GREENWICH+DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TO OPEN WITH
DAN ACHER’S WE ARE WATCHING
AN EPIC WORK OF ART AND ACTIVISM ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) has today announced that this year’s 26th edition will open with Swiss artist Dan Acher’s timely intervention on the climate crisis, We Are Watching, from 27 – 30 August in Greenwich. The Festival then runs until 11 September, with the highlights and full programme to be announced shortly. All programming will be once again planned whilst closely monitoring government guidelines around live events.
Dan Acher’s We Are Watching is a striking image of a giant eye, comprising of thousands of digital portraits, contributed by people from over 191 countries across the globe, flown on a monumental flag. The 10-storey high flag is designed to send a clear message to world leaders with the power to affect decisions about climate change: that the eyes of the world are upon them. We Are Watching will fly over Greenwich from 27 – 30 August, ahead of the planned COP26 later this year in Glasgow.
Having previously flown over the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and the UN Conference on Climate Change in Madrid, We Are Watching was due to continue the journey through Paris and New York. One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was that many events like this were cancelled; another was the reduction in climate emissions thanks to a global economy on hold. As the world begins to open up and recover, the appearance of We Are Watching at GDIF’s opening weekend will serve as a reminder that climate change is still firmly on the agenda.
Dan Acher said today, ‘We Are Watching brings the eyes of the world to key climate events. It’s a collective message of hope, fear and love and a resounding call for global action.’
Bradley Hemmings, Artistic Director of GDIF, said, ‘GDIF is keen to play its part in promoting environmental responsibility and responding to the climate emergency. Dan Acher’s We Are Watching will offer a spectacular opportunity for Londoners to reflect on and engage in the forthcoming COP26 Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow. Flying this extraordinary artwork as the opening event of this year’s festival, close to the line of zero degrees longitude (the symbolic centre of time and space) will further reinforce the resonance of this act of art and activism’.
The flag’s image of a giant eye is made up of thousands of portraits, uploaded by people across the world, straight from their phones. This form of agency is ongoing, with anyone able to add their face and voice to the We Are Watching website and get involved in the project. GDIF will be building several strands of local engagement around the Greenwich flying, including hosting an online exhibition of portraits contributed to the Greenwich event, alongside a ceremonial moment taking place on 27 August as the flag is raised.
Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Danny Thorpe said, ‘After the most difficult year that many of us have ever experienced, I cannot adequately explain just how excited we are for summer here in Royal Greenwich, and in particular the return of GDIF to our streets, parks and open spaces. Every year the team at Greenwich+Docklands International Festival utterly thrill and enthral us with the most visually stunning outdoor experiences and entertainment, and this year will be even more spectacular, bringing our communities, residents and businesses back together again.
The opening show will also be a moment for us to reflect on our ambitious plans to tackle the climate crisis here in Greenwich. Our 2019 emissions across the borough were the equivalent of 3 million round car trips from Greenwich Park to Edinburgh, or to consider it in a different way, roughly the equivalent annual emissions of Gibraltar. We are going to need all of our residents, partners and communities to work collaboratively together for real action and We Are Watching will also provide a moment of reflection as we all look towards COP26.’
Following GDIF, We Are Watching will be touring to other locations across the UK as part of Global Streets, managed by FESTIVAL.ORG and funded by Arts Council England.
Attendance at the event will be free, but tickets may be required. Following a safe, successful, live festival in 2020, the team behind GDIF is incorporating health and safety measures into all aspects of planning for the 2021 festival. The full programme and ticketing details will be announced in June.
CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE’S RE-OPENING SUMMER 2021 SEASON
Cambridge Arts Theatre is thrilled to be reopening its doors and bringing live performance to Cambridgeshire once again after the Theatre’s longest period of closure since the second World War.
A renowned actor of stage and screen is treading the boards in what will be a glittering highlight in the Arts Theatre’s re-opening season. Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter series) stars and directs a brand-new stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets (28 Jun – 10 Jul).
The West End is on your doorstep with a host of smash-hit comedies and musicals this Summer. Fresh from London’s Fortune Theatre, Susan Hill’s spine-chilling gothic ghost story The Woman in Black (18-16 Jun) comes to life in the most terrifying live theatre experience of all time; Willy Russell’s legendary musical Blood Brothers (3-7 Aug) tells the captivating and moving tale of twins separated at birth, in a smash-hit production that has surpassed 10,000 performances in the West End and Mischief Theatre, the team behind the side-splitting West End hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong return with two laugh-out-loud comedies. Magic Goes Wrong (10-21 Aug) features dare-devil stunts and jaw-dropping feats in Mischief’s biggest comedy catastrophe to date and Groan Ups (18-23 Oct) takes you on a journey from an unruly class of six-year-olds, anarchic high school teenagers to the challenges of adulthood.
The next generation of theatregoers will be thrilled with three fantastic children’s shows for the whole family to enjoy. Join an adventurous young girl and her seafaring father as they reimagine the story of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved picture book The Snail and the Whale (28 Jul – 1 Aug) in a show for children aged 4+; prepare for the horrible history of Britain with the nasty bits left in with Barmy Britain (24-28 Aug), the perfect summer holiday treat for ages 5+ and best-selling author David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny (27-30 Oct) hits Cambridge throughout October half-term, perfect for children aged 5+.
Last but by no means least, a plethora of world-class dramas will warmly welcome you back to the Theatre with outstanding performances and unrivalled entertainment. David Mamet’s controversial drama Oleanna (8-12 Jun) reveals the ultimate example of the power dynamic between student and professor, causing uproar and heated debate amongst audiences; Michael Frayn’s multi award-winning Copenhagen (12-17 Jul) is a dazzling exploration of two brilliant minds in 1941 Nazi occupied Copenhagen; Oliver Ford Davies (Game of Thrones) and Stephen Boxer (The Crown) star in the coruscating new political drama A Splinter of Ice (20-24 Jul), exploring an unlikely friendship in 1987 Moscow; television stars Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly join forces in Ronald Harwood’s affectionate and hilarious portrait of backstage life in The Dresser (12-16 Oct) and esteemed actors Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers star in Noël Coward’s gloriously entertaining comedy-drama Private Lives (22-17 Nov).
Cambridge Arts Theatre June – November 2021
Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 June Oleanna by David Mamet
Thursday 17 – Saturday 26 June The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Monday 28 June – Saturday 10 July Ralph Fiennes stars in Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot
Monday 12 – Saturday 17 July Copenhagen by Michael Frayn
Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 July Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer star in A Splinter of Ice by Ben Brown
Wednesday 28 July – Sunday 1 August The Snail and the Whale
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 August Blood Brothers by Willy Russell
Tuesday 10 – Saturday 21 August Magic Goes Wrong
Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 August Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain
Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 October Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly star in The Dresser by Ronald Harwood
Monday 18 – Saturday 23 October Groan Ups
Wednesday 27 – Saturday 30 October Gangsta Granny by David Walliams
Monday 22 – Saturday 27 November (ON SALE SOON) Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers star in Private Lives by Noël Coward
New York-based, Olivier-winning, and Tony-nominated OHenry Productions and Stellar, in association with Soho Theatre, today announce the full cast for the transatlantic production of Herding Cats by Lucinda Coxon, combining live in-person and streamed theatre. Anthony Banks directs Jassa Ahluwalia (Unforgotten, Peaky Blinders) as Michael, Greg Germann (Grey’s Anatomy, Friends From College and Ally McBeal) as Saddo, and Sophie Melville as Justine (Pops,Iphigenia in Splott). The show has now added extra performances, and will run from 19 – 22 May 2021 – with press performance on 20 May, Herding Cats is a Stellar Original production.
Directed by Anthony Banks, reunited with Coxon following their collaboration on the world première production, the staging is a hybrid of in-person and livestream theatre that marks a first-of-its-kind international collaboration. With Germann performing live in Los Angeles, his character will be transmitted via video-link into the Soho Theatre where Ahluwalia and Melville are performing in-person, creating a unique live experience for the audience. Simultaneously, audiences across the globe can access the production as a live-streamed cinematic theatrical experience that will combine the performances of both the American and British actors in real-time. The production is accessible online to audiences across the globe via Stellar and in person, with social distancing in line with current UK government guidelines, at Soho Theatre.
Also announced today, is a $10 Lottery which patrons can enter once for a performance of their choice via: www.herdingcatsplay.com/lottery; and a partnership with Broadway For All and Mousetrap Theatre Projects as part of the Broadway Plus One campaign, which provides students in the US and the UK with subsidized $2 tickets to make theatre accessible for all. Ticket buyers can participate in the “Buy One, Give One” (BOGO) program by adding BOGO tickets to their cart during checkout on the Stellar website. For information on how to make a larger, tax deductible donation to the program, visit www.herdingcatsplay.com/bp1
Herding Cats is a chillingly funny play about a generation negotiating intimacy and independence in the 21st century. Meeting the demands of modern life is as impossible as herding cats for Justine, Michael and Saddo. To deal with work, Justine talks – a little too much – to her roommate Michael who earns a living by chatting with strangers like Saddo. But all three will soon find that in a cold, disconnected world, words may not be enough.
Jassa Ahluwalia plays Michael. For theatre, his work includes Skin a Cat (The Bunker, Vaults Festival), Wipers (Curve, Watford Palace Theatre, Belgrade Theatre), and Piranha Heights (The Old Red Lion Theatre). For television, his work includes Unforgotten (as series regular Adam Stuart), Peaky Blinders, Some Girls (as series regular Rocky), Ripper Street, The Whale, Legends and The Bible; for video game, Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier; and for film, Slaughterhouse Rulez, Dragonheart: The Sorcerer’s Curse and The Rezort.
Greg Germann plays Saddo. He became a member of Circle Repertory Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre, with appearance both Off-Broadway and on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Assassins, The Person I Was opposite Holly Hunter, and David Mamet’s War Games. He also starred in Speed the Plow at the Geffen Playhouse with Alicia Silverstone and Jon Tenney. Most recently he was seen in the origination of Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower at The Old Globe with Jenna Fischer. His television credits include five seasons on Ally McBeal as series regular Richard Fish; as Greg Norbert in House of Lies opposite Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell; as Hades in Once Upon a Time; alongside Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage, and Cobie Smulders, as part of the ensemble cast in the Netflix comedy Friends From College; and recently in CBS limited series $1. He is currently playing series regular Dr Tom Koracick in the ABC hit Grey’s Anatomy. For film, his credits include Get Hard with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart; the Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron-Cohen comedy, Talladega Nights; the Sundance hit Friends with Money, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, and Joan Cusack; opposite Chris Rock in the Farrelly Brothers’ Down to Earth; Sweet November with Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron; and in the short film Culture which earned an Academy Award nomination.
Sophie Melville plays Justine. Her theatre credits include Living Newspaper (Royal Court Theatre), Pops (Roxy Assembly – The Stage Award for Outstanding Performance, Young Vic), Wolfie (Theatre503), Blue (Chapter Theatre), Close Quarters (Sheffield Theatres), No One Will Tell Me How to Start a Revolution (Hampstead Theatre), The Divide, Pagans (The Old Vic), Low Level Panic (Orange Tree Theatre), 2066 (Almeida Theatre), Blackbird (The Other Room Theatre – Wales Theatre Awards Best Female Performance), Insignificance, Under Milk Wood (Theatr Clwyd), Iphigenia in Splott (National Theatre/Theater 59E59 NYC/The Sherman Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe Festival and international tour – The Stage Award for Acting Excellence, Wales Theatre Award for Best Female Performance, Evening Standard Award nomination for Best Actress, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance), Romeo and Juliet (The Sherman Theatre), The Shape of Things;‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore; See How They Run (Theatre by the Lake) and Romeo and Juliet (The Sam Wanamaker Festival). For television, her work includes The Pact, Bang series 2, Call the Midwife, The Left Behind, The Missing 2.
Lucinda Coxon’s theatre writing credits include Alys, Always; Herding Cats, Happy Now, The Eternal Not, Nostalgia, The Shoemaker’s Wife, Vesuvius, Wishbones, Three Graces, The Ice Palace and Waiting at the Water’s Edge. Her screenwriting credits include the multiple award-winning The Danish Girl starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, The Crimson Petal and the White starring Romola Garai for BBC, Wild Target starring Emily Blunt, The Heart of Me starring Paul Bettany and Helena Bonham-Carter and The Little Stranger starring Domnhall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.
Anthony Banks has directed world premieres of many new plays including The Girl On The Train (West End/National Tour), Nick Dear’s Hogarth’s Progress (Rose Kingston,; Ryan Craig’s Games For Lovers (Vaults), Kevin Elyot’s Twilight Song (Park Theatre), Jim Cartwright’s Raz (West End/UK tour), Lucinda Coxon’s Herding Cats (Hampstead Theatre/Theatre Royal Bath); James Graham’s Bassett (Bristol Old Vic), Dennis Kelly’s DNA (UK tour), Bryony Lavery’s Cesario and More Light, Lucinda Coxon’s The Eternal Not and Michael Lesslie’s Prince of Denmark (National Theatre), Snoo Wilson’s Pignight (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mark Ravenhill’s The Experiment (Soho Theatre/Berliner Ensemble). He has also directed some twentieth century classics including Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel by Joseph O’Connor, Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie (Theatre Royal Bath), Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train; Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight and Dial M For Murder (UK tours) and Tennessee Williams’ The Hotel Plays. Banks was an associate director at the National Theatre 2004-2014 where he commissioned and developed a hundred new plays for NT Connections.
The additional creative team includes Olivier-nominee lighting designer Howard Hudson (&Juliet – Olivier nomination, West End, Inthe Heights King’s Cross Theatre), costume designer Susan Kulkarni (Secret Cinema), video designer Andrzej Goulding (& Juliet, West End, Groundhog Day, Broadway), set designer Grace Smart (Susanna, Royal Opera House), and sound designers Ben and Max Ringham (Blindness, Donmar Warehouse, Cyrano de Bergerac, West End – Olivier nomination).
UK Casting, Stuart Burt (2021 CDG Award Winner), and US Casting, Taylor Williams (2021 Artios Award Winner).
Herding Cats is co-produced by Jeff Hollander, Executive Produced by Josh McTaggart with Kim Onah as Associate Producer.
Tickets in person start from £10 GBP; and streaming starts from $29USD.
PERFORMANCE DATE AND TIMES – PLEASE NOTE NEW SCHEDULE:
Wednesday 19 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET
Thursday 20 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET – PRESS PERFORMANCE
Friday 21 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET
Friday 21 May at 11pm GMT / 6pm ET
Saturday 22 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET
Saturday 22 May at 11pm GMT / 6pm ET
SEE IT SAFELY -We have been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that we are complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences. You can find out more here https://officiallondontheatre.com/see-it-safely/ about the measures we have been putting in place ready for your visit, and what you will need to know beforehand.
Following a sell-out tour in 2018/19, Dan Looney, Adam Paulden, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Richard Klin for DLAP Group are delighted to announce that the award-winning smash-hit musical “ROCK OF AGES” will return to tour the UK opening at The Alexandra, Birmingham on 19 August 2021. Tour schedule and on sale details below with further dates and star casting to be announced soon www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk.
“ROCK OF AGES” is the hilarious musical comedy lavished with over 25 classic rock anthems, including ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, ‘We Built This City’, ‘The Final Countdown’, ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’, ‘Here I Go Again’, ‘Can’t Fight this Feeling’ and ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’, played loud and proud by an awesome live band. Leave it all behind and lose yourself in a city and a time where the dreams are as big as the hair, and yes, they can come true!
Now a global smash with hit seasons on Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas and a star-studded Hollywood movie version this show promises you the best party night out around.
“ROCK OF AGES” has a book by Chris D’Arienzo and arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp. It is directed and choreographed by Nick Winston (“Chess”, “Mame” and “Cats”) designed by Morgan Large (“The Woman in White”, “Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat” and “Tell Me On A Sunday”) and has lighting design by Ben Cracknell (“Sunset Boulevard”, “Pantoland at the Palladium”, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”). Sound design is by Ben Harrison (“Mame”, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Fame”) and musical supervision is by Barney Ashworth (“Sunny Afternoon”, “Grease” and “Mrs Henderson Presents”).
PEPPA & FRIENDS RETURN TO THE STAGE FOR THE PERFECT DAY OUT FOR FAMILIES ACROSS THE UK & IRELAND
THE LIVE SHOW, PACKED FULL OF SONGS, GAMES & LAUGHTER EMBARKS ON AN EXTENSIVE TOUR FROM 15 OCTOBER 2021
WITH A STRICTLY LIMITED CHRISTMAS WEST END RUN AT THE THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET FROM 2 DECEMBER 2021
Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever!, the latest live show based on the much loved animated TV series from eOne, Hasbro’s global entertainment studio, will resume its extensive UK and Ireland tour from 15 October 2021, visiting over 80 venues, with further dates to be added shortly.
Not only will Peppa and friends be jumping in muddy puddles across the UK and Ireland, but also making a big splash in the West End for a strictly limited Christmas season. The London season runs from 2 December 2021 – 2 January 2022, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket,for a limited 48 performances.
Peppa Pig is excited to be going on a special day out with George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig – it’s going to be her best day ever!
Get ready for a road-trip full of fun adventures. From castles to caves, dragons to dinosaurs and ice-creams to muddy puddles – there is something for all of the family and their friends to enjoy, including Miss Rabbit, Mr Bull, Suzy Sheep, Gerald Giraffe and more!
Over the past 10 years, Peppa Pig Live have created 6 hugely successful productions, which have been enjoyed by over 1.5 million in the UK alone. Peppa Pig Live has also toured throughout the US and Australia and played 8 consecutive West End Christmas seasons.
The live stage adaptation of Peppa Pig is produced by leading children’s theatre team Fierylight, in partnership with licensor Hasbro. The production is directed and adapted for theatre by Richard Lewis, and features music from BAFTA award-winning composer Mani Svavarsson.
Richard has previously directed and adapted multiple Peppa Pig live stage shows including Peppa Pig’s Adventure, Peppa Pig’s Party, Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash and Peppa Pig’s Surprise.
Following the success of hosting the UK premiere of Van Gogh Alive in October, the experience will reopen on Tues 25 May until Sun 11 Jul
The theatre will reopen for live performance on Tues 24 Aug with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic musical Tell Me on a Sunday, starring Jodie Prenger.
Van Gogh Alive at Birmingham Hippodrome. Photo credit: Simon Hadley
Birmingham Hippodrome have today (Wed 28 April) announced a two phase plan for reopening. The venue will firstly open its doors to the public in May, welcoming back the enormously successful Van Gogh Alive, produced by Grande Experiences.
The world’s most visited immersive, multi-sensory experience made its UK premiere in October, welcoming 28,000 socially distanced visitors in one month to a transformed Hippodrome before closing prematurely due to November’s national lockdown.
Fiona Allan, Artistic Director and Chief Executive at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “Van Gogh Alive is incredibly important to us all at the Hippodrome as it was the only way we found to reopen the building during a year without any live performance. We were taken aback by the public response we had, both to the beauty and joy of this enriching cultural experience, and how safe our visitors felt with the timed entry and social distancing measures in place.
“It is brilliant that we have found a way to reopen Van Gogh Alive for a limited run, 25 May to 11 July, as we know so many people were disappointed to miss out when we went back into lockdown last November.”
Van Gogh Alive uses state-of-the-art SENSORY4™ immersive gallery technology which projects a thrilling display of over 3,000 inspirational images. Set to an evocative classical score, visitors are surrounded by a vibrant symphony of light, colour, sound and fragrance that has been called an ‘unforgettable’ multi-sensory experience. The technology brings Van Gogh’s masterpieces to life and gives visitors the sensation of walking right into his paintings, a feeling that is simultaneously enchanting, entertaining and educational.
Bruce Peterson, Founder & CEO of Grande Experiences, added: “Van Gogh Alive was met with such a heart-warmingly positive response by audiences at Birmingham Hippodrome, it’s just brilliant that the doors can reopen once again. With the news that we are also opening Van Gogh Alive at Kensington Gardens in London this June, our UK tour is really gathering momentum and we can’t wait for UK audiences to be dazzled by this incredible experience in the coming months.”
The auditorium will then take six weeks to be transformed back into a theatre and will reopen with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s classic musical Tell Me on a Sunday on Tuesday 24 August. Charting the romantic misadventures of an English girl in New York during the heady days of the 1980’s, Tell Me on Sunday will mark the first live production to take place at Birmingham Hippodrome since the original closure due to the pandemic on Monday 16 March 2020.
Fiona continued: “Tell Me on a Sunday will be the first time in almost 18 months that a live performance will be seen in our auditorium. Words can’t describe how great it feels for us to be able to return to what we have long been known for – presenting the biggest and best touring productions for audiences across the region.
Fiona added: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank our audiences for all the support you have shown during our extended closure. Just knowing how many people were counting on us to find a way through the pandemic and make sure the Hippodrome could reopen again on the other side, kept me and the team determined and motivated through the last 13 months. We cannot wait to start welcoming you back!”
The iconic musical features Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wonderful score including the chart-topping Take That Look Off Your Face and title track Tell Me On A Sunday. This new production is directed by Paul Foster and stars Jodie Prenger stars as ‘Emma’, marking her return to the stage following her acclaimed performance in the National Theatre’s production of A Taste of Honey.
Producer Jamie Wilson said: “We are thrilled that we are able to revive the acclaimed Watermill Theatre production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s Tell Me On A Sunday to be the reopening production for Birmingham Hippodrome. Tell Me On A Sunday, with its cast of just one actress, is probably the most naturally socially distanced musical in the world! We are delighted that Jodie Prenger is able to return to this role to reprise her incredible performance as “Emma”. This production is the perfect way for audiences to support their local theatre with this classic show.”
Seating for this production will be based on a socially-distanced model at this moment in time, subject to change depending on Government guidance closer to the performance date.
Birmingham Hippodrome’s Director of Marketing and Sales, Chilina Madon added: “The safety of our audiences, performers and staff remains our uttermost priority. It is very much our hope that all shows will be presented at full capacity, but we are using socially distanced plans as a precaution in the lead up to the eventual easing of restrictions to provide the best possible audience experience.
“We will be in touch with all ticket holders by email ahead of the production date with full details of our latest audience safety procedures and requirements in order to provide full peace of mind.”
The Royal Theatrical Fund, an Acting for Others member charity, have funded 25 places for beneficiaries of the Fleabag Support Fund to attend an online Adult or Youth Mental Health Awareness Course with Applause for Thought. The RTF recognises the importance of mental health awareness in the industry particularly as theatre workers return to work, and this course will provide attendees with the tools to recognise someone experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress in the workplace and provide appropriate support.
Robert Lindsay, President of The Royal Theatrical Fund today said, “As theatres begin to reopen following such a distressing and difficult year for so many across our industry, we recognise more than ever how important it is to prioritise the mental health of all theatre workers. By funding places on this wonderful course from Applause for Thought, we hope beneficiaries can learn the necessary tools to help look after their own mental wellbeing and create a more welcoming and safe industry for all.”
The course will take place on Tuesday 25th May 1pm-5pm, with qualified MHFA instructor Kate Baum. The course raises awareness of mental health, and covers:
What mental health is and how to challenge the stigma.
A basic knowledge of some common mental health issues.
An introduction to looking after your own mental health and maintaining wellbeing.
Building the confidence to support someone in distress or who may be experiencing a mental health issue.
Royal Theatrical Fund
The Royal Theatrical Fund provides support to all those that have worked professionally in the entertainment industry, the list is endless and includes onstage, backstage, front of house and includes commercial musical theatre dancers, comedians, cabaret artistes, directors, producers and many more. The Fund dispenses more than money; applicants’ needs vary and may not just be financial. Those living alone may welcome a friendly telephone call a chance to talk and perhaps to unburden their anxieties. A simple telephone call can help to relieve a sense of isolation in these unprecedented times. The Fund also assists with benefit and welfare advice.
Jeffrey Seller and Cameron Mackintosh, producers of the West End production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s HAMILTON, are delighted to announce that from 19 August 2021 the show will resume performances at the Victoria Palace Theatre. Tickets are now on sale.
After over a year of shutdown, the company will begin rehearsals shortly in advance of their return. Full casting will be announced shortly.
Cameron Mackintosh said: “The last year has been unbelievably hard for everyone but particularly so for the Theatre profession. I have been moved and inspired by the resilience and camaraderie of so many practitioners from all aspects of our industry who have taken on any job so that they and their families could survive. I am therefore delighted to announce that our wonderful company will be back in The Room Where It Happens from 19 August at the Victoria Palace Theatre, now that the Prime Minister has told us that we are on track to reopen “cautiously but irreversibly” this summer. No need to Wait For It any longer!”
Jeffrey Seller said: “After a painful and challenging year, I am thrilled for our beloved London company to return to the magnificent, and safe, Victoria Palace Theatre, and can’t wait to welcome back London audiences to Hamilton.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda said: “For over a year the lights on the West End have been dark and our friends, family and colleagues on and off the stage have been out of work. It is with tremendous gratitude that we announce the return of HAMILTON to London’s Victoria Palace Theatre this August. We will safely gather to tell this story again. We’ll be back.”
HAMILTON has book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is directed by Thomas Kail, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe.
The Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning production opened at the newly re-built and restored Victoria Palace Theatre in London in December 2017 and continued to play there until the start of lockdown in March last year.
HAMILTON is produced in London by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill Furman, The Public Theater and Cameron Mackintosh.
Obtaining Government backed contingency insurance to protect against further unscheduled closures remains a priority. All plans for the re-opening of HAMILTON are in accordance with the Government’s latest directives and therefore subject to change.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Theatre Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria Street, London SW1E 5EA
Bad Nights and Odd Days: Greenwich Theatre presents a trio of acclaimed short plays by Caryl Churchill Wednesday 23rd June – Saturday 10th July 2021 Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London SE10 8ES
Bringing together a trio of short and unforgettable plays from one of the country’s most prominent playwrights, Caryl Churchill (Top Girls; A Number; Drunk Enough To Say I Love You), Greenwich Theatre are reopening once again with their first in-house production since December. Led by acclaimed actor Paul McGann (Withnail and I; Doctor Who), Churchill’s earlier works will be brought to life for this limited season. Further casting will be announced in due course.
Bad Nights and Odd Days will see Churchill’s rarely performed plays, Abortive, Seagulls, and Three More Sleepless Nights, reenergised for the stage under the direction of Artistic Director James Haddrell. Exploring life-shattering events, a carousel of shifting relationships and the presence of psychic phenomena, this intimate collection of plays shows why it is so hard to categorise Churchill’s writing, blending the personal with the political, the naturalistic with the supernatural, the spoken with the unspoken.
Abortive highlights the strains of a married couple reeling in the aftermath of a shocking event; Three More Sleepless Nights details the everyday arguments and daily suppression of emotions; while Seagulls is Churchill’s powerful and personal allegory about losing the ability to write
Director James Haddrell comments, We are delighted to be emerging from the last year of closure with this special collection of short plays. Caryl Churchill is undoubtedly one of the most important British playwrights of the past half century, and thanks to support from Arts Council England I am excited to be able to share some of her earliest, most rarely performed work. With special permission from Churchill herself to bring the pieces together under the title Bad Nights and Odd Days, I know that this collection of intimate, quietly heart-stopping dramas will offer a powerful, moving evening of live theatre – the kind of evening that we have all been missing so much.
Greenwich Theatre is excited to bring quality entertainment back to the area. The theatre continues to adhere to the ongoing government guidance, with social distancing potentially in place for indoor performances. Should the restrictions and circumstances change they will look to adjust accordingly
Soho Theatre announces the World Premiere of Jessie Cave’s Sunrise, the film version of the critically acclaimed stage show, released exclusively on Soho Theatre On Demand from Thursday 27 May.
Dating again after a complex break-up Jessie is trying to get her personal life in order – before her kids wake up. From actress, comedian, writer and doodler Jessie Cave, Sunrise is an honest, tender-hearted and uproariously funny story about crying in the woods, sexual accidents, Harry Potter conventions and Instagram espionage – but also about motherhood and trying to get stuff done.
First performed in 2018 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Sunrise was a critical and commercial hit – selling out 7 weeks at Soho, touring the UK and being nominated for a South Bank Award. Sunrise was filmed at Soho Theatre in April 2021 under current government guidelines – with an audience of one, Jessie’s sister Bebe – directed by Soho Theatre’s Associate Director Adam Brace (who also developed and directed the stage version) with Director of Photography and Editor Andrew Nolan (Witch Hunt, Asking For It and Bad Laptop sketches, BBC Three).
Sunrise Writer and Performer Jessie Cave said: ‘I feel so lucky to be filming Sunrise after such a long journey with it. I’ve done the show over 150 times now and so I think this will be the final outing for my pillow puppets. I’m incredibly grateful to the Soho Theatre for supporting me at every step. I hope the show helps people in some way, and can be shared with people who might need a little hope.’
Sunrise Director Adam Brace said: ‘It’s been a genuine pleasure revisiting this piece and working with Jessie again. Soho Theatre have produced this show from the very beginning and this covid-safe filmed version has even fewer audience members than its original incarnation – 38 in the converted storeroom of an Edinburgh hotel during the Fringe. Since then it has been seen by thousands back at Soho then around the UK. Hopefully this version means Jessie’s unique blend of confessional comedy and DIY Performance Art will continue to find new audiences.’
Jessie Cave is a talented actress, writer and illustrator who is best known for playing Lavender Brown in the Harry Potter films. She has a lead role in Buffering for Avalon / ITV2 and starred as regular Heather in Sky One’s Trollied. Further drama credits include Call the Midwife for BBC 1, Black Mirror for Netflix and Glue for Channel 4. She will next be seen starring in new ITV2 comedy Buffering, opposite Iain Stirling.
She is a brilliant stand-up who has had three critically acclaimed and sell-out solo shows including Bookworm, Sunrise and I Loved Her. She has featured on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle and has recently filmed for Jon Richardson’s Ultimate Worrier.
Jessie’s first novel Sunset is being published by Welbeck and available to buy from 24June. She has scripted projects in development with Kudos and E4 and co-wrote the pilot Bump with Rick Edwards under Big Talk Productions. She has also had a book of illustrations published, titled Lovesick.
Soho Theatre’s Associate Director Adam Brace is a Director, writer and dramaturg. Alongside Sunrise, Adam has directed all of Sh!t Theatre’s work as well as shows by Ahir Shah, Alex Edelman, Alfie Brown, Ivo Graham, Janine Harouni, Lou Sanders, Lucy Pearman, and Ruby Wax. As a dramaturg he has worked with writers including Lucy Prebble, Nick Payne and Vicky Jones. His plays have been performed at the Almeida (They Drink It In The Congo), the Donmar (Midnight Your Time) and in collaboration with the National Theatre (Stovepipe). His screenplay Best won Best Short Film at Sundance London and he has also written for The Mash Report, Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo (BBC) and TheStand Up Sketch Show (ITV).
Listings Information:
Film: Sunrise
Produced by: Soho Theatre
Release date: Thursday 27 May, Soho Theatre On Demand