Chicago 2016 UK Tour with John Partridge, Hayley Tamaddon and Sam Bailey

chicago-uk-tourThe 2016 UK National Tour of Chicago has been announced today, with tour dates and initial casting for the musical also confirmed.

The international award-winning musical will embark on a major UK Tour next year, starring John Partridge as Billy Flynn, Hayley Tamaddon as Roxie Hart and Sam Bailey as Mama Morton. The show opens at the New Oxford Theatre on Friday 12th February 2016, where it will run until Saturday 20th February before continuing its nationwide dates.

Based on real events in the 1920’s, Chicago is the story of nightclub singer Roxie Hart, who is arrested and jailed for shooting her lover. In the women’s block of Cook County Jail, she and fellow murderess, vaudevillian star Velma Kelly, enter into a bitter rivalry for the limelight, the headlines, and smooth-talking lawyer Billy Flynn, as they fight to keep from death row.

Chicago‘s ‘sexy, sassy score’ includes ‘All That Jazz’, Razzle Dazzle’, Cell Block Tango’, ‘I Can’t Do It Alone’ and ‘We Both Reached For The Gun’.

The original Broadway production premiered in 1975. It made its West End debut at the Cambridge Theatre in 1979, and was revived in 1997, opening at the Adelphi Theatre on 18th November 1997 to rave reviews and subsequently winning the Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ and the Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’. The musical ran in the West End for 15 years, transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in 2006 and then the Garrick Theatre in 2011, where it played its final performance on 1st September 2012.

Chicago is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins. It features a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, light by Ken Billington, sound by Rick Clarke and musical supervision by Rob Fisher.

Chicago is choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse and directed by Walter Bobbie.

John Partridge is probably best known for playing the role of Christian Clarke in EastEnders. His many musical theatre credits include Rum Tum Tugger in Cats in the West End, on tour and the official film of the show, John in  Miss Saigon on the first UK national tour and most recently Zach in A Chorus Line at the London Palladium. John was also a judge on BBC1’s Over the Rainbow, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search to find a Dorothy for the musical The Wizard of Oz.

Hayley Tamaddon has just finished playing Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street. She also played Del Dingle inEmmerdale. Her numerous theatre credits include The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and Janet in The Rocky Horror Show. Hayley also won the 5th series of ITV1’s Dancing on Ice.

Sam Bailey worked as a prison officer at HM Prison Gartree for three years until 2013. At the end of that year Sam won the tenth series of The X Factor receiving more than a million votes over the course of the final weekend. Following her win, her debut single Skyscraper was released and achieved the Christmas Number One. This was followed in 2014 with her debut album, The Power of Love, reaching number one in the album charts.

The 2016 UK National Tour of CHICAGO will be produced by David Ian and Michael Watt in association with the Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.

Full casting is set to be announced soon, along with further dates in the 2016 tour schedule.

The tour launches at the New Oxford Theatre, where it will run from 12th to 20th February 2016. All confirmed tour dates so far are listed below: NOTE – if tickets are not showing as available they will be SOON!

12th to 20th February 2016 (New Theatre oxford)
www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford

22nd –27th February (New Wimbledon Theatre)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre/

29th February – 5th March (Dartford Orchard Theatre)
www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

7th – 12th March (Southampton Mayflower Theatre)
www.mayflower.org.uk

14th – 19th March (Milton Keynes Theatre)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

21st March – 2nd April (Manchester Opera House)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester/

4th – 9th April (Bradford Alhambra)
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

11th – 16th April (Eastbourne Congress Theatre)
www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk/venue/congress-theatre

25th – 30th April (Princess Theatre Torquay)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/princess-theatre-torquay/

2nd – 7th May (Hall For Cornwall Truro)
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

11th – 21st May (Bord Gâis Energy Theatre, Dublin)
www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

23rd – 28th May (Royal & Derngate, Northampton)
www.royalandderngate.co.uk

30th May – 4th June (Hawth Theatre, Crawley)
www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk

13th – 18th June (Edinburgh Playhouse)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/

20th – 25th June (Wolverhampton Grand Theatre)
www.grandtheatre.co.uk

27th June – 2nd July (Southend Cliffs Pavilion)
www.grandtheatre.co.uk

4th – 9th July (Bristol Hippodrome)
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome/

Sam Bailey will not be performing on the following dates:
19th, 25, 26th March, 2016
25th, 27th, 28th May, 2016
25th June, 2016

 

Jackie The Musical UK Tour starring Janet Dibley

Jackie The Musical starring Janet Dibley with Nicholas Bailey and Graham Bickley, begins its UK Tour in March 2016.

Previewing at the Gardyne Theatre Dundee on 11th March, 2016. Dates include Coventry, Bromley, Brighton, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow. Directed by Anna Linstrum and Choreographed by Arlene Phillips.

Written by Mike James, with choreography by Arlene Phillips and directed by Anna Linstrum, Jackie The Musical will begin a nationwide tour in Spring 2016 at the Gardyne Theatre in Dundee. Launching in Dundee, the spiritual home of Jackie magazine and location of the first editorial offices, the tour of Jackie The Musical starts at the Gardyne Theatre on Friday 11th March. Supported by Jackie publishers DC Thomson, former magazine Editor Nina Myskow joins the production as Editor-in-Chief, and will head up a brand new digital/online TV channel JACKIE TV.

Once there was a time with no mobile phones, no apps, no texting, no e-mails and no twitter. Angst ridden teenage girls waited with bated breath by the letterbox for their weekly issue of Jackie Magazine… unless their big sister got there first! Jackie accompanied millions of girls through their teenage years in the ‘70’s and 80’s, years of boy trouble, ironing hair and problem solving from resident agony aunts, Cathy and Claire. The magazine supported and inspired those girls and, best of all, it was great fun.

Jackie The Musical revisits those heady days, and tells the story of a fifty-something divorcée who revisits her stash of well-thumbed Jackie magazines for the same reason she first read them nearly forty years ago: advice on how best to navigate the opposite sex.

The quizzes, the fashion tips, the ‘do’s and don’ts on a first date’ and above all the Cathy and Claire problem pages are all devoured eagerly by our plucky heroine ‘Jackie’ as she revisits the dizzy world of the teen bible. With her ex and a handsome new guy both on the scene, the valuable lessons she learnt as a girl begin to influence her future and Jackie discovers the one person in control of her life is – her.

Funny and feisty, with a sound track featuring the era’s most beloved and memorable hits, including the sounds of Pop Idols Donny Osmond, David Cassidy and Marc Bolan played live on stage, the show promises a whirlwind tour of Planet Seventies and a most fabulous night out!

Janet Dibley plays ‘Jackie’. Janet became a household name in the 1980s, co-starring with Nicholas Lyndhurst in ITV’s primetime The Two of Us, playing ‘Elaine Walker’ for all four series. She went on to star as Lorna Cartwright in Eastenders, Carol McGarry in four series of Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends, ‘Deborah Johnson’ in The Chase and most recently as ‘Chaz Moore’, in Broadchurch. Janet joined the cast of the BBC soap Doctors in 2010 as series regular ‘Dr Elaine Cassidy’ a role she played for over two years, and which also saw her writing for the show. Her theatre roles include the 2014 tour of Kindertransport, Absent Friends and Could Be Any One of Us at Scarborough, ‘Sarah’ in Richard Eyre’s National Theatre Production of Guys and Dolls and ‘Julie Jordan’ in Stephen Pimlott’s Carousel at the Manchester Royal Exchange.

Best known for his role as ‘Anthony Trueman’ in EastEnders, Nicholas Bailey was most recently seen on stage in the critically acclaimed production The Invisible at the Bush Theatre, London. Other television work includes Siblings and Doctors, whilst past credits include Anubis House, Miranda and Law & Order: UK.

Graham Bickley plays ‘John’ and Nicholas Bailey plays ‘Max’. Graham Bickley became a household name playing ‘Joey Boswell’ in Carla Lane’s much loved BBC TV series Bread. He has starred in a host of hit West End musicals, including Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Sunset Boulevard and Ragtime, for which received an Olivier Award nomination. He regularly appears with the BBC Concert Orchestra and in concert halls across the country.

Nina Myskow says: “I’m so proud to have been editor of Jackie in its golden years in the 70’s. It always was a girl’s best friend, but I could never have imagined then that its spirit of fun and warmth would live on to become a musical today. It’s such a brilliant idea, and I’m absolutely thrilled that I’m going to be involved, all over again. How exciting! And I can’t wait to see it, to hear the music, and to be transported back to a time when we were all young, and not just young at heart.

About the Jackie magazine: If you didn’t know the actual facts, you’d be forgiven for thinking Jackie was created by a pop music guru or a supertrendy fashionista, but nothing could be further from the truth. The magazine was the brainchild of Gordon Small, a former RAF aero engine fitter who was far from being an afficionado of the music industry or an expert in style. Gordon was the magazine’s founder and first editor. Along with a creative team, he produced Jackie, an exciting new magazine “for go-ahead teens” which went on to be the best-selling teenage title for 10 years. Back then girls didn’t have iPads, laptops or mobiles. There was no telly in their bedroom. The family TV was more than likely rented and there was a choice of just three channels – a far cry from today’s world of multichannel TV that’s accessible 24/7.

As for keeping up with pop music and the charts, teenagers listened to the hits on Radio Luxembourg under woollen bed covers! (Duvets hadn’t hit homes in the UK) So it’s not surprising their magazine played a major role in the lives of teenage girls – it was the highlight of their week. Jackie launched on Thursday, January 11, 1964. At just 6d, the equivalent of 2½p, it was the must-have mag if you wanted to be up to date on what was hip and happening. In the same way, Top of the Pops was the must-see pop TV programme.

Jackie The Musical 2016 (Further dates to be added)
11-12 March 2016 Dundee Gardyne Theatre SOLD OUT
15-19 March 2016 Coventry Belgrade Theatre
22-26 March 2016 Bromley Churchill Theatre
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-churchill-theatre-bromley/

29 March-2 April 2016 The Alhambra Theatre Bradford
5-9 April 2016 Brighton Theatre Royal
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/

12-16 April 2016 Edinburgh Kings Theatre
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre/

19-23 April 2016 The Grand Theatre Blackpool
26-30 April 2016 Perth Concert Hall
10-14 May 2016 Wycombe Swan
17-21 May 2016 Manchester Opera House
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester/

24-28 May 2016 Birmingham Alexandra Theatre
7-11 June 2016 New Wimbledon Theatre
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre/

14-18 June 2016 The Orchard Theatre Dartford
21-25 June 2016 Malvern Festival Theatre
28 June-2 July 2016 Liverpool Empire
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/

12-16 July 2016 Inverness Eden Court
19-23 July 2016 His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen
26-30 July 2016 King’s Theatre Glasgow
http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre/

Man and Superfan

man-and-superfanMan and Superfan

November 22nd –26th 2015, 7.15pm, Theatre N16

Big Mouth Theatre Company’s Man and Superfan is debuting at Theatre N16 as part of the theatre’s first and exciting season. After sell out runs of their first play The Thin Line, Big Mouth are back with an exhilarating, thought-provoking play that holds up a magnifying glass to a moment we all know well… Five shots into the back of John Lennon’s head, but what about the man behind the gun? What about his life led him to this? Mark Chapman, a stone cold murder or a ‘superfan’ with a dream of getting too close?

Big Mouth Theatre Company questions the unquestioned, discusses the undiscussed and reveals the unrevealed. Formed on shared excitement and passion to tell the stories of the unheard, the work we create alters perspective, sparks debate and provides a chance for change. Whether new writing or old, classical or contemporary, we have one ultimate goal; stories of humans behind the headlines.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company founded by young people, for young people. It is London’s newest fringe venue, and is dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat.

Man and Superfan

Company Big Mouth Theatre Company

Performance Dates November 22nd 2015 – November 26th 2015, 7.15pm

Running Time 60 mins

Cast Mark Pete Darwent

Gloria Heidi Goldsmith

Susan Joanna Rosenfeld

Michael Alex Boxall

Venue Theatre N16, The Bedford Pub, 77 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9HD

Ticket Price £12 (£10 concessions)

Box Office Ticketsource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/theatren16)

Travel Balham station (2 min walk)

Streatham Hill station (20 min walk)

 

Torn Apart (Dissolution)

download (33)Torn Apart (Dissolution)

November 29th – 30th 2015, 3pm and 8pm, Theatre N16

This is a love story. A love story in three different times and three different bedrooms…

West Germany, Bremen, the early 1980s. The universities and cafes are full of young people who escaped from the East, the bars are full of American soldiers. Alina, a Polish literature student, bumps into one of them. London, 1999. The turn of the century. Elliott, a young chef, is dating Casey, an Australian backpacker. Whilst eating Indian food and listening to RHCP, Elliott talks to Casey about his orphanage and his love for her. She listens knowing that, sooner or later, her Visa will run out. London, now. Holly married a perfect man, had a child and achieved her white picket fence fantasy, but this is in the past now. Molly has fallen in love with Erica, an ex-sex worker, and she will do anything to rationalise her feelings.

Torn Apart (Dissolution) is about many things, but it is mostly about love. The play deals with issues such as feminism, male repression, fate, homosexuality, but above all it explores the most painful aspects of human conditioning.

No Offence Theatre is an emerging theatre company, founded by an Australian and a Pole, born from the need of creating contemporary, challenging and political work and bringing theatre back to the people.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company founded by young people, for young people. It is London’s newest fringe venue, and is dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat.

 

Title Torn Apart (Dissolution)

Company No Offence Theatre

Performance Dates November 29nd 2015, 3pm and 8pm – November 30th 2015, 8.00pm

Running Time 80 mins

Venue Theatre N16, The Bedford Pub, 77 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9HD

Ticket Price £12 (£10 concessions)

Box Office Ticketsource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/theatren16)

Travel Balham station (2 min walk)

Streatham Hill station (20 min walk)

Cast Nastazja Somers

Simon Donohue

Elliott Rogers

Hannah Kerin

Katharine Eskenazi

Monty Leigh

Writer/Director Bj McNeill

 

In Search of England

in-search-of-englandNovember 22nd –26th 2015, 8.30pm, Theatre N16

“There’s no such thing as countries….” George is in search of England, or to be more precise, what it means to be English. He was born English, his parents are English, but he’s not sure whether he is any more. So he’s back to find out. At least, that’s what he says. A play about nationality, immigration and love, and the next production by East London-based Fox Theatre Company.

Inspired by the great travel book of the same name, written by legendary writer, H V Morton, the play has been written by Essex journalist and author Neil D’Arcy-Jones. Neil says: “I’ve been thinking of a way of staging what is essentially the archetypal travel book for many years now, but I didn’t really get to grips with it until I went abroad myself. I was in Australia and New Zealand, and people kept asking me where I was from. After a while I thought ‘who cares where I’m from, what does it mean to be English anyway’ and that’s where the seeds of the play started.” Having written plays primarily for children before, this production not only marks Neil’s ‘grown-up’ debut, but also the first time any of his work has been performed in London.

Director Sarah Chapleo set up Fox Theatre last year and, while still studying for her final degree in English and Drama at Queen Mary University in London, put on her first professional production at the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton, her own adaptation of Émile Zola’s Thérése Raquin.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company founded by young people, for young people. It is London’s newest fringe venue, and is dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating without a hire fee for external companies. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat.

 

In Search of England

Company Fox Theatre Company

Performance Dates November 22nd 2015 – November 26th 2015, 8.30pm

Running Time 80 mins

Venue Theatre N16, The Bedford Pub, 77 Bedford Hill, London SW12 9HD

Ticket Price £12 (£10 concessions)

Box Office Ticketsource (www.ticketsource.co.uk/theatren16)

Travel Balham station (2 min walk)

Streatham Hill station (20 min walk)

 

LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE’S REP SEASON IN THE WEST END

Having been seen by over 10,000 people the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain’s West End Season at the Ambassadors Theatre London, must end on 4 December 2015.

The season marks the latest success for the NYT’s West End REP residency, now in its third year. The season, instilling companys of the NYT’s very best actors into West End theatres, gives members a chance to train by performing in front of paying audiences. The majority of the sixteen company members have already been signed by leading talent agents including Markham Froggatt and Irwin, Independent Talent and United Agents.

The three shows in this year’s West End rep season include: Consensual – a brand new and acclaimed play exploring issues and experiences around sexting, young people and sexual consent written by Evan Placey and directed by Pia Furtado which was documented in development as part of a new collaboration with Sky Arts; Wuthering Heights, in a new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel by Stephanie Street directed by Emily Lim and The Merchant of Venice – Shakespeare’s play abridged especially for schools by Tom Stoppard, directed by NYT Associate Director Anna Niland.

Written by Writer’s Guild Award winner Evan Placey (Girls Like That, Holloway Jones),Consensual is directed by Pia Furtardo (Dirty Great Love Story at Soho Theatre and L’Elisir D’Amore at Opera Holland Park).  Exploring teenage testosterone, teacher pupil relationships and the age of consent in the UK, Consensual examines the relationship between PSHE teacher Diane and her class, specifically fifteen year-old Freddie. “Think of Sexual Relationship Education as a war zone and you’re the journalist. Give the facts, show the photos, but don’t get too close unless you want your head blown off”.

Wuthering Heights is adapted by Stephanie Street (Sisters) from the Gothic novel by Emily Brontë and directed by Emily Lim (Brainstorm, The Kilburn Passion and The Wardrobe). When Heathcliff, a mysterious child is rescued and brought to Wuthering Heights, he develops an inseparable bond to Cathy, a friendship which soon develops into a passionate and iconic love spanning generations and ending with tragedy.

NYT Associate Anna Niland directs Tom Stoppard’s abridged version of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Stoppard’s version, originally abridged especially for the NYT to perform at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing and the subject of a BBC documentary, is a 90 minute whirlwind which has delighted audiences and schools alike for the past decade.

More information at www.nyt.org.uk

 

10th ANNIVERSARY BRUNTWOOD PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING 2015 WINNER ANNOUNCED

  • London shop assistant wins playwriting prize with first play, about young carers dealing with welfare cuts

Wish List by Katherine Soper, who currently works in a perfumery on Regent Street in London, was today announced as the winner of the 10th anniversary Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2015 – Europe’s biggest playwriting prize. She wins a prize of £16,000, and a residency at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, where today’s award ceremony took place and the process towards production begins.

Wish List is Katherine Soper’s first play. She said: “This is the best boost of writerly confidence I could imagine.”

This year the judges decided to present an additional, fourth, Judges’ Award, The plays chosen are: Sound of Silence by Chloe Todd Fordham, Parliament Square by James Fritz,How My Light is Spent by Alan Harris and Almighty Sometimes by Kendall Feaver.

Wish List tells the story of Tamsin, sole carer for her brother Dean, whose crippling OCD leaves him housebound in a perpetual state of ritual. Now that ‘Help to Work’ has cut all his benefits, she’s taken a zero-hour contract performing packaging rituals of her own, on the clock and to a quota. If she doesn’t pack faster, whilst keeping her brother on track, she’ll lose out to the next in a long line of temps, and soon they could both lose their lifelines. A sensitive and delicately powerful play about trying to survive when every system is against you.

All entries to the Bruntwood Prize are submitted anonymously. Soper said: Having someone respond well to your work, with no name or personal information factored in, is so heartening.”

The Chair of the judging panel, former Artistic Director of the National Theatre Nicholas Hytner said: “The Bruntwood shortlist has been a pleasure to read, and it includes strikingly accomplished plays covering a startling range of urgent subject matter. It is a privilege to be able to recognise them and to be part of this imaginative and important competition.”

Fellow judge, and Chair of Bruntwood, Michael Oglesby said on deciding to award an extra prize: “The extraordinary strength of this years shortlist led us to make the unprecedented decision in our tenth year to award an extra prize to reflect the exciting ambition and unique talent that made it to the final ten.”

The winner was announced this afternoon in Manchester by Nicholas Hytner 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, which receives more entries and offers a bigger prize than any other playwriting prize in Britain.

In its ten year history, the Bruntwood Prize has awarded more than £160,000 to 17 different playwrights, and developed 16 full productions of new plays with 28 UK theatres.

Katherine Soper currently works in a perfumery on Regent Street in London, and has also worked at Harvey Nichols in Manchester. She wrote Wish List as her dissertation play at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She took part in the Royal Court’s writers’ group in Autumn 2014, and developed a short play, Sundries, with the Young Friends of the Almeida earlier this year.

Writers of all levels of experience were invited to enter plays, which must be original, unperformed and unproduced. This year 1,938 scripts were submitted for the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting – the second highest tally in the Prize’s history.

The competition, which runs every two years, is a unique partnership between the Royal Exchange Theatre and property company Bruntwood.

The judging panel for this year’s prize was chaired by Nicholas Hytner, former Artistic Director of the National Theatre. The full judging panel is as follows:

  • Nicholas Hytner (former Artistic Director, National Theatre)
  • Sarah Frankcom (Artistic Director, Royal Exchange Theatre)
  • Vivienne Franzmann (playwright and former Bruntwood winner)
  • Ramin Gray (Artistic Director, Actors Touring Company)
  • Bryony Lavery (playwright)
  • Michael Oglesby CBE (Chairman, Bruntwood)
  • Miranda Sawyer (writer and broadcaster)
  • Meera Syal CBE (actor and writer).

The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is open to writers in the UK and Ireland aged 16 and over.

Over 11,000 entries have been generated from across the United Kingdom and winning playwrights have gone on to have work produced at the Royal Court Theatre, Almeida Theatre, on Broadway and in the West End.  It is a significant investment in playwrights and support for new work on stage.  More information about the Prize can be found atwww.writeaplay.co.uk/about.

Alan Harris’s How My Light Is Spent is a heartfelt and humorous take on loneliness, isolation and longing, the play follows two people who meet and fall in love on a phone-sex line. Alan Harris’ previous work includes: Marsha: A Girl Who Does Bad Things (liveartshow/Arcola), The Opportunity of Efficiency (New National Theatre Tokyo/National Theatre Wales), Wolf, The Lighthouse, A Certain Date, Take Me To Victoria Park (all BBC Radio 4), The Gold Farmer (BBC Radio 3), The Future For Beginners (liveartshow/Wales Millennium Centre), The Magic Toyshop(Invisible Ink/Theatr Iolo), A Good Night Out in the Valleys (National Theatre Wales), Re-Set(Mess Up The Mess), Marsha (Capital Fringe, Washington DC), Rhinegold, Manga Sister (both liveartshow, The Yard, London), The Journey (Welsh National Opera), The Hidden Valley(Birdsong Opera/WNO), Cardboard Dad (Sherman Cymru), Miss Brown To You (Hijinx Theatre),Brute (Operating Theatre Company), Orange (Sgript Cymru), Come To Where I’m From (Paines Plough). He was given a Creative Wales Award in 2011 from the Arts Council of Wales and, following work with prisoners at HMP Cardiff, is a Koestler Trust platinum award winner.

Chloe Todd Fordham’s play Sound of Silence follows the extraordinary journey of an antique and very valuable ngoni – a traditional Mali instrument. From England to Africa and back, the instrument travels through the hands and lives of many.  Her engaging and far-reaching story explores how lives are destroyed through war and conflict, whilst championing music as a vital expression of resilience and resistance against the destructive power of fundamentalism. Chloe Todd Fordham’s first play Land’s End was selected for inclusion in the Arcola Theatre’s inaugural PlayWrought Festival and was one of the six plays shortlisted for Theatre 503’s Playwriting Award in November 2014.  She is currently under commission with Theatre 503 through their residency scheme, 503Five and was one of five writers collaborating on Elexion earlier this year.  Her previous work includes Rogan Josh (Theatre 503), Girls (RichMix) andSound Bites (RADA).

James Fritz’s play Parliament Square is a hard hitting and vital scream against injustice, which probes whether political protest can ever make a difference and asks if violent action is madness or compassion? James Fritz’s first full-length play, Four Minutes Twelve Seconds, premiered at Hampstead Theatre downstairs in Autumn 2014 and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre before transferring to Trafalgar Studios in 2015. His latest play, Ross and Rachel (“a virtuosic piece of writing” Time Out) opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. He was selected for the 2015 Channel 4 Screenwriting Course and is currently under commission to Hampstead Theatre.

Kendall Feaver’s play The Almighty Sometimes is an unflinching and eloquent examination of the highs and lows of human emotions. After 13 years on a cocktail of drugs, 21 year-old Anna is starting to wonder whether her mother was too quick to medicate, and so decides to rediscover the talent and passions she believes were interrupted. Suddenly the world is a much more volatile and challenging place, but does this herald the return of a childhood illness, or is the real Anna simply ‘waking up?’ Kendall Feaver’s previous works include The Hiding Place (ATYP Under the Wharf), Rocket Boy (Adelaide Fringe Festival) and The Forgotten (Shortlisted, Sydney Theatre Company ‘Young Playwright of the Year’ Award). Most recently, she wrote Kingdom Come for The Story Project at Arcola Theatre, New Dawn for Islington Youth Theatre, Push It as part of Scrapyard Theatre at The Traverse, and created installation The Glossatree for Just So Festival, Cheshire. Kendall has an MA in Writing for Performance from Goldsmiths, University of London, which was supported with an Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award.

Fairport Convention 2016 UK Tour

FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Grand Opera House York

Tuesday 1 March 2016 at 7:30pm

 

Fairport Convention is still one of the busiest bands around. The current line-up of Simon Nicol (lead vocal, rhythm and electric guitars), Dave Pegg (backing vocals, bass guitar, mandolin), Ric Sanders (violin), Chris Leslie (lead vocal, fiddle, bouzouki, banjo, mandolin and woodwind) and Gerry Conway (percussion and drums) still packs venues on its frequent tours.

Each year starts with Fairport covering the length and breadth of Britain on its Winter Tour. This is followed by a more relaxed Spring tour and in August, the band stages Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival in Oxfordshire.

Each December the band’s time is occupied by side-projects and their respective Christmas tours. Simon tours with The Albion Christmas Band; Peggy with both The Dylan Project and Peggy and Anthony John Clarke; Ric with the Ric Sanders Trio; Chris with ST Agnes Fountain and Gerry with both Fotheringay and The Dylan Project.

Tickets from £22.50 in person from the theatre box office, or call ATG Tickets on 0844 871 3024, for online booking go to www.atgtickets.com/york

 

THE KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION OF THE WINTER’S TALE WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE TO CINEMAS ON 26 NOVEMBER

KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY. The Winter's Tale (Judi Dench). Credit Johan PerssonTHE KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANYS
PRODUCTION OF THE WINTER
S TALE WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE TO CINEMAS ON 26 NOVEMBER

THE SOLD OUT WEST END PRODUCTION STARS KENNETH BRANAGH AS LEONTES AND JUDI DENCH AS PAULINA

TRAILER AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment, will broadcast the first Branagh Theatre Live production to cinemas worldwide at 19:00 onThursday 26 November 2015.

The Winter’s Tale, which is now sold out at the Garrick, will be screened in more than 1300 cinemas worldwide, including over 500 in the UK. Tickets are now on sale and participating cinemas can be found at www.branaghtheatrelive.com

The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption, which opened to critical acclaim at London’s Garrick Theatre on 7 November, is reimagined in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh. Judi Dench plays Paulina opposite Kenneth Branagh as Leontes.

The cinema broadcast of The Winter’s Tale will be directed by Benjamin Caron, who has also recently collaborated with Kenneth Branagh on the forthcoming series of Wallander, due to be broadcast on the BBC in 2016.

The Winter’s Tale will also be screened in US cinemas on 30 November. Encore broadcasts will be held across the UK throughout the Christmas period.

Kenneth Branagh said: “In 2015, where theatre making and film making meet is exciting. The cinema broadcasts of our plays hope to challenge the possibilities of this relationship. We have a team of people who are experienced in both worlds. The potential results, particularly in exploring the magic of Shakespeare, should be fascinating. 

I am very pleased indeed to be working with Picturehouse to bring The Winter’s Tale and subsequently Romeo & Juliet and The Entertainer live into cinemas around the world. These plays have epic dimensions but also great intimacy, and I believe that, working with the talented director Benjamin Caron, we can bring the immediacy and excitement of the live stage production into cinemas. We will employ film techniques to make these broadcasts truly cinematic, without in any way compromising the theatrical experience. 

The Winter’s Tale is a play I have been drawn to through my entire career. Judi Dench has famously been in the play as Hermione and Perdita, but to have her in the company as Paulina and for us to work together on Shakespeare, which we have not done since Coriolanus in Chichester twenty years ago, is very rewarding.

The full cast for The Winter’s Tale includes: Pierre Atri (Mamillius), Jaygann Ayeh (Archidamus & The Old Shepherd’s Servant), Tom Bateman (Florizel), Jessie Buckley (Perdita), Vera Chok(Dorcas & First Lady), Jack Colgrave Hirst (Clown), John Dagleish (Autolycus), Hadley Fraser(Polixenes), Adam Garcia (Amadis), Rudi Goodman (Mamillius), Matthew Hawksley (Aegeum),Taylor James (Capnio), Pip Jordan (Shepherdess), Ansu Kabia (Cleomenes), Stuart Neal (Dion),Michael Pennington (Antigonus), Zoë Rainey (Emilia), Miranda Raison (Hermione), Michael Rouse (Gaoler & Mariner), John Shrapnel (Camillo), Kathryn Wilder (Mopsa) and Jimmy Yuill(The Shepherd).

The broadcast date for Romeo and Juliet, which plays at the Garrick from 12 May to 13 August, will be announced shortly. The Entertainer will also be screened later in 2016.

The Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade / All On Her Own, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer make up the inaugural Play at the Garrick season for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company. For more information and to buy theatre tickets for these productions please see www.branaghtheatre.com

 

HIDDENCITY ANNOUNCES MORIARTY’S GAME

8ceae2e3b7116148_orgHiddenCity presents

MORIARTY’S GAME

HIDDENCITY ANNOUNCES MORIARTY’S GAME, A BRAND NEW MYSTERIOUS CITY TRAIL FOR LONDON

A SERIES OF CRYPTIC CLUES ON A JOURNEY ACROSS LONDON, FROM 2 DECEMBER 2015

A MODERN-DAY ADVENTURE INSPIRED BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE’S SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVELS

TICKETS ON SALE FROM 24 NOVEMBER 2015

Cryptic city trail innovator HiddenCity announces Moriarty’s Game, a brand new, immersive London adventure. Intrepid explorers will be able to play Moriarty’s Game from 2 December 2015, with tickets on sale from 24 November 2015.

The 28thtrail created by HiddenCity, Moriarty’s Game is inspired by characters from Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel, The Final Problem, published in 1893. Players will find themselves exploring exhibitions in a Mayfair Townhouse, celebrating contemporary architecture and drinking in Georgian public houses as they solve puzzles sent via text messages, in search of Moriarty’s hidden safe house.

‘Professor James Moriarty invites you to celebrate the finest minds of London by solving his cryptic challenge, which he has personally prepared. Your goal is to find his London safe house. Succeed and he will present you an offer you won’t refuse.’

Each clue directs participants to a hidden location within walking distance, and asks a specific question about the surroundings. If participants reply with the correct answer they receive the next clue.

In Moriarty’s Game, explorers will interact with the real world. Progressing on their journey, participants might find themselves studying botanical books, inspecting chemical flasks or delivering codewords, as they uncover Moriarty’s true nature.

HiddenCity was created by two brothers who wanted to organise an alternative city experience for friends. HiddenCity now has trails operating in London, Manchester and Brighton.

To book tickets visit inthehiddencity.com/moriartysgame.

Twitter: @HiddenCityLon
#MoriartysGame

LISTINGS

2 Dec 2015 – 31 March 2016
Moriarty’s Game
Start point: Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD
Start time: 11.30am – 2pm (Trail takes 2 – 4 hours to complete)
020 7112 8951
www.inthehiddencity.com/moriartysgame
Price: £60 for a team of up to four people
Strictly adults, 18 or over
Dress appropriately to gain entry to Moriarty’s safe house. No shorts or tracksuits.