Author: FairyPoweredProductions

New cast and UK tour dates announced for
Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks’
What the Ladybird Heard
West End: 15th July – 29th August 2021
Autumn Tour: 16th September – 4th December 2021

The much-loved stage adaptation of What the Ladybird Heard, from bestselling children’s author Julia Donaldson and award-winning illustrator Lydia Monks, will continue to entertain families around the country this Autumn with newly announced tour dates, from 16th September to 4th December. The tour will kick off at Birmingham Hippodrome following the highly anticipated West End season at The Palace Theatre this summer, welcoming family friendly live entertainment back to theatres.

Bringing the farmyard to life will be Nikita Johal (Spring Awakening, Hope Mill), Roddy Lynch (A Christmas Carol, Theatre Royal Bath), James Mateo-Salt (The Pirate Queen, London Coliseum), Matthew McPherson (The Jolly Christmas Postman, Oxford Playhouse), and Abigail Middleton (Pig, Royal Court Theatre Liverpool). Showcasing live instrumental music, original songs, puppetry and rhymes galore this exciting adaptation is a treat for the whole family

Author Julia Donaldson comments, It’s fantastic to see one of my most-loved children’s books, What the Ladybird Heard, returning to the stage, both in the West End and around the UK! After such a hard year it’s important that we can provide creative escapism for young children, and this stage show will do just that. I can’t wait to get back to the theatre and see it myself. I believe audiences are in for a treat!

Illustrator and Show Design Consultant Lydia Monks adds, It’s always a thrill to see my illustrations burst into life on stage and I’m very excited to be involved in this project. Theatre is an important tool for children’s creative development, and I believe this show is the perfect outlet. I look forward to transporting everyone to the farm for a fun family adventure!

A colourful countryside adventure brought to life on stage, What the Ladybird Heard is a fantastic introduction to theatre for the little ones. Packed with plenty of audience participation and full of laughs this retelling of the classic children’s book is the tale of one quiet Ladybird on her quest to save the day!

★★★★★ Netmums ★★★★★ Culture Whisper
★★★★ The Stage A total delight, The Guardian

Tall Stories to produce Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

• TALL STORIES to tour live stage production of JULIA DONALDSON and AXEL SCHEFFLER’s recent picture book ‘THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS’ to venues across the country this autumn, premiering at the ROSE THEATRE KINGSTON on 27 October

Award-winning theatre company TALL STORIES is delighted to announce a major UK tour of the first-ever live stage production of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s brilliant picture book THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS this autumn.

Recently awarded the prestigious British Book Award – Children’s Book of the Year (Illustrated and Non-fiction), this joyous story of two star-crossed aliens on a far-off planet is being developed and previewed at Tall Stories’ new studio space at Central Library, Islington before receiving its world premiere at the ROSE THEATRE in Kingston-upon-Thames, from 27 to 31 October 2021.

The autumn tour will continue regionally, with a Christmas run at Leicester Curve (30 Nov – 9 Jan 2022). The tour continues from January 2022, with all touring dates to be announced soon.

Julia Donaldson said: “It’s a whole twenty years since Tall Stories brought ‘The Gruffalo’ to the stage, and it’s been brilliant that since then they’ve also successfully adapted ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’, ‘Room on the Broom’ and ‘The Snail and the Whale’. So I’m thrilled that the company is now developing ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’, with its cast of aliens and its Romeo-and-Juliet-type plot (except that my story has a happy ending). I can’t wait to see the show, and I bet everyone’s going to love it!”

Axel Scheffler said: “I’m excited that Tall Stories will be bringing ‘The Smeds and the Smoos’ to the stage this year. Bill and Janet’s alien adventure feels very timely, as it’s a tale about unity and we have all felt isolated over the last year. Tall Stories have the challenge of creating lots of different alien species on stage – and I can’t wait to see how they bring the book to life.’

Alongside many other shows, Tall Stories has previously adapted four bestselling Donaldson/Scheffler books to great acclaim: THE GRUFFALO, ROOM ON THE BROOM, THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD and THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE.

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS was published by Alison Green Books (an imprint of Scholastic) in September 2019 and was the bestselling new picture book of that year. It was the number one bestselling picture book of 2020 in paperback too. It has been translated into 23 languages. Praise includes: ‘a book for our time’ (BBC Radio 2), ‘the most exciting book yet from the creator of The Gruffalo’ (The Sun), ‘a timely tale of tolerance that’s fun to read aloud’ (Daily Express) and ‘the perfect, inspirational story for a troubled world’ (Lancashire Evening Post).

The book tells the story of two rival groups of aliens living on a far-off planet: the Smeds (who are red) and the Smoos (who are blue). The two groups mistrust each other and the children are told to never play together. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

At a time when so many young people feel isolated and cut off from each other, Tall Stories is proud to be working on a production that focuses on unity and understanding.

Created in Tall Stories’ signature physical storytelling style with original music and songs, THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS will be directed by Tall Stories’ artistic director Toby Mitchell, with movement direction by Morag Cross, set and costume design by Barney George, lighting design by Peter Harrison, and music and lyrics by Jon Fiber and Andy Shaw.

Tall Stories is currently touring THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE to venues across the country until August and will also be performing THE GRUFFALO at Alexandra Palace, London, from 30 July to 29 August.

ROSE THEATRE’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CHRISTOPHER HAYDON

ANNOUNCES 2021/2022 SEASON

Rose Theatre’s Artistic Director, Christopher Haydon, is delighted to announce his inaugural season.  Having been appointed Artistic Director in January 2020, he was prevented from announcing his plans until now due to COVID-19.  With an emphasis on the female voice, the season will include five Rose Original productions – including two world premieres and a new version of an epic Brechtian masterpiece. 

Under Haydon’s stewardship, the Rose’s own work will be the priority, as demonstrated by the five Rose Originals in this upcoming season, but there will always be room on the theatre’s stage for the country’s leading touring shows as well.  This season’s Rose Originals are a blend of new plays tackling significant contemporary issues and well-known titles reinvented for today.

Christopher Haydon is very keen for the Rose to support and mentor emerging and established artists, with a focus on writers.  The Rose is developing projects with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Lulu Raczka, Onjali Q. Raúf, Nina Segal and Roy Williams.  He is enlarging the creative family around the Rose, appointing new partners and advisers including Lucian Msamati as an Associate Artist, Poltergeist as an Associate Company and this year’s recipient of the Peter Hall Emerging Artists Fellowship, Layla Madanat.

Christopher Haydon said of his first season, “I have been hugely proud to work with the amazing Rose team to devise my first season, in spite of the extraordinary challenges presented by the past year. These shows combine uplifting stories which bring some much needed joy, with plays that ask provocative, searching questions about the society we live in. Alongside the productions, we are expanding the creative family that surrounds the Rose with our new group of associates. I am delighted to be working with both experienced artists who will help guide the vision of the theatre and emerging talent whom we will mentor and support in every way we can. I’m also really excited to have some of the UK’s best playwrights under commission.”

Board Member Angellica Bell said today, “The Rose is not only hugely grateful to have received two grants from the Culture Recovery Fund, but is also proud to have made no staff redundant throughout the past 15 months. In addition, we’d like to thank the Royal Borough of Kingston and Kingston University for their continued support. Today really is a celebration in every sense of the word. Chris’ vision and artistic ambition is made clear through his programming and the partnerships he is forming. It’s also a real privilege for the Rose to be working alongside Francesca Moody Productions, Alexandra Palace, Oxford Playhouse, MGC and Tall Stories, to name but a few. I can’t wait to see amazing stories being told on the Rose stage once again and we’re so ready to welcome you back!”

LEOPARDS

2 – 25 September 2021

Audio Described Performance 18 September 2021 at 3pm

World Premiere – A Rose Original Production

Rose Theatre and Francesca Moody Productions

Playwright: Alys Metcalf

Director: Christopher Haydon

Designer: Lily Arnold

Lighting Designer: Mark Howland

Sound Designer: Gareth Fry

Intimacy Director: Asha Jennings-Grant

Assistant Director: Amber Sinclair-Case

Think of it like carbon offsetting, except for morals.  

An unmissable new thriller from the Olivier Award-winning producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer to open the Rose’s 2021/22 season. Written by fast rising talent Alys Metcalf (You Only Live Forever, Unearthed) and directed by Christopher Haydon. 

When Niala arranges to meet celebrated charity leader Ben in the bar of a London hotel for career advice, their evening unfolds into something far less professional. As the weather closes in and secrets start to surface, the consequences of their choices leave them nowhere to hide.  

A gripping encounter that takes place over the course of one stormy night, Leopards is a play about the image we construct of ourselves and what it truly means to be good.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/leopards

THE SEVEN POMEGRANATE SEEDS

4 – 20 November 2021

BSL Interpreted Performance  13 November 2021 at 3pm

World Premiere – A Rose Original Production

Playwright: Colin Teevan

Director and Designer: Melly Still

Composer & Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls

Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth

Associate Designer: Amanda Ramasawmy

Assistant Director: Layla Madanat

From the director of My Brilliant Friend (National Theatre transfer, 2019) and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (West End transfer, 2019), comes the world premiere of Colin Teevan’s (The Emperor, Doctor Faustus, Rebellion, Das Boot) The Seven Pomegranate Seeds.

Seven contemporary stories grounded in prominent, mythical origins.

Persephone, Hypsipyle, Medea, Alcestis, Phaedra, Creusa and Demeter: the women of Euripides’ plays are reimagined as people of today in an unexpected fusion of celebrity, inappropriate desires, historical police investigations and missing children.

A severed maternal bond threads each story together, charting a journey through rage and redemption, towards a compelling conclusion.

Rose Associate Artist, Melly Still (My Brilliant Friend, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Tony and Olivier nominee for Coram Boy), returns to the Rose to direct and design Colin Teevan’s haunting monologue cycle in this unflinching, witty production.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/the-seven-pomegranate-seeds

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

3 December 2021 – 3 January 2022

Audio Described Performance 18 December 2021 at 11.30am

Relaxed Performance 30 December 2021 at 11.30am

New Version – A Rose Original Production

A new version by Ciaran McConville

Music & Lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer

Director: Lucy Morrell

Set Designer: Frankie Bradshaw

Costume Designer: Peter Todd

A cast of Rose Youth Theatre members and professional actors to be announced

On her eighteenth birthday, Bella learns that her father is the victim of a terrible curse. She sets out across the mountains to a mysterious valley, determined to face the Beast who condemned her father. Instead, she finds a community confronting its own sorrows with love, laughter and hope. In a race to learn the truth, Bella must question everything she’s been told and find humanity in the least expected places.

One of the oldest fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast is about the power of youth to see beyond prejudice. In a sumptuous new version written by Ciaran McConville (The Snow Queen, Hansel & Gretel, Alice in Winterland), with music and lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer (Twelfth Night & Henry V at the Rose, The Comedy of Errors, Romeo & Juliet & Julius Caesar Re-imagined at RSC) and directed by Lucy Morrell (The Creature [Frankenstein Retold], 1984, Treasure Island), experience this beloved story as you’ve never seen it before, promising song, spectacle and a big, beating heart.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/beauty-and-the-beast

PERSUASION

26 February – 19 March 2022

A Rose Original Production with Alexandra Palace and in association with Oxford Playhouse

By Jane Austen 

Adaptor: Jeff James, with James Yeatman 

Director: Jeff James 

Designer: Alex Lowde 

Lighting Designer: Lucy Carter 

Music and Sound Designer: Ben and Max Ringham 

Movement: Morgann Runacre-Temple

Dramaturg: James Yeatman

Assistant Director: Layla Madanat

If you can’t find a husband in Bath, you won’t find one anywhere.

Jeff James(La Musica at Young Vic) andJames Yeatman’s bold and brilliant adaptation, first seen at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2017, brings all the sharp observation and quick wit of Jane Austen’s novel to the stage, without a bonnet in sight. 

When Captain Wentworth proposed to Anne Elliot eight years ago, he was penniless and had only love and ambition to offer. Persuaded out of accepting his proposal by her family, Anne’s never quite got over her first love.

But now Wentworth is back. Rich, successful and single, the handsome Captain has been transformed into a serious catch. When circumstances bring the two face to face again, Anne’s forced to confront the past. As old wounds reopen, will Wentworth forgive Anne for rejecting him, and will Anne finally learn to trust her desires?

Austen’s romantic comedy is riotously reinvented for the twenty-first century with an explosive foam party and a soundtrack of Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa and Cardi B.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/persuasion

THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE

23 April – 14 May 2022

New Version – A Rose Original Production

By Bertolt Brecht

A new version by Steve Waters

Music by Michael Henry

Director: Christopher Haydon

Designer: Frankie Bradshaw

Casting: Stuart Burt CDG

Assistant Director: Layla Madanat

Now hear the tale of the trial for the Governor’s child  

To establish the rightful mother  

Through the legendary test of the Chalk Circle  

Bertolt Brecht’s epic tale about justice and humanity is propelled into the present day, in a new version by Steve Waters (The Last King of Scotland, Limehouse, Temple) with original songs by Michael Henry (Barber Shop Chronicles, Mr Burns, They Drink it in the Congo).

In a refugee camp, a fight breaks out over lost land. To seek resolution, a singer tells the fable of ‘The Chalk Circle’: in the midst of a bloody revolution, a servant girl risks all to raise the abandoned child of the Governor and his wife. Years later, when the Governor’s wife returns seeking her son, a rogue judge turns justice on its head. Can the test of the Chalk Circle determine which of the two women is the boy’s real mother?

This production, developed in association with MGC, is directed by the Rose’s Artistic Director Christopher Haydon as part of his debut season and is the first major London production of Brecht’s tragicomic masterpiece for 25 years. 

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/the-caucasian-chalk-circle

Also this Season:

THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS

27-31 October 2021

Relaxed Performance 29 October 2021 at 1pm

World Premiere – A Tall Stories production 

Director: Toby Mitchell

Set and Costume Designer: Barney George

Composers/Sound Designers: Andy Shaw and Jon Fiber

Movement Director: Morag Cross

Lighting Designer: Peter Harrison

Puppetry Designer: Yvonne Stone

A stellar new show based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

On a far-off planet, Smeds and Smoos can’t be friends. So when a young Smed and Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

Music, laughs and interplanetary adventures for everyone aged 3 and up, from Tall Stories – the company that brought you The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom live on stage.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/the-smeds-and-the-smoos

A MONSTER CALLS

24 March – 9 April 2022

Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Global Creatures present

The Old Vic and Bristol Old Vic production

From the novel by Patrick Ness

Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd

Directed by Sally Cookson

Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?

Patrick Ness’s piercing novel A Monster Calls is brought vividly to life in the Olivier award-winning production by visionary director Sally Cookson. 

Thirteen year-old Conor and his mum have managed just fine since his dad moved away. But now his mum is sick and not getting any better. His grandmother won’t stop interfering and the kids at school won’t look him in the eye.  

Then, one night, Conor is woken by something at his window. A monster has come walking. It’s come to tell Conor tales from when it walked before. And when it’s finished, Conor must tell his own story and face his deepest fears. 

From the critically acclaimed bestseller, A Monster Calls offers a dazzling insight into love, life and healing.  

This adaptation is suitable for adults and children aged 10+ 

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/a-monster-calls

SIX

17 – 29 May 2022

Kenny Wax Productions

By Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

The international smash hit musical SIX makes its royal return to Kingston!

From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. These Queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red.

Booking link: https://www.rosetheatre.org/whats-on/six

rosetheatre.org

Twitter: @RoseTheatre
Instagram: @RoseTheatreKingston         
Facebook: /rosetheatrekingston  

An Alexandra Palace and Rose Theatre Production in association with Oxford Playhouse

PERSUASION 

By Jane Austen 

Adapted by: Jeff James, with James Yeatman 

Directed by: Jeff James  

If you can’t find a husband in Bath, you won’t find one anywhere. 

Alexandra Palace today announces the first co-production in a new partnership with Rose Theatre will be an adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic romance Persuasion coming to the beautiful theatre in the iconic north London venue in April 2022.

Jeff James (La Musica at Young Vic) and James Yeatman’s bold and brilliant adaptation, first seen at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2017, brings all the sharp observation and quick wit of Jane Austen’s novel to the stage, without a bonnet in sight. 

When Captain Wentworth proposed to Anne Elliot eight years ago, he was penniless and had only love and ambition to offer. Persuaded out of accepting his proposal by her family, Anne’s never quite got over her first love.

But now Wentworth is back. Rich, successful and single, the handsome Captain has been transformed into a serious catch. When circumstances bring the two face to face again, Anne’s forced to confront the past. As old wounds reopen, will Wentworth forgive Anne for rejecting him, and will Anne finally learn to trust her desires?

Austen’s romantic comedy is riotously reinvented for the twenty-first century with an explosive foam party and a soundtrack of Frank Ocean, Dua Lipa and Cardi B.

Alexandra Palace Chief Executive Louise Stewart said ‘We are delighted to be presenting our first co-production in collaboration with Rose Theatre, Kingston. I can’t wait to see this classic story told on both stages next year. This is definitely something to look forward to.’

In addition to Director Jeff James, the top drawer creative team includes Design: Alex Lowde; Lighting Design: Lucy Carter; Music and Sound Design: Ben and Max Ringham, Movement: Morgann Runacre-Temple and Assistant Director Layla Madanat,.

Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director of Rose Theatre, said ‘I am delighted to be working with Alexandra Palace to present Persuasion – they have a gorgeous space and a fantastic team and it is thrilling to be able to share this production with as wide an audience in London as possible.  I very much hope this will be the start of a longer and fruitful partnership.’

The production arrives at Ally Pally Theatre on 7 April for a limited run 2022 following its opening at Rose Theatre, Kingston in February during Christopher Haydon’s inaugural season as Artistic Director. This new partnership sees West and North London collaborating to bring exceptional productions to London and visiting audiences with further co-productions in discussion.

Join Mr. Toad, Mole, Ratty, Badger on a spectacular summer adventure for all the family

●      The Wind in the Willows is adapted by Mark Powell (The Teacup Poisoner, The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath) and directed by Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director, Elizabeth Newman and Associate Director, Ben Occhipinti.

●      Cast to feature Jane McCarry (Isa Drennan in Still Game, BBC Scotland, and Granny Murray in Me Too! CBBC) as Badger and Colin McCredie (Taggart, ITV and River City, BBC Scotland) as Mr Toad.

●      The Wind in the Willows will be performed in the perfect setting, on the banks of the River Tummel, beside Pitlochry Festival Theatre, from 2 July – 12 September.

Take a jaunt down to the banks of the River Tummel and join Mr. Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger on their magical adventures in Pitlochry Festival Theatre must-see, family, summer stage production of Kenneth Grahame’s enduring story of friendship, courage, consequence, and bravery – The Wind in the Willows.

Adapted for the stage by Mark Powell andperformed in the spectacular setting of the banks of the River Tummel, The Wind in the Willows, runs from 2 July – 12 September.

When Mole wakes up after a particularly long winter, the whole world has changed around her. The riverbank seems to be bursting with new faces, fads, and fears. Luckily for Mole, with new friends like Rat, Badger and Mr Toad motoring along for the ride through the Wild Wood, life will never be sleepy again!

Playwright Mark Powell said:

“It’s been a treat spending lockdown with Mole and her friends and working out how to celebrate their classic adventure in a contemporary way. Knowing that audiences are also coming out of hibernation to join the animals on an actual riverbank will give our Willows an extra special sense of celebration!” 

Directors Elizabeth Newman and Ben Occhipinti added.

 “We think it is safe to say The Wind in the Willows by the brilliant Scottish novelist Kenneth Grahame, is one of the most loved family stories ever to be told, and retold. The characters have captivated audiences in theatres, on our screens and through the radio for many, many decades. As soon as we started pondering making work outdoors, it felt like we almost had to do The Wind in the Willows. After all, our beautiful Theatre sits on a Riverbank. As soon as we decided to tell this story, we leapt to commission the wonderful Mark Powell to write the adaptation. Some of the finest work we have seen made for families has been led by Mark. His humour, his love of life, his love of people – little and big – shines in everything he writes. 

We also felt producing The Wind in the Willows would give us a brilliant opportunity to continue to connect with new and established audiences we reached during the festive period when we made The Magic of Christmas.  As we have said, people love the story and right now it feels vital that PFT creates work for people of all ages to come together and experience a fantastic tale that makes them laugh and offers them a truly joyful afternoon or evening on the Riverbank! 

“Audiences can expect all their favourite characters, new music and songs, dancing and Mr Toad exclaiming gleefully ‘Poop! Poop!’ from his motorcar for everyone in Highland Perthshire to hear.”

The production’s exciting cast will feature Jane McCarry (Isa Drennan in Still Game, BBC Scotland, and Granny Murray in Me Too! CBBC) as Badger; Colin McCredie (Taggart, ITV and River City , BBC Scotland) as Toad; Alicia McKenzie (Quality Street, Northern Broadsides and Blonde Bombshells of 1943, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Mole; Ali Watt (A Christmas Carol, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Ratty; Richard Colvin (Sunshine on Leith, UK tour and A Christmas Carol, Octagon Theatre Bolton) as Weasel; Connor Going (Footloose, UK tour and The Choir of Men, US and Australia tour) as Otter and Kate Milner-Evans (Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Crazy for You, Jamie Wilson Productions) as Rabbit. All other roles will be played by the cast. 

Co-directed byPitlochry Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director, Elizabeth Newman (Adventures with the Painted People and Faith Healer, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) and Associate Director, Ben Occhipinti (Blonde Bombshells of 1943 and Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre), The Wind in the Willows promises to be a real family treat this summer.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s determination to keep capacity safely reduced, and committed adherence to social-distances, reduces the potential for, and impact of, crowded spaces and any overwhelming busy-ness. The late, light nights of the Scottish summertime mean shows will never be in darkness and any chatter or loud sounds will be mitigated naturally by the outdoor acoustics. Anyone that feels the need to take some time out of a Riverside show can do so, and then return when they feel ready. The outdoor spacious setting in the Bandstand area allows the ability to move around more freely – and in the Amphitheatre at the interval, there is a beautiful setting to get some space if needed. Staff will always be on-hand wearing a name badge for any questions or help needed.

Pitlochry Festival Theatre is keeping things flexible so audiences can be too. They will honour no-hassle refunds and exchanges for any reason (including the weather!) if it is requested at least 24 hours before the performance time. So, audiences can book for summer with the confidence that if plans change, their tickets and money can too!

Tickets for The Wind in the Willows are priced from £9-£19. To book and for further information visit  www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com or call 01796 484626.

Sisyphus: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical
Brand new UK musical to debut in London.
Written and directed by newcomer Ian Bowkett, this rollercoaster retelling
of Ancient Greek myth will play at 7pm on Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th
of October at Canal Café Theatre.

Following his co-write of the 2018 Camden Fringe audience-favourite comedy
musical, The Sam Neill Experience, composer Ian Bowkett is proud to reveal
his new show: Sisyphus: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical. This piece – a modern take
on the Ancient Greek myth about the man who rebelled against the gods, only
to receive the infamous punishment of having to push a boulder up a hill over
and over again for eternity – will play four debut performances at Canal Café
Theatre in Little Venice, London, Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th of
October, 2021.

Corinthian King Sisyphus is tired of the holy powers-that-be controlling his
humdrum and repetitive life. The divine nymph Merope is just as tired of
being treated like property by the entitled and chauvinist Greek Gods. They
decide to team up and fight back, eventually earning the eternal punishments
that will make them icons of rebellion for millennia to come.

This production will mark the solo directorial and authorial debut of
composer Ian Bowkett, who has spent the last fourteen months of lockdown
refining the script and songs. He is beyond excited to finally share this piece
with the world. The almost entirely sung-through show will be performed by
just three actors – in the tradition of Ancient Greek theatre – and feature
over thirty original rocking musical numbers.

Performances will begin at 7pm and the show will last approximately 80
minutes without an interval. A limited number of tickets for the short debut
run from Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th of October are available from the
Canal Café Theatre website:
https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/sisyphus/

FRANKIE MEREDITH

YOUNG MIDLANDS PLAYWRIGHT OPENS TWO SHOWS IN THE REGION THIS SUMMER

AS PART OF COVENTRY UK CITY OF CULTURE 2021

MAY QUEEN
A BELGRADE CO-PRODUCTION PRESENTED AS PART OF PAINES PLOUGH’S ROUNDABOUT 2021 SEASON, DIRECTED BY BELGRADE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BALISHA KARRA

THURS 29, SAT 31 JULY AND TUES 3, THURS 5, SAT 7 AND SUN 8 AUG 2021

PETTICOAT COUNCIL
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE 15 – 17 JUNE, THEN TOURING ACROSS WARWICKSHIRE TO FIVE COMMUNITY VENUES THROUGHOUT JUNE

Frankie Meredith, a young Midlands playwright, will have two shows running in the region this summer, as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. MAY QUEEN will have its world premiere from 29 July – 8 August as part of the Belgrade and Paines Plough’s Roundabout 2021 season; a festival of new world-class plays and community-led activities taking place this summer in Paines Plough’s unique, intimate pop-up theatre Roundabout, which will be situated in the grounds of Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre in Wood End, Coventry. Directed by Balisha Karra, one of the Belgrade’s three Co-Artistic Directors for City of Culture Year, MAY QUEEN will star Yasmin Dawes as ‘Leigh’. Press night in Coventry will be Tuesday 3 August.

May Day in Coventry, 2022. Sixteen-year-old Leigh has been chosen as May Queen. She’s buzzin, as is the rest of the city.

The cider is flowing and St George’s flag is flying – but during the day’s festivities something happens. Something disturbing, but maybe… unsurprising.

As the year moves on in the City of Peace and Reconciliation, Leigh must face up to the events of that hot May Day, and dig deep within herself to ask – how did she get here? And how does she get out?

PETTICOAT COUNCIL, which Meredith also directs, will premiere at Warwick Arts Centre from 15 – 17 June, with a press night on Weds 16 June. PETTICOAT COUNCIL is a folk musical incorporating storytelling, song, dance & puppetry, telling the true story of a group of women from Bishop’s Itchington near Coventry, who in 1949 formed the 1st female majority council in the UK post-WW2, transforming the village into a thriving community.

Basically, this story, of these women, didn’t happen in a city. It isn’t in London, or Manchester or Birmingham, although it’s near Coventry. It happens in a place you wouldn’t expect, a place you wouldn’t expect a revolution to happen. And from women you wouldn’t expect to start a revolution. And where do revolutions begin? Like everything, they begin with a mother…

This show is aimed at audiences within the communities on which it is based, and will subsequently tour to five Warwickshire community centres and village halls – including Bishop’s Itchington on Friday 18 June –  focusing on engaging with locals who may not usually connect with theatre.Other tour dates are Cheylesmore Community Centre on Sat 19 June, Warwickspace Community Centre on Fri 25 June and Jephson Gardens Leamington Spa on Sun 27 June 2021. Presented by Steph Hartland Productions and Boys Club Theatre, with designs by Rachel Cleary PETTICOAT COUNCIL will star Helen Booth, Madi MacMahon, Georgina Periam & Savannah Gallo.

Frankie Meredith is a Paines Plough Big Room Fellow, an alumna of the Soho Young Writers Lab 2015, and a graduate of the Lyric Young Writers Programme 2013, whose works include Turkey (The Hope Theatre, 2017), Finding Peter (Theatre N16, 2018), The Olive Trade (Southwark Playhouse, 2016) 17 (longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize 2019), Clementines (2019), Becoming Danish (web series developed through the BBC Writers Room /Ideas Tap, 2020), City Boys (Southwark Playhouse, 2015), The Ballad of Tab and Sal (Old Red Lion, 2015), Monkey (Waterloo East, 2016). Her focuses in her career include championing Midlands based stories & creatives, combating elitism & inaccessibility in theatre.

Frankie Meredith said, “Having two shows open this summer (of all summers) is such a dream. I’m so grateful for everyone working so hard to make it happen safely. Although the plays are entirely different in their themes and styles, the one thing I was really passionate about was staging them in the communities in which they’re set. I spent a lot of my teen years in Coventry, so when it came to writing a story here, I just knew it had to be told by a sixteen year old girl and getting her experience on stage.

“With Petticoat Council, my great aunt was one of the women who formed the council, so it’s been in my family for a few generations and has been many years in the writing.

“Both plays focus on how women tell and pass down stories. With moments that will uplift and spark joy, which I feel audiences need right now, they also carry strong messages of resilience, community and hope. I’m most excited about working with the incredible teams on each”

Balisha Karra said, “I am so thrilled to be part of the creation of a show in such an auspicious year for Coventry. May Queen is set in the city of Coventry and written by a writer from this city. It really does feel like a time to celebrate arts and culture, as we all start to regain our courage towards stepping outside again. I can’t wait.”

REHEARSAL IMAGES RELEASED AND FURTHER DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR

SUSTAINABILITY FOCUSSED WATERMILL ENSEMBLE PRODUCTION OF 
AS YOU LIKE IT

PERFORMANCES FROM THURSDAY 24 JUNE – 24 JULY

BOOK ONLINE AT WATERMILL.ORG.UK OR VIA THE BOX OFFICE ON 01635 46044

‘These trees shall be my books…’ 

Artistic Director Paul Hart and the team at Newbury’s The Watermill Theatre are looking forward to opening the Watermill Ensemble’s brand-new sustainability focussed production of Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT, adapted by Yolanda Mercy and directed by Paul Hart. With a cast of ten actor musicians and an atmospheric modern folk soundscape, inspired by the music of Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Taylor Swift AS YOU LIKE IT – currently in rehearsals – will open as part of the summer 2021 outdoor season on the main lawn on Thursday 24 June and runs until Saturday 24 July.

Forced to leave their homes behind, Rosalind and Orlando find sanctuary in the forest of Arden. Amongst whispering trees, their worlds collide, and they become entangled in a game of love, lust and mistaken identity.

What follows is a riotous adventure with a feisty heroine in disguise, feuding brothers, love poetry and laughs aplenty! Will love conquer all, or is it merely a madness?

Using responsibly sourced, repurposed, or recyclable materials to create the set, props and costumes, this production of Shakespeare’s famous pastoral comedy celebrates the unique environment of The Watermill gardens. With a focus on eco-friendly practices both on and off stage, this season marks a new direction for the venue in terms of sustainability and access for future generations.

Set and costume designer Katie Lias explains, “Creating eco-friendly, sustainable theatre is something I aim for in every production I work on, but none more so than The Watermill’s production of ‘As You Like It’. With the play’s inherent themes of nature and being set in the beautiful grounds, there is a constant reminder of the very landscape we are trying to protect for future generations.

For example, I’ve looked at what we used on previous Watermill productions and incorporated elements of these costumes, props and set pieces to be recycled in our new show. The floor of the stage even comes from another theatre – in its original form it wasn’t what I felt looked right for our aesthetic, so we turned it over and routed ‘wooden planks’ in it to create the desired finish. 

The attempt to create something with as little negative impact as possible is made achievable thanks to a production team and company who place environmentalism at its very core, recognising that, whilst it is often quicker and easier to purchase something new, the future cannot sustain this level of waste.”

Emma Barclay plays ‘Touchstone’, Omar Baroud ‘Silvius / Duke Frederick’, Emma Manton ‘Jacques’, Chanelle Modi ‘Celia’, Katherine Jack ‘Rosalind’, Ami Okumura-Jones as ‘Phebe’, Yazdan Qafouri as ‘Oliver’, Ned Rudkins-Stow as ‘Orlando’, Jamie Satterthwaite as ‘Duke Senior’, Tom Sowinski as ‘Adam’

AS YOU LIKE IT is directed by Paul Hart, with dramaturgy and adaptation by Yolanda Mercy, set and costume Design by Katie Lias, movement direction by Anjali Mehra, lighting design by Tom White, and sound design by Tom Marshall.

To ensure the safety of all, the summer season will take place outside in The Watermill Theatre’s beautiful gardens with shows performed to a socially distanced audience. Audience members can book their own socially distanced seating area, with aisles and space between each seating area. Tables are reserved, and audiences will be able to select a seating area when booking their tickets. Seats will be uncovered, and performances will go ahead whatever the weather. Audiences are advised to bring appropriate clothing for the conditions and may also wish to bring extra cushions and blankets.

Face coverings, unless exempt, will be required to enter indoor spaces, such as the toilets. There will be hand sanitiser stations, a one-way system for accessing the toilets and signage to indicate routes and procedures. There will also be free onsite parking in the main car park.  All current government guidelines will apply throughout the season and The Watermill will keep these under constant review.

A two-course pre-show menu from the restaurant will be available to enjoy from 5pm before evening shows starting at 7pm and from midday before matinée performances starting at 2pm. Cream teas will also be available to enjoy in The Watermill’s riverside gardens after matinée performances.

UNDERBELLY’S LONDON WONDERGROUND AT EARLS COURT ANNOUNCES DAZZLING LINE-UP FOR THEIR NEW SUMMER FESTIVAL

July – 26 September 2021

Empress Place, Earls Court, London SW6 1TT

• Runaway international smash hit THE CHOIR OF MAN offers up an hour of foot-stomping, hair-raising, high-energy joy

• Festival debut for iconic comedy show Dead Ringers Live with legends Jon Culshaw, Debra Stevenson, and Duncan Wisbey

• Comedy from the likes of Rhod Gilbert, Al Murray, Stephen K Amos, Lucy Porter, Austentatious, Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho and Magical Bones

• Top quality family entertainment from: Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo, The Witch and The Warthog, The Wonder Games with Maddie and Greg and Fireman Sam Live

• Outdoor bars, street food, vintage fairground rides, family activities and West London’s only ‘city beach’ – an outdoor staycation for the capital

• Site designed to be COVID-19 secure with distancing measures in place if required

London Wonderground, the major new summer festival in Earls Court, on the former Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre site, produced by Underbelly, today announces the first shows of its spectacular 2021 programme, which sees the very best in comedy, music, circus and family entertainment across its spectacular Big Top and the iconic upside-down purple cow, Udderbelly.

Headlining the legendary purple cow is the runaway international hit, THE CHOIR OF MAN. Premiering in London and known across the globe as “the ultimate-feel good show,” THE CHOIR OF MAN offers up an hour of indisputable joy! It is a party. It is a concert. It is a pint-filled good time set in a working pub (free beer anyone?!?) that combines hair-raising harmonies, high-energy dance, and live percussion with foot-stomping choreography. The multi-talented cast of nine handsome blokes sing everything – pub tunes, folk, Broadway, classic rock – all to roof-raising heights. It is the best singing, dancing, stomping, pub crawl of a concert you will ever attend having sold out venues such as the Sydney Opera House. An exhilarating, joyous and fun night out that will have audiences wishing they were up on stage too (and they just might be…) this is one not to be missed.

Leading the stellar line-up for The Big Top is none other than Dead Ringers Live, the iconic BBC Radio 4 series starring the dream team of Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson, and Duncan Wisbey. Fans can expect a mixture of classic sketches, new material and of course the trademark sharp, political humour for which Dead Ringers has garnered critical acclaim over its nearly 20-year history. Continuing the ‘legends-only’ theme, the Big Top will also see the return of the incredibly popular mixed bill London Comedy AllStars, featuring some of the very top names in comedy but even bigger and better than ever.  

An icon of London summertime, Udderbelly, the upside-down purple cow is back for 2021, grazing in a new pasture in Earl’s Court and boasting a phenomenal line-up of comedy and family entertainment.

The London Wonderground programme will champion the spirit and quality of the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including a stellar comedy line-up, with Al Murray bringing one of the country’s best-loved alter-egos, The Pub Landlord to The Cow, Stephen K Amos – who aims to build some bridges with laughs in his acclaimed show Before And Laughter, and Rhod Gilbert makes hishotly anticipated return to the circuit with his highly acclaimed The Book Of John.

Other highlights include the cult smash hit Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho; hilarious stand up from Lucy Porter with Be Prepared; magician extraordinaire Magical Bones whose latest show Live & Direct effortlessly combines intricate sleight of hand with mesmerising illusions and jaw dropping break-dance fresh from appearances on Penn & Teller Fool Us, the BAFTA Awards, and ITV’s This Morning; and a live recording of smash-hit satirical podcast The Bugle with Andy Zaltzman

This year also sees the award-winning, delightfully brilliant, and entirely improvised comedy Austentatious take to the stage, in the highly imitable style of Britain’s greatest author – Jane Austen. With a cast including comedy superstars Cariad Lloyd, Andrew Hunter-Murray and Daniel Nils Roberts, Austentatious is always riotously funny, incredibly silly, and super smart – this is improv at its very finest.

On Pride Weekend it is party time with both a spectacular showcase from drag institution Tuckshop Live: Kings Vs. Queens and an evening of showstopping comedy from Mawaan Rizwan and Friends.

Further top-level entertainment comes in the form of the award-winning, intoxicating The Thinking Drinkers: Pub Quiz, Josh Berry and his confident, conservative alter-ego in Josh Berry is Rafe Hubris (BA, OXON): Hubris, Nemesis, Catharsis, an entirely unrehearsed and unprepared parody of a classic with Film Reads: The Shawshank Redemption from fringe favourites Dreamgun, and the hilarious Eshaan Akbar: In the Flesh, as seen on Mock of the Week and The Stand Up Sketch Show.

The grown-ups do not get to have all the fun though: the legendary Julia Donaldson will return to the Udderbelly stage to bring her wonderful stories to life in The Gruffalo, The Witch and The Warthog.  With songs, puppetry, a sprinkling of magic, and her guitar-playing husband Malcolm, this is a special show not to be missed, with a book signing and a chance to meet the legendary author afterwards.

Another childhood favourite joining the line-up is Fireman Sam Live – Saves The Circus, whichsees Sam, Penny, Elvis, Station Officer Steele, and Norman take to the stage in an all singing, dancing, all-action adventure.

Other family show highlights include The Wonder Games with Maddie and Greg; (from Cbeebies’ Maddie’s Do You Know? and CBBC’s Blue Peter) the most mind-boggling, silliest science show around, where everyone can get involved in a battle of curiosity, creativity and pure madness live on stage. Joining them in the festival will be the Amazing Bubble Man, whose spellbinding bubble artistry is mixed with comedy, tricks, and audience participation, keeping the crowd (both big and small) mesmerised.

Swords, boots, and feathers in hats at the ready for a hilariously silly retelling of a classic tale starring the nation’s favourite time-travelling Victorian magicians in Morgan & West present – The Three Musketeers.

There is even more family entertainment in the form ofmagician extraordinaire, Penn & Teller-trained Kevin Quantum, fresh from his appearance as a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent 2020. See the Disney classic as you have never seen it before with Dreamgun Film Reads Kids: The Lion King and embrace fantastic family fun and musical magic with Jarred Christmas’ Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show.

Celebrating this new festival location in the heart of West London, Underbelly is welcoming local residents the Earls Courtiers to join in the fun – A Matinee At The Musicals is an all singing, all dancing West End bonanza, celebrating the very best of musical theatre from Les Miserables to The Greatest Showman, featuring a cast of over 80 local adults and children and even some West End stars. From stage to screen, London Wonderground will also host a special event by Earls Court Film Festival – an evening of screenings of festival highlights from throughout the years.

As if the fit to bursting line up of live entertainment were not enough, London Wonderground also boasts outdoor bars, street food, musical bandstand performances, vintage fairground rides, family activities and West London’s only ‘city beach’, making it the very best staycation spot in town this summer.

The festival offers free entry to the site, affordable ticket prices for the rides and a live entertainment programme, with most shows running for an hour without an interval. The whole site, including the performance venues, will incorporate all necessary social distancing measures and London Wonderground will have a robust COVID-Secure operational plan for customers and staff. London Wonderground holds the Good to Go industry standard certificate.

Ahead of the opening of London Wonderground, Warwick Road will be host to a new temporary public space opposite Earl’s Court Underground Station, where the entrance to the former exhibition centre was. This space on Warwick Road will be open for people to enjoy, curated by the Kensington + Chelsea Festival alongside Underbelly, and designed by Baker & Borowski.

The opening of London Wonderground at Earls Court is subject to successfully securing planning and licensing permission for temporary events from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. 

Customers are encouraged to sign up at www.londonwonderground.co.uk for further announcements, exclusive offers and to be the first to get further information on the London Wonderground live programme of shows.

Tickets will go on sale at londonwonderground.co.uk from Thursday 10June, 9am.

* Tickets purchased through londonwonderground.co.uk are subject to a £1.50 booking fee.

As part of an exclusive Today Tix pre-sale, tickets for selected shows will be available from just £15, running 7 – 9 June and are subject to availability. Access at www.todaytix.com or via the Today Tix App.

More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.

London Wonderground directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Woods said:

“After such a long time away from the stage it’s a privilege to be bringing such a varied and high-quality programme of live entertainment to London Wonderground. Alongside our bars, street food, family activities, rides and our outdoor beach, this array of fantastic performance will make London Wonderground the perfect summer day out and bring the complete festival experience to Earls Court and West London.

“Dead Ringers is a national institution, and it will be a thrill to see it on stage, while shows such as The Choir of Man, The Gruffalo The Witch and The Warthog and Austentatious underline our drive to bring both the spirit and the very best performers from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to London Wonderground.

“We’d like to thank Earls Court Development Company for their continued support and sharing our vision to bring life back to the Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre site and once again make it one of London’s most exciting destinations.”

Rob Heasman, Chief Executive of the Earls Court Development Company said:

“The Earls Court site has been closed off for far too long and many local people have told us they want to see it opened up again. We are taking a fresh approach to the site including bringing derelict buildings back into use and supporting a varied programme of events and art installations this summer. Many Londoners will have fond memories of attending events in Earls Court, so we’re delighted to be partnering with Underbelly to welcome people back with the amazing London Wonderground festival.”

CASTING ANNOUNCED  

FOR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED LONDON REVIVAL OF  

MY NIGHT WITH REG 

THE AWARD-WINNING BITTERSWEET COMEDY BY KEVIN ELYOT 

DIRECTED BY MATT RYAN 

RUNNING AT THE TURBINE THEATRE 

FROM 7 JULY – 21 AUGUST  

Stephen K Amos (Benny), James Bradwell (Eric), Edward M Corrie (John), Paul Keating  (Guy), Gerard McCarthy (Daniel) and Alan Turkington (Bernie), will star in Kevin Elyot’s award-winning, and much-loved dark comedy, My Night With Reg.  

Presented by The Turbine Theatre, this dazzling new revival of the iconic play is directed by Matt Ryan, and runs from 7 July – 21 August 2021, with press night on Tuesday 13 July.  

This modern classic, which captures the fragility of friendship, happiness and life itself, won both the 1995 Olivier and Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy, after its premiere at the Royal Court and subsequent transfer to the West End. 

Set in Guy’s London flat, old friends and new gather to party through the night. This is the summer of 1985 and, for Guy and his circle, the world is about to change forever, thanks to the mounting AIDS crisis. 

My Night With Reg at The Turbine Theatre has designs by Lee Newby and casting by Will Burton CDG.