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ALEXANDRA BURKE COMES TO LEEDS WITH THE BODYGUARD

 

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar-nominated film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the stage musical of THE BODYGUARD is heading to Leeds next month.

Leeds Grand Theatre welcome X Factor winner Alexandra Burke and Stuart Reid in the lead roles of Rachel Marron and Frank Farmer for its two-week run from Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 21^st May.

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional,One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, I’m Your Baby Tonight, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

“We are excited to welcome Alexandra and The Bodyguard to Leeds,” said Ian Sime, General Manager of Leeds Grand Theatre. “It promises to be a dazzling show with a great soundtrack performed by a wonderful singer! We’re very much looking forward to it.”

The Bodyguard is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 21^st May

 

Tickets are priced from £24 to £52.50

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Jonathan Church Productions and Duncan C. Weldon  present

MARTIN SHAW, NAOMI FREDERICK and BRYAN DICK in

HOBSON’S CHOICE by Harold Brighouse

Directed by Jonathan Church

Vaudeville Theatre, London WC2                            8^th June to 10^th September 2016

Marking the One Hundredth anniversary of the first UK production of this classic comedy, HOBSON’S CHOICEwill play at London’s Vaudeville Theatre for a limited season, Wednesday 8^th June – Saturday 10^th September.

Martin Shaw plays Henry Horatio Hobson, one of the greatest characters in English drama. Self-made man, shopkeeper, skinflint and boozer, he’s a tyrant to his daughters and a law unto himself. When Maggie, his eldest daughter, defies Hobson’s wishes by marrying Will Mossop, his own boot-maker, a battle of wills begins in which he stands to lose his customers, his girls and his pride, but ultimately it is Hobson’s choice.

“Martin Shaw shines…” Daily Telegraph ****

 

Martin Shaw is one of the UK’s favourite actors, well-known for starring in Inspector George Gently, Judge John Deed, and The Professionals on television. His stage roles include Saturday, Sunday, Monday opposite Laurence Olivier; he was Tony Award nominated for An Ideal Husband on Broadway and won a Drama Desk award. Recent West End credits include A Man for All Seasons and Twelve Angry Men.

 

“…extremely well done….tip top performances, high production values….” The Times ****

Naomi Frederick’s (Maggie Hobson) theatre credits include The Heresy of Love, The Globe; Made in Dagenham, Adelphi Theatre; Emil and the Detectives, National Theatre; and The Winslow Boy, Old Vic.

Bryan Dick’s (Willy Mossop) theatre credits include Seminar, Hampstead Theatre; School Play, Soho Theatre;Sliding With Suzanne, Out of Joint/Royal Court; The Alchemist, National Theatre.

Gabrielle Dempsey’s (Vickey Hobson) theatre credits include The Rehearsal, Chichester Festival Theatre;Spring Awakening, National tours; All My Sons, Embassy Theatre.

Joanna McCallum’s (Mrs Hepworth) theatre credits include A Month in the Country, Chichester Festival Theatre; The Importance of Being Ernest, Salisbury Playhouse; Hamlet; The Globe.

Further casting details to be announced.

Artistic director of the Chichester Festival Theatre since 2006, where his acclaimed productions have includedTaken at Midnight, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Singin’ in the Rain, Jonathan Church has recently been appointed Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company.

Design is by Simon Higlett; lighting design is by Tim Mitchell; sound design is by Mike Walker; and the composer is Matthew Scott.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

Venue:                 Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, London WC2R 0NH

Dates:                  Wednesday 8^th June – Saturday 10^th September

Times:                  Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm;

                Thursday & Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

Press Night:      Tuesday 14^th June, 7pm

Box Office:        0330 333 4814

Tickets:                 £25 – £57.50

ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ANNOUNCES CONTINUING ARTISTIC PROGRAMME FOR LONDON THROUGHOUT AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

ISSUE: 11th April 2016

• The Alchemist and Doctor Faustus – two shows transfer direct from the Swan Theatre to the Barbican (2 September – 1 October 2016)
• Cymbeline and King Lear –  two shows from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre transfer to the Barbican (31 October – 23 December 2016)
• Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing (or Love’s Labour’s Won) transfer from Chichester Festival Theatre to the Theatre Royal Haymarket (9 December 2016 – 18 March 2017)

Following the four Shakespeare history plays, King & Country: Shakespeare’s Great Cycle of Kings,which kicked off 2016 at the Barbican Theatre, the touring production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation visits the Barbican for a week of performances in May, with London amateurs from the Tower Theatre joining the cast as the Rude Mechanicals, and pupils from Eastbury Community school and Beam Primary school in Barking and Dagenham playing Titania’s fairy train.

Six other RSC productions will play in London during the 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s death, including two shows from the Company’s current Swan Theatre repertoire, alongside the RSC’s long-running production of Matilda The Musical in the West End.

The Alchemist and Doctor Faustus will transfer from the Swan Theatre into the Barbican from late August and play in repertoire from the beginning of September for a four week run, with the same cast directed by Polly Findlay and Maria Aberg respectively.

They will be followed by Cymbeline and King Lear transferring direct from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at the end of October for an eight week run in repertoire, directed by Melly Still and Gregory Doran respectively.

We are also pleased to announce jointly with Chichester Festival Theatre that, following their run in Chichester, the RSC productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado about Nothing (or Love’s Labour’s Won) will be staged at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End from 9 December.

Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director said today; “I am thrilled that we are able to share so much of our work with audiences in London this year, with a total of twelve productions playing at the Barbican and the West End.

“Our work in the wonderful Swan Theatre has often missed out in transfers, so I am glad that Maria Aberg’s Faustus and Polly Findlay’s Alchemist will play at the Barbican, along with our two epic Shakespeare plays Cymbeline and King Lear.

“I am also delighted about our revival of Christopher Luscombe’s heart-warming Lost and Won double bill, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, at the Haymarket – with Edward Bennett reprising his roles as Berowne and Benedick.”

Toni Racklin, the Barbican’s Head of Theatre said: “Continuing our ongoing collaboration with the RSC we are thrilled that Polly Findlay, Melly Still and Maria Aberg make their Barbican debuts and we look forward to welcoming back Gregory Doran and Antony Sher with their highly anticipated new production of King Lear. This bumper autumn season sees two clever pairings of work by Shakespeare and his contemporaries from two of the RSC’s Stratford-Upon-Avon stages.”

Jonathan Church, Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre said: “We are delighted to be welcoming the Royal Shakespeare Company to our stage this autumn with the ingenious pairing ofLove’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing, and to be collaborating with the RSC and the Haymarket to transfer the productions to London – particularly in this 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s death.”
Talks

King Lear’s Subjects: The Fool, Cordelia and Kent

Saturday 19 November, Saturday 3 December and Saturday 10 December

10.30-11.30am
Onstage, £8

Each discussion will explore the actions of King Lear through the eyes of one of his most loyal subjects. Actors in the roles in current and past productions discuss the relationship of The Fool, Cordelia and Kent with the eponymous king, all three remaining devoted to him as his kingdom falls apart.

Post Show Talkback: The Alchemist           

Tuesday 20 September

Onstage after the show, FREE

Post Show Talkback: Doctor Faustus            

Tuesday 27 September

Onstage after the show, FREE

Post Show Talkback: King Lear
Tuesday 22 November
Onstage after the show, FREE

Post Show Talkback: Cymbeline
Monday 28 November
London RSC press nights:

Barbican

Tuesday 13 September, 7pm             Doctor Faustus

Wednesday 14 September, 7pm        The Alchemist

Thursday 3 November, 7pm              Cymbeline

Tuesday 15 November, 7pm              King Lear

 

Theatre Royal Haymarket

Saturday 17 December, 2pm              Love’s Labour’s Lost

Saturday 17 December, 7pm             Much Ado About Nothing

 

The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION

NEW DATES ADDED TO

THE 2016 NATIONAL TOUR OF

WILLIAM NICHOLSON’S SHADOWLANDS

THE LOVE STORY OF C.S. LEWIS AND JOY DAVIDMAN

 

New dates have been added to the critically acclaimed 2016 national tour of William Nicholson’s SHADOWLANDS, directed by Alastair Whatley and produced by Birdsong Productions. Reading, Cambridge, Plymouth, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and Aylesbury have all been added to the tour schedule.

The cast of SHADOWLANDS is led by Stephen Boxer (Humans, The Iron Lady, Doctors) as C.S. Lewis, Denis Lill (The Royal, Only Fools and Horses, Rumpole of the Bailey) as Major W.H. Lewis ‘Warnie’ and Amanda Ryan (The Forsyte Saga, Shameless) as Joy Davidman. They are joined by Simon Shackleton as Professor Christopher Riley, Jeffrey Harmer as Rev ‘Harry’ Harrington, Ian Marr as Alan Gregg, Richard Holliday as Dr Maurice Oakley and Shannon Rewcroft as Douglas, with Holly Smith and Alistair Higgins playing multiple supporting roles.

SHADOWLANDS, by William Nicholson, tells the love story of C.S. Lewis, Oxford don and author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, and American poet Joy Davidman. What begins as a formal meeting of two very different minds slowly develops into a feeling of connection and love. Lewis finds his quiet life with his brother Warnie disrupted by the outspoken, feisty Davidman, whose uninhibited behaviour offers a sharp contrast to the rigid sensibilities of the male-dominated university. Each provides the other with new ways of viewing the world, but Lewis’s Christian faith is tested when Joy is diagnosed with cancer.

SHADOWLANDS won the Evening Standard Drama Award for Best Play in 1990 and Nicholson was nominated for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. The film version, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, won Best British Film at the 1994 BAFTAs and Nicholson was nominated for a Best Screenplay nomination.

This major revival of SHADOWLANDS is produced by Birdsong Productions, the people behind the critically-acclaimed and hugely successful touring productions of Birdsong and Flare Path, in association with Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.

SHADOWLANDS is directed by Alastair Whatley and designed by Anne-Marie Woodley and Alastair Whatley, with lighting design by Alex Wardle for Charcoalblue, sound design by Dominic Bilkey and music by Mia Soteriou.                                                 

Official website:  www.shadowlandstour.com

Twitter: @shadowlandstour 

Facebook: shadowlandsthetour

2016 TOUR SCHEDULE

5 – 9 April                       Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon                                020 8688 9291             

                                      www.fairfield.co.uk

11 – 16 April                   Festival Theatre, Malvern                                  01684 892277

  www.malvern-theatres.co.uk 

                     

19 – 23 April                   Connaught Theatre, Worthing                            01903 206 206

  www.worthingtheatres.co.uk 

                                 

26 – 30 April                   CAST Theatre, Doncaster                                  01302 303 959

                                      castindoncaster.com

*3 – 5 May                       The Hexagon, Reading                                     0118 960 6060                                                           

                                      www.readingarts.com/hexagon

 

16 – 21 May                    Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield                    01246 345 222

                                      chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk

23 – 28 May                    Cambridge Arts Theatre                                    01223 503 333

                                      www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

 

31 May – 4 June              Birmingham Repertory Theatre                          0121 236 4455

  www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

                                   

6 – 11 June                     Theatre Royal Plymouth                                    01752 267 222

  www.theatreroyal.com

 

13 – 18 June                   New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth                        023 9264 9000

  www.newtheatreroyal.com

    

21 – 25 June                  New Theatre, Cardiff                                          029 2087 8889             

                                      www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk 

                                                  

28 June – 2 July              Exeter Northcott Theatre                                   01392 726363

  www.exeternorthcott.co.uk 

                                    

4 – 9 July                        Mercury Theatre, Colchester                              01206 573 948

                                      www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

 

11 – 16 July                    Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds                        01284 769 505

  www.theatreroyal.org/

 

18 – 23 July                    Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury                            0844 871 7607

                                      www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury

 

25 July – 30 July             Richmond Theatre                                            0844 871 7651

  www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre

 

*N.B The role of Major W.H. Lewis ‘Warnie’ will be played by Richard Holliday at this venue

JAMIE HENDRY PRODUCTIONS
presents

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

OPEN AUDITIONS TO BE HELD IN LONDON AND MANCHESTER FOR
THE NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
AHEAD OF ITS WORLD PREMIERE

 

The highly-anticipated major new musical theatre adaptation of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWSwill hold open auditions this month, ahead of its world premiere in Autumn 2016. Auditions will be held at The Lowry in Salford on 22nd April and at Rambert in London on 23rd April. Adapted for the stage by Julian Fellowes, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS will open at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth from 8th October 2016, followed by The Lowry in Salford and Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

The producers for THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS are looking for strong character actors, with excellent singing and dancing skills, for principal roles and male and female ensemble. Attendees should be prepared to sing a musical theatre song and must be aged 18 years or older.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s treasured novel which has captivated generations of readers for over a century, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS has been adapted for the stage with a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and Olivier Award-winning composer and lyricist team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS marks the first time the three have worked together since their hugely successful collaboration on the international hit musical Mary Poppins which ran for three years in the West End and six years on Broadway.

Developed and produced by Jamie Hendry Productions and presented in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with design by Peter McKintosh, choreography by Aletta Collins, lighting design by Howard Harrisonand sound design by Gareth Owen. Casting is by Pippa Ailion Casting.

Kenneth Grahame’s wild tale about the thrill-seeking, lovable menace Mr Toad comes to life in a brand new stage musical. Ratty, Badger and Mole join the exuberant Toad and embark on a series of adventures and misadventures caused by his insatiable need for speed! Imprisoned for theft and with his existence under threat from the inhabitants of the Wild Wood, Toad must attempt a daring escape to defend Toad Hall. Featuring spectacular stagecraft and a company of over fifty, this sparkling new musical with a glorious original score brings this treasured British classic to life in what is set to be 2016’s wildest theatrical adventure.

For national press enquiries, please contact THE CORNER SHOP PR on 0207 831 7657
Lewis Jenkins: [email protected]|Ben Chamberlain: [email protected]

LISTINGS

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

Website:       www.windinthewillowsthemusical.com
Facebook:    \WillowsMusical
Twitter:       @WillowsMusical
Instagram:    \WillowsMusical

8th October 2016 – 22nd October 2016
THEATRE ROYAL, PLYMOUTH
www.theatreroyal.com
01752 267 222

26th October 2016 – 6th November 2016
THE LOWRY, SALFORD
www.thelowry.com
0843 208 6000

10th November 2016 – 19th November 2016
MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON
www.mayflower.org.uk
02380 711811

Castlebar Productions presents:

BIG DANCE BUS INVITES PUBLIC TO PERFORM AT FRAMEDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

PRESENTED BY BALLETBOYZ AND DANCESCREEN 2016:FRAME RUNS 9 – 12 JUNE 2016 IN KINGSTON

Big Dance Bus, the iconic red London double-decker bus that provides a mobile venue for live dance is looking for a range performance groups to celebrate and perform on the Bus when it arrives in Kingston’s town square on 11 June for Frame Dance Film Festival this June. The festival, presented by BalletBoyz and Dancescreen, is a major new event in the annual dance calendar offering opportunities for creative talent in the arts, dance and film worlds to share experience, show work, learn from other artists and for the wider public to enjoy the best that dance and dance film offer. The full programme for the festival is still to be announced on Frame’s website – framefilmfestival.com.

The Big Dance Bus complete with stage, DJ, PA system and dance-floor, will spend the summer touring London and BalletBoyz and Frame are delighted to welcome it to Kingston for the festival before continuing its tour. For Saturday 11 June the Big Dance Bus is calling out to performance groups of all styles, abilities and ages to apply to perform on the Bus’ stage. They are seeking a breadth of dance diversity and wealth of talent in all its forms. Twenty performance slots will be available on the 10x10m dancefloor, each of 3-8 minutes. Groups interested in performing should contact [email protected] by Friday 29 April providing the following information: the name of group; style; age of group; where the group is based; any video links to work; contact number; any access requirements and which dates the group can do. Big Dance Bus will do their best to programme all applicants.

Big Dance Bus also offers additional opportunities in Kingston to screen dance films. Submissions should be sent to email[email protected] with a YouTube or Vimeo link to the dance film.

@BalletBoyz
www.balletboyz.com

Sonia Friedman Productions and Eleanor Lloyd Productions
present the Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida Theatre production of
1984
By George Orwell
A new adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan

@1984ThePlay
#1984play

• 1984 returns to Playhouse Theatre for 12-week season
• West End run follows sell-out international tour
• 14 June – 3 September 2016
• Tickets on-sale on Friday 8 April at 10am

Following a sell-out international tour, this critically and publicly acclaimed production of1984 will return to the Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End this summer. George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, adapted by Olivier Award-winner Robert Icke and Olivier Award-nominee Duncan Macmillan, will preview from 14 June 2016, with the press night on 28 June 2016.

Now seen by over a quarter of a million people, this Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida Theatre production premiered at Nottingham Playhouse in September 2013. Since opening, 1984 has played to packed houses at the Almeida Theatre, as well as throughout its two West End runs and in performances across the globe during national and international tours.

101 seats for every performance will be available for £19.84.

April, 1984.13:00. Comrade 6079, Winston Smith, thinks a thought, starts a diary and falls in love. But Big Brother is always watching.

The definitive book of the 20th century is re-examined in a radical, award-winning adaptation exploring surveillance, identity and why Orwell’s vision of the future is as relevant now as ever.

1984 is directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan with Daniel Raggett, Set and Costume is designed by Chloe Lamford, with Lighting designed by Natasha Chivers, Sound designed by Tom Gibbons and Video designed by Tim Reid.

George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is one of the most influential novels in recent history, with its chilling depiction of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance and incessant public mind-control.  Its ideas have become our ideas, and Orwell’s fiction is often said to be our reality.

Robert Icke has directed numerous productions as Almeida Associate Director including his own adaptations of Uncle Vanya and Oresteia (which transferred to Trafalgar Studios, and for which he won the Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Best Director), The Fever at The May Fair Hotel and Mr Burns. Robert’s work as a director also includes Boys and Romeo and Juliet for Headlong. He will make his National Theatre debut directing The Red Barn at the Lyttleton Theatre in October.

Duncan Macmillan’s plays include People, Places and Things (nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Play) which opened at the National Theatre and has transferred to the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End; Every Brilliant Thing for Paines Plough on tour in the UK, New York, Australia and New Zealand; and Lungs for Paines Plough and at Schaubühne in Berlin, directed by Katie Mitchell.