraid to go to places others might find uncomfortable, Jessie has built a strong following with her honesty, unique charm and tight writing.

In I Loved Her, Jessie’s first solo stand up show, she opens up her DIY heart and explains in definitely too much detail her insecurities, jealousies, fantasies and her exact current relationship status via shadow puppetry, masks and her little book of confessions.

Thursday 18th June     JORDAN BROOKES

Jordan Brookes has long boasted of being the riskiest comedian in the business and, with his Edinburgh 2019 show, those risks paid off with him winning the coveted Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show. As a performer, each show has been different, whether it be the improvisational method to his award winning show I’ve Got Nothing or his technical masterpiece Bleed in which the audience were made to wear headphones to get an idea of what was happening inside Jordan’s head. Always unique, always entertaining and never predictable, just like good comedy should be.

In Bleed, the show that won Jordan Brookes critical acclaim, a year before winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award, the audience experience more of Jordan’s trademark subversive psychological gameplaying, boundary-pushing audience interaction, and performance.

Thursday 25th June     JEN BRISTER

Jen Brister is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian and writer who has been seen on BBC’s Live at the Apollo,  Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and more recently on Hypothetical and Sara Pascoe’s Comedy Lectures on Dave. A regular performer on the UK and international comedy circuits, Jen has written and performed on BBC Radio 4’s The News Quiz, The Now Show and presented for BBC 6 Music. Her book, The Other Mother has just been published by Square Peg and is due out in paperback in September. Jen supported Romesh Ranganathan on tour at the end of 2019 before embarking on her own tour in 2020 with her brand new show, Under Privilege.

In Meaningless, Jen uses her hilarious ranting to rail against period poverty, the perimenopause and why her Mum needs to get out of her bloody house now.

Thursday 2nd July        SHAPPI KHORSANDI

Shappi Khorsandi is a stalwart of the UK comedy circuit. Over her 20-year career, she has performed sell-out shows all over the UK and internationally, been nominated for the prestigious British Comedy Award and appeared on every comedy panel show known to man from Mock The Week to Have I got News For You as well as appearances on Live at the Apollo and I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

In Live In Soho, Shappi talks about what it means to be addicted to stand-up, to have a father who is more controversial than her and to bring a pudding to a red-carpet event…

Places on the masterclasses cost £50, including digital download of the performers show. Places are strictly limited to allow participants the opportunity to ask questions and really get the most out of this unique opportunity.https://sohotheatre.com/shows/comedy-masterclasses/

Furthermore, Soho Theatre has also announced a four session Comedy Taster Course held over two days, Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th June, to support budding comedians develop their craft from home. Taking place on Zoom, the first three sessions will see  Soho Theatre Comedy Associate LEE GRIFFITHS (Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated and Chortle Award winning comedian from sketch group Late Night Gimp Fight) take attendees through exercises designed to help them look at how to generate material, stage persona and performing style alongside building confidence. In the final session a guest comedian will give the lowdown on just what it’s like to become a working stand-up comedian. The series culminates when Soho Theatre is reopened once more, with a one-off show featuring all participants performing some of the material they’ve developed on the course.

The Comedy Taster course costs £40 with limited places to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to ask questions and learn as much as possible in a more intimate online setting. https://sohotheatre.com/shows/stand-up-taster-sessions/ 

Finally, with the building still closed to the public, from Saturday 13th June our Soho Labs Stand Up Course will be move online. Places are already fully booked.

THE JAMIE LLOYD COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE SEAGULL AND A DOLL’S HOUSE

THE JAMIE LLOYD COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE POSTPONEMENT OF

THE SEAGULL AND A DOLL’S HOUSE

The Jamie Lloyd Company, the partnership between Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) and Artistic Director Jamie Lloyd today announce, due to the ongoing impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, Anya Reiss’ adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, in a version by Frank McGuinness are both now postponed. When the season reopens Emilia Clarke will reprise her role as Nina in The Seagull and Jessica Chastain will lead the company of A Doll’s House, with full casts and dates to be announced.

Jamie Lloyd said today, “This is, of course, an incredibly challenging time for everyone, but we are looking forward to presenting our season to audiences in the future. I’m thrilled that Emilia Clarke and Jessica Chastain will lead The Seagull and A Doll’s House as soon as we can get back into the theatre. We also remain committed to offering thousands of £15 and free tickets, together with our unique education work and our exciting new Emerge scheme, as soon as the season reopens.”

In addition, it is announced that Jamie Lloyd Company: Emerge, a talent development programme offering a first step into the industry through paid mentorship will continue. The schemes inaugural participants, Rona Berisha Castroiti (Sound Design), Alessandra Davison (Director), Rida Hamidou (Writer), Maeve Roscoe (Writer) and Spiky Saul (Director), will return under the mentorship of Jamie Lloyd, Anya Reiss and George Dennis when the season recommences. The company also remain commited to offering 15,000 free tickets for those with limited access to the arts, and 15,000 £15 tickets for under 30s, key workers and those receiving job seeker’s allowance and other government benefits across the Playhouse season and will continue to offer workshops, Q&As, uncovered learning days, teacher resources and bespoke engagement opportunities in relation to each production.

The Seagull and A Doll’s House formed part of company’s Playhouse season, supported by British Airways, which opened with the critically acclaimed production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, freely adapted by Martin Crimp and starring James McAvoy.

The Seagull features design by Soutra Gilmour, lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, composition & sound design by George Dennis, costume supervision by Anna Josephs, props supervision by Fahmida Bakht, associate Direction by Jonathan Glew, associate design by Rachel Wingate, and Stuart Burt CDG as casting director.

A Doll’s House features design by Soutra Gilmour, lighting design by Jon Clark, and composition & sound design by Ben and Max Ringham.

http://thejamielloydcompany.com

Twitter: @JamieLloydCo

Instagram: @jamielloydco

Statement regarding The Phantom of the Opera UK and Ireland Tour

STATEMENT FROM CAMERON MACKINTOSH AND

THE REALLY USEFUL GROUP

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

UK AND IRELAND TOUR TO CLOSE DUE TO COVID-19

It is with great sadness that due to the current state of complete shutdown of the British theatre by the Government because of Covid-19, Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group must announce that their new UK and Ireland Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, which had only played its opening date prior to a 14 month tour, will not re-open.

The great uncertainty around the duration of social distancing requirements and the perilous financial situation in which many regional theatres find themselves have conspired to make re-routing an entire major tour like Phantom impossible for some time as so many existing tours are needing to reschedule.

The production opened at Curve, Leicester at the beginning of March. Subsequent runs in Manchester and Dublin have already been cancelled. Following these dates, the tour was due to play Birmingham, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Cardiff, Plymouth, Southampton and Bradford.

Whilst it is heart breaking for us as producers as well as for our wonderful cast, orchestra and crew who had all worked so hard to create this truly spectacular but tragically short-lived reinvented staging of the original production, we are determined that the disappearance of the “Phantom” from the British regional stage will not be forever and that when theatre is back thrilling audiences  again the “Music of the Night” will soar once more from the orchestra pit.

Ticket holders will be contacted directly by their venue/point of sale in due course and we appreciate their patience in this unprecedented time.

Selladoor Worldwide Announcement – 26 May 2020

SELLADOOR WORLDWIDE ANNOUNCE ALL UK PRODUCTIONS TO POSTPONE INTO 2021 WITH AN EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF THEIR 3 VENUES UNTIL NOVEMBER

Selladoor Worldwide has announced that it will suspend its 2020 touring productions – shifting the majority of shows to start in 2021. Major productions including Footloose, We Will Rock You, Madagascar the Musical, 9 to 5 the Musical and Bring It On will be postponed as a result of Covid-19.

The company who are behind productions such as Fame, Avenue Q and American Idiot – and operators of regional theatres in North Devon and Cambridgeshire, have confirmed they will temporarily close their offices during July and August to maximise government support during a period of extended inactivity.

Selladoor venues will extend the temporary closure of their venues until November with The Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple, The Landmark Ilfracombe and New Theatre Peterborough planning to reopen pre-pantomime season.

David Hutchinson CEO says “It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve taken the decision to postpone the majority of our productions into 2021 both in the UK and internationally. It’s taken our production team, creatives and partners years to put these productions together and we were so excited to share them with audiences this year. However the uncertainty on when theatres will reopen, how and when we can develop audiences for our work and clarity on best practises for touring in a Covid world – we feel the odds are against us delivering shows in 2020.”

“With over 100 members of Selladoor staff to consider across our productions and venues operation, the priority at this uncertain time is to maximise our runway for relaunch and maintain as much resilience as we can to keep people within the business. At this juncture, pausing during the summer and maximising the support available is vital in sustaining a long period of inactivity. We are currently burning through our cash reserve at a very fast rate and it’s not sustainable for our organisation who are mainly reliant on box office.

Stuart Shanks Director of Venues says ““It’s heart-breaking to have to extend the temporary closure of our theatres until the autumn, however, the safety of our audiences, colleagues and visiting companies is paramount.  Having worked with the industry sector and considered all government advice and social distancing requirements, we don’t feel we will be able to reopen until November and therefore have been forced to make this regrettable decision.”

“Theatres across the country are the lifeblood of communities, we need each other, now more than ever; and we hope that our loyal audiences will continue to support us,  We cannot wait to welcome our audiences back into our foyers, bars and auditoria just in time to enjoy a wonderful pantomime season”

Naomi James Head of Productions at Selladoor says “‘It has been a devastating decision to postpone productions further and lose almost all production activity for 2020, but given the lack of a clear roadmap to reopening theatres, it seems the most responsible way forward for our artists, creatives and patrons alike. Our worst case scenario quickly became our best case scenario and we hope that by moving everything into 2021, we give ourselves the best chance at being able to play our part in the rebuilding of our wonderful industry, when that time comes”

Selladoor has confirmed the following production postponements.

Footloose the Musical, due to open in April 2020 at Wimbledon New Theatre will now open at the earliest in Zurich Maag Music Hall November 2020 – with UK dates commencing from January 2021.

We Will Rock You, due to open in August 2020 in Cape Town Artscape Theatre, South Africa will now open in February 2021 at the Solaire Resort Manila, Philippines.

Madagascar the Musical, due to open in August 2020 at the Civic Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand will now open Autumn 2021.

Bring It On the Musical, due to open June 2020 at the Birmingham Hippodrome is planning to open Autumn 2021.

9 to 5 UK Tour, due to open May 2020 at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is planning to open Spring 2021.