Author: FairyPoweredProductions

A new musical production written by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, executive producers of the ever popular US sitcom Friends, will tour the UK next month.

Rapunzel, produced by Immersion Theatre, will receive its UK premiere from February and features music by Michael Skloff who penned the sitcom’s theme song “I’ll Be There For You”.

The tour kicks off in Cirencester on 7 February, before heading to Greenwich Theatre as part of its half term programme.

Rapunzel will also visit Shrewsbury, Bury St. Edmunds, Henley-on-Thames, Tiverton, Evesham, Chesham, Cardiff, Dorset, Rutland, Didcot, Oswaldtwistle, Pitlochry, Dunfermline, Epsom, Loughborough, Kettering, Cromer, Maidstone, Barking, Harrow, Stamford, Abertillery, Swindon, Knowsley, Clacton-on-Sea, Stourport and Taunton before finishing the tour in Camberley on 17 April.

The half term programme at Greenwich will also see the return of award-winning theatre company Tortoise in a Nutshell who present The Lost Things, and an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling by Thingumajig Theatre.

Further casting has been announced for the RSC’s productions of Cymbeline and King Lear.

Gillian Bevan, known for Channel 4’s comedy Teachers will play the British ruler Cymbeline. Bevan will be the first woman to play the role for the RSC. Melly Still’s production will see many of Cymbeline’s male characters played by women.

As well as Bevan, Doreene Blackstock will play Cornelius, Natalie Simpson will play Guiderius and Kelly Williams will play Pisanio.

Bethan Cullinane will play Innogen and Hiran Abeysekera will play Posthumus. Oliver Johnstone will play Iachimo.

As well as Cymbeline, cast joining Antony Sher in King Lear have also been announced. David Toughton will play Gloucester. Natalie Simpson – who played Juliet in the Young Vic’s recent Measure for Measure – will make her RSC debut as Cordelia. Antony Byrne and Nia Gwynne will play Kent and Goneril.

Paapa Essiedu, who will play Hamlet for the RSC earlier in the year, will also star inKing Lear as Edmund.

Cymbeline runs from 29 April to 12 August. King Lear runs from 20 August to 15 October.

Celebrate the best new theatre from the North East
and beyond in an unmissable weeklong event
at Live Theatre

Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 February 2016
Live Lab Elevator
Presented as part of Live Theatre’s Live Lab programme

From Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 February celebrate the best new theatre from the North East and beyond with Live Lab Elevator an unmissable weeklong event at Live Theatre.

Specially curated to bring you the most exciting voices from the theatre world, four original productions are put alongside a host of events including workshops, discussions and the 2016 Live Lab Launch Party.

As Live Theatre’s Creative Producer Graeme Thompson explains:

‘This new Live Lab event is an opportunity to platform new theatre and engage with artists on a much larger scale then we have before. As part of Elevator we are presenting four outstanding must see productions alongside discussions and workshops hosted by leading UK industry professionals. We hope this will become an annual destination event shining a light on the fantastic work being created within this region and beyond.’

On Wednesday 10 and Friday 12 February a Double Bill of plays will be presented in Live Theatre’s Main Theatre. TheDouble Bill includes the return of Live Lab’s 2015 sell out show Red is the New Blue created by Live Lab Associate Artists Rowan McCabe, Matt Miller and Matilda Neill.

Set in 2029 Red is the New Blue follows the antics of three ordinary people who are sent to Mars for a reality TV show like no other. Alone and abandoned in space it doesn’t take long before the cracks begin to show as the crew become more isolated than anyone ever has before. This revised version of the show includes new film, music, spoken word and a bold new set created by local set designer Luke W. Robson.

The Double Bill also features a heart-achingly funny one woman show by Jenny Lee about the inescapable role technology plays in our lives called Heartbeats and Algorithms. This timely show was a hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and explores the seductive and inescapable world of information and the impact computers have on people’s lives. Jenny is also currently a member of Live Theatre’s online playwriting course www.beaplaywright.com.

On Thursday 11 February a Work-In-Progress Double Bill of fanSHEN’s new show Lists for the End of the World and Amy Golding’s latest show preggers will be presented in Live Theatre’s Main Theatre.

Remade for each location List for the End of the World explores what lives look like when they are broken down into lists. Using material contributed by people who live locally, Lists… is a show in which the ordinary and the extraordinary, the profound and the ridiculous sit playfully side by side. fanSHEN were the winners of the Live Lab and The Empty Space Bursary in 2015.

As fanSHEN’s Creative Director Rachel Briscoe explains:

‘Lists for the End of the World will be a show entirely made up of anonymously      sourced lists, offering audiences a sideways perspective on how we choose to live and what’s important. Within it (we hope!) the ordinary and the extraordinary, the profound and the ridiculous will sit playfully side by side. We’re remaking the show for each new location using material contributed by people who live locally… so we’re making a bespoke version for Live Lab Elevator with lists that we’ll source in Newcastle.’

On the same evening as Lists… a work-in-progress of Amy Golding’s latest show preggers will be presented. Written and performed by Amy, and directed by Laura Lindow and Rachel Glover, preggers is about what it means to become a mother now and what it meant for women of previous generations. Playful and political, the show explores the central and universal themes of motherhood and family.

In addition to the double bills there are a whole host of additional events and workshops curated as part of Live Lab Elevator. fanSHEN are kicking things off on Tuesday 9 February at 2pm with a Devised Theatre Workshop in which they will explore the different processes of creating devised theatre with participants. The workshop is free and is suitable for budding theatre makers and professionals (14+).

Also on Tuesday 9 February is a free Playwriting in the North panel discussion, hosted by Live Theatre’s Literary ManagerGez Casey, in the Main Theatre at 7.30pm. Participants will join a panel of industry professional from across the North as they discuss the opportunities for writers in the North and the best way for playwrights to get their work recognised. The panel includes Laura Lomas (who is currently the Channel 4 Playwright in Residence at Clean Break Theatre Company), playwright and Game of Thrones actor Luke Barnes (who wrote Beats North in 2013 for Newcastle based theatre company Curious Monkey), Alex Chisholm (Co-Artistic Director of Freedom Studios in Bradford and former Literary Manager at West Yorkshire Playhouse) and writer, director and dramaturg Janys Chambers (Literary Associate at Bolton Octagon).

From 1pm on Saturday 13 February two of the UK’s leading theatre directors, Rachel O’Riorden (Artistic Director of the Sherman Theatre) and Joe Murphy (who directed Live Theatre’s 2014 production of Incognito and who is the Artistic Director of nabokov), present a Director’s Masterclass for budding theatre directors. In this session participants will explore how a director works with text, forms ideas and translates those concepts onto the stage. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn the secrets of bringing new plays to life. Rachel and Joe will be joined later by Live Theatre’s Artistic Director Max Roberts in a question and answer session about their work processes.

To celebrate Live Lab Elevator and the 2016 Live Lab programme the week will culminate with the Live Lab 2016 Launch Partyon Saturday 13 February at 7.30pm. The event will include bite-sized performances and the announcement of the next Live Lab Associate Artists. Plus, details about the Live Lab 2016 Bursary will be shared. It will be a chance for writers, theatre makers and audiences to informally share ideas about Live Lab and theatre in the North East. It will be followed by a lively party in Live Theatre’s Atrium Bar and Undercroft. Be the first to see this brand new work and be part of the conversation that shapes its future.

Tickets for Live Lab Elevator cost £10 – £8 full price or £10-£6 for concessions. To book tickets and to find out more visit www.live.org.uk or contact Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232.

Northern Broadsides at its comedy best

Director Barrie Rutter
Designer Lis Evans
Lighting Designer Adam Foley
Musical Director Conrad Nelson

In fact, to describe The Merry Wives as ‘funny’ would be a massive understatement, even for a Yorkshire-man.

Set in the 1920s and relocated to a posh Yorkshire country club, this ‘Merry Wives’
boasts a distinctively sporting theme – where the ‘anyone for tennis’ and ‘jolly hockey sticks’ toffs prance around pretentiously whilst the wily ladies-who-lunch exact a spirited revenge on the lascivious and not-upwardly-mobile Falstaff (played, with relish, by Barrie Rutter).

Book your tickets now to enjoy Broadsides’ latest production of The Merry Wives, performed , and directed by the inimitable Barrie Rutter and supported by a large and spirited cast of fifteen actors.

The Merry Wives  is a co-production with the New Vic and opens at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme from 5^th February and tours the UK until 28^th May.

We look forward to welcoming you at one of the twelve venues on our spring tour.

Following rave reviews for its previous run at several London venues in November and December 2015, The Princess Monologues are coming for one-night-only to The Hen & Chickens Theatre on 22nd January 2016:

Goblin Baby Theatre Co. presents

The Princess Monologues

What does it even mean to be a Princess in the 21st Century?

Directed by Tessa Hart – Performed by Eleanor Dillon-Reams

​Featuring monologues by Claire Booker, Amy Bethan Evans, Tessa Hart, Simon Jay, Tina Jay, Tilly Lunken & Eliza Power

Assistant Director: Grace Taylor – Supporting Designer: Alisa James

Friday 22nd January at 7.30pm at The Hen in Chickens Theatre

109 St Paul’s Road, N1 2NA, Islington, London

For centuries we’ve been obsessed with the concept of being a ‘Princess’ whilst teaching generations of young girls that they should aspire to become one. The Princess Monologues question what it actually means to be a ‘Princess’ in the 21st century and whether it is really that desirable… ​

★★★★★ ‘A must-see for everyone!’ – 5 stars, RemoteGoat
‘brave and relevant theatre’ – London Pub Theatres
“This show deserves to go far.’ – Angela Clarke
★★★★ ‘a rewarding experience’ – 4 stars, LondonTheatre1
★★★★ ‘a fantastic show’ – 4 stars Female Arts

#Shame by Eliza Power

Gretchen is 27 today. Exactly one day too old to be a Disneyland Princess. As career wilderness approaches, she must finally drop her glittery guise and confront the past she’s been hiding from.

Princess Frankenstein by Claire Booker

Medical student, Frankie, is a genius in the lab, but her love life stinks. Then she gets the Big Idea. Can she surgically create the perfect man?

Hail Your Majesty by Tessa Hart

A real-life Princess. In the 21st Century. Born into one of the richest Royal Families in the World. She has it ‘all’… Except her own voice.

Just a Girl by Tina Jay

Sarina isn’t a real princess – she never wanted to be – but given titles are hard to escape from. As are the towers of imprisonment that an unwanted label can bring.

Dynamite II by Tilly Lunken

Diana Might didn’t make it to her last performance and so it’s left to her sister Emma to share what she wrote.

Home Made Princess by Simon Jay

A Princess’ life is laid out for her – It can be a curse for some but for others it can be a liberation; for this Princess it’s her only escape from a grim reality.

Mr Andersen’s Princess by Amy Bethan Evans

Princess Alexandra of Denmark was Princess of Wales for many years and as a child was told the original story of the princess of the sea; a tale that may not be as absurd to her as she claims…..

Tickets: £9

www.goblinbaby.com/princess

www.unrestrictedview.co.uk/the-princess-monologues

Shakespeare Peckham presents:

Sir Timothy O’Shea, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, is delighted to announce the appointment of Shona McCarthy as Chief Executive.

Shona was Chief Executive of the Culture Company, which was responsible for leading on Derry-Londonderry’s year as the inaugural UK City of Culture. She was Chief Executive at Imagine Belfast 2008, Chief Executive of Cinemagic, the international film festival for young people, and Director of the Foyle Film Festival. More recently she’s been working internationally as a freelance cultural consultant and from 2009 to 2011 she was Director of the British Council Northern Ireland. Shona was a recipient of a NESTA cultural leadership award and was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship for Innovation 2014. She will take up the post in early March.

The Chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Sir Timothy O’Shea, said:

“I am delighted Shona will be joining the team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; she brings with her an exceptional resume of experience in the cultural sector and is an experienced and successful chief executive.

“The Fringe Society’s role is to support and nurture the Fringe – the world’s largest and best arts festival – a festival which has seen continual growth for a number of years. In response to that, and under Kath Mainland’s leadership, the Fringe Society has expanded its services for both participants and audiences. As the Fringe approaches its 70^th anniversary year, I have no doubt Shona will provide the vision and leadership to continue and further develop the work the Society does, supporting the Fringe’s reputation as a world leading arts festival.”

Shona McCarthy said of her appointment: “I am thrilled to be appointed Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, an organisation I have long admired. I have spent 25 years working in the cultural sector and have seen up close and personal the transformative power that art can have on people, on cities and on wellbeing. I passionately believe in personal and collective creativity as a force for good in a turbulent world.

“I have visited Edinburgh and the Fringe on many occasions and there is no better outlet for creative expression than the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the greatest open access arts festival in the world, and I can’t wait to work with and support all those who make up such a wonderful festival.  

“Kath Mainland has done a terrific job and there is a brilliant team already in place, I look forward to joining them.”

Auditions being held February for 2016 Stage Experience: OKLAHOMA!

The Grand Opera House York announces their 2016 Stage Experience OKLAHOMA!  Auditions will be held on Sunday 28 February at 9am at the theatre.

Stage Experience is an intensive two week project for ten to 21 year olds, who will be directed by professional director and choreographer Louise Denison, who will be joined by the musical director Adam Laird.

The project will run from Saturday 23 July, culminating in four performances from Thursday 4 to Saturday 1 August. As well as budding actors, Stage Experience welcomes young and aspiring theatre technicians, who will work with the professional team on sound, lighting, set, props and costumes.

Stage Experience this year is going back to America, and for the first time in the history of the Grand Opera House we are presenting ‘Oklahoma!’.

“The first show ever written by the Rodgers and Hammerstein team guarantees to be another blockbuster for our stage experience team, and has something for everyone – a good story, big songs, catchy tunes, dance routines, and love interests – all of which will showcase the enormous wealth of talent in our cast and crew”.  Clare O’Connor, Producer.

Be sure not to be miss what has been billed as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most innovative show – on for 3 days only!.

Applicants can get the application form from box office or by contacting Stage Experience producer Clare O’Connor on 01904 678702 or email [email protected] .  Please note that should you be successful there will be a fee to take part in the project.

AMERICAN CLASSIC A RAISIN IN THE SUN OPENS UK TOUR IN THE STUDIO

Ground-breaking American play A Raisin in the Sun begins its UK tour in the Studio Theatre from Thursday 28 January to Saturday 13 February.  A co-production between Sheffield Theatres, Sheffield-based Eclipse Theatre Company and Belgrade Coventry, the play, written by Lorraine Hansberry on the cusp of the civil rights era, tackles issues of injustice, discrimination and family tensions.

The powerful drama centres on the Youngers who are awaiting the arrival of a cheque for a life changing $10,000. Driven to conflict as they encounter issues of inequality, housing and lack of opportunity that continue to resonate today, the play acts as a stark warning to anyone who measures happiness and personal worth in capital gain.

Ashley Zhangazha plays Walter Lee Younger, one of the great roles of American theatre. Widely regarded as one to watch following performances in Henry V for the Michael Grandage Company and alongside Lenny Henry in Fences in the West End, Ashley won the 2013 Ian Charleson Award for his performance in Macbeth at the Crucible. He will be joined by Angela Wynter as Mama, well-known to audiences for her many TV roles including Yolande Trueman in EastEnders. Completing the company are Alisha Bailey (Lewis, Doctor Who) as Ruth Younger, Aron Julius (Puppy Love) as Joseph Asagia/George Murchison, Mike Burnside as Karl Lindner, Everal A Walsh as Bob andSusan Wokoma (Chewing Gum) as Beneathea Younger.

Following its debut on Broadway in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry adapted her play into a critically-acclaimed film starring Sidney Poitier as Walter. Testament to its continuing power and relevance, A Raisin in the Sun has been revived numerous times in the intervening years and this production provides a timely re-evaluation of her work as one of the most significant American playwrights of the period.

Tickets for A Raisin in the Sun can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £12.00 (Concessions, school and group discounts available).  A transaction fee of £1.50 (£1.00 online) applies to all bookings made at the Box Office (excluding cash).

BAD JEWS

BACK IN THE WEST END FOR JUST SIX WEEKS

Theatre Royal Haymarket                            Monday 8^th February – Saturday 19^th March

★★★★

Time Out, Telegraph, Independent, Financial Times, Evening Standard, Sunday Times

Due to popular demand, Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Kenny Wax and Theatre Royal Haymarket Productions are delighted to announce the return of Joshua Harmon’s BAD JEWS to the West End, at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket. The critically-acclaimed production will run from 8^thFebruary until 19^th March 2016, following sell out runs at Ustinov Studio, Bath, St James Theatre and The Arts Theatre, London.

“Superb performances, under Michael Longhurst’s direction, make this a gripping production”  The Observer

A beloved grandfather — and Holocaust survivor — has died, and a treasured family heirloom with religious significance is up for grabs. But who is most deserving of it? Bossy, overbearing, fanatically religious Daphna? Her wealthy cousin Liam, who’s just returned from skiing with his non-Jewish girlfriend Melody? Or Jonah, his brother, who would prefer not to get involved in the fight? A cramped Manhattan apartment becomes the setting for a viciously hilarious brawl over family, faith and legacy as the contenders set at each other’s throats on the night after the funeral.

“Blisteringly funny…”  Sunday Times

The cast features Ilan Goodman reprising his role of Liam and new cast members, Ailsa Joy as Daphna, Antonia Kinlay as Melody and Jos Slovick as Jonah.

 “Ferociously clever… a visceral thrill”  Evening Standard

Ilan Goodman’s theatre credits include Intimate Apparel (Theatre Royal Bath/The Park Theatre London), Shiver (Watford Palace Theatre), Paper Dolls (Tricycle Theatre), Red Light Winter (Theatre Royal Bath), Tartuffe (ETT), Chicken Soup With Barley (Royal Court); Danton’s Death (National Theatre), Six Degrees Of Separation (Old Vic), Breaking The Silence and All Quiet On The Western Front (Nottingham Playhouse), Little Wolf’s Book of Badness (Hampstead Theatre), Dorian Gray(Leicester Sq Theatre), The Glass Menagerie (New Wolsey Ipswich), and Border (Old Vic).

Feature films include ‘The Imitation Game’, ‘A Long Way Down’, ‘Diana’, ‘That Woman’, ‘The Echelon Conspiracy’ and television includes ‘Call the Midwife’, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ and ‘Lost Cosmonauts’ and ‘Broadside’.

Ailsa Joy trained at RADA. Her theatre credits include: TimePlays (Hampton Court Palace), Berenice(The Space), The Wind in the Willows (Polka Theatre), Fast Track, Cake, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Peer Gynt (The North Wall), Much Ado about Nothing, The Arabian Nights, Pride and Prejudice (Drill Hall), The Crucible (Oxford Playhouse), The Siren’s Call, Mira Mira (Watermill Theatre), Seeing Things (Shakespeare Week).

Antonia Kinlay trained at RADA. Her theatre credits include Lady Anna: All at Sea (The Park Theatre);The Three Lions (St James Theatre & tour); A History of Falling Things (New Vic Theatre); Arms and the Man  (Theatre Clwyd); Mr Whatnot  (Northampton Royal Theatre); As You Like It (Theatre Clwyd); When did you last see my Mother? (Trafalgar Studios); Carrot (Theatre 503); Moliere(National Theatre Studio / Finborough); The Eternal Not (National Theatre); Arden of Faversham (The Globe).

Jos Slovick’s theatre credits include The Snow Queen (Nuffield Theatre), Once -The Musical (Dublin and West End), Lost in Yonkers (Watford Palace), The Secret Garden (Edinburgh Festival Theatre), The Human Comedy (The Young Vic & Watford Palace Theatre), Love Story (Chichester Festival), Spring Awakening (West End & Lyric Hammersmith) and Stiles & Drewe’s Soho Cinders. His film credits include ‘The Addicted’ and ‘Les Miserables’.

Director Michael Longhurst’s previous productions include Nick Payne’s Constellations at The Royal Court Theatre and New York and Adam Brace’s Stovepipe. He is an Associate Director of the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton and is also a recipient of the Jerwood Director’s Award at the Young Vic (Dirty Butterfly) and a Fringe First (Guardians).

Playwright Joshua Harmon’s other work includes Significant Other, A Boy Named Alice, Love in the Time of Channukah, Princess Bubonic and Terese Raquin.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Venue:                Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4HT

Dates:                 Monday 8^th February – Saturday 19^th March

Times:                 Monday- Saturday, 8pm; Thursday and Saturday Matinees, 3pm

Tickets:              £15 – £49.50

Box Office:       020 7930 8800/ www.trh.co.uk