Ginger Quiff Media bring back three stellar online
productions with BroadwayHD, Broadway On
Demand and Stream.Theatre
Godspell: from Tuesday 22nd December 2020
Falling Stars: Monday 1st – Sunday 14th February 2021
Little Wars: Monday 1st – Sunday 14th February 2021

With theatres unable to operate under most tier restrictions, Thomas Hopkins and Michael Quinn of Ginger Quiff Media, the producers behind We Need A Little Christmas with Dame Maureen Lipman which is currently running on Stream.Theatre, remain committed to ensuring we get our culture fix online. In time for Christmas, they are reviving the phenomenally successful digital production of Godspell’s 50th Anniversary Concert – back by popular demand starring Ruthie Henshall, recently out of the Welsh ‘jungle’. And then in February 2021, they will be re-streaming the amazing all-star Little Wars starring Juliet Stevenson and Falling Stars with Peter Polycarpou and Sally Ann Triplett

Thomas Hopkins of Ginger Quiff Media comments, It’s an incredibly tough time for the industry, which once again finds itself in a state of limbo. We must continue to be resilient in the face of adversity, finding new ways to let quality entertainment and talent continue to thrive. Theatre is the perfect form of escapism and we’re thrilled to be able to contribute to this in some way with these amazing digital performances which will now reach a wider audience, both in the UK and internationally.

Godspell

The award-winning digital concert rendition of Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak’s Godspell features unmissable performances from theatrical legends Ruthie Henshall and Darren Day – reprising their roles from the 1993 cast recording – alongside Sam Tutty, Ria Jones, Jenna Russell, and other popular West End performers. A revival revamped for the modern age, the concert was recorded from the cast’s homes and edited together with striking visual animations, under the direction of Michael Strassen. With a driving message of hope and community, Godspell is the tonic that we need after a year of divisiveness and chaos. From Tuesday 22nd December, Godspell will be available via BroadwayHD. To learn more about BroadwayHD, visit www.broadwayhd.com.

Stephen Schwartz comments, Godspell has always been a show that brings joy and hope toaudiences. It seems to me this year, we need it more than ever! I hope this beautiful concert of Godspell helps to lift everyone’s spirits this holiday season.

The music speaks for itself, the lyrics speak for everyone, and the singers’ voices speak of the future for our industry (★★★★★ The Spy in the Stalls on Godspell’s 50th Anniversary Concert).

Falling Stars

The scheduled live performances of Falling Stars at Southwark’s Union Theatre this January have once again been postponed. But, the show must go on and you’ll once again find Peter Polycarpou (Man of La Mancha, London Coliseum; City of Angels; Donmar Warehouse; Birds of a Feather) and Sally Ann Triplett (Finding Neverland, Broadway; Viva Forever, Piccadilly Theatre; EastEnders) online in this nostalgic musical revue which will be available on Stream.Theatre and Broadway on Demand. Tickets can be purchased online at www.stream.theatre and www.broadwayondemand.com

The song cycle is an homage to the composers, collaborators, and publishers of the 1920s, who created some of the greatest music of all time. Enjoy the music of Charlie Chaplin, Irving Berlin, Buddy De-Silva, Ray Henderson, Vincent Youmans, Carl Schraubstader, Arthur Freed, and Meredith Wilson. Falling Stars is produced by Thomas Hopkins & Michael Quinn for Ginger Quiff Media in association with Bailey Harris-Kelly and Guy Chapman. Ticket holders for the live performances of Falling Stars should contact their point of sale to transfer or get a full refund.

A show which will live on in the memory for a long time (★★★★★ North West End on Falling Stars).

Little Wars

Featuring critically-acclaimed performances from Linda Bassett and Juliet Stevenson, the compelling production of Little Wars brought together an incredible all-star female cast, including Debbie Chazen, Natasha Karp, Catherine Russell, Sarah Solemani and Sophie Thompson, directed by Hannah Chissick. The streaming raised over £7,500 for Women For Refugee Women during its initial run. This incredible charity continues to support women in need during this difficult time

Little Wars unites literary figureheads Gertrude Stein (Bassett), her girlfriend Alice Toklas (Russell), Dorothy Parker (Chazen), Lillian Hellman (Stevenson) and Agatha Christie (Thompson), with anti-fascist freedom fighter Muriel Gardiner (Solemani), in this deliciously comic and touching drama about the power of coming together for a shared cause. Tensions are high and secrecy lingers in the air, but with libations flowing and the threat of World War II looming the guests are close to boiling point.

Little Wars is produced by Thomas Hopkins & Michael Quinn for Ginger Quiff Media in
association with Bailey Harris-Kelly and Guy Chapman. Tickets can be purchased online at
www.stream.theatre and www.broadwayondemand.com

Steven Carl McCasland writes with the aphoristic wit of a young Truman Capote (The Daily Mail on Little Wars)

For more information on any of these shows, follow @Gingerqmedia, @stream_theatre,
@BwayOnDemand and @BroadwayHD.

LIVE FROM STAGE TO SCREEN

BASED ON THE PICTURE BOOK BY JULIA DONALDSON AND AXEL SCHEFFLER

• DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, TALL STORIES’ RECORDED LIVE-STREAM OF ‘THE GRUFFALO’ STAGE PRODUCTION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO WATCH FROM HOME UNTIL 3 JANUARY
• CAPTIONED VERSIONS OF BOTH ‘THE GRUFFALO’ AND ‘THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE’ LIVE-STREAMS WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FROM 21 DECEMBER UNTIL 3 JANUARY

Due to the huge success of the live-streamed performances of ‘The Gruffalo’ as well as the very sad news that the ‘in-person’ run of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ at Alexandra Palace had to be canceled due to London’s Tier 3 restrictions, leading family theatre company Tall Stories is proud to be able to make the recording of ‘The Gruffalo’ live-stream performance available to audiences across the country. This recording will be available to watch around the world ‘on-demand’ for a limited time only.  

From 11th to 13th December the production was live-streamed in association with The Lowry to approximately 40,000 school children at a discounted rate, including free performances for 17,000 school children in Salford and Islington, followed by around 6600 viewers watching from home over the weekend.

The recorded performance was originally broadcast live from the Tall Stories Studio in London on 13th December 2020. The performance lasts approximately an hour and once a ticket has been purchased (tickets priced from £10 per household), customers will have five days to watch the show, much like purchasing a movie via other on-demand services. The show is available to purchase until 3rd January 2021. 

This recorded version of the live-stream promises to bring some monstrously festive theatrical sparkle to living rooms all over the world, whilst at the same time providing audiences with the opportunity to support Tall Stories, a registered charity which like so many others in the theatre industry, has been badly hit in the wake of Covid-19 this year and relies on income from ticket sales to survive.

A perfect family treat, this much-loved stage adaptation of ‘The Gruffalo’ is based on the classic book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and presented in association with The Lowry in Salford.

Directed by Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell, this wildly fun recorded live-stream features an exclusive video introduction from the author Julia Donaldson and a special afterword from illustrator Axel Scheffler plus a free printable activity pack filled with ways to make your at-home theatre experience extra special.

This wonderful and iconic adventure is suitable for everyone aged three and up. The full cast includes Ashley Sean-Cook (The Gruffalo), Rebecca Newman (Mouse), Jake Addley (Predators), and Steve McCourt (Understudy).

A captioned recording of ‘The Gruffalo’ will also be available to purchase, as well as a captioned recording of ‘The Snail and the Whale’ live-stream which enjoyed a hugely successful virtual tour over October half-term. Both captioned recordings also feature a British Sign Language introduction and will be available from Monday 21st December to Sunday 3rd January.

Tall Stories are partnering with TicketCo TV who are providing the booking system and streaming platform.

‘A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood…’

Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Searching for hazelnuts, Mouse meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the high-spirited Snake. Will the story of the terrifying Gruffalo save Mouse from ending up as dinner for these hungry woodland creatures? After all, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo – is there?

Tall Stories has toured ‘The Gruffalo’ around the UK and the world since its premiere at Chester Gateway Theatre in May 2001 – just 18 months after the book was published.  As well as London West End runs at the Lyric Theatre, Duchess Theatre, Vaudeville Theatre, and Arts Theatre the show has been to nearly every major regional theatre in the UK, plus the USA (including the New Victory Theater in New York), Canada, Australia (including Sydney Opera House), New Zealand, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Poland, China, South Africa, Chile, and the Philippines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZncXbWDmyk&feature=youtu.be

Press release embargoed until 5pm on Friday 18 December

Enjoy unprecedented behind-the-scenes access at the King’s Theatre and discover the inner workings of Scotland’s most popular Panto!

https://www.capitaltheatres.com/kings-future/kings-theatre-360-tour

Finding a brand-new way to open the doors of the King’s Theatre, despite the pandemic, Edinburgh’s favourite panto venue has teamed up with professional photographer Tom Duffin to create a virtual theatre tour. 

The tour allows the thousands of people missing the annual Panto extravaganza to see and hear familiar panto voices both current and from years gone by, as well as to tour every nook and cranny of the theatre, opening up previously unseen spaces in which they can discover nuggets of history, see photos of the King’s as it once was, and hear the stories of the staff and stars who make the King’s Panto so special.

As you stand outside the theatre images of it before the theatre was built in 1905, the 1940’s, now and as planned in the future following a major redevelopment, revolve to show the King’s site over the course of more than a century. Favourite panto baddie Grant Stott greets you in the foyer for the start of a virtual 360-degree tour of the historic King’s Theatre, on which you’ll also hear familiar cheeky panto banter from the much-loved Andy Gray and Jordan Young. From the entrance you can explore around the theatre both front of house and behind the stage taking you to places rarely seen by audiences. Photos of a four-tiered King’s auditorium, the sound and sight of Stanley Baxter in the King’s panto, and a trip to the panto stars’ dressing rooms are among the surprises that await. Technicians, stage managers, wardrobe and flymen share insights into their job making the panto magical from their different crannies of the theatre.

The incredible access all areas tour will take visitors to backstage areas of the theatre never seen by the audience; stand on stage looking out to a full auditorium, go down to the orchestra pit or up to the fly-floor and historic paint frame, or wander through to the stars dressing rooms.  Or simply take time to enjoy the beautiful foyers, bars and auditorium which normally are the backdrop to a performance but the interior architecture serves as entertainment in its own right when you have time to take in the intricacies of it.

The tour has been designed by professional photographer based in Edinburgh, Tom Duffin who has incredibly kindly donated his time and skills to Capital Theatres for this remarkable adventure.

There is the opportunity to donate during the tour which is a donation to the Capital Theatre’s emergency appeal.

Kate Smith, Director of Development at Capital Theatres said: We know that thousands of people are missing their annual trip to the King’s and we cannot replace their panto experience this year, but in conversation with Tom we realised we could open up the theatre in a way which has never been done before and offer our audiences and the local community the opportunity to have a very rich and different theatre experience this Christmas.”

Tom Duffin said: “The skills and techniques we’ve developed for immersive experiences was a perfect fit for the King’s. My family has been going to the King’s panto for 4 generations, so the challenge was to create something that was a cross-generational mix of nostalgia, belly laughs and surprising new discovery. What was a fantastic added benefit was the genuine enthusiasm from the King’s staff who revelled in telling their stories from behind, below and way, way above the stage.”

www.capitaltheatres.com/kings-future/kings-theatre-360-tour

Theatres Trust director Jon Morgan has responded to today’s news of further grants from the Culture Recovery Fund:

Theatres Trust welcomes the additional £300m in Culture Recovery Fund grants, of which up to £250m is to be distributed by Arts Council England. The priority for theatre in 2021 will be getting to Stage 5 of the Theatre Reopening Roadmap which will allow theatres to reopen viably with fuller audiences. This will be dependent on a combination of vaccine and rapid testing rollout and the implementation of an agreed set of mitigation measures in theatres. The timescale for these elements is of course challenging and not yet clear, so the allocation of funds to support theatres beyond April 2021, along with the welcome extension of the furlough scheme, will provide much needed additional security for theatres as we work towards welcoming back fuller audiences next year.

JONGLEURS IS BACK!

LAUNCHING BRAND NEW COMEDY CLUBS FROM JANUARY 2021

Jongleurs Comedy Club is back and will be launching with performances in London and a UK tour in 2021.

The much loved Jongleurs brand has been acquired by Kev Orkian Founder of Howlin’ Entertainment Ltd  and the British Pantomime Academy who intends to re-imagine and re-establish the brand, bringing it back to deliver quality comedy across the UK whilst providing many platforms for comics to work and develop their acts. 

With a launch planned for 27 Jan at the Century Club London, the team will be taking Jongleurs ‘On the Road’ in 2021 with a tour, taking in some of the best comedy venues in the UK including the Concorde Club Southampton, Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple and the highlands Restaurant Broxburn with more to be announced in the New Year. 

Acts confirmed include John Moloney, Hal Cruttenden, Tom Houghton, Nick Page, Rudi Lickwood, Mike Gunn, Susan Murray, Kane Brown, Jarred Christmas, John Ryan, Joe Rowntree, Kev Orkian, Marcus Birdman, The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue, Geoff Boyz, Ignacio Lopez, Cerys Nelmes, Kev Orkian, Paul Tonkinson, Javier Jarquin, Ria Lina and Phil Walker.

Kev Orkian, also an Actor, Musician and Stand Up Comedian, and former Jongleurs Comic says “After a rocky few years Jongleurs is back in safe hands.  I had the privilege of working for them for a number of years and my vision is to re-establish the brand to once again lead the comedy circuit as a club which lives and breathes what they originally stood for; providing great working conditions for acts, with well managed shows, offering more opportunities for up-coming comics and sharing more diverse line ups,  and of course, ultimately providing our audiences with the highest quality of comedy entertainment”

He continues “ When Jongleurs went into administration under the previous ownership there were a few comics left without pay, our first step on reinvigorating the brand is to begin to help to rectify this and build trust again within the circuit and we will be offering those entertainers paid performance opportunities with Jongleurs as a priority“

“We are experiencing incredibly difficult times; the entertainment industry has been hit very hard with the restrictions imposed by the government during the pandemic and the temporary closure of many venues. Many great Comedians and Entertainers have been without work for almost a year. Not only has this impacted on their family lives but also their mental health, so now, more than ever we want to bring this great brand back, giving hope and work back to some of the best comedy Artists on the circuit, providing venues with some world class shows and much needed laughter to audiences who are desperately in need of it after a dark year”

Find out more about Jongleurs at www.jongleurs.com

LISTINGS

10 Jan – Concorde Club Southampton – line up includes: Tom Houghton, Nick Page, Rudi Lickwood, Mike Gunn

21 Jan – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes: Tom Houghton, Susan Murray, Rudi Lickwood

27 Jan – Century Club London  – line up includes: Rudi Lickwood, John Moloney, Hal Cruttenden

05 Feb – Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple – line up includes: Kane Brown, Nick Page, Mike Gunn, Jarred Christmas

15 Feb – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes: John Ryan, Joe Rowntree, Kev Orkian

21 Feb – Concorde Club Southampton – Line up includes: Kane Brown, Marcus Birdman, Susan Murray, The Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue

18 Mar – The Highlands Restaurant Broxbourne – line up includes : Kane Brown, Nick Page, Geoff Boyz

19 Mar – Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple – line up includes Ignacio Lopez, Cerys Nelmes, Kev Orkian, Paul Tonkinson

21 Mar – Concorde Club Southampton – line up includes John Ryan, Javier Jarquin, Ria Lina, Phil Walker

OPEN ONLINE THEATRE FESTIVAL 2021

presents an exciting mix of new performance and panel discussions

at the vital intersections of performing arts and the digital

openonlinetheatre.org | facebook.com/OpenOnlineTheatreinstagram.com/openonlinetheatre  | twitter.com/theatre_open

DISCOVER: New artists making work for the digital realm

EXPERIENCE: Sensography – work created for up to 4 live streaming cameras

IMAGINE: Get involved in future-focused discussions with cutting edge thinkers at the intersections of performing arts and the digital

IJAD Dance Company launches its 2021 live-streamed Open Online Theatre (OOT) Festival featuring new pieces by performing artists making work specifically for live-streaming using up to four cameras. As part of IJAD Dance Company’s Open Online Theatre (OOT) programme, Clemence Debaig, Daisy Harrison, Lauren Tucker, Reem Naamani and O. Pen Bepresent performances reflecting their experiences of 2020 in 4 regions of the UK and also Lebanon. Through December and January, they will be developing their work via online co-creation sessions on the Open Online Theatre platform. The Festival is also hosting four Connective Matrix panel discussions featuring artists, technologists and researchers at the cutting edge of performing arts and the digital. Audiences can ask questions via live chat and together imagine the best and most exciting future possibilities. Open Online Theatre Festival is on Monday 1 to Saturday 6 February 2021 and tickets for individual performances, talks, or for the whole festival can be purchased here: https://openonlinetheatre.org/whats-on/

Exploring the intersection of science, movement and technology, and collaborating with specialists and communities to create work for all, Open Online Theatre (OOT) enables artists to reach audiences that they otherwise wouldn’t, including curators and programmers, because of venue capacity, accessibility or geography. Open Online Theatre’s was created to ensure that our creativity, physicality and artistry, coupled with the use of technology, continues to evolve. Its principal aim is to future-proof the arts sector as a driving force for forward- thinking artists to explore new performing possibilities and new ways to connect with audiences across the world. OOT allows IJAD and other arts companies and organisations to develop a new and dynamic relationship with their online audiences, supporting the continued development of the performing arts infrastructure.

Joumana Mourad, founder of IJAD & Open Online Theatre, said: When we talk about technology, we don’t often think of creativity and play, new performing experiences, connectivity and its many possibilities. Instead we move into the realm of business and scientific exploration. But creativity opens us up to new possibilities; it allows us to explore the world around us in a different way. To develop new technology that will help us create the best performing arts experiences, we need to remember the way we played as children, experimenting with wonder and curiosity. If we are going to succeed in creating engaging performances for this new digital realm, we need to combine new strategies: creativity, the correct tech, time for R&D, and audiences. Bringing these components together is the challenge, but it’s part of the same journey of possibility. Coupled with digital expertise, Sensography allows artists to create explicitly for live-streamed performances, varying from one to a multitude of cameras that give our online audiences a better viewing experience.

Open Online Theatre programme provides entrepreneurial guidance to artists including how to grow and promote their practice through commissions, workshops, performances, installations, and research into tech products, to create better viewing experiences. The OOT training includes Sensography, a 360° live-streaming choreography and dramaturgy technique pioneered by IJAD director Joumana Mourad, as well as social media engagement and entrepreneurship. After an expected, but sudden rush to use digital platforms earlier in the year, it became clear that this area was, and still is, seriously underdeveloped. Open Online Theatre has been operating as a live-streaming and co-creation platform, and offering artist development since 2017, with the aim of support performing artists to enjoy long and sustainable careers.

Founder and Artistic Director of dance company IJAD and performance training platform Open Online Theatre, Joumana Mourad is a choreographer and sensographer with over 20 years’ experience in dance and performance across the world.

Joumana researched with Astrophysicist Professor Andrew Newsam, and Neuroscientist Professor Ian Loram for the development of Sensography. She embraces digital technologies in dance, creating performances presented on three different yet interlinked stages (physical, digital-stream and digital-social) to create meaningful worldwide conversations, before, during and after a performance. From working with 45 performers in Taiwan to engaging audiences across four continents with their live-streamed performances across Open Online theatre, IJAD embraces unconventional spaces and new formats. 

‘Mourad has since gone on to be one of the most intriguing figures on the British dance scene, challenges the very nature of what you think a dance performance will look like.’  Keith Watson, Metro

Open Online Theatre Festival 2021 is possible thanks to an emergency grant from Arts Council England which enabled the company to begin training and enabling artists to create and develop new performance works using technology.

THE ACCLAIMED WEST END PRODUCTION OF

TO EMBARK ON A UK TOUR

OPENING AT NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING

THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER 2021

After sold out performances in London’s West End    in 2019, the producers of Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS are delighted to announce the production will embark on a UK tour, opening on 28October 2021 at New Victoria Theatre, Woking before visiting Bristol, Canterbury, Manchester, Plymouth and Edinburgh. Casting to be announced soon.

This production originally opened at Curve in Leicester in 2018 and transferred to the West End in 2019 where it enjoyed a successful run at the Dominion Theatre delighting audiences and critics alike.

     THE GUARDIAN

‘A sparkling snow-topped sensation’

     THE TELEGRAPH

           ‘It’s all as shiny as a newly unwrapped Christmas tree bauble.’

          TIME OUT

‘This seasonal classic will warm the cockles of your heart’

METRO

‘Chastely elegant dance routines splendidly rendered by Stephen Mear’

        SUNDAY MIRROR

‘Smart set designs and nostalgic costumes, this winter wonder

    is as Christmassy as roasting chestnuts’

         MAIL ON SUNDAY

    ‘A gift-wrapped, festive treat for fans of Irving Berlin’s golden touch’

A timeless romantic comedy to warm hearts of all ages, WHITE CHRISTMAS features the classic songs “Blue Skies”, “Sisters” and the most famous festive song of all… “White Christmas”.

WHITE CHRISTMAS has Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin and a Book by David Ives and Paul Blake. It is Directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Annie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s) and Choreographed by two-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins, Gypsy). Set Design is by Michael Taylor and Costume Design is by Diego Pitarch. Musical Supervision is by Stephen Brooker, Lighting Design by Mark Henderson and Sound Design by Tom Marshall. Orchestrations are by Larry Blank with New Musical arrangements by Jason Carr.

Presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of R&H Theatricals.

WHITE CHRISTMAS is produced by Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum with Hunter Arnold, Jason Haigh-Ellery, Laurence Myers, InTheatre, Curve and Carlos Candal.

TOUR LISTINGS 2021 and 2022:

Website: whitechristmasthemusical.co.uk

Facebook: @whitexmasshow

Twitter: @whitexmasshow

Instagram: @whitexmasshow

Thursday 28 – Saturday 30 October 2021

NEW VICTORIA WOKING

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre/

Monday 1 – Saturday 6 November 2021

BRISTOL HIPPODROME

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome/

Wednesday 10 – Saturday 20 November 2021

CANTERBURY MARLOWE THEATRE

Homepage

Monday 22 November – Saturday 4 December 2021

MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester/

Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 December 2021 

PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL

www.theatreroyal.com

Tuesday 14 December 2021 – Sunday 2 January 2022

EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/

National Theatre at Home to add the internationally acclaimed War Horse and Julie with Vanessa Kirby to the library of productions available to stream

The National Theatre has today announced the next two filmed productions that will be added to its new streaming service National Theatre at Home. The iconic and multi-award-winning production of War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpugo, will be available on demand for the first time since its premiere 13 years ago alongside the powerful 2018 production Julie with Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission Impossible) in the title role. Julie will be available from Monday 11 January worldwide and War Horse will be available from Monday 21 December to Wednesday 20 January in the UK only. 

War Horse will also be available on Sky Store from 21 December – 20 January in the UK. War Horse is currently available in cinemas in the UK until 26 December and will be available in cinemas internationally from 24 February 2021.  

The news comes as the National Theatre also announces that it is making six productions available on National Theatre at Home with audio-description to support blind or partially sighted audiences worldwide. From 21 December, The Cherry Orchard, Phèdre, Othello, the Young Vic’s Yerma and the Donmar Warehouse’s Coriolanus will be added and Julie from 11 January. War Horse will also be available with audio description and for the first time British Sign Language (BSL) from 21 December to 20 January in the UK. All productions on National Theatre at Home have captions.   

Emma Keith, Director of Digital Media for the National Theatre, said: “It’s been fantastic to see the response to the launch of National Theatre at Home earlier this month and to reach so many subscribers across the world. We’re delighted to be adding to the platform with two more much-loved and distinct productions in the coming weeks – the fiery and modern Julie set at a house party in contemporary London with the brilliant Vanessa Kirby, and the powerful, iconic masterpiece War Horse, based on Michael Morpugo’s classic novel. And we couldn’t be happier to be working with Sky again, this time to bring War Horse to their customers on Sky Store just before Christmas on 21 December.”   

National Theatre at Home is available now at ntathome.com, with single titles available from £5.99 – £8.99, a monthly subscription for £9.98 or a yearly subscription for £99.98.  

National Theatre at Home is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.  

#NationalTheatreatHome    

Julie  

Vanessa Kirby plays Julie and Eric Kofi Abrefa (The Amen Corner) plays Jean in Polly Stenham’s shocking and fiercely relevant new version of August Strindberg’s masterpiece about social division, Miss Julie.  

Wild and single, Julie throws a huge party in her luxurious London house which rapidly descends into a fight for her own survival.  

Filmed for National Theatre Live in the Lyttelton theatre in 2018, Julie is directed by Carrie Cracknell (Medea) with design by Tom Scutt, lighting by Guy Hoare, sound by Christopher Shutt, video design by Mogzi Bromley-Morgans and fight direction by Owain Gwynn. The cast also includes Thalissa Teixeira (Trigonometry).

War Horse  

The winner of more than 25 international awards, including the Tony Award® for Best Play on Broadway, War Horse, which has been seen by eight million people worldwide, is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris. Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of courage, loyalty and friendship tells the story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. This powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness, filled with stirring music and songs, featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage. At the outbreak of World War One, Albert’s beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France. Though still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. 

War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt. 

Applecart Arts announces residencies and on-demand streaming service

• Two selected artists will receive a month’s access to Applecart’s studio, and have their performances live-streamed using state-of-the-art facilities 
• Application deadline is 20^th December 
• The company will also be launching Applecart on Demand on 21^st December 
• On 22^nd December they will live-stream a concert of 20 jazz musicians 

@ApplecartArts | applecartarts.com

Following their streamed festival Dazed New World in October, Applecart Arts are opening up their studio and offering up their expertise and equipment to visiting artists and companies, and granting completely free residencies to two artists in January. Applecart Arts have invested in high-quality equipment, including five broadcast quality cameras, for the purposes of filming and streaming theatre. The two successful applicants will receive 24 hour access to their lockable studio in Newham from 4^th – 31^st January, culminating in a performance, in-progress presentation or virtual exhibition presented via Applecart’s online platforms. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Sunday 20^th December. 

Applecart Arts adapted their Newham venue to a space for rehearsing, streaming and recording theatre, dance and music productions [when]. Since, they have streamed their festival Dazed New World into homes across the UK and beyond. The space is available for hire along with the equipment and the technical and creative know-how of the Applecart team. Companies using the service will have their show live-streamed, and have a high quality filming of their show for further streaming, for archive purposes, and for use as a promotional tool. To share some of the productions they have filmed in the last few months, the company is launching their streaming service Applecart on Demand on Monday 21^st December. 

The final show of the year from Applecart will be The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special on 22^nd December. 20 jazz musicians will play a whole host of everyone’s favourite classics, arranged specially for this livestream, and the first live performance of the tracks from the Sam Every Big Band’s debut Christmas EP ‘Christmas is Here’, released 4^th December. Expect a night of classic swing music, groovy soul and funky pop played by some of the top young musicians in the country. 

Artistic Director Peter Moreton said, “As a grassroots organisation Applecart has been able to move quickly to try and provide a live-streaming service for companies who would otherwise have been left high and dry.  We’ve been so excited to facilitate work even during lockdown and tier three.  It gives us real hope and anticipation for the explosion of art that’s going to happen once we emerge from this difficult time.” 

Applecart Arts was founded in 2008 with a monthly event in a pub in Whitechapel. Committed to the power of storytelling as a tool for entertainment, engagement, and inspiration, the company use a wide range of artistic disciplines including theatre, film, music and visual art to cross cultural divides and strengthen communities. Formerly based in The Old School Room in Tower Hamlets, the company moved to Harold Road Community Centre in Upton Park in 2017 – a creative hub that celebrates the community it serves. 

Listings information 

The Sam Every Big Band Christmas Special 

Tuesday 22^nd December, 8.30pm 

Running time: 75 mins 

£12 – 8 | applecartarts.com 

This event will be live-streamed in line with Government guidelines 

To apply for the Applecart residencies, companies should visit the Applecart website: https://applecartarts.com/in_the_theatre.php?id=2258&title=artist-residency 

To inquire about venue and facility hire, please visit www.applecartarts.com or email [email protected]  

2021 EXTENSION ANNOUNCED
FOR THE UK’S LONGEST RUNNING IMMERSIVE PRODUCTION

THE GREAT GATSBY

TICKETS ON SALE NOW, BOOKING UNTIL 29 AUGUST 2021

Immersive Everywhere are pleased to announce a further extension for the critically acclaimed immersive hit show, THE GREAT GATSBY, with tickets on sale now until 29 August 2021.

THE GREAT GATSBY, created and directed by Alexander Wright– which holds the record as the UK’s longest running immersive production– re-opened under socially distanced conditions at the beginning of October at West End venue IMMERSIVE | LDN, but – due to London being placed in Tier 3 restrictions – the show has once more been forced to close its doors, with no further performances until London enters Tier 2 or below.

The production will be taking a month’s hiatus in March whilst the building prepares for the opening of DOCTOR WHO: TIME FRACTURE, opening at Immersive LDN on 21st April 2021. Tickets for THE GREAT GATSBY will be available from 8 April until 29 August 2021 and are on sale now via www.immersivegatsby.com.

Over the first lockdown, Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook re-imagined and re-set the production as an Art Deco Masquerade Ball, with audience members wearing compulsory face coverings to complement their fabulous attire.

Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook said “100 years ago our society came out of a pandemic and into the “Roaring ’20s”, so it feels fitting that The Great Gatsby should be leading the fightback for the creative sector after Covid-19. Immersive|LDN also hosts Doctor Who in an adjoining building, making it the world’s first ever multiplex immersive theatre facility. We’re very proud of the experience we are giving to our audiences, and of the fact that these productions provide stable employment for well over 100 people, including many freelancers, at a challenging time.”.” 

Jay Gatsby invites you to one of his infamous large parties. Re-imagined and re-set to meet covid-19 secure guidelines, the champagne flows and as the drama unfolds the man himself will be the perfect host. As invites go, this is the hottest in town.

A hedonistic world of red-hot rhythms, bootleg liquor and pure jazz age self-indulgence awaits. Dress to the nines and immerse yourself in this heart racing adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal tale of the Roaring Twenties.

Craig Hamilton currently plays ‘Gatsby’, alongside Lucinda Turner as ‘Daisy’, James Lawrence as ‘Nick’, Dean Graham as ‘Tom’, Lucas Jones as ‘George’, Ivy Corbin as ‘Jordan’, MJ Lee as ‘Myrtle’, Hugh Stubbins as ‘Rosy Rosenthal’, Aimee Barrett as ‘Lucille’ and Alex Wingfield as ‘Joey’.

In order to ensure full compliance with government Covid-Secure guidelines at IMMERSIVE LDN, the capacity of the venue was significantly reduced to help patrons – coming as individuals or in household groups – to keep a safe distance from others; and the nature of the show naturally enables social distancing. The show content was altered and updated to avoid any activity that would be considered high risk, and the actors trained to keep groups of audience following the story, whilst remaining at a safe distance. Temperature checks are undertaken for audience and staff on arrival, and the venue is deep cleaned after every performance, bar equipment sterilised, and hand sanitisers available throughout the venue.

IMMERSIVE LDN has also been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that the venue is complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of all staff and audiences. 

Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook, who are currently co-producing the immersive production of DOCTOR WHO TIME FRACTURE – launched a new company in 2019, IMMERSIVE EVERYWHERE, entirely dedicated to developing and staging theatre-led immersive experiences, and IMMERSIVE | LDN is the newest of their network of venues, which will house cafes, bars and rehearsal and workshop spaces to help the development of new work.

IMMERSIVE | LDN is a 32,000sq ft historic building in the heart of Mayfair, which was home to the Queen Victoria’s Rifles Association until 2017. It includes three floors of immersive theatre and event spaces designated for performance, live gaming, events, escape rooms and private parties. For information about programming and venue hire visit www.immersiveldn.com

First conceived in 2015 when director Alexander Wright and producer Brian Hook were running The Fleeting Arms – a pop arts and community pub in an abandoned building in York, the show then ran in York in 2016 with a parallel production in Sheffield, and was produced by the Guild of Misrule . The Great Gatsby first came to London as part of VAULT Festival in 2017 and sold out before the show opened. Since then the show has run in Wales in co-production with Theatr Clwyd, at Halifax’s Square Chapel, and at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. All the while the show has played night after night at Gatsby’s Drugstore in London SE1, inviting audiences into the hedonistic world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary tale, and in 2018 it became the UK’s longest running immersive production.

Amie Burns Walker and Oliver Tilney are Associate Directors. Choreography is by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, with MJ Lee as Assistant Choreographer, design by Casey Jay Andrews, costume design by Heledd Rees, sound design by Phil Grainger and lighting design by Rachel Sampley. The original score was composed and produced by Glen Brown and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, with arrangement and additional composition by David Sims. The original production was created by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Amie Burns Walker, Hannah Davies, Phil Grainger, Michael Lambourne, Thomas Maller and Oliver Tilney.

This new production of The Guild of Misrule’s THE GREAT GATSBY is produced by Immersive Everywhere with co-producer Gavin Kalin Productions, and with Glynis Henderson Productions, Theatr Clwyd, We Culture Connects and Damier NV as Associate Producers.