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It is officially announced today that Sian Alexander has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Lyric Hammersmith. She will officially take up the role from 5 October 2015.

She succeeds Jessica Hepburn who is leaving the Lyric after nearly a decade as Executive Director to focus on her writing career and who, as her last act for the Lyric is swimming the English Channel to raise money for the theatre’s work with disadvantaged children.

Sian Alexander has been a senior management consultant in the arts for the past five years during which time she has worked with the Nuffield in Southampton, Creative Industry Finance, Tricycle Theatre and the World Stages Consortium among others. From 2012 to 2014 she was Executive Director of the Bush Theatre and prior to that was Associate Director of Julie’s Bicycle from 2010 to 2013 and Head of Theatre in London at Arts Council England for 10 years until 2010. She is Chair of the Trustees for Frantic Assembly together with being on the Boards of Julie’s Bicycle and the Gate Theatre. Sian became a Clore Fellow in 2006.

Sean Holmes, Artistic Director said “I’m delighted Sian Alexander will soon join us as our new Executive Director. 2015 has been monumental for the Lyric with the reopening of the building following its £20 million capital development and the coming years will be a very exciting time. I look forward to working with Sian as we take the Lyric on into its next chapter.”

Sian Alexander said “The Lyric is my local theatre and I’ve been a huge fan of its work for years. It is an honour now to lead the theatre alongside Sean Holmes and to work together to realise the fantastic potential of the Lyric’s new spaces for artists, audiences and young people.”

Details on how to sponsor Jessica Hepburn’s swim across the English Channel can be found on the JustGiving page:www.justgiving.com/Jessica-Hepburn

Tonight marks the 12,000th performance of The Phantom of the Opera on the West End! Congratulations to all who have been involved in any of the 12,000 shows.

http://thephantomoftheopera.com/

BUY TICKETS FOR THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTION AT HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE, LONDON

NOW BOOKING TO SATURDAY 26 March 2016

Performance times

Monday – Saturday evenings 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday matinees 2.30pm

Seat Prices until Saturday 26 September 2015

£67.50, £50, £41, £36, £26, £21
Premium seats: £95 for all performances
All tickets include £1.25  Theatre Restoration Levy.

Seat Prices from Saturday 26 September 2015

Prices: £69.50, £51, £41.50, £36.50, £26.50, £21.50
Premium seats: £95
All tickets include £1.50  Theatre Restoration Levy.

Thursday Matinee Day Seats

A limited number of Day Seats will be available at £25 each from 10am on the day of the performance for Thursday matinees, only in person at the box office.

Please note: On busy Thursday matinee performances there will be a reduced amount of day seats and tickets will only be sold 1 per person.

Concessions:
Access: Top & second price reduced to £31.50
Day seats: Best available reduced to £30 for Thursday matinees only.

General Groups Rate:
10+ best available (top 4 prices) reduced to £42.50 for  Monday – Friday performances & Saturday matinees 

School Group Rate:
10+ best available (top 4 prices) seats reduced to £22.50 for Monday – Thursday performances

Thursday Matinee Saver Group Rate:
10+ best available (top 4 prices) reduced to £28 for Thursday matinees only

The Phantom of the Opera Workshop (10+):£7.50 – The Phantom’s Lair (10+): £4.00
Following the Thursday matinee performance students can view the fascinating stage set-up of The Phantom of The Opera and take part in a question and answer session with a company or crew member. Can be booked via the DMT Education unit.

Group rates not available during August.

Prices quoted are for tickets booked in person at the theatre Box Office. These prices will be subject to a booking fee if booked online or elsewhere.

Her Majesty’s Theatre

Haymarket,

London SW1Y 4QL

Underground: Piccadilly Circus

Buses: 3,6,12,13,15,88,94,139,159,453

Car Park: Whitcomb Street

 

BYE BYE BIRDIE Music by Charles Strouse Lyrics by Lee Adams Book by Michael Stewart First presented on Broadway in 1960 (for 607 performances) it was a Tony Award winning success, winning the award for Best Musical. It spawned a London Production, was made into a Major Motion Picture, a TV adaptation and most recently a Broadway Revival in 2009.  Written by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams it is the first Musical to feature Rock n Roll music in its score. BYE BYE BIRDIE is the story of Rock Star Conrad Birdie who is the biggest artist to top the charts. Women love him, men want to be him and teenage girls around the country scream with glee at the mere mention of his name. But when the United States Army drafts Birdie, manager Albert Peterson sees his meal ticket preparing to fly the coop, much to the delight of longtime love Rose Alvarez, who can’t wait for Albert to ditch the music business and become an English teacher. Desperate for a publicity stunt big enough to help them survive Birdie’s departure, Albert and Rose hatch a plan: send Conrad to small-town America to plant his goodbye kiss on one lucky fan for the entire world to see. Their selection of super fan Kim Macafee sends the wholesome enclave of Sweet Apple, Ohio into chaos. Kim’s boyfriend Hugo can’t take the humiliation of his girlfriends televised lip-lock. Rose can’t take another minute of Albert’s distracted ways. And Sweet Apple can’t take its teens riotous rebellion, inspired by the arrival of bad boy Birdie. Will Sweet Apple ever be the same?

LISTINGS INFORMATION Venue: Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe Street, London, E17 4SA Closest Tube/National Rail: Walthamstow Central, Victoria Line. (5 mins walk) Dates: 11th August – 4th September Times: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm; Sunday at 3.00pm; No performances on Mondays Price: £18.00/ £16.00 Concessions Box Office: 020 8520 8674/ www.allstarproductions.ticketsource.co.uk Director: James Hume Choreographer: Anthony Whiteman Musical Director: Aaron Clingham Casting: Benjamin Newsome Producer: Andrew Yon Website: www.allstarproductions.co.uk Twitter: @birdiemusical Other: Presented by arrangement with Tams Witmark Music Library Inc.

 

Global clothing brand Barbour has offered a substantial donation to Newcastle Theatre Royal to help subsidise its revolutionary actor training programme Project A.

 

The Barbour Foundation, the charitable arm of the North East-based fashion heavyweight, is backing the Theatre’s pioneering project to create a new generation of professional actors in the region.

 

Project A is the first course of its kind in the North East of England dedicated to actor training and will offer practical and theoretical training to young aspiring actors aged 18-25 years old who are looking to make a serious career as an actor.

 

The Barbour Foundation is known for its generous support for cultural organisations in Newcastle and across the wider North East, and Dame Margaret Barbour said: “It gives me great pleasure to assist the Theatre Royal in establishing its innovative and exciting Foundation Course for young people who wish to embark on a theatrical career, whether it be in acting or management.  I wish the Theatre Royal every possible success.”

 

The course, which will be offered completely free of charge for its inaugural year, will be run over three terms in an academic year and will include vocal, physical and performance skills training as well as specialist training including Meisner technique, improvisation, acting for screen and stage combat.  These areas will be developed alongside the students’ continuous training in character development and text analysis. The training will be provided by a selection of leading UK professionals.

 

A proportion of the Barbour donation will also be applied to the expansion of the Theatre’s Learning Department, which is going from strength to strength following a major reinvention over the past couple of years and the soaring popularity of its formal education work and public programmes.

 

Theatre Royal Chief Executive Philip Bernays, said: “We are extremely grateful to Dame Margaret and the Foundation for their generous support and also very proud of our longstanding association with Barbour, one of the most important and influential fashion brands in the world.

 

“We are very excited that this generosity will bring Project A to life as we know there is both need and demand for a course like this and it has real potential for growth in the future.  Our talented young people shouldn’t have to leave the region to get access to the best professionals.  This is hugely significant for us and the North East region as a whole, and we are delighted to be leading the way.”

 

After auditions in July which attracted over 160 applicants, the sixteen successful candidates for Project A have been chosen and the course will commence in September.

SHEFFIELD THEATRES APPOINT ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

Sheffield Theatres has today announced that Caroline Dyott will be joining its Senior Management Team this month in the newly created role of Associate Producer.

Caroline will lead the Production department working closely with Chief Executive Dan Bates and Artistic DirectorDaniel Evans to explore, develop and fully realise the potential of Sheffield Theatres’ productions.

Over the last three years Sheffield Theatres has won several major awards recognising the quality of the work on its stages, including Regional Theatre of the Year for two consecutive years. It has created and toured several productions including, in the last twelve months, Twelfth Night, The Absence of War, Anything Goes and This Is My Family. This strategic role will see Caroline lead the Production department, develop relationships with producers and theatre companies and oversee the planning and scheduling of the work to support the company’s ongoing resilience and sustainability.

Caroline will take up her role from Monday 17 August. She joins the company from English Touring Theatre, where she has worked since 2012. Previously, her work as a freelance producer includes Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun in 2012 and The Man in 2011.  She also sits on the advisory board of interactive theatre company non zero one.

Chief Executive Dan Bates commented: ‘I am delighted to welcome Caroline to Sheffield Theatres in this new role. Caroline’s appointment offers us the opportunity to develop new relationships with producing partners and ensure that we maximise the potential of all of our shows. Her extensive experience will enable us to embark on a range of exciting new creative projects, with a view to further developing our productivity and ultimately enhancing our success.’

Caroline Dyott commented:  ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Sheffield Theatres.  Having seen many brilliant shows here and enjoyed working with the team on several co-productions, I’m really looking forward to being part of the great work which comes out of the organisation.’

Caroline joins Sheffield Theatres at the beginning of the autumn season, which includes a new production of Romeo & Juliet (Thu 17 Sep – Sat 17 Oct) directed by Jonathan Humphreys, with Freddie Fox and Morfydd Clark in title roles.  In the Studio, Deborah’s Bruce’s sharply funny play The Distance has its regional première (Thu 29 Oct – Sat 14 Nov) and at Christmas, Daniel Evans is joined by a stellar team to direct a lavish new production of the epic American musical Show Boat (Thu 10 Dec – Sat 16 Jan).

 

SUMMER FAMILY FUN AT SHEFFIELD LYCEUM

Enjoy fun with all the family at the Lyceum Theatre this holiday with Disney favourites Anna, Elsa and Olaf in Sing-a-Long-a Frozen (Fri 21 – Sat 22 August).

Following sell out performances earlier in the year, Sing-a-Long-a Frozen returns to the Lyceum by popular demand from Friday 21 – Saturday 22 August. Introduced by a live host, audiences will each receive a free prop bag, warm up their singing voices and learn some impressive dance moves with the help of some very special princesses, ahead of a fun-packed interactive screening, complete with on-screen lyrics of Disney’s most popular film ever.  Dress up, sit back and ‘Let It Go’!

Sheffield Theatres’ café bar Crucible Corner will also be welcoming families during this period.   From 1.00pm each day, they will be offering exclusive meal deals (one free children’s meal with every adult main meal), fun party games, face painting and the chance to get creative in their ‘Craft Corner’. Any children who have chosen to dress for the occasion will also be able to take part in a grand prince and princesses parade to show off their costumes.

Sing-a-Long-a Frozen comes to the Lyceum Theatre from Friday 21 – Saturday 22 August. Tickets are priced: Adults £15.50, Children £10.50 (Family tickets also available)  and can be purchased by calling the Box Office on 0114 249 6000 or by visiting sheffieldtheatres.co.uk (a transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office, excluding cash).

To book a table at Crucible Corner, call 0114 273 8255

Sheffield Theatres Listings:

Crucible Lyceum Studio 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA             
Box Office 0114 249 6000 – Mon – Sat 10.00am to 8.00pm
A transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office (excluding cash).
On non-performance days the Box Office closes at 6.00pm.
sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Twitter: @crucibletheatre @SheffieldLyceum

Sing-a-Long-a Frozen

Fri 21– Sat 22 August

Fri 11.00am & 3.00pm

Sat 10.30am & 2.30pm

Adults £15.50 Children £10.50

Family Ticket £48 (2 adults & 2 children), Family Ticket £33 (1 adult, 2 children)

Volta International Festival presents:
Four playwrights. Four directors. Four ground-breaking new plays.

For its first year Volta International Festival has carefully selected four award-winning writers from across the world to present four new plays, translated into English for the first time. Staged at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney, the plays will be directed by four award-winning UK based directors.

The writers are Austrian playwright Ewald Palmetshofer, American playwright Christopher Chen, Swedish playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri and German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig. The programme will also feature two staged readings by Guillermo Calderon (Chile) and Milo Rao (Switzerland), which will take place in Studio 2 every Saturday at 2pm and 4pm.

Artistic Director Andrea Ferran said: “I’m delighted to present these new plays from across the world that have most challenged and provoked us. Individually, these plays look at themes of persecution, power and abuse; guilt, memory and reconciliation. Together, they explore the challenges and responsibilities we encounter as international citizens, reflecting on how we choose to live in a diverse, cosmopolitan world.”

The cast includes: Amber Aga, Stuart Bowman, Elizabeth Chan, Nicky Goldie, Jack Gordon, Siubhan Harrison, Nabil Elouahabi, Eugene O’Hare, Kathryn O’Reilly, Richard Pryal, Rachid Sabitri, Kevin Shen and Ony Uhiara.

Hamlet is Dead. No Gravity by Ewald Palmetshofer
2 – 12 September Studio 1, 7pm (no performances 6 – 7 September)
Something’s rotten in Mani and Dani’s childhood home.  Bine and Oli got married, but did they make the right choice? Kurt has a secret, and his wife Caro knows it.  Hannes is dead, but who pulled the trigger? With cruel comedy, past recriminations and sensational revelations, Ewald Palmetshofer presents a dark vision of a family in crisis.

Caught by Christopher Chen
2 – 12 September Studio 2, 9.30pm (no performances 6 – 7 and 13 – 14 September)
15 – 19 September Studio 2, 9.00pm
Chinese artist Lin Bo’s harrowing story of imprisonment has the world standing to attention. His fame, however, is short-lived, as an American publisher begins to question the authenticity of his story. Is he telling the truth or has he been caught? Accusations fly as Christopher Chen’s inventive new play exposes the thin line between fact and fiction, where it is often difficult to tell the difference between the con artist and the conned.

I Call My Brothers by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
2 – 12 September Studio 2, 7.30pm (no performances 6 – 7 and 13 – 14 September)
15 – 19 September Studio 2, 7.00pm
A car has exploded. A city has been crippled by fear. Amor wanders the city, doing his best to blend in. He must not attract any suspicious glances. But what is normal behaviour? And who is a potential perpetrator? Over twenty-four hours, Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s explosive play explores where the lines between criminal and victim, where fantasy and reality, blur.

Ant Street by Roland Schimmelpfennig
2 – 12 September Studio 1, 9pm (no performances 6 – 7 September)
A snowstorm in a heatwave.  A mysterious package delivered forty-two years late. A young man who speaks the poetry of the Gods. And a girl who can fly. Something strange is happening in Havana. Roland Schimmelpfennig’s Cuban fantasia imagines a family gripped by a miracle and a neighbourhood seduced by dreams of the past.

www.arcolatheatre.com
Twitter: @VOLTAFestival
Facebook: /voltaplayfestival

Waving Goodbye – A brand new play by Andrew Shakeshaft. Presented by Tree Shadow Theatre Productions in association with Swan Club.

Premiere at THE PHOENIX ARTIST CLUB at 6pm on the 22nd August 2015 as part of the Camden Fringe

Waving Goodbye; Burkha or jeggings? Twisting fast-paced black comedy.
Waving Goodbye is an emotionally charged black comedy which asks fundamental questions about existence and our relationships with each other.

“All those people who died young; you’ve got their life, you’ve got the chances they never had and what are you doing with it?”

Tree Shadow Theatre put out a call for new, contemporary scripts that didn’t fight shy of exploring big issues and what it is to be a young woman in today’s world. This two-hander comedy was the outright winner. Directed by Anita Parry (What Would Helen Mirren Do?)

Cast: Louisa Wilde and Lucy Theobald
Playwright: Andrew Shakeshaft
Tickets are £8 with £6 concessions.
The Pheonix Artist Club is underneath The Phoenix Theatre on the Charing Cross Road.
Running from 22nd to the 27th August daily
22nd at 6pm. All other performances at 7pm
Running time 45minutes
website: www.treeshadow.co.uk

When the actor Benedict Cumberbatch met with fans — and the glare of flash from their cameras — after a weekend performance of “Hamlet” at the Barbican Theatre in London, he had a message to send.

He told them that while he doesn’t use social media, he would be very happy if they did, just not during his performance.

“Can I ask you all a huge favour?” the actor said to fans gathered outside the stage door. “All of this, all these cameras, all these phones,” he said pleadingly, his voice trailing off. “What I really want to do is try to enlist you.”

“I can see cameras, I can see red lights in the auditorium. And it may not be any of you here that did that but it’s blindingly obvious, like that one there, that little red light,” he said, pointing into the crowd.

He referred to a disruption during that night’s performance in which he had to stop and then resume his delivery of the soliloquy beginning “To be or not to be,” which he noted was not the easiest place to have to restart.  Cumberbatch said he could see a “little red light” near the third row during the performance. “It’s mortifying,” he said. There is “nothing less supportive or enjoyable.”

“And I can’t give you what I want to give you, which is a live performance that you will remember hopefully in your minds and brains, whether it is good, bad or indifferent, rather than on your phones.”

It was reported that Cumberbatch’s performance was halted because of a technical problem.

The actor said there would be strict rules in place on Monday, with devices that will detect audience members using their phones and cameras during the show and lead to their eviction. “I don’t want that to happen; that’s a horrible way to have to police what is a wonderful thing.”

“So this isn’t me blaming you, this is just me asking you to just ripple it out there,” he said, “with your funny electronic things.”

Cumberbatch has spoken out previously on the topic. At a “Letters Live” performance at the Freemasons’ Hall in April, he stopped his reading to ask people in the audience to stop taking pictures with their phones.

He was adding his plaint to those of a number of actors who have tried to address the scourge of cellphone use during performances — often less eloquently.

During a recent matinee, Patti LuPone’s “Shows for Days” was interrupted four times by phones. At another performance last month, she left the stage at the end of a scene and took a phone from a woman who had been texting, making Ms. LuPone a viglante heroine to those frustrated by breaches of theatre etiquette.

In 2009, she stopped a performance of “Gypsy” to berate someone who was taking photographs. The same year,  Hugh Jackman told an audience member, “We can wait” when the person’s phone rang during a performance of “A Steady Rain.”

At London’s Old Vic in 2014, the American actor Kevin Spacey told an audience member whose phone was ringing during a performance,  ” If you don’t answer that, I will, “

For ongoing ticket availability please check the Barbican website at hamlet.barbican.org.uk

This production is being broadcast LIVE – broadcast to cinemas around the world on Thursday 15th October 2015 as part of National Theatre Live. http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/

 

Hamlet
Directed by Lyndsey Turner
starring Benedict Cumberbatch
5th August to 31st October 2015