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Manchester Theatre Awards

In association with Target Live

Nominations announced

 

Ceremony to be held on Friday 9 March
at The Lowry

 

Hosted by Justin Moorhouse

Nominations have been announced for the forthcoming Manchester Theatre Awards, to be held at The Lowry’s Quays Theatre on Friday 9 March, hosted by actor and comedian Justin Moorhouse.

The annual awards – the most important theatrical prize-giving outside London – has been a major fixture of the North West cultural calendar since 1981 and will honour productions seen in Greater Manchester during 2017.

With the backing of the Greater Manchester theatres, a judging panel of some of the most experienced critics in the country, who attend hundreds of performances a year, celebrate the significant impact of theatre in Greater Manchester. In recent years the Awards have expanded to include a group of enthusiastic young critics who also choose an annual award from the city’s youth theatre productions.

Nominations in over 20 categories celebrating the best work on stage and off have been announced today, and winners will be announced on stage at a red carpet event in March attended by Greater Manchester’s theatre community.

The Lowry in Salford leads the way wi.th 15 nominations across categories including dance, opera and drama, with HOME in Manchester city centre following with 13 nods. Oldham Coliseum, the Palace Theatre and Opera House, The Royal Exchange, Contact and Bolton Octagon are all also nominated, as is last summer’s Manchester International Festival. Fringe theatre is not forgotten with the critically-acclaimed Hope Mill Theatre winning six nominations for its programme and performers, and Greater Manchester Fringe Festivaland newly established space 53Two also gaining nods.

Two further awards, The Stage Door Foundation Award For Excellence and Special Achievement Award, are presented on the day.

Since the relaunch of the awards in 2011, famous faces from stage and screen to have won include Sir Kenneth Branagh, Maxine Peake, Rufus Hound, Rory Kinnear, Barry Humphries, Julian Glover and Sian Phillips. Famous names in the running for awards this year include Sheridan Smith, who is nominated for Best Visiting Actress for her role as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Danny Mac, nominated for Best Visiting Actor for his performance as Joe McGill in Sunset Boulevard while Jason Merrells is up for Best Actor for his role in HOME’s Uncle Vanya.

 

Coronation Street and Broadchurch actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, herself a previous multiple MTA winner, paid tribute to the awards and the importance of the Greater Manchester theatre scene, saying: “I love the Manchester Theatre Awards.  It’s always such a lovely coming together of our artistic community in the best city in the world, and is a celebration of all things theatrical here: From the emerging raw talent of the burgeoning fringe scene to the bobby dazzler spectaculars in our main houses and from the internationally acclaimed cultural highlights of MIF to a couple of people in a tiny space above a Salford pub.”

 

All nominees are invited to the awards, and members of the public can also buy tickets for the event. Tickets, priced £15 are available from www.thelowry.com/information/booking.

 

The 2018 Manchester Theatre Awards are in association with Target Live, who will be managing the PR for the forthcoming awards. With offices in London and Manchester, Target Live is the UK’s only full service live events marketing agency offering Marketing, Media, Social Media, PR, Design and Digital.

 

http://www.manchestertheatreawards.com

@MTAwards

 

MTA Nominees 2017

Actress in a Leading Role

Karen Henthorn, Spring and Port Wine, Oldham Coliseum

Lisa Dwyer Hogg, People, Places & Things, HOME

Nina Hoss, Returning to Reims, Manchester International Festival

Janet Suzman, Rose, HOME

Actor in a Leading Role

Cliff Burnett, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum

Jason Merrells, Uncle Vanya, HOME

Kenneth Alan Taylor, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Ashley Zhangazha, Guys And Dolls, Royal Exchange

Actress in a Supporting Role

Alison Halstead, The House of Bernarda Alba, Royal Exchange

Kate Kennedy, Twelfth Night, Royal Exchange

Kerry Peers, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Katie West, Uncle Vanya, HOME

 

Actor in a Supporting Role

Tom Michael Blyth, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum

David Fleeshman, Uncle Vanya, HOME

Andrew Sheridan, People, Places & Things, HOME

Actress in a Visiting Production

Ria Jones, Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Laura Pitt-Pulford, Nell Gwynn, The Lowry

Natalie Radmall-Quirke, The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

Sheridan Smith, Funny Girl, Palace Theatre

 

Actor in a Visiting Production

Danny Mac, Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Graham McDuff, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Palace Theatre

Sean Murray, The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

Ensemble

Oh What A Lovely War, Oldham Coliseum

Operation Black Antler, HOME

The Suppliant Women, Royal Exchange

Performance in a Fringe Production

Rosie Fleeshman, Narcissist in the Mirror, Greater Manchester Fringe

Amie Giselle-Ward, Little Women – The Musical, Hope Mill Theatre

Alexandra Maxwell, The Loves of Others / Freak, Greater Manchester Fringe

Danny Solomon, Days Of Wine And Roses, 53TWO

Performance in a Studio Production

Rhodri Meilir How My Light Is Spent, Royal Exchange

Lucy Jane Parkinson, Joan, Contact

Keisha Thompson, Man On The Moon, Contact

Alex Walton, From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, The Lowry

Robert Robson Award for Dance

Debut, Acosta Danza, The Lowry

English National Ballet double bill, Palace Theatre

Ghost Dances, Rambert Dance, The Lowry

Leviathan, James Wilton Dance, Contact

Design

Jenny Melville (set) and Lysander Ashton (video), Paul Auster’s City of Glass, HOME

Bunny Christie, People, Places & Things, HOME

Alex Lowde, Persuasion, Royal Exchange

Yael Bartana, What If Women Ruled the World?, Manchester International Festival

Fringe Production

Bad Advice, Greater Manchester Fringe

Gypsy Queen, Hope Mill Theatre

The Marriage of Kim K, Greater Manchester Fringe

Moth, Hope Mill Theatre

Musical

Funny Girl, Palace Theatre

Jim Steinman’s Bat out of Hell the Musical, Opera House

Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Yank!, Hope Mill Theatre

 

New Play

Gypsy Queen, writer Rob Ward, Hope Mill Theatre

How My Light Is Spent, writer Alan Harris, Royal Exchange

Narcissist in the Mirror, writer Rosie Fleeshman, Greater Manchester Fringe

Narvik, writer Lizzie Nunnery, HOME

Newcomer

Gemma Dobson, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Octagon Theatre Bolton

Scott Hunter, Yank!, Hope Mill Theatre

Vinay Lad, The Railway Children, The Lowry

Opera

Cendrillon, Royal Northern College of Music, RNCM

La Cenerentola, Opera North, The Lowry

Opera North Little Greats, Opera North, The Lowry

The Snow Maiden, Opera North, The Lowry

Production

The Father, Oldham Coliseum

People, Places & Things, HOME

Rose, HOME

The Suppliant Women, Royal Exchange

Special Entertainment

Dick Whittington, Opera House

Running Wild, The Lowry

The Toad Knew, The Lowry

Under Glass, Clod Ensemble,The Lowry

Studio Production

From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, The Lowry

Joan, Contact

Man On The Moon, Contact

Swansong, The Lowry

Target Live Award for Best Visiting Production

La Strada, The Lowry

My Country; a Work in Progress, HOME

Nell Gwynn, The Lowry

The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

 

Youth Panel Award

There is a Light/BRIGHTLIGHT, Contact Young Company

Singin’ in the Rain, RNCM Young Company

Tis Written in the Stars, Oldham Theatre Workshop, Oldham Coliseum

The Lowry celebrates 18^th birthday with festival dedicated to ‘Coming of Age’

The Lowry arts centre in Salford celebrates its 18^th birthday in 2018 and will mark the milestone through its biennial Week 53 festival, which will have a ‘Coming of Age’ theme.

Running from Thursday 17 to Monday 28 May, the festival includes 66contemporary art, dance, drama and spoken word performances by more than130 artists from seven countries.

Six artists and companies have already been confirmed in the line-up, including: an exhibition of paintings by Royal Academician, Chantal Joffe; the first ever stage adaptation Nigel Slater’s award-winning autobiography, Toast; and a new production of the classic thriller, Brighton Rock by Pilot Theatre.

Eleven more artists and companies are announced today. They are:

• The English language premiere of Hikikomori – theatre production by Joris Mathieu inspired by the half a million reclusive young Japanese adults who have withdrawn from social life
• TOOT Theatre’s Sixteen rights of individuals within the care system
• The world premiere of Seven Inch – a spoken word comedy performance about loneliness and music’s digital coming of age by Manchester artist, Fat Roland
• – An immersive performance examining the institutionalisation of people with learning disabilities by Access All Areas Theatre – specially commissioned for Week 53
• Stand-up from Chortle Award-nominated comedian, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, who will reflect on her experiences of mentoring vulnerable young people through her show, Appropriate Adult
• Daughter Daughter – an emotive new dance show about fatherhood inspired by real stories from men and their daughters by Joseph Toonga and Just Us Dance Theatre
• A celebration of all things digital from the last 40 years in Hacked on Classics by Seb Lee-Delise, which takes a look at how popular retro gadgets actually work
• A live-media performance by fuse* called Dökk, inspired by the natural evolution of Ljós (‘light’)
• Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Swan Lake / Loch na hEala – a magical new staging of the classic ballet from one of Ireland’s foremost dance and theatre-makers which collides ancient mythology and the complexity of modern Ireland
• – a series of events at which teenagers take control by Canadian company Mammalian Diving Reflex
• And Scottish Dance Theatre will present Fleur Darkin’s Innocence – a unique playroom performance that invites little ones (and their adults), to explore William Blake’s imagination and enter a realm of mystery, fun and adventure.

Julia Fawcett OBE, chief executive of The Lowry, said: “Week 53 champions bold and experimental art across all genres and represents a period in our calendar when anything is possible.

“This year’s festival focusses on ‘the coming of age’ and the multitude of scenarios in which that ‘process’ takes place. It coincides with a milestone for The Lowry – that being the 18^th anniversary of our opening – which gives the theme an added significance to our staff and long-standing patrons.”

Some elements of the programme are free of change and those that are ticketed are set-priced at £10 or £20. For all ticketed performances there will be an allocation of ‘Pay What You Decide’ seats available both in advance and on the door – to encourage audiences to ‘try something new’.

Listings information:

Week 53
Thurs 17 – Mon 28 May 2018
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
www.thelowry.com/Week53
Tickets: Free, £10, £20 and ‘Pay What You Decide’
@The_Lowry / #Week53

The inaugural Week 53 festival in 2016 drew over 10,000 visitors – 33% of which had never been to The Lowry before. The programme comprised 63 performances by more than 200 artists and further strengthened The Lowry’s position as the most visited cultural destination in the North West.

The Lowry opened on 28 April 2000 as ‘The National Landmark Millennium Project for the Arts’. The building was officially opened six months later by HM The Queen on 12 October 2000

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – until 20 January 2018.  Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

4****

We received a warm welcome to London Classic Theatre Company’s production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives.

In the first half, the simple hotel balcony scene was set with tired looking scenery. However this did not distract from the fluid delivery of the rapid dialogue. The ease with which the comedy flowed felt natural and almost incidental. Olivia Beardsley conveyed a nervous tension and sobbed so hilariously, I think Sibyl was brought to life in most everyone’s imagination or memory of someone they know! The selfish and carefree manner that Gareth Bennet-Ryan brought to Elyot had great comedic timing. I think my favourite moment was Amanda’s reaction when she first saw Elyot on the neighbouring balcony. Helen Keeley’s physical portrayal of Amanda’s reaction made the audience laugh out loud, here and many other times during the play.  Paul Sandy’s portrayal of Victor as an uptight, moralistic man that just wanted to love and be loved had me wanting to give him a hug and shake him at the same time!

The Paris flat scenery in the second half was well placed and representative of the era. I think Rachael Holmes-Brown version of Louise The Maid was more clumsy and inept than necessary and detracted from the over all performance. I have to doubt her authenticity and also Elyot’s ability to speak French! The first choreographed fight scene was a shock, even though you were half expecting it, because it all happened so quickly and was so well synchronised. After that the comedy value took over and they were simply very funny.

Over all a great evenings entertainment and a worthy rendition that I think Noel Coward would have been happy with!

DEAFINITELY THEATRE RECEIVE ACE CATALYST FUNDING

Deafinitely Theatre today announce that they are to receive ACE Catalyst funding of £28,090. This fund supports organisations to build fundraising capacity to enable them to attract more private giving to arts and culture. This is one of the measures ACE is putting in place to help create a more sustainable and resilient art and culture sector. Deafinitely Theatre will utilise this vital grant to train staff and Board members to build skills in cultivating Individual Giving and Corporate Sponsorship, and provide capacity to expand and improve the environment in which it fundraises, enabling a step change in their ability to raise and sustain philanthropic income.

 

Paula Garfield, Artistic Director of Deafinitely Theatre said today, “We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in receiving an ACE Catalyst grant. We want to thank Arts Council, England for their continued support. Fundraising for small arts charities like us, as we all know, is hard and we can get easily overlooked for funding opportunities. We are grateful to receive vital NPO and other funding from ACE over the last 15 years. This vital Catalyst funding will raise Deafinitely’s ability to sustain our income and generate more resilience, developing our skills in fundraising for the future.”

Joyce Wilson, London Area Director, Arts Council England, commented: “I am delighted to see this investment in Deafinitely Theatre’s plans for a more resilient future through our Catalyst Small Grants programme. It is hugely important for London’s arts and cultural organisations to be able to be more sustainable, resilient and diversify their incomes. I am therefore thrilled that we are able to fund these excellent projects in Camden through our Catalyst fund, and support their fundraising plans.”

DEAFINITELY THEATRE

Deafinitely Theatre creates bilingual productions of classic and contemporary plays for deaf and hearing audiences that combine the visual storytelling of British Sign Language with the immediacy of spoken English.

The company’s vision is a world where deaf people are a valued part of the national theatre landscape, recognised for the excellence of their work. Deafinitely challenges barriers to training and opportunities, working hard to nurture the next generation of deaf theatre makers and audiences through its continuing programme of productions, consultancy work and education and training activities for young people and adults.

www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/deafinitelytheatre

Twitter: @DeafinitelyT

How To Survive A Post-Truth Apocalypse
UK Tour: February – June 2018

Following a sell-out performance at London’s Roundhouse, Francesca Beard’s one-woman show How To Survive A Post-Truth Apocalypse returns for an exciting UK tour. Beard mixes storytelling, verse, spoken word, audience interaction and a game of ‘Whose Lie Is It Anyway’ as she leads audiences on a journey to explore lies in all their forms and what it means to be human.

Returning to the stage after a ten-year absence, spoken word artist Beard brings us her first fulllength show about a stranger than fiction underworld of lies, fabrications and ‘facts’. Through a series of fabulous encounters, audiences will hear many lies from political spin, to polite half-truths, to the lies we live by: ‘Capitalism is a meritocracy’, ‘Grandma, I love this cardigan’ and ‘Yes, I have
read the terms and conditions’.

Beard is one of the most successful spoken word artists in the UK and has developed innovative work such as Chinese Whispers and Animal Olympics. Directed by Rob Watt, (Standby for Tape Back-Up, UK tour), How to Survive A Post-Truth Apocalypse explores our place in a new ‘posttruth’ world that’s had enough of experts, but not enough of Donald Trump. It asks: ‘What is the global cost of make-believe?’, ‘Are all humans liars?’ and ‘Can the truth set us free?’.

Beard comments, Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the blurred lines between imagination and reality. It’s the realisation of a dream, to make a show that explores the exhilarating risks and responsibilities of our most incredible super-power: story-telling. It feels vital to tour it at this surreal time, where our leaders spin fantasies of fear from fictional facts and the man with the hugest nuclear button lives in a cloudy consensus reality where climate change is a myth.  Spoken word is us, standing up and representing our truths, bearing witness to other, different realities. I hope that audiences leave this show feeling clarity about uncertainty and empowered to share the stories that make our world a kinder, stronger place.

Beard’s charisma and humour is so sparkling, and her ease and engagement with the audience [is] sogenuine (Exeunt).

This production is kindly supported by Arts Council England.

Performance Dates
19th February 451 City @ NST City
NST City, Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Above Bar Street,
Southampton, SO14 7DU

14th March MAC Birmingham
Cannon Hill Park, Queen’s Ride, Birmingham B12 9QH

17th March Rich Mix
35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA

21st March Marlowe Studio
The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS

17th – 19th May Battersea Arts Centre
Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TN

22nd May Norwich Arts Centre
51 St Benedict’s Street, Norwich NR2 4PG

1st June The Lighthouse, Poole
21 Kingland Road, Poole BH15 1UG

6th June ARC, Stockton Arts Centre
Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1LL

THEATRE FEST WEST RETURNS FOR SEVENTH YEAR CELEBRATING THEATRE ACROSS THE SOUTH WEST

 

Theatre Fest West returns from 9 to 24 February for a seventh year celebrating theatre across the South West. Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre will once again join forces with The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham and Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge to present some of the most interesting companies from across the region.

Companies taking part in Theatre Fest West at Salisbury Playhouse this year include Exeter’s Scratchworks Theatre with Great Train Robbery (22 February), Dorset’s Stuff and Nonsense with The Gingerbread Man (13 and 14 February) and Bristol’s Theatre Ad Infinitum with No Kids (9 February).

There are theatre productions for young audiences at Salisbury Playhouse including The Gingerbread Manfrom Stuff and Nonsense which mixes live action with puppetry and music and Journey to the Impossible from Little Soldier (15 February) which is a coming-of-age quest featuring songs, cinematic storytelling and hip-hop dance.

Companies taking part in Theatre Fest West at Salisbury Arts Centre this year include Narhwal Ensemble with Whey Down South (14 February), INKBLOC Ensemble with Lego Beach (16 February) and Lady Strong’s Bonfire with Mummy Monster (23 February).

Productions taking place at partner venues include George and the Flight of the Imaginees from Brave Bold Drama (14 February at The Pound, Corsham) and Points of Echo from bgroup and Rural Arts Wiltshire (16 February, Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge).

The Festival opens with the South West Theatre Symposium at Salisbury Playhouse on Friday 9 February which will see Salisbury Playhouse come together with Theatre Bristol, Take Art and Activate along with a host of artists and industry professionals from across the South West to celebrate theatre-making in the region.

The full programme of events is available at www.salisburyplayhouse.com.

Theatre Fest West is generously supported by Frank and Elizabeth Brenan.

Tickets are on sale now. For Salisbury Playhouse visit www.salisburyplayhouse.com or call 01722 320333. For Salisbury Arts Centre visit www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk or call 01722 321744. For Pound Arts visit www.poundarts.org.uk or call 01249 701628. For Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge visit www.townhallarts.co.uk or call 01225 774306.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL

BASED ON THE STORY OF THE SMALL FACES

AT ARTS THEATRE, LONDON

FOR STRICTLY LIMITED WEST END SEASON

FROM 6 FEBRUARY TO 11 MARCH 2018

 

Full casting is announced for the West End season of the critically acclaimed ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL, based on the story of the Small Faces.  Joining the previously announced Carol Harrison as Kay Marriott and Chris Simmons as Steve Marriott, will be Samuel Pope as Young Steve Marriott, Stefan Edwards as Kenney Jones, Stanton Wright as Ronnie Lane, Alexander Gold as Ian McLagan, Edward Elgood as Jimmy Winston, Karis Anderson as P.P. Arnold and Russell Floyd as Don Arden.  Also in the cast are Daniel Beales, Alfie Harrison-Foreman, Dani Acors and Emily Daniels.  David Shute and Danielle Johnson will play Steve Marriott and Kay Marriott at certain performances.  ALL OR NOTHING’s limited season will run at the Arts Theatre, London from 6 February to 11 March, with a press night on Thursday 8 February.

 

Written and directed by the award-winning actress Carol Harrison, ALL OR NOTHING is the story of four charismatic young kids from East London with humour, attitude, passion and, above all, talent.  They became the Small Faces and were rocketed into the big time, only to discover the path to success is paved with exploitation, betrayal and, ultimately, tragedy. 

 

In 1965, a new phenomenon erupted out of London’s East End.  It was the essence of all that was cool.  It was Mod.  ALL OR NOTHING follows the rise and demise of the Small Faces, the band who encapsulated all that was Mod – a unique blend of taste and testosterone, clothes-obsessed and street-wise – but most of all, a dedication to rhythm ‘n’ blues.  The musical celebrates the unique sound of this iconic Mod band, with all the Small Faces’ hits, including Whatcha Gonna Do About It,Tin Soldier, Lazy Sunday, Here Comes the Nice, Itchycoo Park and, of course, All or Nothing.

 

Carol Harrison is probably best known for her role as Louise Raymond in EastEnders.  Other television roles include seven years as Gloria in Brushstrokes, Loretta opposite Ray Winstone in Get Back, and Dorothy in two series of London’s Burning.  Carol’s theatre work includes Michael Rudman’s production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman at the National, Ripen Our Darkness at the Royal Court, Alan Parker’s production of Alfie at the Liverpool Playhouse and Lee Hall’s Cooking with Elvis at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.  She was also a founder member of Half Moon Theatre in London’s East End.  Her film credits include The Elephant Man, Quadrophenia and Human Traffic.

 

Chris Simmons is probably best known for playing the role of DC Mickey Webb for over twelve years in the long running ITV series The Bill.  He has also appeared in EastEnders as Mark Garland and in the Tracy Beaker spin-off CBBC show, The Dumping Ground.  Chris’s theatre credits includeAlan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends (Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage), Entertaining Strangers (Lyric Hammersmith), Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (tour), Iago in Othello (tour) and Epicoene (Tristan Bates Theatre).

 

Samuel Pope is making his West End debut.  He trained at the University of Manchester and the Royal Academy of Music and has since played Bob Cratchit in the UK tour of A Christmas Carol and Lon Smith in Meet Me in St Louis at the Landor Theatre.

 

Stefan Edwards previously appeared in the Arts Theatre in American Justice and was in The Mousetrap at St Martin’s Theatre in London’s West End.  He was part of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies directed by Danny Boyle and Kim Gavin.

Stanton Wright’s theatre credits include Take Me Here by the Dishwasher at the Barbican, actor/puppeteer in This Moose Belongs to Me and Jackie and the Baboon (Unicorn and Orange Tree Theatres), Florence in Florence Loves You for Theatre503, Devil in The Glorious Damnation of Eddie Small (Union Theatre/Bedlam Theatre) and Renaissance Body (RSC/British Museum).

 

Alexander Gold began his career marketing for former Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies and then joined the publishers of The Word and Mixmag.  At the same time, he performed all over the world with acts as diverse as 1977 punk legends the Boys (Joey Ramone’s favourite band) to the United Kingdom Ukulele Orchestra, with whom he spent a month at Dollywood, as a guest of Dolly Parton.  He played Clash drummer Topper Headon opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers’s Joe Strummer in the filmLondon Town.

 

Edward Elgood last appeared at the Arts Theatre in Richard III.  His other theatre credits include King Charles III (Wyndham’s), the UK tour of The Mousetrap (No.1 Tour); Mucedorus (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), The Maids (The Cockpit) and The Lady of Pleasure (Shakespeare’s Globe – Sam Wanamaker Festival).

 

Karis Anderson is a member of girl band, Stooshe.  They broke on to the UK music scene in 2012 with the release of their single Love Me, featuring American rapper Travie McCoy.  They have gone on to have four Top 20 hits, were nominated for the BBC Sound Poll, and toured with J-Lo and Nicki Minaj.  Their single Black Heart spent over 16 weeks in the UK charts and was nominated for Best British Single at the 2013 Brit Awards.  All or Nothing marks Karis’s West End stage debut.

 

Russell Floyd will be known to many for his regular roles as Michael Rose in EastEnders and DC Ken Drummond in The Bill.  His theatre credits include Sir Courtly Nice (RSC), Going to a Party(National Theatre), Fit and Proper People (Soho Theatre) and Forget Me Not (Bush Theatre).

 

The show is endorsed and supported by many of those who feature in its story, including singer P.P. Arnold and Steve Marriott’s daughter, Mollie Marriott, who is the show’s vocal coach and creative consultant.

 

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL is directed by Carol Harrison, with musical supervision by Pat Davey.  ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL is produced in the West End by Rock ‘n’ Roll Productions.

 

A 29-track cast recording, as well as a limited edition 15-track blue vinyl LP, is available now from the show website, www.allornothingmusical.com, and will also be available from the Arts Theatre during the show’s run.

 

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL

 

6 February – 11 March 2018

 

Arts Theatre

6-7 Great Newport St

London WC2H 7JB

 

Performances:  Tue – Sat 7.30pm*, Thurs, Sat and Sun matinees 3pm (*Thursday 8 Feb 7pm)

Running Time:  2 hours, 35 mins, including interval

Tickets:  From £19.50

Box Office:  020 7836 8463

 

N.B.  Contains strong language

 

www.allornothingmusical.com

@AONTheMusical

Presented by Time Productions
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate Village, London N6 4BD
Wednesday 7th – Saturday 24th March 2018

You’ve been away almost two years. I haven’t seen you, I haven’t hardly heard from you… I’m your wife.

Ian Grant’s new play explores how our acts reverberate down the generations. Inspired by a true event in 1918 and an unresolved family memory, After the Ball is a gripping ensemble piece, spanning sixty years, about desire, personal responsibility and the devastating repercussions of human conflict.

London, 1914. As the Great War breaks out in Europe, Blanche and William meet at a dance and marry. They share a political passion for peace, but William enlists to fight in Belgium. Amidst the horrors of the battlefield, he finds love with another woman, while Blanche is left at home with their baby

Exploring love and betrayal during the war, After the Ball tears open the scars created by horror and guilt, and lays bare the lasting effect of war on the women of this family for generations to come.

Directed by Nadia Papachronopoulou (Unrivalled Landscape ★★★★ Time Out – Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond) and produced by Time Productions (Tiny Dynamite ★★★★ The Upcoming – Old Red Lion Theatre), After the Ball was shortlisted for the Terence Rattigan Society New Play Award 2017.

Director Nadia Papachronopoulou comments, I am really passionate about presenting the female perspective and championing theatre that has strong female characters that are complicated, flawed and layered. What drew me to After the Ball is the effect war has on women. The protagonist of the play, Blanche, goes through so much pain during the First World War, yet still remains the rock of the family. I am fascinated by her strength and resilience to keep the family unit together, even when the war shatters her world

Highgate playwright Ian Grant’s previous work includes Stella Europa (Hen and Chickens Theatre) and the libretto Thomas Boleyn (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford). Grant co-founded Time Productions after a successful 40 year career in publishing.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR BARNEY NORRIS’S

N I G H T F A L L

 

Laurie Sansom will direct Ophelia Lovibond (Lou), Ukweli Roach (Pete) and Sion Daniel Young (Ryan) in the world premiere of Barney Norris’s Nightfall running at the Bridge Theatre from 28 April – 3 June 2018, with press night on 8 May 2018. Final casting will be announced shortly.

On a farm outside Winchester, Ryan struggles to make a living off the land. His sister Lou has returned home after the death of their father to support Jenny, their formidable mother. Not so long ago, when a neighbour’s Labrador strayed onto the farm, their dad reached for his shotgun. Now, when Lou’s boyfriend Pete reappears, flush with money from his job at an oil refinery, Jenny fights to hold her children to the life she planned for them.

 

Ophelia Lovibond is best known on television for playing Izzy Gould in the BBC’s W1A and was last on stage in Richard Eyre’s production of The Stepmother at Chichester Festival Theatre.  Her other theatre credits include The Libertine at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and The Effect for Sheffield Theatres.  Her other television credits include Hooten & the Lady, Elementary, Inside No 9, Mr Sloane and Nathan Barley.  Her films include Tommy’s Honor, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Man Up, Guardians of the Galaxy, A Single Shot, Gozo, Mr Popper’s Penguins, No Strings Attached, 4.3.2.1, Chatroom, London Boulevard, Nowhere Boy, Shadows in the Sun and Oliver Twist.

Ukweli Roach’s theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet and Helen, both for Shakespeare’s Globe and 5, 6, 7, 8 for the Royal Court.  His television credits include Humans, Hard Sun, Blindspot, The Royals, Grantchester and Silk.  His film credits include Streetdance 3D, One Day and Venus and the Son.

 

Sion Daniel Young’s theatre credits include Killology for the Royal Court, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse for the National Theatre, Mametz and The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning for the National Theatre Wales, The Welsh Boy for Theatre Royal, Bath, and Llwyth for the Sherman Theatre.  His television credits include Commoners, Hinterland, Our World War,Casualty and Gwaith Cartref. On film his credits include Another Me, Private Peaceful and Daisy Chain.

Upon graduating from university, Barney Norris founded Up In Arms Theatre Company, of which he is the co-Artistic Director. His first play Visitors ran at the Arcola Theatre before transferring to the Bush Theatre, winning him the 2014 Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. His other full-length plays areEventide, Echo’s End and While We’re Here. Norris is the author of a bestselling novel, Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain, and a book on theatre: To Bodies Gone: The Theatre of Peter Gill.  His second novel, Turning For Home, was published this month.

As Chief Executive/Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland Laurie Sansom directed Rona Munro’s The James Plays which were co-presented by the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain and toured the world. Sansom was previously Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, Northampton, where he directed the UK premiers of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm and Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond The Horizon and The Festival of Chaos for London 2012. He was also Alan Ayckbourn’s Associate Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

LISTINGS

 

Address:                                   Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG

Box Office:                               0843 208 1846 or [email protected] (7p/minute plus standard network rate)

Tickets are priced from £15 to £65 with a limited number of premium seats available. A special allocation of £15 seats are held for Young Bridge, a free scheme for those under 26.

Access:                                    0333 320 0051 or [email protected]

Website:                                   www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Twitter:                                    @_bridgetheatre

Instagram:                               _bridgetheatre

Facebook:                                facebook.com/bridgetheatrelondon

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL
TO EMBARK ON MAJOR UK AND IRELAND TOUR

OPENING AT THE

BIRMINGHAM ALEXANDRA THEATRE

ON 11 OCTOBER 2018

 

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour opening at the Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre on 11 October 2018 where it will play until 3 November 2018 before visiting Leeds Grand Theatre (6 – 17 November 2018), Edinburgh Playhouse (20 November – 8 December 2018), Bristol Hippodrome (10 January – 2 February 2019), Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin (5 – 23 February 2019), Manchester Opera House (26 February – 23 March 2019) and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (26-March – 6 April 2019). Further dates and casting to be announced soon.

The London production of Motown the Musical continues to play to standing ovations at the Shaftesbury Theatre where it is about to enter its third year and is currently booking until 5 January 2019.

With music and lyrics from the Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Charles Randolph-Wright’s production features a live orchestra playing 50 Motown tracks including Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I’ll Be There, Dancing In The Street, Stop! In The Name Of Love, My Girl and I Heard It through the Grapevine and tells the story behind the classic hits.

Berry Gordy said today, “The UK has always been the gateway for Motown to the rest of the world.  While the west end production still continues to perform to great audiences, I’m thrilled that we are taking a second production of Motown the Musical to the rest of the UK.”

With just $800 borrowed from his family, Motown founder Berry Gordy, goes from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul, discovering and launching the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more.  Motown the Musical uncovers the true story of the legendary record label that changed music history and created the soundtrack of a generation.  

Tony nominated Motown the Musical received its world premiere in April 2013 in New York and recouped its $18 million investment by the end of 2014.  The first US National Tour opened to critical acclaim in Spring 2014 in Chicago, grossing $20 million dollars during its standing room only sixteen-week run, and continues to play to packed houses across America.

Motown the Musical has music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Ethan Popp, co-orchestrations and additional arrangements by Bryan Cook, dance arrangements by Zane Mark.  Choreography is by Patricia Wilcox and Warren Adams, scenic design by David Korins, costumes by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design  by Peter Hylenski, video by Daniel Brodie and Wig design by Charles Lapointe. Motown the Musical is produced in the UK by Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris, Adam Spiegel and Berry Gordy.

Berry Gordy is the founder of Motown, the enterprise that nurtured the careers of, amongst others, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles,​ Diana Ross and The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, ​Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 and more​. Gordy is also a songwriter, producer, director, boxer, innovative entrepreneur, teacher and visionary.  Actively involved in the Civil Rights movement, he also released the recorded speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  His films include Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues, which received five Academy Award nominations. He has been inducted​ into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received ​a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Pioneer Award, the Grammy Salute To Industry Icon’s President’s Merit Award and was honoured by President Barack Obama with a Salute to Motown evening at the White House. Berry Gordy’s unparalleled contribution to music and popular culture is chronicled in his autobiography, To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, The Memories of Motown.

The original Broadway cast recording of Motown the Musical is available via Motown Records, a label of UMG Recordings – www.classicmotown.com

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL – UK and Ireland tour 2018/2019

11 OCTOBER – 3 NOVEMBER 2018

BIRMINGHAM NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE

ATGTICKETS.COM/Birmingham – 0844 871 3011

ON SALE 1 FEBRUARY 2018

6 – 17 NOVEMBER 2018

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

leedsgrandtheatre.com – 0844 848 2700

ON SALE 24 JANUARY 2018

20 NOVEMBER – 8 DECEMBER 2018

EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

ATGTICKETS.COM/Edinburgh – 0844 871 3014

ON SALE 1 FEBRUARY 2018

10 JANUARY – 2 FEBRUARY 2019

BRISTOL HIPPODROME

ATGTICKETS.COM/Bristol – 0844 871 3012

ON SALE SOON

5 – 23 FEBRUARY 2019

BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATRE DUBLIN

bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

ON SALE SOON

26 FEBRUARY – 23 MARCH 2019

MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

ATGTICKETS.COM/Manchester – 0844

ON SALE SOON

26 MARCH – 6 APRIL 2019

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF

wmc.org.uk – 02920 63 64 64

ON SALE SOON