When theatres were closed by the Government in March this year, Original Theatre Company’s second tour of Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art was shut down before it had opened. As the company was rehearsing on stage at the time, Original Theatre Company decided to film the whole production and then released it online on 26 March for two months. This became the start of a highly successful year of online productions for the company.
Original Theatre Company has now decided to re-release the film of The Habit of Art, starring Matthew Kelly and David Yelland and directed by Philip Franks, on Thursday 3 December until Sunday 28 February via originaltheatreonline.com. The company will, at the same time, launch part one of a three-part documentary, Home Made, which tells the story of how the company responded to the closure of theatres and went on to create to date four new online productions as well as the filmed versions of The Habit of Art and The Croft, which had also been touring when theatres were closed.
The Original Theatre Company was operating with no Arts Council support, relying solely on box office takings. With theatres closed and their tours of The Habit of Art and The Croft cancelled, they were facing financial ruin. They were determined to meet financial commitments made to actors, stage managers and suppliers, and find a way to survive.
Original Theatre Company’s online productions to date include the critically acclaimed lockdown productions of Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong Online, Louise Coulthard’s Watching Rosie and the new commission by Torben Betts, Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon. The Haunting of Alice Bowles is a new supernatural thriller by Philip Franks, adapted for the first time from the M.R. James chilling short ghost story, The Experiment, which will be available to watch via originaltheatreonline.com from 7.30pm on 17 December 2020 until 28 February 2021.
Using behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews with the cast, crew and creatives, Home Made, directed by filmmaker Elijah Grant, tells the story of an unforgettable year in the life of a touring theatre company. Against the backdrop of national lockdowns, show closures and an industry on the edge, Home Made explores how Original Theatre adapted and survived and, in doing so, created ‘a new form of theatre’.
From filming The Habit the Art on the cusp of national lockdown to recreating Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong in actors’ bedrooms, to the challenges of filming zero gravity on iPhones for Apollo 13, this unique documentary is a love letter to theatre and the desire from audiences and freelancers across the country to continue making it and watching it against all the odds.
45North and Ellie Keel Productions today announce Olivia Williams in Rafaella Marcus’ The You Play Volume Two: The Haunted Woman, hersecond play in the audio project Written on the Waves. Directed by Jessica Lazar, itfollows the previous collaboration on Marcus’ debut The You Play: small acts, and will be available from 14 December 2020.
A dictaphone clicks into life. A woman is making a recording for… you. She doesn’t have a lot of time left: something is coming. And it’s coming to get her. So before it arrives, she wants to tell you why. You might be next. So listen carefully and follow her instructions. They might keep you safe. They might save you.
A ghost story about what to do when opportunities die – and something with a long shadow creeps into their place.
The first series of Written on the Waves comprises nine world premières and will continue into 2021 with recognition, based on the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Written by Amanda Wilkin, and co-created and directed by Rachel Nanyonjo. With further plays and casting to be announced.
Also in the series, and currently live are Loss and Hope,a trilogy of short audio pieces including Luke Barnes’ This is a Man starring Liam Jeavons, Tife Kusoro’s The Gift starring Olivia Marcus, and Rafaella Marcus’ We Have Sinned starring Seraphina Beh; Rafaella Marcus’ debut play for audio, The You Play: small acts with Rebecca Banatvala, Jonathan Case, Amber James, Daisy Lewis, Ken Nwosu, Katherine Parkinson and Boadicea Ricketts; Lem ‘N’ Ginge: The Princess of Kakos written and directed by Ell Potter and Mary Higgins and starring Olivier Award-winning Sharon D. Clarke; and A Passion Playby Margaret Perry with Hannah Bristow and Nicola Coughlan.
Rafaella Marcus’ previous work for Written on the Waves include We Have Sinned, and The You Play: small acts.Her credits as director include Stop Kiss (Above the Stag), Bury the Dead (Finborough Theatre), Alley. Pearls. Gunshot. (The Yard Theatre), Spooky Action at a Distance, Crave (Bunker Theatre), and I Have a Mouth and I Will Scream (VAULT Festival – winner of the People’s Choice Award). Her credits as associate director include Emilia (Vaudeville Theatre); and as assistant director, Pericles (Shakespeare’s Globe), Romeo and Juliet, The Wind in the Willows (Chester Performs), Boeing Boeing, Afterplay, Love Your Soldiers, The Winter’s Tale (Sheffield Theatres) and The Killing of Sister George (Arts Theatre).
Olivia Williams’theatre credits include Tartuffe, Mosquitoes, Waste, Happy Now? (National Theatre), Scenes from a Marriage (St James’ Theatre), In a Forest Dark and Deep (Garrick Theatre), The Changeling (Cheek by Jowl), Hotel in Amsterdam (Donmar Warehouse), Peer Gynt, The Wives Excuse, The Broken Heart, Wallenstein, Mischa’s Party (RSC), Richard III (National theatre/US tour). Her television credits include The Nevers, Counterpart, The Halcyon, Manhattan, Case Sensitive, Dollhouse, Ms Austen Regrets and Emma; and for film, Victoria and Abdul, Man Up, Altar, Seventh Son, Maps to the Stars, Sabotage, The Last Days on Mars, Anna Karenina, Hyde Park on Hudson, Now is Good, Wild Bill, Collaborator, Hanna, The Ghost Writer, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, An Education, Broken Lines, Flashback of a Fool, X-Men: The Last Stand, Peter Pan, To Kill a King, Below, The Heart of Me, The Sixth Sense and Rushmore.
Jessica Lazar directs. Credits include Corre (Cervantes Theatre) Anna Bella Eema (Arcola Theatre), This Is A Love Story & Unicorn (North Wall) and Outlying Islands, For Reasons That Remain Unclear, East (King’s Head Theatre).
Written on the Waves Season 1
Available now:
Loss and Hope
A trilogy of short audio pieces by Luke Barnes, Tife Kusoro and Rafaella Marcus, co-produced with Atticist Productions Ltd.
Directed by Madeleine Kludje, Grace Cordell and Jessica Lazar respectively.
Lem ‘N’ Ginge: The Princess of Kakos
By Mary Higgins and Ell Potter: a four-part feminist, queer, comedy-quest narrative.
Directed by Mary Higgins and Ell Potter, with sound design, composition and editing by Tom Foskett-Barnes.
The You Play: small acts
Rafaella Marcus’ debut play for audio, which makes the listener an active participant in their own play.
Directed by Jessica Lazar, with sound design and editing by Dinah Mullen.
A Passion Play
By Margaret Perry, originally a Paines Plough seed commission and now co-produced with Atticist Productions Ltd, which tells the story of two teenage girls taking part in their local passion play in a small church in Cork.
Directed by Jessica Lazar, with sound design and editing by Annie May Fletcher.
Upcoming:
The You Play Volume Two: The Haunted Woman
By Rafaella Marcus, expanding on the form of The You Play: small acts.
Directed by Jessica Lazar.
recognition
By Amanda Wilkin, based on the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
CELEBRATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ICONIC ROYAL ALBERT HALL
NEW ADVENTURES AND THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
PROUDLY ANNOUNCE
A SPECTACULAR NEW STAGING
OF THE
MULTI-AWARD WINNING DANCE THRILLER
FOR 14 PERFORMANCES ONLY
AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL FROM 17 – 27 JUNE 2021
GENERAL ON SALE AT 10.00AM ON 10 DECEMBER 2020
As part of the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th Anniversary celebrations New Adventures and the Royal Albert Hall are delighted to announce that Matthew Bourne’s multi-award winning dance thriller THE CAR MAN will play 14 performances only at the iconic venue from Thursday 17 – Sunday 27 June 2021. General on sale at 10.00am on 10 December 2020. www.royalalberthall.com Casting to be announced soon. These performances of THE CAR MAN will be the only performances of the show in the UK in 2021.
In a unique collaboration and for the very first time, this spectacular reimagined staging of THE CAR MAN will utilise the expanse of the stunning Royal Albert Hall with a cast of 33 dancers, a 25-piece live orchestra and an epic new design by Olivier and Tony award-winner Lez Brotherston.
Lucy Noble, Artistic Director at the Royal Albert Hall said today “We’re so incredibly excited to welcome The Car Man to the Royal Albert Hall as a highlight of our anniversary celebrations. This is one of modern dance’s most thrilling shows, and to see it specially adapted to the scale and grandeur of this spectacular space promises to be an unforgettable experience.”
Matthew Bourne said today “The Car Man may have found its perfect setting in the epic and spectacular surroundings of Britain’s favourite venue, the Royal Albert Hall. This unique and iconic landmark will only heighten the visceral thrill and emotional highs of a piece already regarded as a classic favourite in the New Adventures repertoire. As a lifelong lover and supporter of the Royal Albert Hall, I am delighted to be a part of its 150th birthday celebrations! it is a real career highlight for me to present my work here for the first time and create what will no doubt be, an important moment in New Adventures history. Whether you have seen The Car Man before or not, you will not want to miss this re-imagined “event” production of the show in an expanded staging that will also be a celebration of our return to live performance after more than fifteen months – We cannot wait to welcome you back too!.”
Based on Bizet’s beloved Carmen, the familiar 19th Century Spanish cigarette factory becomes a greasy garage-diner in 1960’s America where the dreams and passions of a small town are shattered by the arrival of a handsome stranger. Fuelled by heat and desire, the inhabitants are driven into an unstoppable spiral of greed, lust, betrayal and revenge.
Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most thrilling and passionately dramatic scores ever written, featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen), and new arrangements of Bizet’s legendary score, by New Adventures Associate Artist, Terry Davies.
Car Man group shot on stage
THE CAR MAN was first seen in 2000, winning the Evening Standard Award for Musical Event of the Year and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Choreography.
THE CAR MAN is directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, with music by Terry Davies & Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite (after Bizet’s Carmen); designed by Lez Brotherston with lighting by Chris Davey and sound by Paul Groothuis.
New Adventures is a national portfolio organisation supported using public funds by Arts Council England.
LISTINGS
New Adventures and the Royal Albert Hall present
Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man
Thursday 17 – Sunday 27 June 2021
At the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP
Reading Rep Theatre today announces ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, a sound installation for the Twilight Trail in Reading’s iconic Forbury Gardens and Abbey Ruins, from 8 December – 3 January 2021. This comes as the company is nearing the end of its capital project to create a permanent home in Reading, having raised over £1,000,000 – a journey that Artistic Director Paul Stacey and Executive Director Nick Thompson are discussingin the new podcast Pre Show Drinks.
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas tells Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless poem in an audio score created by community performers and professional actors during lockdown. The sound installation is directed by Chris Cuming, with Sound Design by Peter Malkin, and features Rick Romero, and will be part of Reading’s inaugural Twilight Trail – a festive trail full of sparkles and illuminations through Forbury Gardens and Abbey Ruins. Listen to a preview of the installation here.
As Reading Rep Theatre looks to open its new arts hub in Spring 2021, Artistic Director Paul Stacey and Executive Director Nick Thompsonhave begun reflecting on their journey in the new podcast Pre Show Drinks,hosted by BBC radio presenter Nick Barraclough. In episodes currently available online, they discuss the backstory of Reading Rep Theatre, and the challenges of establishing a young ambitious company, from which shows to programme, to where to park the audience’s cars. Episodes are released monthly and are available here.
Paul Stacey today said, “We are thrilled to be able to create work in any format this Christmas. We are excited to be working with a community chorus of students (who were able to perform in an educational bubble) and a professional actor, to record a rich and festive soundscape. While we can’t experience live performance quite yet, I hope this will give audiences a sense of the quality of work they can expect from us when we open next year.”
The new Reading Rep Theatre arts hub will include a 168-seat theatre, a permanent education and learning centre, backstage areas, new front of house facilities, and a café/bar. The building is being converted from a 1927 Salvation Army building by Total Projects, and is designed by David Hughes, the architect of the award-winning Park Theatre.
Rick Romero’s previous credits for Reading Rep Theatre include Waiting For Godot, The Nativity Play Goes Wrong, Look Back in Anger, A Christmas Carol, and The Dumb Waiter. Other theatre credits include Holy Land (UK tour), Julius Caesar (Brockley Jack), and Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Bush Hall).
Peter Malkin’s previous theatre credits as a Sound Designer include Death of England (National Theatre), Death of a Salesman, Twelfth Night (Royal Exchange), The Cherry Orchard (Toneelgroep Amsterdam), The Unreturning (Frantic Assembly), Pity, The Kid Stays in the Picture (Royal Court), The Seagull (Lyric Hammersmith), Frogman (Curious Directive), The Tempest (Donmar Warehouse), and Beware of Pity (Complicité). As Co-Sound Designer his credits include The Encounter (Complicité – winner of Tony, Drama Desk, Helpmann and Evening Standard awards or Best Sound Design alongside Gareth Fry), and as Associate Sound Designer, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End, Broadway, San Francisco, Hamburg, Australia), 1984 (Headlong), Hamlet (RSC), and Lionboy, The Magic Flute, The Master and Margarita (Complicité).
Chris Cuming’s previous theatre credits as Director and Choreographer include Made In Dagenham (Theatre Royal Norwich), Singin’ In The Rain, (Gaiety Theatre), Peter Pan- The Musical (The Leys, Cambridge) As You Like It (Petersfield Shakespeare Festival), ENCORE! 40 Years of NYMT (Adelphi Theatre), Sweeney Todd, (Cambridge Arts Theatre) and Hello Dolly! (Watford Palace Theatre). Choreography and Movement Direction credits include Sleeping Beauty (Watford Palace Theatre), Growl! (NYMT, UK Tour, China tour), The Lady Vanishes (UK Tour), Goodnight Mr Tom (East Riding Theatre) Midnight – A New Musical (Union Theatre), and Henry V, The Taming of the Shrew (Petersfield Shakespeare Festival).
About Reading Rep Theatre
Reading Rep Theatre was founded from scratch in 2012 by Paul Stacey, operating out of a sixty seat venue. It has since grown into Reading’s multi-award-winning resident professional producing theatre.
As Reading’s only year-round producing theatre, the company provides support to some of the UK’s leading emerging artists, ensuring that everyone in Reading, but especially those with least opportunity, can access high-quality theatre and culture.
In 2018 nearly 15,000 children and young people were reached through Reading Rep’s award-winning ENGAGE programme providing year-round youth theatres, school workshops, and a work experience scheme.
SUNSET BOULEVARD IN CONCERT TO BE STREAMED ONLINE 22 DEC – 9 JAN
Curve Theatre – Leicester – Backstage
Following the recent Government announcement that Leicester went into Tier 3 measures as of yesterday, Leicester’s Curve theatre has announced the planned production of Sunset Boulevard in Concerthas unfortunately been cancelled. However, in a first for Curve, the production will be performed by the company in the newly configured auditorium and filmed in HD for audiences to watch from the comfort of their own homes. Tickets for the filmed version will start from £20 and between Tuesday 22 December and Saturday 9 January, there will be up to three different performance times daily. The streamed version will be available for audiences in the UK and all territories across the world, with the exception of North America. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked via the theatre’s website or by calling the Box Office.
All current ticket holders will be contacted as soon as possible by Curve’s Box Office team, and will be eligible for either a full refund or an exchange for an ‘at home’ ticket.
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said “Due to Leicester entering Tier 3 and the uncertainty of when we will be able to reopen, we have made the difficult decision to cancel public performances of Sunset Boulevard. We are incredibly disappointed not to welcome audiences back to Curve this Christmas, especially as we have invested significantly in measures to ensure we can operate in a Covid-safe way.
However, the show must go on and in a Curve first, we will be bringing back our terrific Sunset Boulevard company to film the production for audiences to watch from the comfort of their own homes. The concert staging will see our stalls cleared of seats to accommodate our socially distanced 16-piece orchestra and we will celebrate every corner of Curve’s astonishing in-the-round auditoria with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s magnificent score. Although we are sorry not to be able to come together in person this Christmas, we are delighted we can share this specially-created concert with audiences across our city and beyond. Our sincere thanks to Really Useful Group, Paramount Pictures, UK Theatre, the Musicians Union, our sponsors PPL and the Culture Recovery Fund for helping make this possible.”
Joining the previously announced Ria Jones as Norma Desmond and Danny Mac as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard will be a host of original company members from Curve’s award-winning 2017 touring production. Molly Lynch will reprise her role as Betty Schaefer, Adam Pearce returns as Max Von Mayerling, Dougie Carter as Artie Green and Carl Sanderson as Cecil B DeMille.
The Sunset Boulevard company will also include Benjamin Chambers, Owen Chaponda, Joanna Goodwin, Kristoffer Hellström, James Meunier, Gemma Naylor, Joanna O’Hare, Jessica Paul, Sam Peggs and Barney Wilkinson.
Set over a turbulent New Year’s Eve in 1940s Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard is a gripping tale of romance, glamour and obsession. Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster will once again direct this production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical masterpiece, which features book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and is based on the 1950 film by Billy Wilder.
A 16-piece orchestra, supported by music licensing company PPL, will bring the musical’s score to life with musical supervision by Stephen Brooker. Set Designer Colin Richmond, Video Designer Douglas O’Connell and Choreographer Lee Proud will also rejoin the production team.
JENNIFER SAUNDERS TO STAR IN SELECT PERFORMANCES OF
2021 AND 2022 UK TOUR
WITH LESLEY JOSEPH
BRENDA EDWARDS
AND CLIVE ROWE
NEW AND RESCHEDULED DATES FOR 2021 AND 2022 ALSO ANNOUNCED
Producers Jamie Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg are delighted to announce Jennifer Saunders will reprise her role as ‘Mother Superior’ in select performances for the UK tour of ‘SISTER ACT THE MUSICAL’.
The rescheduled UK and Ireland tour will nowopen on 7 September 2021 at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, the tour will then continue into 2022 to new and rescheduled venues in the UK and Ireland. The tour follows the run in London at The Eventim Apollo which stars Jennifer Saunders and Whoopi Goldberg which will open on 20 July 2021 and run until 29 August 2021. Full listings for the tour and London can be found below. Further dates to be announced.
Jennifer will play ‘Mother Superior’ at the following venues, Mayflower Theatre Southampton from 7-11 September 2021, Manchester Palace Theatre from 27 Sep – 9 October 2021, Birmingham Hippodrome from 2 – 13 November 2021 and Wales Millennium Centre from 22 – 27 November 2021.
‘Mother Superior’ will be played by Lesley Joseph in the following venues, Leicester Curve from 13 – 25 September 2021, Dartford Orchard Theatre from 10 – 15 January 2022, Millennium Forum in Derry from 7 – 12 February 2022, and Nottingham Theatre Royal from 28 March – 2 April 2022.
The previously announced Brenda Edwards and Clive Rowe will play ‘Deloris Van Cartier’ and ‘Eddie Souther’ at selected venues. Full details can be found below.
Jennifer Saunders is a multi award-winning actress, comedian and writer. She is one half of the successful comedy duo French and Saunders and also wrote and starred in five series, three specials and a feature film of her hit comedy Absolutely Fabulous. Her many other TV credits include writing and starring in Jam and Jerusalem and guest starring in Friends and Roseanne. Film credits include the voice of the evil Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2. On stage she has appeared in Lady Windermere’s Fan at the Vaudeville Theatre and Blithe Spirit at Bath Theatre Royal and Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End. Sister Act the musical will mark Jennifer’s musical theatre debut.
Lesley Joseph is best known for playing ‘Dorien Green’ in the hugely successful sitcom “Birds of a Feather” alongside Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson. They recorded over 100 episodes over a period of nine years and returned to our screens in 2014 for a further three series. Lesley most recently appeared as ‘Frau Blucher’ in the West End production of the Mel Brooks musical “Young Frankenstein” for which she received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Her other theatre credits include ‘Miss Hannigan’ in “Annie” at the West End’s Victoria Palace and also on national tour as well as the touring productions of “Calendar Girls” and “Thoroughly Modern Mille”.
Brenda Edwards first came to the public’s attention when she became a semi-finalist in the 2005 series of ITV1’s The X Factor. Since then, she has become one of the most sought-after leading ladies in musical theatre. Her many West End and touring credits include ‘Killer Queen’ in “We Will Rock You” at the Dominion Theatre and original UK Tour, ‘Mama Morton’ in “Chicago” at The Adelphi Theatre, ‘Nettie Fowler’ in “Carousel” at London Coliseum, ‘Pearl Pastor’ in “Carmen Jones” at Royal Festival Hall, ‘Esta’ in “Moby Dick” at Union Theatre and ‘Motormouth Maybelle’ in “Hairspray” on UK Tour . Brenda most recently starred in “White Christmas” in London’s West End at The Dominion Theatre and is a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women.
Clive Rowe won the Olivier award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for “Guys and Dolls” at The National Theatre and was also nominated for Best Supporting Performance in “Carousel”,also at The National Theatre. At 2009’s Oliviers, he was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre award for “Mother Goose” at Hackney Empire. His many West End and touring credits include “Ladykillers” at the Gielgud Theatre,“Chicago”at the Adelphi Theatre, “Sweet Charity”at the Donmar Warehouse, the UK tour of “The Wind in The Willows” and “Me and My Girl”at Chichester Festival Theatre.
Based on the iconic movie, this sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music tells the hilarious story of the disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found – a convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
SISTER ACT has direction by Bill Buckhurst, choreography by Alistair David, Set and costume Design by Morgan Large, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design by Tom Marshall and Musical Supervision by Stephen Brooker. Casting is by Stuart Burt.
SISTER ACT features original music by Tony® and 8-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken(Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted), lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. SISTER ACT is produced by Jamie Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg. Tom Leonardis, Head of Whoopi’s production company, will also be on the producing team.
CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD RETURNS TO NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING IN THE ALL-NEW, SOCIALLY DISTANCED PANTOMIME PRODUCTION OF
ROBIN HOOD
WITH MATT SLACK, RICHARD CADELL & SOOTY FROM 18 DECEMBER 2020 – 10 JANUARY 2021
SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY
New Victoria Theatre and pantomime producers Qdos Entertainment have today announced that an all-new socially distanced pantomime production of Robin Hood will now be staged at the venue from Friday 18 December 2020 – Sunday 10 January 2021,thanks to support from The National Lottery.
Making a welcome return following his Box Office-breaking appearance in Cinderella in 2018, the Strictly judge the nation loves to hate, the fab-u-lous Craig Revel Horwood will star as The Sheriff of Nottingham, alongside hilarious funny man Matt Slack and the legendary pairing of Richard Cadell & Sooty. Tickets for the Strictly limited run go on sale Friday 4 December and are available in a variety of bubble sizes safely socially distanced from other patrons, so customers can enjoy the show, safely.
As a special thank you to Woking’s wonderful NHS staff, Ambassador Theatre Group are pleased to announce they’ll be gifting all tickets to the evening performance on Tuesday 5 January to the NHS and their families.
Simon Thomsett, Theatre Director at New Victoria Theatre said “We’re thrilled to be working again with Qdos Entertainment and to be able to open our doors and offer some festive fun – oh yes we are! Huge thanks must also go to The National Lottery for supporting us and making it possible for us to bring some much needed cheer to our lovely audiences who we haven’t seen enough of this year.
We wouldn’t have been able to reach this point without all the selfless work from the NHS over the year, so as a thank you, NHS staff can enter a ballot for free tickets to bring their families to Robin Hood by visiting healthservicediscounts.com
We can’t wait to safely entertain our fabulous audiences at both the New Victoria Theatre and the Nova Cinema this festive season.”
NHS workers just need to head to healthservicediscounts.com and register for the ballot. Full details below.
This new production will be packed full of comedy routines, audience-safe participation and all the unmissable magic that Surrey audiences have come to expect from their annual festive pantomime. The previously advertised production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be staged in 2021 and existing bookers have already been contacted with details of their new tickets.
The support of The National Lottery will ensure that socially distanced panto can take place this year at New Victoria Theatre, and other theatres across the UK. Up to 20,000 free tickets to pantomimes across the country, including in Woking, will be made available to National Lottery players to thank them for making it possible for this Christmas tradition to go ahead. National Lottery players raise on average £30M each week for Good Causes. This year has seen up to £800M in National Lottery funding being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the arts, community and charity, heritage, education, environment and sport sectors.
Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is the global leader in live theatre, operating 50 venues across Britain, the US and Germany. They produce shows across the entertainment spectrum and are proud to have won many Olivier and Tony awards with a clear mission to bring the very best in live entertainment to the largest possible number of people.
Listings
Friday 18 December 2020 – Sunday 10 January 2021
Tickets from £13 fees apply
You can book tickets by calling the Box Office on 0844 871 7615 (Fees apply. Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge or online at ATGTICKETS.COM/Woking (fees apply).
New Victoria Theatre, Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6GQ
Socials:
Facebook: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking
Twitter: @WokingTheatre
Instagram: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking
NHS Ballot
NHS BALLOT
The ballot will be open to NHS workers from Thursday 3 December – Sunday 13 December 2020 to win a maximum of six tickets per household/bubble for the first evening performance at New Victoria Theatre Woking on Tuesday 5 January 2021 at 7pm. To register for the ballot, visit healthservicediscounts.com from Thursday 3 December at 10am. Winners will be notified in the week commencing Monday 14 December 2020.
PINOCCHIO LIVE STREAMED FROM CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE
Tuesday 22 December at 7pm & Wednesday 23 December at 2pm
Recommended for ages 7+.
Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s brand new version of the classic tale PINOCCHIO, written especially for them by CFT’s Writer-in-Residence Anna Ledwich with music by Tom Brady, will be live streamed from the Festival Theatre on 22 December at 7pm (press night) and 23 December at 2pm.
Director Dale Rooks, whose work at Chichester includes The Butterfly Lion, The Midnight Gang and Running Wild, will bring her trademark visual flair and gift for storytelling to this darkly magical reinvention.
Geppetto the boatmaker tosses aside a piece of wood; it’s only good for the fire. To his amazement, a voice answers him back. Geppetto picks up the wood and begins to carve – and a small wooden boy is revealed. A puppet, which he names Pinocchio.
And that’s when the mayhem begins. Pinocchio can’t stop getting into trouble, despite the best efforts of the Blue Fairy and the Cricket to keep him on track. His intentions may be good – he truly wants to go to school like real boys and girls – but the temptation to discover the wonders of the world and make his fortune keep getting in the way.
Pinocchio encounters a host of fascinating characters, from Punch and Judy to the wily Fox and Cat and the strange Sea Monster, as he journeys to Wonderland and the world beneath the sea. But he discovers that it isn’t easy hiding the truth – especially when your nose gets longer with every lie you tell…
Anna Ledwich’s previous work at Chichester includes The Butterfly Lion (2019), Crossing Lines (2019) and Beauty and the Beast (2018).
Pinocchiowill have set design by Simon Higlett, costumes by Ryan Dawson Laight, lighting by James Whiteside, musical direction by Colin Billing, sound by Gregory Clarke and movement by Lauren Grant.
Recommended for ages 7+.
Pinocchio runs at Chichester Festival Theatre from 16 December 2020 – 2 January 2021
There will be a Polish-translated performance on Monday 21 December at 7pm and a Relaxed Performance on Sunday 27 December at 2pm.
Live streams: Tuesday 22 December at 7pm & Wednesday 23 December at 2pm.
Boundless Theatre announces Boundless Happenings; a series of theatrical, digital, and experimental online participatory events launching today, 2 December, and running until 31 January 2021.
The specially commissioned Happenings created by early career artists, include virtual escape room U R NOT ALONE, livestreamed production Realness Revolution, a journey of self-care for people of colour and of learning for allies with Our Eden and digital exhibition Log Off. These new works offer interaction, connection and community when coming together in live spaces has been restricted. All events are free to access and are available via boundlesstheatre.org.uk
Artistic Director of Boundless Theatre, Rob Drummer today said “At Boundless, we’ve been motivated by a sense of service to our artists and our audiences, most of whom are early career artists between 15-25 years old – those who have seen so much vanish as a result of the pandemic.
“For all of them, we wanted to make something happen and for that reason, we’re launching Boundless Happenings. This is our first major digital experiment that aims to create reasons for young people and artists to meet in safe spaces online, to forge new connections around performance in a positive way. Some of the content is directly influenced by the challenges young people are facing but the spirit of community is alive in all of them.”
HAPPENING 1
U R NOT ALONE
2 – 7 December 2020
Created by Cherry Eckel, Clíona Malin, Emilia Hargreaves and Fin Ross Russell
with the Boundless Theatre Advisory Group
You wake up in a cold, windowless room. You don’t recognise where you are. You are alone.
U R NOT ALONE is an immersive online escape room exploring fear and isolation. Created by the Boundless Advisory Group, this experience is a collaborative storytelling experience.
HAPPENING 2
REALNESS REVOLUTION
16 – 17 December 2020
Created by Lewis Pickles
What happens when your digital alter ego becomes more popular than your real self?
Drag empress ROSE XO is forever in a performance, ruling his world in fake lashes and 6-inch plus heels, in hope of escaping the dystopia of a digital parallel world. There will also be a live Q&A throughout the streams.
Who are you and what role are you playing in changing the world? With Our Eden, Yasmin and Nadia have created a safe space for participants to discuss two routes – wellbeing for their fellow POC individuals and allyship of their white counterparts.
The journey is determined by your choice of answer:
‘What are you here to grow today? Are you here to grow self-esteem or learn how to be an ally?’
HAPPENING 4
LOG OFF
18 – 31 January 2021
Created by Sarah-Louise Davila
Log off social media and log into your creativity. Culminating in a digital exhibition LOG OFF, Sarah-Louise wants to encourage young adults to literally leave their phones alone and spend time that usually would be spent being on social media to create art. Intrigued? Yes? Good.
With the freedom to create whatever they want, submissions do not have to focus on the negative sides of social media; this is one for exploration and creativity.
Boundless Happenings are co-produced with Spy Studio and have been made possible thanks to the support of Bloomberg Corporate Philanthropies, the City Bridge Trust and the Wates Foundation.
SIR DEREK JACOBI, RICHARD CLIFFORD, DETOX, MAYHEM MILLER,
MEATBALL & VINEGAR STROKES
TO APPEAR IN THE VICKY VOX PROJECT
New Frame Productions today announce that Sir Derek Jacobi, Richard Clifford,Detox, Mayhem Miller, Meatball and Vinegar Strokes will make special guest appearances in episode four of The Vicky Vox Project, which will be streaming from 4pm today. Catch up on previous episodes via New Frame Productions’ YouTube Channel
Episode 4: Lacking in human interaction, Vicky is struggling. She seeks connection and as a result, demands a live audience to preview the show. With the tightest of turnarounds, the producers begin making arrangements. Invitations are distributed worldwide & the RSVP’s start pouring in. With a clash of opinions and Tom the director insisting they are not ready, musical director Chris continues to rehearse with Vicky as she vehemently prepares herself for the performance.
This heightened reality web-series, featuring a company of actual real-life creatives, is raising the stakes and bringing the challenges of rehearsing online to the forefront. The series is inspired by a love of live performance, a passion for drag and queer culture and the dilemma we all find ourselves in with Miss Rona. It offers some insight into the creative process of making a show during a pandemic, with a drag queen, across multiple time zones and explores the artistic vision, design concepts and music creation all while celebrating Vicky’s sentiment that “When the world goes to sh*t, sometimes you gotta celebrate a little harder.”
Sir Derek Jacobi is a BAFTA award-winning, and Golden Globe-nominated British actor. His theatre credits include Don Carlos (Sheffield Theatres/Gielgud Theatre), King Lear (Donmar Warehouse), Romeo and Juliet (Garrick Theatre), The Tempest (Sheffield Theatres/The Old Vic), Cyrano de Bergerac (Barbican – Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Revival), AVoyage Round My Father (Donmar Warehouse), Twelfth Night (Donmar West End, Olivier Award for Best Actor) and Much Ado About Nothing (Gershwin Theatre – Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play). His television credits include Last Tango in Halifax, I, Claudius,Doctor Who, Inside Number 9 and The Crown. For film his credits include Gladiator, Gosford Park, Dead Again and The Tenth Man (Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special).
Richard Clifford’s theatre credits include Amadeus (Chichester Festival Theatre), Henry V (Noël Coward Theatre), Hamlet,Much Ado About Nothing (International tour), The Merchant of Venice (Old Vic) and Forever Ivor (UK Tour). For film his credits include Good Bye Christopher Robin, Wonder Woman, Murder on the Orient Express and for TV his credits include The Crown.
Detox’s TV credits include RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season five), and for film her credits include Cherry Pop alongside Mayhem Miller and Bob The Drag Queen. She featured in Lady Gaga’s music video Applause in 2013 and she was a member of the drag group DWV with Vicky Vox and Willam Belli.
Mayhem Miller’s TV credits include RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season ten) and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Season five) and AJ and the Queen. She released her first single Queen of the Party in 2018, and was in Lizzo’s music video Juice released in 2019.
Meatball’sTV credits include The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula (Season one). She has featured as a guest on one of the most popular episodes of Doing Great with Vicky Vox and stars in her own YouTube series Welcome to Meatland.
Vinegar Strokes’ TV credits include Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK (Season one). Her theatre credits include Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre) and Death Drop (Garrick Theatre). Vinegar hosted the Extra Lap Re-cap for Canada’s Drag Race Series One.
Vicky Vox is an LA-based drag performer who is best known for her drag band DWV, alongside the world-renowned Detox and Willam Belli. In 2018 Vicky starred as the human-eating alien plant Audrey II in the critically acclaimed Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Little Shop of Horrors. Vicky recently launched her first podcast series Doing Great with Vicky Vox. She said“2020 is clearly the year that changed everything. Adversity is nothing new in my life. I always find a way to express myself and connect with others. Creativity and art are healing and they will not be stopped! When you find people who support your vision and truly embody that collaborative spirit, obstacles become launch pads to discovery. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.”
Filmed remotely, in isolation, predominantly in the US and produced, directed and edited in the UK, the web-series is available via New Frame Productions YouTube channel with a live show scheduled for 2021. The series also features Cindy Lin, Paul Michael Gibbs, Renée Lamb and Chris Poon with further special star guests scheduled to appear in future episodes.
