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Michael Peavoy, Neil Marcus, Jamie Clark and Paul Tyrer for the Buskers Opera Ltd, in association with Park Theatre, present the World Premiere of

 

THE BUSKERS OPERA

 

A BRAND NEW BRITISH MUSICAL BY DOUGAL IRVINE

 

OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING GEORGE MAGUIRE AND LAUREN SAMUELS TO STAR AS ‘MACHEATH’ AND ‘POLLY PEACHUM’

 

ANNA WILLIAMS WINS PUBLIC SET DESIGN COMPETITION IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

 

Casting has been announced for The Buskers Opera, a brand new musical from the pen of Dougal Irvine(Departure Lounge, The Snow Queen, Britain’s Got Bhangra), which will open at Park Theatre on 28 April and play until 4 June, with a press night on 5 May.

Directed by Lotte Wakeham (Matilda, Sweet Charity, The Other School by Dougal Irvine), with musical direction by Sean Green, lighting design is by Christopher Nairne and sound design by Andy Graham, musical staging and choreography by Lucie Pankhurst, The Buskers Opera will star Olivier Award-winning George Maguire (Best Supporting Actor in a Musical Award for Sunny Afternoon) as ‘Macheath’, and Lauren Samuels (Bend it Like Beckham, Grease, We Will Rock You) as ‘Polly Peachum’. Other cast members include Natasha Cottriall (Into The Woods, Future Conditional) as ‘Lucy Lockitt’, John McCrea as ‘Filtch’, Maimuna Memon as ‘Jenny Diver / Dissenter / Beggar’, and Giovanna Ryan as ‘Susan / Beggar / Dissenter’.

Elements of the piece have been workshopped with Cardboard Citizens, who have been making life-changing theatre with people who have experienced homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness, for nearly 25 years. It was in such a session that the creative team discovered actor and songwriter Ishmael Gander who also will be part of the company, playing ‘Matt / Dissenter / Beggar’.

London 2012. The world is watching. Can the city deliver the greatest Olympics ever? Pulling the strings is media mogul, broadcaster and puppet master, Jeremiah Peachum. Together with his star of the show, Lockitt, the Mayor of London, they are perfectly placed to capitalise on Team GB’s gold and drive their political agenda across the finish line. Enter satirical street busker Macheath and his gang of dissenters ‘The Ninety Nine Percenters’. They’re the talk of the town – out to take the fat cats down – and it’s working! This time, Mac may have bitten off more than he can chew. But it’s the twenty first century – you can’t kill a man for singing a few songs, drinking a few beers, inciting political activism in hundreds of thousands of people and sleeping with your daughter. Or can you? With the ever-influential media operating twenty-four-seven, capital punishment needs to find a new method of delivery…

Lights out as Ambassador Theatre Group celebrates Earth Hour 2016 and a year of environmental awards

On Saturday 19 March 2016 at 8.30pm, Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) will join millions of businesses and individuals across the world to celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour and will switch off lights in all of its theatres for one hour to show the company’s ongoing commitment to the environment.

ATG’s involvement in Earth Hour 2016 follows an incredible 12 months for the company in which it won several major environmental awards for its green initiatives.

In 2015, ATG won the Green World Ambassador Award for helping others to help the Environment and was awarded a prize at the Energy Management Association Awards 2015 for its Energy Reduction Project through Organisational Behaviour Change.

ATG’s award-winning energy saving initiative, Project Blackout (a Silver Green Apple Award winner in 2014) received another award in 2015; a Green World Award (in the category of Energy Economy) from the Green Organisation at a ceremony held in New Zealand; and the company’s winning paper was included in The Green Book of Environmental Best Practice reference.

In addition, ATG’s Churchill Theatre Bromley won Green Business of the Year at theBromley Business Awards and New Wimbledon Theatre won the award for Venue Sustainability at the Technical Theatre Awards 2015.

With Earth Hour, ATG will take part in a symbolic moment, not designed to have impact through an hour of energy saving, but to help shine a spotlight on the issues facing the planet and to remind us that, together, we have the power to make change happen.

 

ATG will be supporting Earth Hour 2016 by:

·        Switching off all non-essential lights for one hour in its UK and International venues at 8.30pm on Saturday 19 March.

·        Encouraging customers and employees to sign up to the #bigswitchoff

·        Organising Earth Hour #candlelitselfie experiences to engage with customers and staff to raise money to support WWF’s vital conservation work.

·        Selling a special Earth Hour Cocktail during the week leading up to Earth Hour and donating £1 from each cocktail sold to WWF. ATG’s Ambassador Lounges and theatre bars will also be lit by LED candle light.

·        10 UK ATG venues will be supporting the #passthepanda campaign

Rosemary Squire, ATG’s Joint CEO, said: “I am so impressed by the support and enthusiasm which our theatres in London, around the UK and beyond show for Earth Hour. It is such an effective way of demonstrating to our audiences that as an organisation we are absolutely committed to limiting damage to the environment.”

Jennifer Clements, spokesperson for WWF-UK, said: “We’re thrilled that the Ambassador Theatre Group will be taking part in WWF’s Earth Hour this year and hope that they’ll inspire many others to get involved. By taking one simple step to switch off, WWF’s Earth Hour is a chance for all of us to come together and send out a global message about protecting our planet.”

ATG patrons or staff who wish to make a donation to support WWF can do so online – http://www.justgiving.com/Ambassador-Theatre-Group.

Or by text: CNDL47 £3 to 70070

There is no minimum donation and all donors will have the opportunity to gift aid their donation if they wish.

Everyone can join the celebration for WWF’s Earth Hour on Saturday 19 March 2016. For more information and to sign up please visit wwf.org.uk/earthhour

PREPARE FOR ROCK AND ROLL HEAVEN

Halfway To Paradise – The Billy Fury Story comes to Darlington Civic Theatre on Wednesday 9 March.

Halfway To Paradise is now in its 20th year and features the uncanny voice of Colin Gold as Fury, along with Billy’s own band, the all original Fury’s Tornados performing live his timeless hits including Last Night Was Made For Love, Wondrous Place, I Will, Jealousy, Halfway To Paradise and many more.

With a giant movie screen showing footage of Billy and his band the atmosphere will be both electric and emotional.

Halfway To Paradise is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Wednesday 9 March. Tickets* are priced £19.50 and £21.50.

*All prices include a £1 restoration levy

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

A SYNDICATED Q&A WITH DAVID TROUGHTON (ACTOR PLAYING TOM OAKLEY), INTERVIEWED BY THEO BOSANQUET

THEO BOSANQUET: Tell us about your personal connection with the story of Goodnight Mister Tom?

DAVID TROUGHTON: When the book came out in 1981 my wife and I both read it to our children, and we all loved it immediately. It’s become a classic and rightly so – it’s beautifully written, very succinct, and just a great story. I then saw John Thaw in the film version and thought I’d love to play the part. It really appealed to me, the idea of a man who is denying in himself the ability to live life once death has happened. It’s so sad that he just cuts himself off. And the rejuvenation that occurs when the boy arrives in his life is so heartening – they save each other. What’s so interesting, especially in David Wood’s adaptation is the way that Mister Tom is in denial for so long; he doesn’t want to commit himself in any way because it might set him up for disappointment.

TB: The adaptation is very much a play of two halves, and it doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of the story

DT: David Wood sets it up beautifully. The first half shows the effect of war on village life, before the action becomes much more raw as the story moves to London. But I think it’s great for children to hear stories with darker elements; after all, so many classic children’s stories don’t shy away from harsh realities.

TB: Would you say the story has particular resonance today?

DT: It certainly does. Wars are still happening – we never learn. And the refugee crisis has raised the question again of whether we should take in people who are less fortunate than ourselves, through no fault of their own. In 1939 evacuation was a government initiative – they thought a million people were going to die from aerial bombardments. I think the message of the play is that you have to deal with death, but you mustn’t live in the death, you must move forward. There’s real hope in the story.

TB: They say never work with children and animals, but you’re doing both

DT: Indeed! It makes for a different kind of rehearsal process as, quite rightly, there are strict working rules for children. We have three sets of children playing Zach and William, and they’re all brilliant. They’re big demanding parts, but David Wood didn’t want to cast young adults to play the children and I think he’s absolutely right. It means I need to adjust to different co-stars each night, which is interesting because all of them have their own characteristics. As for the animals, they’re of course actually puppets, but it’s tremendous fun to have them on stage. They also play an important role in William’s development, helping him to learn to love his new rural surroundings.

TB: What kind of reactions have you had to the show so far?

DT: Very favourable ones, I’m glad to say. As the lights go down at the end you see a sea of children’s faces stunned with amazement, and their parents holding their handkerchiefs. The children get really wrapped up in the story, largely because of the way we tell it. It’s very simple, with minimal set, and a brilliant ensemble company. It’s quite filmic in the way the story rolls along, and it really seems to capture the imagination of the audience.

TB: Do you think there’s something inherently theatrical about Michelle Magorian’s writing?

DT: She was an actress herself, so she understands very well the structure and emotion of drama. The book reminded me of Dickens in its portrayal of poverty and of the abuse of children. The London that she evokes is a harsh place, not only because it’s being bombed but also because internal lives – particularly that of William’s mother – are being shattered. There’s a definite theatricality to the way the narrative unfolds, and the way the internal and the external conflict are aligned.

TB: Your father Patrick was a famous actor – what did he make of your career choice?

DT: He was very well known as a screen actor but he never did much theatre, largely because he got too nervous. He also didn’t like the costume changes and “all that shouting in the evening”, as he called it. He used to get physically sick before performances. When I told him I’d got a job for two years with the RSC he said, “don’t worry son, something else will come up”. But I love doing theatre, particularly when you get the kind of reactions we’re getting for Goodnight Mister Tom.

TB: Who were your other influences as an actor?

DT: Anthony Hopkins was always someone I really admired. And then I got to work with him and he was such good fun to be around – he would corpse all the time. I love that sense of fun because it eases the tension. Acting is only pretending after all!

TB: How do you unwind away from theatre?

DT: I love cricket – if it’s on television at any time I will watch it, regardless of who’s playing. I’m actually a qualified umpire so in the summer I umpire in the Birmingham league for the Stratford-upon-Avon second eleven. I love being out in the middle; second to being on a stage it’s the best place in the world to be.

MARVEL UNIVERSE SUPER HEROES COME TO LIFE AS LIVE ACTION FAMILY SPECTACULAR TOURS UK FOR FIRST TIME

Tickets for Marvel Universe LIVE! go on general sale Friday 4^th March 2016

Pre-sale tickets available from 23^rd February 2016

SHEFFIELD – 23^rd February 2016 – Marvel families unite! For the first time ever, iconic Marvel Super Heroes and villains will be brought to life in a spectacular live action family arena show, whenMarvel Universe LIVE! Super Heroes Assemble touches down in Sheffield in January next year.

This show is taking the live entertainment experience to a whole new level, with an epic show unlike anything seen before. Bringing together the largest assembly of Marvel characters in a live production, audiences will be able to watch some of their favourite Marvel Super Heroes step out of the silver screen and onto the stage – bringing the action to life right before their eyes.

Everyone will be able to cheer for their favourite Marvel Super Heroes, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and more, as they battle Loki and Marvel’s most sinister villains in a live, action-packed arena performance for the whole family. It’s being hailed as the most technically advanced live show ever, with cutting-edge special effects, pyrotechnics, aerial stunts, martial arts, motorcycles and more.

From the creative team that brings you such arena spectaculars as Disney On Ice, Feld Entertainment Inc, the world’s leading producer of touring live entertainment is excited to announce the UK tour of Marvel Universe LIVE! This arena stunt spectacular will be swinging into five major UK cities along with Sheffield – Nottingham, London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester – for an electrifying run of over 40 shows that have already entertained almost 2 million families in over 65 US cities to date in its first tour.

“We are delighted to bring Marvel Universe LIVE! to the UK, giving families an opportunity to enjoy this spectacular live show for the very first time. The audience will feel like they’ve been transported into a jaw-dropping Marvel blockbuster film, with an engrossing storyline and non-stop stunts”, said Steven Armstrong, VP of Europe North at Feld Entertainment, Inc.

Featuring over 50 cast members and taking over two years to research and develop, Marvel Universe LIVE! utilises some of the latest innovations in arena set design and aerial pyrotechnics, with stunts developed by the team from Hollywood blockbuster, Thor, and the recent The Amazing Spider-Man films. The set includes innovative lighting design, transformative 3D projection, 21 projectors, the largest flying system ever used for a live arena tour and the debut of a new Spotlight Tracking System.

Marvel Universe LIVE! will be in Sheffield from 19^th – 22^nd January 2017 at the Sheffield Arena.

“To see all the elements of this spectacular live show come together has been truly incredible,” said Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada. “The technology utilised in the show is not only going to blow your mind, it is going to take you to a whole new Marvel world like nothing British families have ever seen before.”

Join Marvel families for this monumental performance. The fate of the universe depends on it!

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday 4^th March, with pre-sale tickets available starting 23^rd February from the Marvel Universe LIVE! website www.MarvelUniverseLive.co.uk or direct from the Sheffield Arena Box Office on 0114 256 56 56 or www.sheffieldarena.co.uk.

Eager fans can sign up to receive advanced priority bookings, discount offers and advanced show information from: http://www.feldentertainmentpcsignup.com/

The website features the complete list of UK tour dates and fans can check the latest news and announcements via social media:  
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/MarvelOnTour
Twitter:  @MarvelOnTour
Instagram (@MarvelOnTour) 

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory enters its fourth and final year at Theatre Royal Drury Lane 

The award-winning West End production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, continues to capture the imagination of audiences as it enters its fourth and final year at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the West End’s most popular and successful stage musicals and has broken house records at Theatre Royal Drury Lane where it has been seen by over 1.8 million people since it opened in June 2013. It currently sits alongside Miss Saigon and 42nd Street in the top three longest-running productions of the last 50 years at the historic venue, one of London’s largest theatres.

A Broadway production will open in New York in the 2016-2017 season and tickets for a UK-wide tour will go on sale next year.

Over the course of the year the stage musical will take part in the nationwide celebrations of the centenary of the birth of Roald Dahl.

Jonathan Slinger, as Willy Wonka, continues his celebrated performance, as do the principal cast members: Barry James as Grandpa Joe, Ross Dawes as Mr Salt, Josefina Gabrielle as Mrs Teavee, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Claire Carrie as Grandma Josephine, Lara Denning as Mrs Bucket, Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina and Kraig Thornber as Grandpa George. Chris Grahamson joins the cast as Mr Bucket.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig, set and costume designs by Mark Thompson and choreography by Peter Darling.

Joining the ensemble are Alexander Bartles, Lisa Bridge, Melanie Brown, Helen Colby, Ashley Cooper, Alastair Crosswell, Katrina Dix, Ryan Gover, Rebecca Hodge, Peter Houston, Thomas Inge, Mikey Jay-Heath, Joanne McShane, Ben Redfern, Ainsley Hall Ricketts, Johnathan Tweedie.

Remaining in the ensemble are: Andy Brady, Georgia Carling, Andrew Carthy, Sam Lathwood, Lucinda Lawrence, Steven Serlin, Robert Tregoning, Tara Verloop, Michelle White.

Tickets are currently available for performances up to Saturday 7th January 2017.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.

www.CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.com

Box Office: 0844 858 8877

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5JF

Artistic Director Madani Younis announces major redevelopment of the Bush Theatre and new season of work 

• The Bush Theatre to be redeveloped by architects Haworth Tompkins
• New studio theatre gives second space
• Improved and upgraded backstage facilities for artists
• Fully accessible across all areas
• Increased sustainability

• New season of work will take place outside the current building:
• Boys Will Be Boys by Melissa Bubnic at Bush Hall
• This Place We Know in found spaces along Uxbridge Road
• The Neighbourhood Project in homes and streets of Shepherd’s Bush
• The Royale by Marco Ramirez at The Tabernacle

Launch video available here and short film with Madani Younis here

In 2016, as part of Madani Younis’ stated aim of creating a theatre that truly reflects the community in which it sits, the Bush Theatre will undergo a major redevelopment of its building from March, creating a new second space, improved backstage facilities and a new front-of-house area, and making the whole building fully accessible and more sustainable.

During the building works, the Bush Theatre’s programme will move out into the local community, embracing the buildings and people of West London. Shows will include: the European premiere of Boys Will Be Boys, about representations of women in the male-dominated world of the city and the first co-production between the Bush Theatre and Headlong; This Place We Know, a series of plays performed along the iconic and chaotic Uxbridge Road featuring new and established talent from the Bush Theatre’s history; The Neighbourhood Project, a community project in collaboration with Look Left Look Right and featuring residents of Shepherd’s Bush; and a revival of The Royale, the critically and publically acclaimed play based on the story of the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world. Booking for Boys Will Be Boys and The Royale opens today.

The redevelopment and off-site programme will cost £4 million, of which 90% has been raised already. Supporters of the project include Arts Council England and the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham as well as generous trusts and foundations, local businesses and individual donors. The Bush Theatre continues to fundraise for the remaining 10% to deliver the project successfully and cement the theatre as a world-class venue in the heart of Shepherd’s Bush.

The redevelopment will unlock the potential of the Old Library: increasing the capacity of the theatre and creating a new studio theatre space. It will also provide much better facilities for audiences and artist, with nearly 50% more space in the bars and café areas, and a revamp of the backstage areas. Across three spaces – the auditorium, attic and the studio theatre – the Bush Theatre hopes to welcome around 15,000 more people per year to the venue.

Madani Younis, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, said:

“Whilst we are incredibly proud to be redeveloping our theatre for the next generation, a theatre should not be defined by its walls – which is why we want to go beyond them. We have the privilege of being at the heart of one of the most diverse places in the country, and at a cultural crossroads of everything that it is to live in London today. We want to create a building that embraces this, and work that celebrates this.

“It’s my hope that 2016 is not just remembered as the year that the Old Library ‘had some building work done’. I want this to be remembered as the year where Uxbridge Road became our stage, where we met new audiences, and where we discovered the voices whose work will form the bedrock of British Theatre for years to come. All too often, theatre in this country doesn’t reflect the culture of this country. By the end of this year, I hope that we can say with pride that this theatre truly represents the culture of the Uxbridge Road.”

Steve Tompkins, Director of Haworth Tompkins, said:

“We helped the Bush Theatre move in to its new home in 2010 and have been happily accompanying this brilliant, important theatre on its journey ever since. This phase of work should open up a whole new set of theatrical and communal possibilities for a theatre that has always punched above its weight.”

 

A first look at the production photos of the national tour of Shadowlands, starring Stephen Boxer as C.S. Lewis, Amanda Ryan as Joy Davidman and Denis Lill as Major W.H. Lewis ‘Warnie’.

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.

Directed by Alastair Whatley, William Nicholson’s play tells the love story of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, and American poet Joy Davidman. The production opened at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on Thursday 18 February where it will run until Saturday 27 February, with a national press night on Friday 26 February. It will then tour the UK until Saturday 30 July. Tour dates: http://www.shadowlandstour.com