We are watching you…
LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE SHOW MUST GO ON! – LIVE AT THE PALACE THEATRE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_3FoYTqVL8. Available until Saturday 12th July
Donation information: www.theatresupportfund.co.uk/donate or Text ‘THEATRE’ followed by the amount you want to donate to 70460.
Social media information:
Instagram – @theatresupportfund
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CHRISTOPHER HARPER AND SAFFRON COOMBER
TO STAR IN MATTHEW MORRISON’S EXPLOSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA BULLYING DRAMA
How far would you go for revenge?
Presented by The Soho Poly in association with Brickdust
KING’S HEAD THEATRE – MONDAY 12th – SATURDAY 17th JULY 2021
Matthew Morrison’s DANCE made its online debut in the summer of 2020, produced by The Soho Poly – the pioneer of lunchtime theatre in the 1970s and 80s – as their first new play in over 30 years. Now, the Charlotte Peters directed play, which follows a father and daughter’s surprising story, is set to make its ‘IRL’ appearance as part of the King’s Head Theatre’s annual festival of new-writing, Playmill, where it runs from Monday 12th to Saturday 17th July.
Kemi’s being bullied and it’s getting out of control. Everything her dad does to help only makes it worse. But when Kemi is humiliatingly thrust into the limelight, the pair concoct a dark revenge that might just go viral. DANCE is a captivating, funny and unpredictable story that explores the impact of social media on mental health and how online bullying impacts young people in today’s society.
Saffron Coomber stars as Kemi. Saffron has worked extensively on screen. One of her first major roles was Sapphire Fox in Tracy Beaker Returns (CBBC) in which she starred for three years. Recent TV appearances include Strike: Lethal White and Steve McQueen’s acclaimed drama, Small Axe, both for the BBC. She made her West End debut in the transfer of Emilia to the Vaudeville Theatre where she earned a nomination for Best West End Debut at The Stage Debut Awards 2019 for her portrayal as Emilia 1. On Friday 11th June Saffron will appear in A Cold Supper Behind Harrods by David Morley. The star-studded play reading – for the Original Theatre Company in association with Perfectly Normal Productions – will be streamed live on stage from the Oxford Playhouse and stars David Jason, Stephanie Cole and Anton Lesser.
Christopher Harper stars as Richard. During lockdown, Christopher has been seen in two celebrated productions performing as Capt. Jim Lovell in Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon and Levi in Birdsong, both for Original Theatre Online. His extensive stage credits include UK tours of Dial M For Murder (Simon Friend Productions); Strangers on a Train (ATG); a season of Sir Alan Ayckbourn plays at The Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton (directed by Ayckbourn himself) and Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe. On-screen, Harper has appeared in British dramas including The Suspicions of Mr Whicher; Upstairs Downstairs; Life on Mars and most notably as playing Clifford Last, son of Victoria Wood’s character Nella Last in the multiple BAFTA award-winning ITV movie Housewife, 49. As Nathan Curtis, he featured in Coronation Street’s high profile teenage grooming and exploitation storyline and has helped raise awareness of child sex abuse through charity work and as patron for the charity Voicing CSA, which helps adult survivors of child sexual abuse to speak out.
Written by Matthew Morrison whose plays have included Through the Night, a Papatango award runner-up, produced at the Finborough Theatre; Inside Out, produced at the HighTide festival; The Shelter, commission by LAMDA and produced at The Riverside Studios. His recent play, The Bounds, was shortlisted for the Theatre503 playwriting award and chosen by the Arcola for its Playwrought scheme.
Directed by Charlotte Peters whose most recent work includes Billy and Me, starring Jon Culshaw, part of Barnes’ People, Torben Betts’ Apollo 13: The Dark Side of the Moon starring Chris Harper, Michael Salami & Tom Chambers, and the hit, 5-star production of Sebastian Faulks and Rachel Wagstaff’s Birdsong Online, all for Original Theatre Company. Charlotte is Associate Director on the National Theatre’s War Horse and Stephen Daldry’s An Inspector Calls and other theatre work includes How Love Is Spelt at Southwark Playhouse starring Michelle Collins and Nigel Boyle, Normality starring Dan Buckley and Pippa Evans at The Other Palace and Caste starring Paul Bradley and Susan Penhaligon at the Finborough Theatre. Charlotte’s short film Reasons by Duncan Moore will be released later this year for the BFI. She is directing a live-streamed interactive production of Peter Pan this Christmas following the success of Cinderella last year which reached an audience of over 100,000.
In 1972 the Soho Theatre (founded in 1968 and now based on London’s Dean Street) moved to a basement on Riding House Street owned by the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of Westminster). Here it became known as the Soho Poly and, for twenty years, it was to have a hugely important role on the fringe and alternative theatre scene.
Hanif Kureishi, Caryl Churchill, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Nigel Hawthorne and Simon Callow are just some of those who passed through its doors.
The Soho Poly was a pioneer of ‘lunchtime theatre’, which was part of an attempt to make theatre more inclusive by bringing arts and culture into the heart of the ordinary working day. Lunchtime theatre also offered opportunities to many artists who found themselves excluded from mainstream theatre. Sadly, the Riding House basement was abandoned in 1990, but there is now a major fundraising project underway to fully restore and revive it and DANCE is its first venture.
DANCE has been made possible by the generous support of the Schools of Law and Humanities at the University of Westminster. See here for the fundraising campaign to restore the historic Soho Poly venue: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/soho-poly
The Soho Poly has also just received 88K of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a schools’ outreach project championing diversity and inclusion in the arts.
Brickdust’s work includes Chloë Moss’ How Love Is Spelt at Southwark Playhouse starring Larner Wallace Taylor, Michelle Collins and Nigel Boyle, and Bury The Dead, directed by Rafaella Marcus, at the Finborough. During Lockdown, Brickdust collaborated with Coronavirus Theatre Club to release Lucy Nichol’s short, Oranges and Lemons to an audience of over 5,000 people.
Age guidance: 15+ (contains strong language and adult themes) l Running time: 55 mins
ANTI-RACISM TOURING RIDER LAUNCHED
A practical document to make touring a safer, more equitable environment
The anti-racism rider and toolkit is launched today as a step towards more equitable working conditions for touring shows and events. In response to personal testimonies and feedback from over 100 freelancers, co-ordinated by a group of 15 national touring theatre companies, and spearheaded by Amanda Huxtable, Rowan Rutter (HighTide), Richard Twyman (English Touring Theatre) and Lian Wilkinson (New Earth Theatre), the rider and accompanying checklist offers a series of actions for anti-racist practice, giving a framework to establish the baseline of expectations and support between stakeholders on a touring production.
The events of 2020 only highlighted the need for change within the industry, and the importance of standardising practice across the UK to safeguard companies, productions and venues paving the way for greater equality and safe practice. The rider seeks to foster closer working relationships between companies and venues, with the intention of providing a standard of care and commitment both from the theatres and producers.
Amanda Huxtable, Rowan Rutter, Richard Twyman and Lian Wilkinson said today, “After months of consultation and pooling of collective knowledge, we publish the rider today in good faith. We believe it will effect tangible change in the improvement of working conditions within the industry and offer a toolkit for better working practice for all. The rider is designed to be for everybody, and used by everybody, complementing existing anti-racism work within the sector or providing a starting point for those beginning to implement anti-racism actions in their practice. We hope that it will also serve as an act of encouragement and support for all who have worked tirelessly over the years. Change is needed. The change is now.”
The rider – the first practical toolkit for change offered from within the industry – is backed by companies in the National Touring Network including 20 Stories High, Actors Touring Company, China Plate, Eclipse Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Fuel, Graeae, HighTide, Improbable, New Earth Theatre, Northern Broadsides, Stockroom, Paines Plough, Pentabus Theatre, Pilot Theatre, Tamasha and Theatre Centre, alongside Sheffield Theatres, HOME Manchester, UK Theatre, Independent Theatre Council, and Inc Arts.
On reading the rider, Keith Saha, Co-Artistic Director of 20 Stories High, said, “This is a game changer. I found it quite emotional reading this. We have been battling years of systemic racism
formally and informally. This document sets out brilliantly a blueprint, which will not only help ease the emotional and psychological burdens we have been carrying but offers organisations support as well as holding them to account.”
Touring companies, venues and freelancers across the country fed into the consultation process for the rider, resulting in a 8-page document detailing actions and suggestions that producers and venue managers commit to when touring a show. It has been compiled with the aim it is applicable to any touring production or company, irrespective of scale or remit, and covers actions to be used as a baseline leading up to touring. It provides a 360-approach encompassing all aspects of the production – from the first engagements with venues, wellbeing and pastoral care, marketing, and throughout all aspects of the run. The rider is one of the actions listed on Unlock, an anti-racism toolkit from Inc Arts for recruitment, leadership and the workplace.
Sebastian Cater, Head of UK Theatre added, “We welcome the Touring Rider as a useful contribution to the discussions around making our venues safer, more inclusive and more welcoming. We look forward to consulting with our membership on future developments of the Rider as a practical anti-racist resource for venues, touring companies and producers.”
Charlotte Jones, CEO of Independent Theatre Council commented, “ITC is delighted to support the widespread use of this much-needed Anti-Racist Touring Rider. It will be a vital tool in promoting best practice and protecting practitioners on tour. Many thanks to our visionary member companies and all the contributors who have worked so hard and thoughtfully to develop this great resource.”
For more information and to download the rider, please visit: www.antiracismtouringrider.co.uk
Royal & Derngate announces panto casting for Dick Whittington and a festive run for The Gruffalo
Northampton’s Royal & Derngate is delighted to announce casting for its hilarious, fun-filled pantomime Dick Whittington which takes to the Derngate stage this Christmas, while picture book classic The Gruffalo comes to the Royal over the festive period.
In Dick Whittington, soap star (and Albert Square resident bad boy) Ricky Champ will be leading the cast as the dastardly King Rat. Children’s favourite Phil Gallagher (Cbeebies’ Mister Maker) takes the role of the lovable Billy. Dame Dolly will be played by top Pantomime Dame, the award-winning Bob Golding, and the magical Fairy Bowbells will be portrayed by stage and screen actress Deborah Tracey. With a host of other fabulous performers to be announced, Dick Whittington is shaping up to be Northampton’s best pantomime yet!
This year’s show marks the start of an exciting new partnership with award-winning pantomime producer Evolution Productions, three-time winner of Pantomime of The Year in the Great British Pantomime Awards over the last four years. Evolution Productions is a family business, run by husband and wife Paul Hendy and Emily Wood. They pride themselves in producing exceptional bespoke pantomimes, strong casting and genuinely funny scripts, and with an emphasis on the high quality production values and fantastic effects that Northampton audiences have grown to expect.
Written by Paul Hendy and directed by Emily Wood, Dick Whittington promises to be spectacular, top quality, entertainment with lavish sets, and a hilarious script.
While Royal & Derngate will not be producing its own Christmas show in the Royal auditorium this year, the theatre is pleased to be presenting the much-loved children’s show The Gruffalo on the Royal stage over the festive period. Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler offers songs, laughs and monstrous fun for children aged 3 and up and their grown-ups to enjoy.
Royal & Derngate Chief Executive Jo Gordon said: “All our teams from marketing to front of house, stage management to technical are truly excited about the new partnership and looking forward to working alongside Evolution Productions on this year’s spectacular pantomime Dick Whittington. And with The Gruffalo alongside it, we’ve got a fantastic festive offering for all ages. After a difficult year, we understand the importance of spending time together at Christmas. So we can’t wait to get back to doing what we do best and provide a destination for many Northamptonshire families to make the festive season extra special!”
Panto star Phil Gallagher commented: “I have very many happy memories of launching the Mister Maker and The Shapes LIVE Tour at Royal & Derngate in 2015 and I can’t wait to work with the team again. I am so happy to be spending Panto season in Northampton…and it is going to be an amazing show!
Evolution’s Emily Wood, Director and Producer of Dick Whittington added: “After such a challenging year we all need something to cheer us up! Dick Whittington is the classic rags to riches story, and shows us that we can all be heroes! We can’t wait to bring some spectacle, magic and laughter to Northampton this Christmas! It really will be the perfect festive treat for all your family.”
Dick Whittington will run from Thursday 9 December to Sunday 2 January while The Gruffalo can be seen from Monday 13 December until Sunday 2 January. For more information and to book tickets, go to www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.
Please note that ticket buyers who had booked for the postponed 2020 performances of Dick Whittington have been contacted directly and moved into these new dates.
* A charge of £3.50 applies for all transactions of £20 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Members or Disabled Patrons, and is per-transaction, not per-ticket
Leading theatre companies across the UK
adopt Theatre Green Book
The National Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and National Theatre Wales have all committed to making their shows to the new Theatre Green Book standard for sustainability, while other leading companies, including Royal Opera House, Old Vic, Scottish Opera, Manchester International Festival, HOME, Royal Court, Unicorn, Roundhouse and Tinderbox Theatre Company have endorsed the Theatre Green Book with plans to follow suit as quickly as possible.
Created during lockdown, spearheaded by Theatres Trust, Buro Happold and ABTT and led by theatre architect Paddy Dillon, the Theatre Green Book has brought theatre-makers together with sustainability experts to set common standards for sustainable theatre. A cross-industry partnership, uniting all the leading theatre organisations, it has helped theatre-makers think creatively about theatre’s response to the climate crisis, and define shared standards for the journey to sustainable practice.
Lisa Burger, Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre says, We have to seize this moment, and the Theatre Green Book is a brilliant resource for the whole sector. The National Theatre is continuing to make its work as sustainable as possible by committing to adopting the baseline principles of the Theatre Green Book for all productions over the next 12 months.
Gemma Swallow, Technical Director of National Theatre of Scotland, says, As part of National Theatre of Scotland’s Green Plan we are strongly committed to the Theatre Green Book. This new guidance sets a common standard for a sustainable production process and we will use it for our 21/22 season and beyond. We are excited to be able to share our experience with working groups and colleagues going forward
David Evans, Technical Director of National Theatre Wales, says, We’re strongly behind the Theatre Green Book initiative. We are incorporating the theatre green book’s baseline standard in all our future productions and aim to progress to carbon neutrality as soon as possible.
Alex Beard, Chief Executive, Royal Opera House, says, We strongly support the Theatre Green Book as a common standard for more sustainable working across the industry. We will implement it progressively over coming Season, starting with data gathering and trialling its principles in forthcoming new productions.
Dave Moutrey, Director and CEO of HOME, said, Sustainability is at the heart of how we operate at HOME, and so we warmly welcome the Theatre Green Book as a way to embed best practice across our whole sector. The climate crisis is the most important and dangerous challenge of our time, and we must all work together to safeguard the future of the planet.
Kate Varah, Executive Director, Old Vic Theatre says, We are keen to begin using the Theatre Green Book as a common standard for more sustainable working. We will be using our 2021/22 season to collate data, and take positive action where we can, which will inform our plans to meet baseline Green Book standard for our 2022/23 season.
Lucy Davies, Executive Producer, Royal Court Theatre says, We were embarking on our transition to net zero at the Royal Court in March 2020 when the pandemic closed our doors. The time out has deepened our understanding, strategies and commitment to make this just and urgent transition and the Green Book is an incredible rallying resource to transform our practice sector-wide. The Royal Court is adopting Green Book standards from now where possible, with the revival of postponed work, and commits to producing new originated work in 2022 to Green Book baseline standards as a minimum.
Jack Thompson, Technical Director of Manchester International Festival, says, As we journey towards the Factory – the place where we invent tomorrow, together – we will progressively implement Green Book standards, as part of our wider sustainability initiatives. MIF’s approach is that achieving sustainability is a journey. We may stumble occasionally and not always get things right, but we will not stop making progress. We invite all those we work, and engage with, to join us.
Marcus Davey, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Roundhouse says, We’re completely behind the Theatre Green Book. Sustainability is vital to the Roundhouse, and we’re developing detailed plans to work to the Green Book standards
Jennifer Taillefer, Production and Technical Director, Unicorn Theatre says, The Unicorn Theatre is incredibly proud to have been involved with the Theatre Green Book from the outset, and is committed to adopting these new principles. These standards build upon the work we began with our Greening Productions guide for creative teams, published in January 2020. We will continue meeting our own Green standards across all of our productions, so that all of our shows are made more sustainably, and we look forward to trialling the Green Book standards across three major productions in our October 2021 – June 2022 season.
Paddy Dillon, Theatre Green Book Co-ordinator, says, The Theatre Green Book is theatre’s shared response to the climate emergency. During lockdown, theatre-makers of all disciplines have brought their expertise and knowledge to the discussion. It’s fantastic to see so many companies seizing this as a moment of real change.
Jon Morgan, Director of Theatres Trust, says, Theatres Trust and the other Theatre Green Book project partners are delighted that so many of our larger theatre organisations have shown leadership in the sector’s response to the climate crisis. We know there are also other smaller theatres, producers and freelancers who will be using the Theatre Green Book in their work and we’d urge organisations and individuals working at all scales to get involved.
Ian McKellen’s donations to British Theatre tops £5 million… this time to pay actors’ wages!
Ian McKellen, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, and Sean Mathias donate profits from the National Theatre and Amazon Prime Video broadcast of his celebrated one-man show, Ian McKellen on Stage which will create a fund for emerging producers to cover actors’ salaries.
Ian McKellen, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Sean Mathias have partnered with the National Theatre and Amazon Prime Video to broadcast and distribute his solo show Ian McKellen on Stage in the UK and Ireland.
The universally acclaimed production was filmed by National Theatre Live in front of an audience at the Harold Pinter Theatre in January 2020. It will launch exclusively on Prime Video for customers across UK and Ireland from 11 June 2021, as part of a season of plays with the National Theatre.
Profits from licensing the broadcast of Ian McKellen on Stage, will combine with remaining profits from the West End run of the show and create a new fund to support emerging producers and artists. Distributed via ATG Productions, multiple funding rounds will offer grants of up to £25,000 to pay actors’ wages for both new plays and revivals across UK Theatres, as long as they employ 6 actors or more and include a recent graduate from a theatre training school. Further information including eligibility and how to apply can be found at ianonstage.com.
Ian McKellen devised his solo show to celebrate his 80th Birthday year, earning £3 million for over 80 UK theatres. Through proceeds of its extended run at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre, which went to British theatre charities, further fundraising and the broadcast distribution of the show, the total money raised for the theatre industry is now over £5million.
Ian McKellen says: Performing Ian McKellen on Stage was a joy and I am delighted it can now be viewed on Amazon Prime Video as filmed by National Theatre Live. As our theatres re-open, I’m very pleased to be able to support producers and artists who have really struggled over the last year.
Directed by Sean Mathias, the critically acclaimed Ian McKellen on Stage is an intimate mixture of anecdote and acting including Tolkien, Shakespeare and many others, which the Daily Telegraph positioned as “the Theatre event of the year” (2019).
The charities so far receiving profits from the West End run of Ian McKellen on Stage, include Acting For Others, Half Moon Youth Theatre, IRIS Theatre Project, James Menzie Kitchen Award, Marlowe Society Cambridge, Open Door, Polka Children’s Charity, Riverside Studios, Royal Theatrical Support Trust, The Actors Centre, Theatrical Guild, West Glamorgan Youth Theatre and Women’s Prize for Playwriting. These join the previously announced beneficiaries Denville Hall, English Touring Theatre, Equal People, King’s Head Theatre, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, National Youth Theatre, Ramps on the Moon, Royal Welsh College, Streetwise Opera and U Can Productions.
Ian McKellen received a special Olivier Award in recognition of his fundraising, and was named the #1 most influential person in British theatre as part of ‘The Stage 100’ 2019. He will next be seen on stage in Hamlet, directed by Sean Mathias, at Theatre Royal Windsor from 21 June 2021.
KILN THEATRE’S NW TRILOGY
BY MOIRA BUFFINI, SUHAYLA EL-BUSHRA AND ROY WILLIAMS
NOW ON SALE & ANNOUNCES NEW NW TRILOGY FUNDRAISING APPEAL
With the critically acclaimed Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg currently playing at the theate, and rehearsals underway for Ayad Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand, Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham announces that the forthcoming NW Trilogy by Moira Buffini, Suhayla El-Bushra and Roy Williams will open on 14 September, with previews from 6 September, and running until 9 October. The trilogy, directed by Kiln Theatre Associate Directors Taio Lawson and Susie McKenna, is now on sale.
Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham, said today, “Originally I set out to create a production which would celebrate the real people of our borough as part of Brent Borough of Culture 2020. Although we weren’t able to produce it last year, we haven’t stopped working on NW Trilogy and in 2021 it feels like these plays are even more relevant. They put our community centre stage and celebrate their remarkable achievements. Although the stories we’re telling are from over 30 years ago, their impact lives on and is ever present on the streets of Brent. It’s also not just about North West London, NW Trilogy is a show for anyone who values the vibrancy, energy and resilience of Britain – a country of many voices, cultures and histories.”
Tickets are initially available with social distancing in place which will be reviewed as the government guidelines change. This production will be performed in line with all official government guidelines in place for September and October 2021, and may end up not socially distanced.
Building on the success and resonance of their Kiln Community Appeal which raised over £100,000 to support local initiatives, Kiln Theatre today launches the NW Trilogy Fundraising Appeal. With a target of £25,000, all funds raised will go towards putting these Brent stories on stage, showcasing the vibrancy, activism and brilliance of the borough.
For further, information: https://kilntheatre.com/nw-trilogy-appeal/
SEE IT SAFELY
Kiln Theatre has been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that they are complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of their staff and audiences. Ticket holders can find out more here [https://officiallondontheatre.com/see-it-safely/] about the measures that have been put in place ahead of their visit, and what they will need to know beforehand.
WORLD PREMIÈRE
Kiln Theatre presents
NW TRILOGY
by Moira Buffini, Suhayla El-Bushra and Roy Williams
6 September – 9 October
Directed by Taio Lawson and Susie McKenna; Designed by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey;
Lighting Design by Richard Howell;Composer and Sound Design by Ben and Max Ringham;
Movement, Fight and Intimacy Director Yarit Dor; Musical Director Abdul Shyllon; Assistant Director Ashen Gupta; Casting Director Briony Barnett CDG
Set amongst the vibrant, intense cacophony of North West London, NW Trilogy is a collection of vivid stories that remember and celebrate people who changed the course of history. The personal is political in these soulful explorations of what it means to be part of one of the most dynamic communities in the world.
First, we reel to a dance hall in ‘County Kilburn’ in Moira Buffini’s Dance Floor where the Guinness flows, the music never stops and for homesick Aoife, there’s far more at stake than a dance.
In Roy Williams’ bittersweet Life of Riley, Paulette is on a journey to connect with her estranged father Riley, a reggae musician once part of the influential Trojan Records scene, who can’t seem to let go of the past.
And, Suhayla El-Bushra’s Waking/Walking introduces us to Anjali, a wife, mother and newly arrived migrant following Idi Amin’s expulsion of the Asian minority from Uganda, who is torn between not making a fuss and seizing her moment to take a stand as the Grunwick dispute unfolds.
NW Trilogy is powerful, funny and epic and shows us how we can change the world from our doorstep.
Presented as part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture, Brent 2020 with support from Airbnb Community Tourism Programme.
This production is supported by Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and the London Community Foundation; and the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation.
Moira Buffini‘s plays include Handbagged (Kiln Theatre / West End / US), Gabriel (Soho Theatre / UK Tour), wonder.land (MIF / National Theatre), Welcome to Thebes, A Vampire Story (National Theatre), Dying For It, Marianne Dreams (Almeida Theatre), Dinner (RNT Loft / West End / UK tour), Loveplay (Barbican), The Games Room (Soho Theatre) and Blavatsky’s Tower (Machine Room). For telelvison, her work includes Harlots; and for film, The Dig, Jane Eyre and Tamara Drewe.
Suhayla El-Bushra was writer in residence at the National Theatre Studio from April 2015 to August 2016, during which time her adaptation of Nikolai Erdman’s The Suicide was staged in the Lyttelton Theatre. Other stage work includes The Kilburn Passion (Kiln Theatre), Pigeons (Royal Court Theatre / UK tour), Cuckoo (Unicorn Theatre) and Arabian Nights (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh). For screen her credits include 2 series of Channel 4’s Ackley Bridge, and a short film for Film4.
Roy Williams is an award-winning playwright. His recent plays include Death of England (National Theatre), 846 (Theatre Royal Stratford East and GDIF), Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Firm, (Hampstead Theatre, Downstairs), Soul: The Untold Story of Marvin Gaye (Royal and Derngate / Hackney Empire), Antigone (Pilot Theatre / UK tour), Wildfire (Hampstead Theatre) Advice for the Young at Heart (Theatre Centre), an adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Pilot Theatre/ UK Tour), Sucker Punch (Royal Court Theatre, nominated for Olivier Award for Best Play), Kingston ‘14 (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Category B (Kiln Theatre).
Kiln Theatre Associate Director Taio Lawson directs. His work includes adaptations and instillation, including Devil for East-15 and HOME at the Young Vic. He was Resident Director at Sheffield Theatres (part of the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme), where he directed hang. As Director credits include How To Make Love To A Muslim Without Freaking Out (rehearsed reading, Bush Theatre), What We Are, 90’s Kid (ETC Theatre), Gutted ‘n’ Battered (UK and international tour). For Sheffield Theatres, Assistant Director credits include Love and Information, Frost/Nixon, The Wizard of Oz and Desire Under The Elms. As Assistant Director credits include Life of Galileo(Young Vic), Oil, They Drink It in the Congo (Almeida Theatre).
Kiln Theatre Associate Director Susie McKenna directs and her work for the company includes Blues in the Night (Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre). She was Creative Director of Hackney Empire from 2010 – 2017, her directing credits there include Beau Jest, Sit and Shiver, Man Dem on the Wall Live, Kat & Tameka Show, La Variété, Ha Ha Hackney and writer director of 21 pantomimes. Other credits include writer/director The Silver Sword (Belgrade Theatre/UK tour), Once on This Island (Birmingham Rep/Nottingham Playhouse), Oranges and Elephants (Hoxton Hall), A Midsummer Night’s Madness (National Black Theatre of Harlem/Hackney Empire/Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Macbeth (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), A Christmas Carol (Arts Theatre).
Kiln Theatre
Listings
269 Kilburn High Road, London, UK, NW6 7JR
Box Office: 020 7328 1000
Tickets from £15
All tickets for first preview £15
6 September – 9 October
Audio Described Performance 30 September, 7.30pm
Post Show Q&A 5 October, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance 7 October, 7.30pm
Under 26 – £10 (subject to availability)
Access, Over 65, Local, Student and Group rates available, for further details, please see the website
Multi-buy – 25% off if tickets for The Invisible Hand and NW Trilogy are bought in the same transaction.
SPONSOR A TICKET
We offer free tickets and exclusive discounts to those who can’t afford to come. If you fit any of the below criteria, get in touch and we can help you get a ticket.
If you are homeless, out of work or receive Housing Benefits, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (valid ID, statements or proof universal tax credit will be required when collecting tickets).
Employees of NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, The Coastguard, RNLI, Prison Officers or Social Care Workers (valid ID payslip and name badges will be required when collecting tickets).
Email [email protected]
Following major capital redevelopment, Polka
Theatre launches reopening season
240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB
Polka Theatre, the UK’s first theatre designed specifically for 0-12 year olds, is reopening its doors with an exciting season of new productions and free activities for the whole family this August. From a perilous adventure across swamplands, to a modern take on a fairy tale and a young girl’s heartwarming adventure, there is something for everyone as Polka once again brings world class family theatre and creative learning activities to London following its two- and half-year closure.
The completely revitalised venue will provide unrivalled facilities for families and schools, including: an indoor play space in the new Y C Chan Play Den; a sensory garden; a playground with a bespoke treehouse climbing frame; a large and airy café; a dedicated rehearsal and community space called The Nest; and a purpose-built, interactive sensory suite designed for use by children with sensory and special educational needs, installed in the new Clore Learning Studio. Accessibility has also been greatly improved throughout, including level access to the stage for performers and children for the first time. The new state-of-the-art and eco-friendly building now houses two auditoriums: the flexible Adventure Theatre, which is the first purpose-built UK theatre for under 6s, and the fully refurbished Main Theatre, with new seating and decoration.
Polka’s first show to take over the redeveloped venue is RED, a visual and physical storytelling promenade adventure, performed with British Sign Language. Directed by Hannah Quigley (Marvin’s Binoculars, Schools Tour/Unicorn Theatre) with set and costume designs by the award-winning Rachana Jadhav (Claire Cunningham’s Menage a Trois) and Associate Designer Ben Glover (Medea, Cockpit Theatre), audiences will journey around the new building, across forests and bogs, on a mission to restore peace to a land overtaken by wolves.
2021 will also see two new winter productions with the world premiere of madcap musical adventure, Cinderella: the AWESOME truth, and a fantastical reimagining of the classic Christmas Eve poem The Night Before Christmas.
Created in collaboration with children and scientists, Cinderella: the AWESOME truth celebrates the power of friendship and self-worth. Co-produced with One Tenth Human (Arthur, Edinburgh Fringe First winner), written and directed by Sarah Punshon (The Box of Photographs, Polka Theatre) with music and lyrics by the award-winning Felix Hagan (Operation Mincemeat, New Diorama Theatre), and cocreated with Toni-Dee Paul (Artist Associate, Selina Thompson Ltd), it promises to be a refreshingly modern take on a beloved story.
Drawing inspiration from Clement Clarke Moore’s much-loved poem, The Night Before Christmas by Olivier Award-nominee Hattie Naylor (Ivan and the Dogs) is a festive-fuelled adaptation, bringing the joy of Christmas Eve to life. Directed by Roman Stefanski (Sarah and Duck, UK and International tours), with designs by Kate Bunce (The Smartest Giant in Town, Little Angel Theatre) and original music from Julian Butler (The Snow Queen, Polka), this co-production with Northampton’s Royal & Derngate theatre is the perfect sprinkling of seasonal magic packed full of surprises. It will be first production in Polka’s new Adventure Theatre.
Polka Theatre will reopen to the public from Monday 16th August and offer a range of free activities for young children, including hands-on creativity in the newly planted Wimbledon Foundation Garden and the multi-sensory space, as well as lively and interactive story sessions. It will also host Polka’s Freefalling group, made up of children who face challenging circumstances at home or at school, a Youth Theatre summer school, and research and development sessions with Polka artists.
Continuing to pioneer children’s theatre and creative learning in the UK, Polka aims to use their new building to continue to inspire young audiences, school groups and families in and around the local community and beyond.
Polka’s Artistic Director Peter Glanville comments, The past 18 months have been particularly challenging for children and their families, so we are delighted to be able to reopen Polka, not only with a beautifully redeveloped building, but with a season of new productions designed to create memorable and inspirational experiences.
RED
Directed by Hannah Quigley, designed by Rachana Jadhav
Saturday 25th September – Sunday 31st October 2021
Tickets from £19.50 (previews £15.50)
Suitable for age 6+
The wolves have seized power from Queen Sukotai and Alpha Wolf sits on the throne. What will happen now and where is RED? We urgently need your help to find RED and end this conflict, restoring peace to the land.
Don your wellies and journey through the new building across forests and swampland on an adventure like never before… but be careful not to disturb those sleeping wolves!
Sponsored by HPD Lendscape.
Cinderella: the AWESOME truth
Book by Sarah Punshon, music and lyrics by Felix Hagan, created with Toni-Dee Paul
Friday 12th November 2021 – Sunday 30th January 2022
Tickets from £10
Suitable for age 5+
Think you know the story of Cinderella? Well, let us introduce Cindy and Ella: the REAL ugly sisters. Cindy wants to be rich, famous and is glued to her phone. Ella’s been practising her kick-boxing and just wants to have FUN.
When they meet a Prince who isn’t so charming, and a fairy godmother who’s not what she seems, Ella must save her sister from a terrible fate before midnight strikes. With help from an unusually nutty squirrel (SQUEE!), can brave Ella make it in time?
Co-produced with One Tenth Human, www.onetenthhuman.com.
The Night Before Christmas
Directed by Roman Stefanski, book by Hattie Naylor, music by Julian Butler
Saturday 4th December 2021 – Sunday 16th January 2022
Tickets from £16 (previews £12)
Suitable for age 3+
Amber is six and loves reindeers! It’s Christmas Eve but Grandad is being extremely grumpy, and Amber’s favourite snow-globe gets broken. Then her world is turned topsy turvy by a surprise visitor and Amber begins an adventure she will never forget.
Join Amber on a festive journey like no other – after all, on the night before Christmas, surprises can happen.
Co-produced with Royal and Derngate, Northampton.
LOONEY, ADAM PAULDEN, JASON HAIGH-ELLERY AND RICHARD KLIN FOR DLAP GROUP
SUE GILAD AND LARRY ROGOWSKY
ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE
KEVIN CLIFTON’S
RETURN AS STACEE JAXX
AND FULL CAST LINE-UP
FOR THE 2021 AND 2022 UK TOUR OF
THE AWARD-WINNING SMASH HIT MUSICAL
“ROCK OF AGES”
Following a sell-out tour in 2018/2019, the producers of the smash-hit ROCK OF AGES are delighted to announce the cast and Kevin Clifton’s return in the role of Stacee Jaxx. The tour will open at The Alexandra, Birmingham from 9 September 2021. Full dates and casting can be found at the website www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk.
Kevin Clifton thrilled audiences as Stacee Jaxx on the 2018/2019 ‘Rock of Ages’ UK tour and he is so excited to be back, reprising the role in 2021. Kevin is best known known for being a professional dancer on BBC1’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. In seven years on the show Kevin reached the final, a record five times, winning four glitter balls including the main show Glitterball trophy in 2018 with Stacey Dooley before leaving in 2019. Since then, Kevin has gone on to appear in many other theatre productions including, ‘The Wedding Singer’ and ‘Singin’ in the Rain’.
The producers said today, ‘We are delighted Kevin will be back as Stacee Jaxx, he has wowed us and audiences with his superb singing voice and we can’t wait for him to be part of our exciting show once again. We are also thrilled to welcome back many returning cast members from the last tour and a new rising star Joe Gash who will be playing the iconic role of Lonny. We can’t wait to be back and to give audiences (and fans) the best party night out of the summer’.
The full cast for the ROCK OF AGES tour includes Luke Walsh who first played the lead role of Drew in the 2018/2019 tour, and he is back to reprise the role in 2021. Luke is a singer/songwriter and his theatre credits include ‘Chess’ (Umeda Arts Theatre, Osaka) and ‘Boybands Forever’ (Germany Tour).
Rhiannon Chesterman played Regina on the previous tour and is returning in the role of Sherrie. Rhiannon’s previous theatre credits include UK and Ireland tour of ‘Grease’ and ‘Mrs Henderson Presents’ at Noel Coward Theatre, West End.
Joe Gash will play the iconic role of Lonny. Joe will be making his theatre debut in the role.
Ross Dawes will play Dennis Dupree, his previous West End theatre credits include ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Girl from the North Country’, ’Charlie & the Chocolate Factory’ and ’Shrek the Musical’.
Gabriella Williams will play Regina and her previous credits include Sophie in ‘Mamma Mia!’ in the West End at the Novello Theatre and ‘Carrie; The Musical’ at Southwark Playhouse.
Jenny Fitzpatrick will play Justice. Jenny previously played the alternate Tina Turner in ‘TINA, The Tina Musical’ in London’s West End at the Aldwych theatre.
Vas Constanti, Andrew Carthy, Erin Bell will also be returning in their roles from the 2018/2019 tour as Hertz Klinemann, Franz Klinenmann and Constance. They are also joined by returning cast members Adam Strong and Joshua Dever.
They are joined by Scott Hayward, Sam Turrell, Phoebe Samuel-Gray, Siobhan James, Morgan Scott and Janine Somcio.
The crew is made up of Company Stage Manager Paul Deavin, Deputy Stage Manager Sophie Mason, Assistant Stage Manager/Book Cover Mali-Beth Rose, Technical Stage Manager Toby Lee-White, Chief LX Toby Cartmell, LX2 / Tech Swing Pete Fry, Sound 1 Christopher James, Sound 2 Robert Matthews, Head of Wardrobe Samantha Griggs and Wardrobe Assistant Stefan Stuart.
Returning to the band from the 2018/2019 tour, Musical Director and Keys Liam Holmes, Guitar Marc Le Guerrannic, Bass Guitar Elliot Mason and Drums Vito Guerrieri.
“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.
The full creative team includes Nick Winston (“Chess”, “Mame” and “Cats”) who will Direct and Choreograph the show, Set and Costume design by Morgan Large (“The Woman in White”, “Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat” and “Tell Me On A Sunday”), Lighting Design by Ben Cracknell (“Sunset Boulevard”, “Pantoland at the Palladium”, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”), Sound Design by Ben Harrison (“Mame”, “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Fame”) and Video and Projection design by Duncan McLean (“The Car Man, Nutcracker! and Magic Goes Wrong”). Casting Director is Jim Arnold CDG, Associate Director is Victoria Gimby, Associate Choreographer is Ryan-Lee Seager and Associate Lighting Designer is Chris Vaughan. Costume Supervision by Lee Tassie and Production Management by Phil McCandlish.
HAMPSTEAD THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST FOR TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ INNOVATIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, THE TWO CHARACTER PLAY,DIRECTED BY SAM YATES, 17 JULY – 28 AUGUST 2021
Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce the cast for Tennessee Williams’, The Two Character Play, directed by Sam Yates, from 17 July until 28 August. Yates is making a highly anticipated return to the theatre following his Olivier-nominated production of The Phlebotomist (2019).
Kate O’Flynn and Zubin Varla will perform in this innovative, psychological thriller by one of the world’s great dramatists, which received its world premiere at the theatre in 1967.
Kate O’Flynn will play the role of Clare. O’Flynn was nominated for an Olivier Award (Best Actress in a Supporting Role) in 2017 for her performance in John Tiffany’s critically acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie (Duke of York’s/Edinburgh International Festival). Awards include, Clarence Derwent Award (Best Female in a Supporting Role for The Glass Menagerie); UK Theatre Award (Best Supporting Actress for The Children’s Hour, Manchester Royal Exchange) and Critics’ Circle Award (Most Promising Newcomer for Port, National Theatre). Recent theatre credits include All of it by Alistair McDowall and Anatomy of aSuicide by Alice Birch at The Royal Court. This will be her debut at Hampstead Theatre.
Zubin Varla will play the role of Felice. Varla has worked with Yates previously in his production of Eugene O’Neill’s The El Train alongside Ruth Wilson (Hoxton Hall). He was nominated for an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical) in 2019 for his role in the Tony Award winning Fun Home (Young Vic). Other recent theatre credits include Ghost Quartet (Boulevard Theatre) and Equus (an English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East co-production, which transferred to Trafalgar Studios). Varla will be making his debut at Hampstead Theatre.
Tennessee Williams, one of the foremost playwrights of the twentieth-century, spent over ten years writing the partly autobiographical The Two Character Play and called it ‘the very heart of my life’. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 1967 directed by the theatre’s founding Artistic Director James Roose-Evans.
Sam Yates will direct The Two Character Play making a highly anticipated return to Hampstead Theatre following his Olivier-nominated and critically acclaimed production of The Phlebotomist (2019). Yates’ recent theatre credits include A Separate Peace by Tom Stoppard (online, 2020); Incantata by Pulitzer Prize Winning poet Paul Muldoon (Galway, Dublin, New York, 2018- 2020); Glengarry Glen Ross (2017-2018) starring Christian Slater and The Starry Messenger (2019) starring Matthew Broderick and Elizabeth McGovern (West End).
Designer, Rosanna Vize; lighting designer Lee Curran; sound designer, Dan Balfour; video designer, Akhila Krishnan, movement director, Malik Nashad Sharpe and assistant director, Lizzie Manwaring will complete the creative team for The Two Character Play.
A doctor once told me that we were the bravest people he knew. I said “Why, that’s absurd, my brother and I are terrified of our shadows.” And he said, “Yes, I know, and that’s why I admire your courage so much
Fellow actors, and brother and sister, Felice and Clare have been on tour far too long. Abandoned by the rest of their troupe, all that’s left is each other, an empty stage and an expectant audience. They will have to adapt accordingly and perform the only appropriate work in their repertoire: The Two Character Play…
The Two Character Play will remain as originally sold, with reduced capacity and social distancing, for the duration of its runs should national restrictions be lifted. In the event of it being postponed due to UK Government advice, full refunds or credit vouchers will be offered.
Hampstead Theatre is currently staging Alfred Fagon’s darkly compelling, The Death of a Black Man, directed by Dawn Walton,until 10 July on its Main Stage. Hampstead Downstairs will reopen on Friday 11 June with the world premiere of Raya, a tender new play by Deborah Bruce, running until 24 July. Directed by Roxana Silbert, Raya will be Silbert’s second production at Hampstead Theatre since joining as its Artistic-Director in 2019, following the critically-acclaimed espionage thriller The Haystack by Al Blyth in 2020. The world premiere of Big Big Sky by Tom Wells will follow in Hampstead Downstairs from 30 July until 11 September with direction by Tessa Walker, Hampstead Theatre’s new Associate Director.