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OPENING AT THE SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE 2 DECEMBER

Alphabetti offers a different take on
Christmas with Santa Must Die!
Alphabetti Theatre, St James’ Blvd, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4HP
Thursday 16th – Friday 31st December 2021

Santa Must Die! is a raucous new gig theatre show for the gig economy at the most difficult time of the year! This production by archipelago, written by Rosie MacPherson, with performers Rhian Liu and Robin Ravi is a different kind of festive story about when Christmas is all work and no play. It looks at finding joy in unexpected places and fighting against that which is meant to keep you down.

Nadia and Abed might just be the next big thing. They are the duo behind The North’s greatest Punk band this side of the Seventies, and for one night only they’re playing their local. But it’s Christmas eve, and Santa is a bad boss. Dealing with unending queues of demanding, entitled customers, minimum wage, unpaid overtime and zero hours contracts means the elves are ready to riot.

Inspired by many friends who’ve had bad jobs over Christmas, with long hours and barely any time off, Santa Must Die! looks at the fact that, for most of us, Christmas is actually a busy and stressful time. Made in conversation with local people in Bradford and Newcastle who have experience of working on zero hours contracts at Christmas, this is a Christmas show for audiences who like their theatre with a bit of bite. Taking the riotous punk energy of archipelago’s previous show about our NHS in crisis, An Act of Care, the company have been inspired by the heart of traditional Christmas shows and brought them to the stage in this production – expect audience interaction, panto-like tropes, great music, genre-bending video projections and a heartfelt story about workers coming together to fight against the corporate greed of Father Christmas.

Co-Director Laurence Young comments, archipelago are making Santa Must Die! for the people for whom Christmas isn’t always a walk in the park. Whilst many of us get to relax, unwind, and reflect on the year, for a huge number this isn’t true. Instead, Christmas is the culmination point, a mad-dash scramble of busyness and overworking that leaves you tired and burnt out. It’s not good enough that minimum wage barely covers people’s living expenses. It’s not good enough that zero hours contracts mean you can lose work at the drop of a hat. It’s not good enough that throughout the pandemic frontline workers (those deemed essential) have had minimal protections and insulting levels of sick pay. Frankly, Santa is a bad boss, and he’s got to go.

Santa Must Die! is a great night out showcasing exciting emerging Northern talent and a show that advocates for workers’ rights at the most difficult time of the year.

ACCLAIMED MAGICIAN TOM BRACE IS RETURNING TO LONDON FOR ONE SHOW ONLY WITH

TOM BRACE: EMBRACE THE IMPOSSIBLE!

Underbelly Speigeltent, Leicester Square

11th December 2021, 2.00pm

Acclaimed magician Tom Brace will return to London next month for one performance only as part of his new show Tom Brace: Embrace The Impossible!’sUK tour.

Tom Brace will bring his unique blend of comedy and magic to the Underbelly Speigeltent, Leicester Square on 11 December at 2pm as part of Underbelly’s Christmas in Leicester Square festival.

Tickets are on sale now at www.christmasinleicestersquare.com

Tom Brace loved his childhood. Roald Dahl, Cluedo and one film in particular from 1985… Join him for a hilarious evening of 1.21 gigawatts of magic as he showcases his unique, incredible and totally pointless abilities in a new show inspired by his past! Featuring Tom’s unique blend of comedy and magic, the show promises to have a little something for everybody.

This will mark Tom Brace’s third Underbelly festival this year following performances at this Summer’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Underbelly George Square) and London’s Wonderground (Underbelly Earl’s Court), which marked the launch of his current UK tour. Tom Brace also performed this Summer as part of the line-up for the Barn Theatre in Cirencester’s Summer theatre festival BarnFest.

Tom said of the upcoming performance, “Christmas in Leicester Square is always a magical event in London and so I’m thrilled to be adding a touch of my own magic this year! I’ve had quite the year performing at Underbelly venues across the United Kingdom and so I’m over the moon to be asked back for a 3rd time. I’ve seen plenty of shows at their annual Christmas festival in the past and so to be doing it myself is a dream come true!”

Tom Brace originally trained as an actor before turning his hand to magic. Unlike most magicians, his love of magic started at aged 24 when he was working at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, when a street magician approached him and showed him some card tricks and then he has subsequently fallen down a magical black hole.

Tom has now performed his magic shows across the world from the Middle East to Edinburgh, having now had three successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Over the pandemic Tom began doing Zoom magic shows and has performed his acclaimed digital show for the likes of LBC’s James O’Brien and star of Netflix’s Sex Education, Alistair Petrie with James O’Brien stating his show left him “Charmed, amazed and delighted in equal measure!”

Tom Brace: Embrace The Impossible! currently also has tour dates on sale for County Durham, Barry, Telford & Harlow.

KAREN FROM FINANCE AND RICHARD ENERGY

COMPLETE THE CAST OF

DICK WHITTINGTON

TUCKSHOP’S SECOND ANNUAL ALL DRAG WEST END PANTO

AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE THIS CHRISTMAS

STARRING CHERYL HOLE, KITTY SCOTT CLAUS, CHORIZA MAY, AND HOLLY STARS

SUNDAYS 5, 12, 19 DECEMBER 2021, TUESDAY 4 JANUARY & SUNDAY 9 JANUARY 2022

FEATURING RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK FAVOURITE QUEENS

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Karen from Finance – star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under – and drag King Richard Energy –will complete the cast of DICK WHITTINGTON, the new all drag West End pantomime from TuckShop – the UK’s only specialist production company devoted all things drag – playing at The Phoenix Theatre this Christmas, with tickets on sale now here

With performances on Sundays 5,12,19 December, Tuesday 4 and Sunday 9 January, as previously announced, “Dick” will star RuPaul’s Drag Race UK favourites Cheryl Hole as ‘Dick’, plus two of the Queens from Series 3, Kitty Scott Claus as ‘The Spirit of Soho’, and Choriza May as ‘Queen Rat’.

Written by Gareth Joyner and directed by TuckShop Founder and Creative Director Chris Clegg, Dick Whittington will also star Holly Stars as ‘The Cat’, Beau Jangles as ‘The Mayor of Soho’, Yshee Black as ‘Dame Sarah’, and Ophelia Love as ‘Villager Number 4’. Karen from Finance will play ‘Alice’ and Richard Energy will play ‘Daddy’.

Join our hero Dick Whittington on his thrilling quest to find adventure fame and fortune in the glittering streets of Soho, with his feisty and funny pussy cast. Will he be able to defeat villainous rodent Queen Rat, with the help of the Spirit of Soho, save the city and win the hand of his love, the beautiful Alice?

Get ready to follow your dreams as this classic tale is re-imagined in TuckShop’s own way. Unlike any other pantomime you’ll see, written by Gareth Joyner, you’ll be gagging on Dick and his friends as they bring the spirit of Soho to the West End.

Teaming up with Ameena Hamid, the West End’s youngest producer, Dick Whittington is the second all drag West End pantomime from TuckShop, following the first 2019 sell-out hit Cinderella.

Karen from Finance said, “If the parks are the lungs of London then the Theatre is absolutely the heart. This is my second big show with TuckShop, and in it I’m making both my Panto debut AND my West End debut. Also working alongside such a stellar cast, it’s all living proof that dreams really do come true in London Town!”

Richard Energy said, “Having made my West End debut in TuckShop’s ‘All the Kings Men’ and coming off the ‘Death Drop’ tour, I am so excited to be working with TuckShop again in my first run of a show in the West End!”

Cheryl Hole said, “I am beyond excited to be in panto this winter on the West End of all places, definitely a pinch me moment. If you told baby Cheryl she would be doing all this, I would have told you you’re telling a big fat lie! 

I’ve actually worked with Tuckshop from the beginning of my career, pre Drag Race, and it’s gonna be a family reunion and a lot of campery! And I promise I won’t be mediocre!”

Kitty Scott Claus said, “As an international beauty & style icon, felt tip connoisseur and queen hun, I am THRILLED to be appearing in Dick Whittington and can’t wait to spread some festive panto cheer. Speaking to you as I am from my swanky W1 rooftop apartment with fabulous city views and a full staff, it’s a pleasure and an honour for the audience to be blessed with such a buxom beauty in the cast and thrilled to be bringing a bit of glamour (and something for the dads) back to London’s glittering West End!”

Choriza May said, “So excited to finally work with TuckShop! And what a first project to be part of mi amor! Drag Panto in the West End? Sign me in!

My partner took me to see Panto the first Christmas I spent in the UK after moving from Spain, and I fell in love with it! Now I get to headline Dick Whittington. Full circle moment, que loco!”

Holly Stars said, “I’m in it.”

In the last two years TUCKSHOP has engrained itself as a fundamental part of the West End, bringing drag to the mainstream like never before. With the huge rise in drag popularity over the last ten years, TuckShop is at the forefront of UK Drag culture, coming hot off the heels of Chris Clegg’s fifteen years’ experience in the West End as a producer, theatre manager, and marketing expert. Having had huge success with the critically acclaimed comedy Death Drop – the first all drag spectacular in a West End playhouse and now on a major UK tour, TuckShop West End, a summer festival of drag shows and performances at the Garrick, and Cinderella at the Trafalgar Studios, TuckShop also represent the next generation of Drag superstardom, handle merchandising for performers globally, and are branching out into broadcast media, with shows such as Holly Stars: Inspirational now on Amazon Prime and OUTTv. Their smash hit show Gals Aloud has played sold out seasons across the UK, and new production The Sickening 90s Drag Prom creates new interactive experiences for audiences.TuckShop is the beating, glittery heart of an industry that continues to explode! 

AMEENA HAMID is a London based creative producer, general manager, festival curator and facilitator. Her work focuses on increasing inclusivity and representation in theatre. She has been heralded as “a true role model to the future generations” by Official London Theatre.  At just 20, Ameena earnt the accolade of youngest ever female producer on the West End as Associate Producer on Death Drop (Garrick Theatre). She worked as Line Producer on Shedding A Skin by Amanda Wilkin and curious by Jasmine Lee-Jones for Soho Theatre. Ameena was an EdFringe and British Council Emerging Producer and one of Stage One’s Bridge the Gap Producers. She is on the Board of the League of Independent Producers and part of the Creative Freelances Shaping London’s Recovery Advisory Group.

Other credits include: Co-Producer The Wiz (Hope Mill Theatre Manchester), General Manager on Wonderville Magic And Illusion (Palace Theatre), Assistant Producer to The Show Must Go On Live (Palace Theatre), Producer on Graduates at Cadogan Hall, Producer on Eating Myself (Applecart Arts and FAE Lima, Peru), Producer on Killing It and Since U Been Gone (VAULT Festival).

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE SEEKS FESTIVAL CHOIR MEMBERS FOR STONES SONGS AT SALISBURY INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE SEEKS FESTIVAL CHOIR MEMBERS FOR STONES SONGS AT SALISBURY INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

Wiltshire Creative today announces that the world première of Stone Songs at Salisbury International Arts Festival will include the return of the Festival Chorus comprised of local residents, joining La Folia musicians in a celebration of the illustrious history of Salisbury Cathedral. Composed by Howard Moody, Stone Songs will open the 2022 Salisbury International Arts Festival on 27 May, also under the musical direction of Moody.

Originally intended to open the 2020 Salisbury International Arts Festival, Stone Songs is a new choral work inspired by the Medieval chants that have resonated from the Cathedral’s stones since the 13th century. The piece will feature a large community chorus, five soloists, brass musicians, a percussionist, violinist, an organ, and working stone mason.

Registration opens to join the Festival Chorus for Stone Songs on Tuesday 16 November and closes on Monday 20 December 2021. For sign up details, please visit: https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/take-part/stone-songs/

Howard Moody said today, “Following the turbulence of the past few years, the opportunity to have the community’s voices resounding off the resonant surfaces of the Cathedral’s stones will be especially powerful. The lyrics of the final chorus will have a new and potent significance: “We like living stones will make it sound again”.”

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, said today, “The Festival Chorus has long been a distinctive and central part of the Festival’s identity and we are delighted that this event will herald the start of three packed weeks of music, dance, circus, film, theatre, visual art, spoken word and much more. It promises to be an extraordinary event and a project I hope that local residents will want to be part of.”

Stone Songs will be the first performance in Salisbury International Arts Festival’s three weeks of arts performances, events and workshops, which for 2022 will be centred around the theme of islands.

LISTINGS

SALISBURY INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL

Salisbury International Arts Festival

27 May – 19 June 2022

Ticket Sales: 01722 320333

Ticket sales will open for Salisbury International Arts Festival for members on 8 March and on general sale on 15 March.

READING REP THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR A CHRISTMAS CAROL – A NEW ADAPTATION BY BETH FLINTOFF

Reading Rep Theatre today announces the full cast of A Christmas Carol – a world première adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella, written by local born playwright Beth Flintoff – the first Christmas production in the new theatre that runs as part of the Reading Rep: Reborn season. Artistic Director of Reading Rep Paul Stacey directs Beth Eyre, Dave Fishley, Samuel Kyi, Rose McPhilemy and Rick Romero in this family friendly production set on the cobbled streets of Reading. The production opens on 8 December, with previews from 3 December, and runs until 31 December. A 15ft tall Christmas tree is set to be erected outside the theatre to honour the festive season and the first Christmas production at Reading Rep’s new state-of-the-art theatre.

Completing the creative team are Anna Lewis (Designer), Joe Dines (Sound Designer), Simeon Miller (Lighting Designer) and Sheree Paton (Costumer Designer and Supervisor).

The production is accompanied by Reading Rep’s largest ever participatory project, Dear Mr Scrooge, which aims to bring literature to life through performing arts, encouraging creative expression for some of Reading’s communities who find it hardest to access the arts. The project will engage over 300 participants across Reading including an SEN school, 5 primary schools, Bounce Back 4 Kids and Purley Park Trust, who will create their own versions of Dicken’s timeless tale.

A fire is crackling, a hot chocolate brewing, and there is a ghost (or two) ready to tell you a story…

Ebenezer Scrooge is the miserable boss of Huntley and Palmers, Reading’s world-famous biscuit company. With a little help from Christmas Past, Present and Future, will he be able to feel the festive joy this year? Step back in time with your favourite characters and enjoy the whimsy and wonder of this yuletide production, drawn from the cobbled streets of Reading. 

Beth Flintoff is a playwright and theatre director born in Reading. Her writing credits include The Ballad of Maria Marten, The World We Made, Who Killed Alfred Oliver, Henry I of England, Matilda the Empress, Henry II, The Last Abbot, The Rivals, The Rebellious Women of Wimbledon, and Greenham: One Hundred Years of War and Peace. She collaborated as writer/director with Rhum and Clay on Jekyll Hyde, and Hardboiled: The Fall of Sam Shadow. Flintoff has been longlisted for The Hope Mill Prize 2021, The Papatango New Writing Prize, The Bruntwood Prize, and she was nominated for Most Promising New Playwright 2017 at the Off West End Awards. She is a member of the Sphinx Lab for British Female Playwrights 2020-2021 and a recipient of a 2021 MGCfutures Bursary.

Beth Eyre plays Belle. Her theatre credits include Betrayal (Theatre Royal Bath), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Wanderer’s), Heroin (VAULT Festival), Different from The Others (White Bear Theatre), and The Recruiting Officer (The Old Red Lion Theatre).

Dave Fishley plays Scrooge. His theatre credits include The Gift (Eclipse Theatre), Our Country’s Good (Nottingham Playhouse/UK tour), Macbeth (Theatre Severn), Queen Anne (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Rep/UK tour), Treasure Island (Birmingham Rep), All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Hamlet (RSC), The Taming of the Shrew (Southwark Playhouse), Rough Crossings (Headlong/UK tour), The Electric Hills (Liverpool Everyman), Macbeth (Out of Joint/UK, Europe, world tour), The Odyssey, Paradise Lost (Bristol Old Vic), Dido, Queen of Carthage (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Special Relationship (Theatre Royal York/UK tour), Crime and Punishment in Dalston (Arcola Theatre), The Nativity (Young Vic), Twelfth Night (Nuffield Southampton Theatres), Marat/Sade (National Theatre), Now You Know (Hampstead Theatre). For television, his credits include Moses Jones, Buried, Judge John Deed and for film, Wasteland, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Twice Upon A Yesterday and The Fifth Element.

Samuel Kyi plays Fred/Young Scrooge/Prisoner/Alfred Palmer. His theatre credits include After the Storm (Watford Pumphouse). For television, his credits include iBoy, Faire Trade, Create Not Hate – That’s Not Me;and for film, Virtually There and HBK: The Prequel.

Rose McPhilemy plays Bobbie Cratchit/Ghost of Christmas Past/Kitty. Her theatre credits include Rapunzel (Theatre Royal Bath), Aladdin, The Cherry Orchard (Miracle Theatre), In at The Deep End, Best Foot Forward (Mikron Theatre), The Vertical Hour (Park Theatre) and Blue Remembered Hills (New Diorama Theatre).

Rick Romero returns to Reading Rep to play Palmer Senior/Hopkins/Fezziwig/Ghost of Christmas Present/Howard Palmer/Prison Guard having previously appeared in Waiting for Godot, The Dumb Waiter, Look Back in Anger and The Nativity Goes Wrong. Other theatre credits include Closer, Macbeth, Julius Caesar (Kangaroo Court Theatre) and Holy Land (UK tour). His television credits include Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror, The Real Story of Patriots Day and for film, Low-Flyers 2 and The Understanding.

Paul Stacey is the Artistic Director and Founder of Reading Rep Theatre. For Reading Rep, he has directed numerous productions including Waiting for Godot, Miss Julie, A Little History Of The World (a co-production with The Watermill Theatre) and Every You Every Me (a co-production with Oxford Playhouse). Prior to founding Reading Rep, Stacey was Literary Manager of the Old Red Lion Theatre and worked as a Director and Dramaturg at the Moscow Art Theatre, Punchdrunk Theatre Company and New Repertory Theatre. He has taught theatre history, acting and dramaturgy at Harvard University, and is a Dramaturgy graduate of the American Repertory Theatre/Moscow Art Theatre Institute at Harvard University.

Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames – until 20th November 2021

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

On a cold evening in early November, what could be better than a metaphorical visit to the land of Greek mythology. The Seven Pomegranate Seeds is a fantastic play, featuring a series of stories taken from Greek mythology; Persephone, Medea, Demeter, Phaedra, Hypsipyle, Alcestis, and Creusa.

Niamh Cusack and Shannon Hayes take it in turns to portray the women of these myths, and the characters surrounding them, such as friends, parents, husbands, and Pierce Brosnan. These stories are told in such a modern way that they represent a harsh reality that most women in a modern society could relate to in some way. Obviously, there are moments that are less relatable than others; I’m sure very few women have woken up from a coma to find Pierce Brosnan in their hospital room.

The names of these characters are displayed very cleverly at the beginning of each scene, and remain on stage for the whole play. This includes the name being sewn onto an apron, being the brand of wine on a wine crate, and being written in chalk on the floor downstage centre, and reflected in a mirror by Niamh Cusack. One of the names was even filmed being written in sand on the stage, and the video projected onto a white sheet, held up by Niamh Cusack.

The minimalistic set works perfectly to show a number of settings, allowing the audience to picture how they imagine the setting to look rather than making every single detail explicit. The set consists of a wooden door, a ladder, and many pieces of string hung all over the stage, seven of which holding a large stone. These strings are also hung in the auditorium, which really helps the audience to immerse themselves.

This play shows that the themes and issues that feature in the original Greek myths written centuries ago are still prevalent in today’s society, and is the perfect combination of tragedy and comedy. It is a wonderful night out and a must see for everyone, but especially fans of Greek Mythology. Get down to the Rose Theatre and buy a ticket while you still can.

NATIONAL THEATRE NOVEMBER 2021 – MAY 2022

– David Eldridge and Polly Findlay reunite with new play Middle, the second of three plays by David Eldridge to explore love and relationships. Claire Rushbrook and Daniel Ryan play husband and wife

– Dominic Cooke directs The Corn is Green by Emlyn Williams with Nicola Walker playing Miss Lily Moffat

– Alecky Blythe’s new verbatim play Our Generation, a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Daniel Evans, opens in the Dorfman theatre in February

– Anupama Chandrasekhar’s new play The Father and The Assassin, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, will open in the Olivier theatre in May. Shubham Saraf performs the role of Nathuram Godse.

– Jude Christian adapts Shakespeare’s Hamlet for young audiences with direction by Tinuke Craig. The production will embark on a 4-week schools tour and performs in the Dorfman theatre in March.

– Kirsty Housley directs Evan Placey’s reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde reaching over 10,500 secondary school students as part of an 8-week tour.

The National Theatre today announces the on-sale dates of upcoming productions Middle, Our Generation, The Corn is Green and The Father and The Assassin. Tickets go on sale to the public on 2 December 2021.

Following their five-star production of Beginning, which played to sold-out runs at the National Theatre and in the West End, writer David Eldridge and director Polly Findlay reunite with new play Middle, a raw, touching and funny portrait of a 21st-century marriage.

Middle is the second of three plays by David Eldridge to explore love and relationships and will open in the Dorfman theatre in April 2022.  Claire Rushbrook and Daniel Ryan will perform the roles of Gary and Maggie. Set and costume design by Fly Davis, and sound design by Donato Wharton.

Alecky Blythe returns to the National Theatre with her panoramic new verbatim play that tells the stories of a generation. Opening in the Dorfman theatre in February and created from five years of interviews with 12 young people from across the UK, Our Generation is a captivating portrait of their journey into adulthood. Making his NT directorial debut, Daniel Evans leads the team in this co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre.

The cast is Dee Ahluwalia, Joe Bolland, Anna Burnett, Anushka Chakravarti, Debbie Chazen, Gavi Singh Chera, Rachelle Diedericks, Hasan Dixon, Hélder Fernandes, Sarita Gabony, Conor Gormally, Alex Jarrett, Callum Mardy, Poppy Shepherd and Stephanie Street.

Set design is by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, video design by Akhila Krishnan, lighting design by Zoe Spurr, sound design by Paul Arditti, movement direction by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, music composition, production & direction by DJ Walde, dramaturgy by Sebastian Born and casting by Charlotte Sutton.

Opening in the Lyttelton theatre in April 2022 is the rescheduled production of The Corn is Green. Emlyn Williams’ semi-autobiographical play is given a bold new staging by director Dominic Cooke in its first London revival for over 35 years. Nicola Walker will lead the company playing the role of Miss Lily Moffat, a teacher newly arrived in rural North Wales, determined to help young local miners out of poverty by teaching them to read and write.

Further casting includes Adam Baker, Saffron Coomber, Gareth David-Lloyd, Iwan Davies, Ben Alyn Francis, Megan Grech, Jonathan Hawkins, Matthew Hargreaves, Steffan Hughes, Gareth Kennerley, Richard Lynch, Jo McInnes, Alice Orr-Ewing, Steffan Rizzi, Rebecca Todd, Garyn Williams, Peter Willcock and Rufus Wright.

Set and Costume Design is by ULTZ, lighting design by Charles Balfour, sound design by Christopher Shutt, music arrangements and direction by Will Stuart.

Opening in May 2022 in the Olivier theatre is The Father and The Assassin, a gripping new play by Anupama Chandrasekhar, one of India’s most exciting playwrights, directed by Indhu Rubasingham. The play traces Nathuram Godse’s life over 30 years during India’s fight for independence: from devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter. Shubham Saraf is cast as Godse alongside Sagar Arya, Ayesha Dharker and Peter Singh.

Set and costume design is by Rajha Shakiry, lighting design is by Oliver Fenwick and sound design is by Alex Caplen. Music composed by Siddhartha Khosla.

Digital

The National Theatre has added Kae Tempest’s Paradise, Winsome Pinnock’s Rockets and Blue Lights and James Graham’s This House to the NT’s streaming service National Theatre at Home. New productions are added each month and there are now 40 productions available to stream on the platform, including newly filmed shows from the NT’s stages and classics from the archives. Available to watch online anywhere in the world at any time. All are available with captions and 23 have audio description.

NT Learning for young people

Live performances for young people and nationwide schools touring returns in January 2022, beginning with a new version of Jekyll & Hyde touring into secondary schools, followed by the previously announced retelling of Hamlet. Both tours will reach over 15,500 primary and secondary pupils nationwide, these initiatives will support pupils’ creative learning following disruption caused by the pandemic.

The radical re-imagining by playwright Evan Placey of Robert Louis Stevenson‘s classic tale and directed by Kirsty Housley, will tour to over 10,500 students in secondary school halls nationwide from January 2022 on an 8-week schools tour which forms part of the NT’s Theatre Nation Partnerships to grow and sustain new audiences for live theatre. With support from our partner theatres, the production will visit outer East London (with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Wakefield (with Theatre Royal Wakefield), Doncaster (with Cast), Sunderland (with Sunderland Culture and Sunderland Empire), Wolverhampton (with The Grand), and Greater Manchester (with The Lowry). The production is designed by Amanda Stoodley with sound design by Ben Grant and LX design by Joshua Pharo. 

Opening in the Dorfman theatre in March 2022 is an energetic retelling of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedy, Hamlet aimed at children aged 8 – 12. Adapted by Jude Christian, and directed by Tinuke Craig, the production will be a perfect introduction for young audiences to the world of Shakespeare. The production will also tour into schools in four partner areas reaching over 5,000 pupils across four weeks. The production is designed by Frankie Bradshaw.

West End

The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane announced a three-week extension, with performances running at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 14 May. The first major stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s work, this fantasy novel is brought to life in an adaptation by Joel Horwood, directed by Katy Rudd. A modern myth, where the power of imagination and storytelling transports audiences on a spellbinding and spectacular adventure

On Tour

The internationally acclaimed production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time embarks on a third UK and Ireland tour this month. Adapted by Simon Stephens from Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, and directed by Marianne Elliott, the production will celebrate its 10th year in 2022. Opening at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre on 20 November for a seven-week run, the tour will then play will then play at 19 venues across the UK. Visit curiousonstage.com for tour dates, with more venues to be announced.

National Theatre Together

The ongoing National Theatre Together campaign continues to raise vital funds for the theatre’s ambitious recovery post-pandemic. Together, with the support of thousands of people from around the world, we are shaping a bright, creative future. With theatre-makers and communities. For audiences and young people.

ALEX JENNINGS TO LEAD THE CAST IN THE

WORLD PREMIERE OF STEPHEN BERESFORD’S

T H E   S O U T H B U R Y   C H I L D

DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS HYTNER

IN A CO-PRODUCTION WITH CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE

Three-time Olivier award-winning Alex Jennings will lead the cast in the world premiere of The Southbury Child, the new play by BAFTA winner Stephen Beresford.  Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the production will play at the Bridge Theatre next summer following an opening run at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Set designs are by Mark Thompson with costume by Yvonne Milnes, sound by George Dennis and lighting by Max Narula. 

The Southbury Child will run at Chichester Festival Theatre from 13 to 25 June 2022, with press night on 17 June, and then at The Bridge from 1 July to 27 August 2022.  Priority booking for the Bridge run opens at 10am today, 11 November 2021, with public booking opening at 10am on 16 November 2021. Tickets for the Chichester run will go on sale in early spring.

Raffish, urbane and frequently drunk, David Highland has kept a grip on his remote coastal parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination. But when his faith impels him to take a hard line with a bereaved parishioner, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion. As his own family begins to fracture and his marriage falls apart, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for.

Stephen Beresford’s darkly comic new play is an exploration of family and community, the savage divisions of contemporary society and the rituals that punctuate our lives.

Alex Jennings will make his Bridge Theatre debut in The Southbury Child, reuniting him with Nicholas Hytner, who has previously directed him in Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, Collaborators, The Habit of Art, The Alchemist, The Winter’s Tale and The Importance of Being Earnest amongst others.  He was last on stage in Hansard at the National Theatre where he has worked extensively as well as at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  During his theatre career, he has been the recipient of three Olivier awards.  His many screen credits include Prince Charles in The Queen, Alan Bennett in The Lady in the Van (alongside Maggie Smith and directed by Hytner), the Duke of Windsor in The Crown and Stephen Frears’ A Very English Scandal.

Stephen Beresford’s writing credits include The Last of the Haussmans for the National Theatre, an adaptation of Bergman’s Fanny & Alexander for The Old Vic and the BAFTA winning film Pride.

For the Bridge Theatre Nicholas Hytner has directed Young Marx, Julius Caesar, Allelujah!, Alys, Always, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Ladies, Beat the Devil, The Shrine, Bed Among the Lentils, A Christmas Carol and Bach & Sons.  Later this month, he will direct Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage in a new stage adaptation by Bryony Lavery and in March next year he will direct Ralph Fiennes in David Hare’s Straight Line Crazy, both also at The Bridge.  Previously he was Director of the National Theatre from 2003 to 2015.

LISTINGS INFORMATION FOR THE BRIDGE THEATRE

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

Box Office:                         0333 320 0051 or boxoffice@bridgetheatre.co.uk

Access:                              Audio Described Performance – Sunday 30July 2022 14:30

Captioned Performance – Tuesday 9August 2022 19:30

333 320 0051 or access@bridgetheatre.co.uk

Website:                            www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Twitter:                              @_bridgetheatre

Instagram:                          _bridgetheatre

Facebook:                           facebook.com/bridgetheatrelondon

CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES

OPENING PRODUCTIONS OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

SOUTH PACIFIC TO PLAY IN LONDON AND ON UK TOUR

New plays by KATE MOSSE and ALECKY BLYTHE open Festival 2022, Chichester’s 60th Anniversary season

• Chichester’s internationally best-selling author Kate Mosse’s new play, THE TAXIDERMIST’S DAUGHTER, premieres in the Festival Theatre in April 2022, directed by Róisín McBrinn

• Alecky Blythe’s OUR GENERATION, a co-production with the National Theatre, is directed by Daniel Evans, opening the Minerva Theatre season

• Festival 2022 will also include Stephen Beresford’s new play THE SOUTHBURY CHILD, directed by Nicholas Hytner with a cast led by Alex Jennings, a co-production with The Bridge Theatre, opening at Chichester in June before its London run

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC transfers to Sadler’s Wells in July 2022:

• Daniel Evans’s exhilarating Festival 2021 production will open in Manchester before its London run at Sadler’s Wells, where Julian Ovenden and Gina Beck will lead the cast; after which it tours to Dublin, Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Canterbury

Artistic Director Daniel Evans and Executive Director Kathy Bourne said

‘The prospect of Chichester Festival Theatre’s 60th anniversary season is a truly joyous one. This Theatre, built by the community, for the community, has been at the heart of West Sussex cultural life since its inception. It was here, in 1962, that Laurence Olivier established the nucleus of the National Theatre company that opened at the Old Vic the following year; so it’s especially appropriate that, 60 years on, we begin our Minerva season with a co-production with the National. We are thrilled to be introducing Alecky Blythe’s engrossing verbatim work to Chichester audiences with her new play, Our Generation.

‘And what could be more appropriate for our 60th anniversary curtain raiser in the Festival Theatre than a new play by an internationally best-selling writer with Chichester in her very bones? Not only has Kate Mosse been intimately connected with CFT since childhood, her thrilling and timely play The Taxidermist’s Daughter is set in historic Chichester itself. We are equally delighted that Róisín McBrinn makes her directorial debut here.

‘The importance of forging new partnerships has been given greater impetus by the vicissitudes of the pandemic, so we relish the opportunity for Chichester audiences to see the world premiere of Stephen Beresford’s new play The Southbury Child, which brings Nicholas Hytner and Alex Jennings back to Chichester for the first time since the mid-1980s, in a co-production with The Bridge Theatre.

‘We are always delighted to be able to share work made in Chichester beyond the borders of Sussex, and we’re proud to be working with our friends at Sadler’s Wells and many other

regional theatres to bring Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical South Pacific to wider audiences across the country.

‘The full Festival 2022 season will be announced next February, along with a roster of special digital and community events to mark a momentous year for our Theatre and city.’

THE TAXIDERMIST’S DAUGHTER

Adapted for the stage by Kate Mosse

A new play based on her novel

Directed by Róisín McBrinn

8 – 30 April, Festival Theatre

1912. In the isolated Blackthorn House on Sussex’s Fishbourne Marshes, Connie Gifford lives with her father. His Museum of Avian Taxidermy was once legendary, but since its closure Gifford has become a broken man, taking refuge in the bottle.

Robbed of her childhood memories by a mysterious accident, Connie is haunted by fitful glimpses of her past. A strange woman has been seen in the graveyard; and at Chichester’s Graylingwell Asylum, two female patients have, inexplicably, disappeared.

As a major storm hits the Sussex landscape, old wounds are about to be opened as one woman, intent on revenge, attempts to liberate another from the horrifying crimes of the past.

A story of retribution and justice, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is a thrilling Gothic mystery set in and around historic Chichester. This world premiere is written by Cicestrian Kate Mosse, based on her No 1 internationally best-selling novel.

Kate Mosse’s novels include The Languedoc Trilogy (Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel), The Winter Ghosts and her new historical series, The Burning Chambers and The City of Tears; non-fiction includes An Extra Pair of Hands. She is Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Founder of the global Woman in History campaign and Visiting Professor in Contemporary Fiction & Creative Writing at the University of Chichester.

Róisín McBrinn is currently Joint Artistic Director of Clean Break; elsewhere she has directed many productions for theatres including The Abbey and Gate Theatres (Dublin), Leeds Playhouse, Sheffield Theatres, Donmar Warehouse, Bush Theatre and Sherman Theatre.

The Taxidermist’s Daughter will be designed by Paul Wills, with casting by Charlotte Sutton.

The production is sponsored by Seaward Properties

OUR GENERATION

A new play by Alecky Blythe

Directed by Daniel Evans

A co-production with the National Theatre

22 April – 14 May, Minerva Theatre

Alecky Blythe’s engrossing new verbatim play tells the stories of a generation. Created from five years of interviews with 12 young people from all four corners of the UK, Our Generation is a captivating portrait of their teenage years as they journey into adulthood.

Often too extraordinary to be fiction, this funny and moving play is for anyone who is – or has ever been – a teenager.

Daniel Evans directs this co-production with the National Theatre, which runs at the Minerva Theatre immediately following its London premiere.

The cast is Dee Ahluwalia, Joe Bolland, Anna Burnett, Anushka Chakravarti, Debbie Chazen, Gavi Singh Chera, Rachelle Diedericks, Hasan Dixon, Hélder Fernandes, Sarita Gabony, Conor Gormally, Alex Jarrett, Callum Mardy, Poppy Shepherd and Stephanie Street, who returns to Chichester where she played Diana Ingram in Quiz in 2017.

Alecky Blythe’s acclaimed verbatim musical London Road premiered at the National Theatre in 2011 and she later adapted it for the 2015 feature film. Her other work includes Little Revolution (Almeida Theatre) and The Riots: In Their Own Words for BBC2.

Our Generation will be Daniel Evans’s directorial debut at the National Theatre; as an actor, his work there included Cardiff East, Peter Pan, Troilus and Cressida, Candide and The Merchant of Venice. His Chichester productions include South Pacific, This Is My Family, Quiz and Fiddler on the Roof.

Our Generation will have set design by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, video design by Akhila Krishnan, lighting design by Zoe Spurr, sound design by Paul Arditti, movement direction by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, music composition, production & direction by DJ Walde, dramaturgy by Sebastian Born and casting by Charlotte Sutton.

THE SOUTHBURY CHILD

A new play by Stephen Beresford

Directed by Nicholas Hytner

A co-production with The Bridge Theatre

13 – 25 June, Festival Theatre

Raffish, urbane and frequently drunk, David Highland has kept a grip on his remote coastal parish through a combination of disordered charm and high-handed determination.

But when his faith impels him to take a hard line with a bereaved parishioner, he finds himself dangerously isolated from public opinion. As his own family begins to fracture and his marriage falls apart, David must face a future that threatens to extinguish not only his position in the town, but everything he stands for.

Stephen Beresford’s darkly comic new play is an exploration of family and community, the savage divisions of contemporary society and the rituals that punctuate our lives. His work includes The Last of the Haussmans at the National Theatre, an adaptation of Bergman’s Fanny & Alexander for The Old Vic and the BAFTA-winning film Pride.

Triple Olivier Award-winner Alex Jennings returns to Chichester to lead the cast. The Southbury Child reunites him with Nicholas Hytner who has previously directed him in Hymn and Cocktail Sticks, Collaborators, The Habit of Art, The Alchemist and The Winter’s Tale (all at the National Theatre) amongst others. His many other credits range from My Fair Lady to Stuff Happens and Hansard at the NT, as well as Hamlet for the RSC. His screen work includes The Crown, The Lady in the Van, The Queen, Victoria, A Very English Scandal and Small Axe: Mangrove.

Nicholas Hytner also makes a welcome return to Chichester, where he previously directed The Scarlet Pimpernel (with a cast including Alex Jennings) in 1985. Director of the National

Theatre from 2003-215, he is Co-Founder of the Bridge Theatre where his recent work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Beat The Devil, Bach & Sons and the forthcoming The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage and Straight Line Crazy.

The production will have set designs by Mark Thompson and costume by Yvonne Milnes, with lighting by Max Narula, sound by George Dennis and casting by Robert Sterne.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s

SOUTH PACIFIC

Music by Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener

Daniel Evans’s exhilarating, critically-acclaimed Festival 2021 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific will open at Manchester Opera House (16 – 23 July) before a strictly limited London season at Sadler’s Wells from 27 July – 28 August (press night: 4 August). Julian Ovenden and Gina Beck lead the cast in Manchester and at Sadler’s Wells, recreating their roles as Emile de Becque and Nellie Forbush.

The production will then tour to Dublin, Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Canterbury, with Gina Beck as Nellie and further casting to be announced.

This much-loved Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, set on a South Pacific island during World War ll, boasts one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most memorable scores, including songs such as Some Enchanted Evening, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair and Bali Ha’i.

The set and costume designer is Peter McKintosh, and the choreographer and movement director, Ann Yee. Musical supervision is by Nigel Lilley, with musical direction by Cat Beveridge, new orchestration by David Cullen, original Broadway orchestration by Robert Russell Bennett, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Paul Groothuis, video design by Gillian Tan, additional arrangements and Happy Talk orchestrations by Theo Jamieson, casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG and additional children’s casting by Verity Naughton CDG.

South Pacific is presented by Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions, and Gavin Kalin.

For full tour details, visit southpacificshow.com