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THE PRODUCERS OF THE TONY AWARD WINNING MUSICAL

“CURTAINS”

ANNOUNCE A LIVE STREAM ON TUESDAY 14 APRIL, 7.15PM

WITH ALL PROFITS GOING TO

FUND FOR FREELANCERS

Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Book by Rupert Holmes

Original Book and Concept by Peter Stone

Additional Lyrics by John Kander & Rupert Holmes

Directed by Paul Foster

The UK producers of Kander and Ebb’s Tony Award winning musical CURTAINS are delighted to announce a live stream on Tuesday 14April at 7.15pm with all profits going to Funds For Freelancers.

In response to the current situation Paul Taylor-Mills (Artistic Director of The Turbine Theatre), Helen Clarkson, Sasha Regan and Sita McIntosh have created a crowd funding campaign through The Turbine Theatre to help those in the theatre industry on zero-hour contracts. The producers of CURTAINS are working alongside them to help raise monies with a live online stream of their critically acclaimed production.

Paul Taylor-Mills said today, ‘A few weeks ago I woke up and like many, felt so helpless as I heard stories of those within the theatre community struggle. I threw caution to the wind and set up a fund with a primary ambition to get funds to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. So far, we have allocated over £50,000 to those who are in need.  Thanks to DLAP Entertainment you can now watch their production of Curtains and know that all of the profits will be going to the Funds For Freelancers cause. I’m so grateful to them for doing this and that I’ll get to see this show! I’m always overwhelmed by the resilience of the theatre community and truly humbled that the streaming of this show will help so many people at a time that they need it most.’

The UK tour of CURTAINS opened in Bromley on 4 October and visited cities across the UK before a limited run in London’s West End at Wyndham’s Theatre over Christmas. 

The producers of the musical said today, ‘We are very proud of our show, the cast, crew and everybody involved in the production and we are delighted to be able to share it with audiences who were unable to see it, particularly ticket holders in Leicester, High Wycombe, Wolverhampton and Southampton. We hope this filmed performance can help raise monies for Paul’s brilliant initiative and help those that are in urgent need whilst providing entertainment to families across the globe at these unprecedented times.’

From 7.15pm the producers will stream inspiring video messages and they are calling for all theatre fans to get involved. If you would like your video message to be included, please film a message saying why you love theatre and what first gave you the theatre bug and send your submissions to submissions@curtainsmusical.com using the hashtag #SHOWPEOPLE. 

The online stream will start at 7.30pm and costs £7.50, all profits will go to Fund For Freelancers. For tickets and more information please go to www.Curtainslive.com.

The cast includes Jason Manford in the leading role of Lieutenant ‘Frank Cioffi’, ‘Carley Stenson’ as Georgia Hendriks, Ore Oduba as ‘Aaron Fox’,  Rebecca Lock as ‘Carmen Bernstein’, Samuel Holmes as ‘Christopher Belling’, Leah West as ‘Niki Harris’, Alan Burkitt as ‘Bobby Pepper’, Emma Caffrey as ‘Bambi Bernet’, Adam Rhys-Charles as ‘Daryl Grady’, Martin Callaghan as ‘Oscar Shapiro’, Minal Patel as ‘Johnny Harmon’, Nia Jermin as ‘Jessica Crenshaw’ and Mark Sangster as ‘Sidney Bernstein’. Along with, J.R. Ballantyne, Kathryn Barnes, Pamela Blair, Charlie Johnson, Kate Ivory Jordan, Robin Kent, Thomas Lee-Kid, Ben Mundy, Gleanne Purcell-Brown and Samuel John-Humphreys.

Music is by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb (“Cabaret” and “Chicago”), book by Rupert Holmes, original book and concept by Peter Stone with additional lyrics by John Kander and Rupert Holmes.

The production is directed by Paul Foster (“Kiss Me Kate” and “Annie Get Your Gun” for Sheffield Crucible), choreographer is Alistair David (“Ghost” West End and UK tour and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “The Sound of Music” both for Regent’s Park Open Air), Musical Supervisor & Arrangements are by Sarah Travis (Curve Associate Artist, “Sweeney Todd”, “Sister Act”), Set Design by David Woodhead, Costume Design by Gabriella Slade, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design is by Tom Marshall and Casting Director is Jim Arnold CDG.

The producing team is made up of Dan Looney, Adam Paulden and Jason Haigh-Ellery for DLAP Entertainment, Sally Horchow and Roger Horchow

The first of HighTide’s Love In The Time of Corona
monologues available TONIGHT from 5pm

From 5pm tonight you’ll be able to watch Jade Anouka (Last Christmas) perform Aisha Zia’s (No Guts No Heart No Glory) monologue and Katie Lyons (Manhunt) present Olivier Award nominee Morgan Lloyd Malcom’s work. These two monologues form part of HighTide’s Love In The Time
of Corona which will be available free of charge on HighTide’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Filmed and edited through support from HighTide’s sponsor Lansons, one of the world’s leading reputation management companies, these monologues will be available for four weeks from release. Zia’s piece explores the chaos of modern urban life and the feeling of apocalypse which loomed even before the pandemic, while Morgan Lloyd Malcolm looks at being a new mum trapped at home with children, and how anyone can be enough at a time like this.

Three more monologues will be shared in the coming month; Sophie Melville (Bang) will take on Ben Weatherill’s (Jellyfish) piece which explores intergenerational relationships and reaching out with love to older relatives who are alone at this time. BAFTA nominee Dawn King’s monologue about living a social media life along with a real one, will be presented by Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street). The spoken word artist Debris Stevenson (Poet In Da Corner) will perform her own piece. All five of the writers of Love In The Time of Corona are currently developing full-length plays for Suba Das’s inaugural HighTide Festival in 2021.

The Love In The Time of Corona monologues are created as part of HighTide’s Lighthouse Programme of free, brand new projects and support for artists, audiences and communities, specifically created to bring light in the weeks ahead. The scripts will be available royalty free for actors and directors to make their own digital versions to be showcased on HighTide’s social media channels

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm comments, It’s been lovely to be a part of HighTide’s Lighthouse Programme. In a time where many of us are unsure about what the future holds, to be able to write and send some words out into the world has felt like a lifeline. It’s been hard to create amongst the panic of what’s going on but sitting quietly for a few hours and thinking about making a small piece of work for a brilliant actor has been a proper privilege and treat. I hope what we’ve all made gives people a few moments of respite and joy

Artistic Director of HighTide, Suba Das comments, Only a month ago we were making plans to announce new theatre pieces by Morgan and Aisha that would form part of my first HighTide Festival in 2021. We continue to press ahead with those plans but we’re now taking the opportunity to introduce our audiences in the East of England and all over the world to these two astonishing talents. As with the larger shows we will share next year, in these two pieces Morgan and Aisha ask questions of what it means to be a woman and a mother; what it is to wonder if there is too much noise in our society. We are proud to share a glimpse of the humanity and humour of two of the UK’s most exciting writers earlier than planned, and at a time when artists really can help us make some sense of what we’re all living through.

HighTide are the first NPO to launch such comprehensive support for the sector through their Lighthouse Programme, offering a range of programmes to help artists. Its strands reflect the values that sit at the heart of HighTide: to introduce audiences to new work that speaks to the times we live in by the most exciting and diverse writers in the UK; to support emerging writers on their journey; and to engage communities in their home region in Suffolk.

ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY UPDATED RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today (Thursday 9 April 2020) announced that all performances, events and activities will be cancelled up to and including Tuesday 30 June 2020.  This date will be under constant review following government, Public Health England and industry advice, and it may lead to the RSC extending these cancellation dates.

Due to the financial impact of the crisis the Company has made the difficult decision to close the Swan Theatre until the autumn. 

Projekt Europa, which was due to open in the Swan Theatre in April and run throughout the summer, is regrettably cancelled. This season of work included Europeana, Peer Gynt and Blindness and Seeing and a production of Decameron 2020 performed by the RSC’s Next Generation Act young company. 

If the RSC is able to re-open during the summer months, the Company will open the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) with the planned productions of The Winter’s Tale and The Comedy of Errors.  Pericles, which was due to open in the RST in August, has been postponed.

In line with the Society of London Theatre announcement on Monday, Matilda The Musical will remain closed at least until 31 May 2020.

The RSC thanks everybody who works with the Company, their audiences, supporters and the industry for their continued support during this time.  The Box Office team will contact ticket holders over the coming weeks to discuss donation, credit or refund options. Ticket buyers will be contacted on a rolling weekly basis and people are asked not to contact the Box Office directly due to the volume of activity during this time.

Gregory Doran, RSC Artistic Director and Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director, said:

“This is a situation without parallel for all, and the health of the public and our staff continues to be our number one priority. It is incredibly sad to see our stages empty, productions cancelled, and our buildings closed. In particular the remarkable Projekt Europa, involving so many creative artists from across Europe, is a huge loss. We have considered this very carefully, but it is sadly unavoidable.

“Our mission is to transform lives through amazing experiences of Shakespeare and great theatre.  For us to deliver our mission and to give us the best chance of re-opening as soon as we can, we have to make difficult decisions to ensure the survival of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

“In the face of the considerable challenges posed by COVID-19, we have also made the hard decision to furlough the majority of roles at the RSC under the UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.  We are working hard to ensure that staff feel fully supported through this process and thank them for their resilience and understanding as we continue to adapt to the rapidly changing situation.  

“We are exploring every possibility to secure income from other government schemes, our donors and audiences and we ask you all to join us in doing whatever you can to secure the future of the RSC for everyone.

“As a registered charity we rely on a mix of income to fund our activity, from the productions on stage to the important work we do with over 500,000 young people, and our partner schools and theatres around the country. We ask that anyone able to do so considers donating the value of their tickets – in full or in part – to help support the Company to continue this work.”

Audiences can continue to enjoy the Company’s productions and education resources for free including:

• a 30-day trial with Marquee TV, the on-demand streaming service for arts and culture.
• partnering with BBC Culture in Quarantine to bring six of the nation’s best-loved Shakespeare titles to audiences between now and September.
• a supporting package of free educational activities and resources produced in partnership with BBC Bitesize Online and available to schoolchildren studying Shakespeare from home across the UK.

More information can be found at https://www.rsc.org.uk/at-home-with-shakespeare

HEADLONG AND CENTURY FILMS TO PARTNER WITH BBC ARTS ON UNPRECEDENTED: REAL TIME THEATRE FROM A STATE OF ISOLATION

• BBC ARTS JOINS HEADLONG AND CENTURY FILMS’ MAJOR NEW DIGITAL PROJECT AS BROADCAST PARTNER AS PART OF CULTURE IN QUARANTINE

• UNPRECEDENTED BRINGS TOGETHER CELEBRATED PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS AND ACTORS TO CREATE A SERIES OF SHORT DIGITAL PLAYS RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC 

• NED BENNETT, TINUKE CRAIG, BLANCHE MCINTYRE, JEREMY HERRIN, OLA INCE AND HOLLY RACE ROUGHAN ARE AMONG THE DIRECTORS WORKING ON THE SERIES

• UNPRECEDENTED: REAL TIME THEATRE FROM A STATE OF ISOLATION WILL BE BROADCAST ON THE BBC AS PART OF BBC ART’S CULTURE IN QUARANTINE INITIATIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STREAM ONLINE FROM LATE APRIL

BBC Arts has joined award-winning theatre company Headlong and BAFTA winning Century Films, as broadcast partner for Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation, a series of short, digital plays written and performed in isolation, which will be broadcast across the nation during lockdown as part of Culture in Quarantine.

Written by celebrated playwrights, performed by a cast of over fifty UK actors and curated by Headlong, Century Films and BBC Arts, Unprecedented is a series of short digital plays exploring our rapidly evolving world. The plays will respond to how our understanding and experiences of community, education, work, relationships, family, culture, climate and capitalism are evolving on an unprecedented scale. The series will ask how we got here and what the enduring legacy of this historic episode might be.

Directors working on the series include; Ned Bennett (Equus; An Octoroon; Yen), Deborah Bruce (Pride and Prejudice), Tinuke Craig (Vassa; The Colour Purple), Debbie Hannan (The Panopticon; Pah-La), Jeremy Herrin (This House; People Places and Things), Brian Hill (Bella and The Boys; Falling Apart), Ola Ince (Poet in da Corner; Appropriate: The Convert), Nathaniel Martello-White (Cla’am), Caitlin Mcleod (Returning To Haifa), Blanche McIntyre (Tartuffe; The Writer) and Holly Race Roughan (Hedda Tesman; Broken Dreams).

The series will include new works from a diverse group of celebrated playwrights including; April De Angelis (My Brilliant Friend; The Village), Josh Azouz (The Mikvah Project; Buggy Baby), Deborah Bruce (The Distance; The House They Grew Up In), John Donnelly (The Pass; The Knowledge), James Graham (Ink; QUIZ; Coalition; Brexit: An Uncivil War; Labour of Love), Charlene James (Cuttin’ It; Tweet Tweet), Matilda Ibini (Where do we go next: Little Miss Burden), Jasmine Lee-Jones (seven methods of killing kylie jenner) Duncan Macmillan (People, Places and Things; City of Glass; Rosmersholm; 1984; Lungs), and Anna Maloney (Consent), Nathaniel Martello-White (Torn; BLACKTA), Chloë Moss (This Wide Night; The Gatekeeper), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Nightwatchman; Patrick Melrose; Doctor Foster) and Tim Price (Salt, Root, Row; The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning).  

Using digital conferencing technology, and combining live and pre-recorded material, these intimate new plays will give an immediate insight into this extraordinary communal experience. Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation will be braodcast on the BBC as part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative and made avaliable to stream online from May.

The Shows Will Go On

Rescheduled Show Information for Hull City Hall & Hull New Theatre

Hull Culture and Leisure has today announced rescheduled dates for a number of performances postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Hull City Hall and Hull New Theatre postponed and/or cancelled all performances with immediate effect from 17 March 2020 for up to a period of three months; following that Hull Culture and Leisure has been working closely with promoters to find suitable dates to minimise as much as possible customers missing out on the great programme of events .

Councillor Brabazon, Chair of Hull Culture and Leisure said “We are working in unprecedented times and we are very aware of the significant impact that the temporary closure of our venues and cancellation of productions will have. We are committed to ensuring ‘the show will go on’ and with this in mind in-depth work is taking place behind the scenes to ensure this progresses and that our valued customers are able to enjoy world class productions in our prestigious venues once again”.

Theatres and Halls Manager, Janice Wincott said; “We appreciate that many of our customers will have had events planned with us for many months ahead of the coronavirus outbreak and were therefore understandably disappointed when we had no option but to close our doors for a temporary period to ensure the safety of all our customers and staff.

“Our team has been working hard in the weeks since the first postponements/cancellations to reschedule events where possible and would like to thank all our customers for their patience during this difficult time. We look forward to welcoming them back to our venues as soon as possible.”

The shows currently with confirmed rescheduled dates are listed below and Hull Culture and Leisure continues to work with producers and promoters to reschedule as many events as possible. New dates will be announced via the Hull Theatres website hulltheatres.co.uk and on each venue’s social media channels as they are confirmed.

Tickets for all rescheduled events will remain valid for the new date. However those unable to make the new arrangements are asked to email box.office@hcandl.co.uk.

Hull City Hall – Rescheduled Shows

Milton Jones: Milton Impossible – now 12 March 2021

Strictly Learn To Dance – now 18 October 2020

Ultra 90s 28 March 2020 – now 19 September 2020

What’s Love Got to Do With It? – now 21 September 2020

Sensational 60’s – now 9 April 2021

Chris Ramsey – now 3 March 2021

Fastlove – now 15 January 2021

Francis Rossi – now 13 April 2021

NGW Wrestling – now 18 September 2020

Wannabe – now 29 January 2021

Barry Steele and Friends – now 19 February 2021

The Drifters – now 2 November 2020

John Challis – now 5 October 2020

Surviving the lockdown through Improv
Hoopla Improv Theatre
Wednesday 25th March – Saturday 2nd May 2020

It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine and, Hoopla, the UK’s first improv theatre, are injecting comedy into the current crisis with online improv classes for those on lockdown.

Following the cancellation of their normal workshops and the delay to their annual improv festival, the company have created online drop-in sessions, bringing improvisation to your livingroom-turned-home-office. Packed with 100s of improv games from their regular courses, as well as interactive scenes, the focus is on having fun and letting yourself go in this troubled time – surviving lockdown through improv.

Hoopla was founded with the idea of bringing people together through improv and, at a time of social distancing, it’s more important than ever to maintain interaction and stay connected for your mental health. A real confidence-boosting experience, Hoopla aims to stretch your mind as well as your perspective.

Improv classes are one of the fastest growing hobbies sweeping the UK. Starting as a weekly workshop above a pub in Balham, Hoopla are now the UK’s biggest improv school and usually run multiple courses every night of the week in venues across Central London as well as regularly running corporate workshops to clients including Google, Facebook, and Accenture.

Steve Roe, Director of Hoopla, comments, Entertainment before TV was communal with music halls, dance halls and my Grandad on pub piano. I previously thought of video calls as just for super awkward job interviews, but with some experiments we found we could have loads of fun with it. People can play different characters, students can create costumes using whatever they have in their house, props can be gathered from the kitchen. It’s meant that people from around the world can join us. There are a lot of people sat at home with nobody to talk to, and improv is giving people the chance to come together (virtually) and play and have a laugh for a couple of hours. We are even going to have a virtual songs around the piano night like my Grandad.

This is also happening across the wider improv UK scene, with The Maydays and The Nursery also working together to provide online classes.

Liz Peters, of The Nursery and The Maydays, added, We are improvisers. We adapt and grow and fail and learn and build. And we spread joy. So this is just one way we will ‘Yes and’ this situation. As the world begins to isolate, the need for human connection is greater than ever! They’re calling it ‘social distancing’ right now. Let’s change that terminology to ‘physical distancing’. We are and always will be social animals; connection is part of our survival and last night proved that it is still very possible and still very fun. So come and join the ride.

REGAL ENTERTAINMENTS CREATE AN EASTER LOCK-DOWN PANTO

THE LOCK-UP FAIRYTALE RAPUNZEL WILL LIVE STREAM DIRECTLY TO HOMES OVER 7 DAYS TO ENTERTAIN FAMILIES

This Easter, despite the lock-down, Regal Entertainments Ltd have created a free online Pantomime for all the family to enjoy, and what better fairy-tale to be presented during a lock-down than that of a young girl locked up in a tower? 

Rapunzel: The Lockdown Panto will live stream daily on St Helens Theatre Royal’s Facebook and Instagram accounts from Sunday 12 – Saturday 18 April 2020 at 1.30pm.

The uniquely filmed production will star a host of the regular stars that appear at St Helens Theatre Royal. Olivia Sloyan will play Rapunzel, James Lacey as the Witch, Lewis Devine as Daft Dave, Samantha Palin as the Queen, Warren Donnelly as the King, Andrew Geater as the Prince, Abby Middleton as Fairy Anna(logue) and Jenna Sian O’Hara as Pixel The Pixie.

For this special production, each cast member has recorded their own section of the pantomime at home and, through careful editing, the story is brought together to create a unique online pantomime that the whole family will enjoy. The pantomime is written and directed by James Lacey and choreographed by Sarah Walker.

Olivia Sloyan plays Rapunzel.  Olivia’s theatre credits include Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Tia in The Salon and both Linda and Brenda in Blood Brothers, as well as Princess Jasmine in last Christmas’s spectacular pantomime, Aladdin.

James Lacey plays the Witch. James has appeared in the touring production of Shrek: The Musical, The Sound of Music and as the handsome prince in St Helens October half term panto, Sleeping Beauty. Another princely role for James was being chosen as the dance double for Richard Madden in Disney’s live action remake of Cinderella.

Abby Middleton is Fairy Anna(logue).  No stranger to St Helens Theatre Royal, Abby’s has played Tiger Lily in Peter Pan and the Good Fairy Glinda The Wizard of Oz.  Her other recent credits include Lucy in Pig, Sister Mary in Scouse Pacific and Nancy in Kiss Me Quickstep.

Samantha Palin plays the Queen.  Her theatre credits include the Wicked Witch of the West in February’s The Wizard of Oz, the villainous fairy Carabosse in October’s Sleeping Beauty and (on the good side) the Fairy Godmother in last Christmas’s record-breaking Epstein Theatre pantomime, Cinderella.

Jenna Sian O’Hara plays Pixel the Pixie.  Jenna starred in last year’s production of Achy Breaky Bride and also gave a memorable performance as the Slave of the Ring in the St Helens Christmas panto, Aladdin.

The King is played by Liverpool actor Warren Donnelly. Best known as Stan Waterman in Channel 4’s Shameless, Warren’s panto credits include King Rat in Dick Whittington, Abanazer in Aladdin (both at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre) and Lord Dandini in The Epstein Theatre’s Cinderella.

Andrew Geater plays the Prince and his recent credits include a standout performance as Pharaoh Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Chris Superstar, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific and Prince Charming Cinderella at The Epstein Theatre.

Kids favourite Lewis Devine completes the cast asDaft Dave. Lewis was the first series winner of ITV’s Kids Stars in Their Eyes with his impersonation of Donny Osmond and his panto credits include Muddles in Snow White, the title role in Peter Pan and French Frank in Beauty and The Beast at Stockport Plaza.

Regal Entertainments had to reschedule their usual Easter Pantomime at St Helens Theatre Royal, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which will now take place in the autumn.

Producer and Director at Regal Entertainments, Chantelle Nolan says: “During the national lockdown we wanted to reward and entertain families for being responsible and isolating.  So many of our customers were disappointed not to be able to come and see our Easter pantomime in St Helens, so we thought that, this year, we would bring the panto to them. 

“We have an incredibly talented cast, who are more than up to the challenge of creating a unique, new show and we’re going to put on a fantastic online show that all ages can enjoy.”

Rapunzel tells the tale of a young girl stolen from her family and locked away from the world in a tower by a wicked witch.  Unable to leave, she must let down her golden hair for the witch to climb to bring her food.  One day a handsome prince discovers the tower and sees the beautiful girl.  Will Rapunzel and the Prince find their freedom?  Will they live happily ever after?  Or will the wicked witch catch them? 

To watch the show, viewers will need to become a fan of the St Helens Theatre Royal Facebook or Instagram accounts where information to view will be posted, the show will launch daily at 1.30pm from Easter Sunday.

LISTING INFORMATION

Rapunzel: The Lock-Down Panto

Dates: Sunday 12 – Saturday 18 April 2020

Times: 1.30pm

Tickets: FREE online performance

SHOW DETAILS 

Watch online FREE on Facebook (@sthelenstheatreroyal) and Instagram (TheatreRoyalStH)

 

h CLUB LONDON ANNOUNCE STAR STUDDED ONLINE CELEBRATION FOR

WORLD BOOK NIGHT ON THURSDAY 23^RD APRIL

Authors and Celebrities Come To Audiences Online To Read Passages from Their Favourite Books And New Releases

Ahead of the launch of their new digital membership, h Club London (formerly The Hospital Club) are pleased to announce their celebratory event for this year’s World Book Night taking place on Thursday 23^rd April at 7pm via Zoom. In these uncertain times, the event will celebrate all that is wonderful, unifying and inspiring about reading, with the club hosting a range of authors and celebrities online who will read passages from much-loved and upcoming books to attendees. For the first time, this hugely popular event will be available to both members and non-members. Those interested will need to register at https://hclub.com/general/event/booking/2389 and will be sent a link to virtually attend the event.

Confirmed celebrity attendees reading passages from their favourite books include, Gavin & Stacey actress Alison Steadman; Guardians of the Galaxy actress Ophelia Lovibond; Fleabag actor Anthony Welsh; comedian Ronni Ancona; The Young Ones actor Nigel Planer; Sex Education actress Simone Ashley and Sex Education actor George Robinson.

They are joined by a host of top-tier authors who will read passages from their recently released / soon to be published books. These include Dolly Alderton (Everything I Know About Love); Joanna Trollope (Mum and Dad); Mike Gayle (All The Lonely People to be released in July); Ruth Hogan (Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel); John Niven (The F*ck-it List); Lucy Diamond (An Almost Perfect Holiday); Sophie Ward (Love and Other Thought Experiments) and Derek Owusu (That Reminds Me).

h Club have also partnered with Waterstones to offer attendees 25% off all books read on the night, until 30^th April.

There will be some more very special surprise guests on the night.

DOLLY PARTON’S

9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL

CELEBRATING A WEST END TRIUMPH

AHEAD OF A UK TOUR IN 2020

Following the news that the London run of 9 to 5 The Musical at the Savoy Theatre (where it had been scheduled to run until 23 May) has been cut short due to the cancellation of all performances in the West End until 31 May, Executive Producer Adam Speers celebrated the success of the show today by saying..

“On behalf of all the producers, we are so proud of the London cast and crew who have achieved so much. Co-writer Patricia Resnick, Director Jeff Calhoun and the team at ATG Productions worked with Dolly and I to create a show so full of humour, energy and of course great songs! It filled the audiences with joy, at a time we all really needed it and will do so again. Theatre is all about bringing people together and we are very excited to share the joy of 9 to 5 around the globe in 2021 and beyond”.

Further cast and creative quotes below.

The West End cast album, recorded live at the Savoy Theatre, is available for download at  https://slinky.to/9to5-TheMusical

Since its West End premiere in February last year, 9 to 5 The Musical has been seen by over half a million people at over 450 performances. The show was initially due to play for a limited six-month engagement but has enjoyed two extensions during its West End run. Such was public demand that a second production toured to 11 cities last Autumn, running simultaneously with the West End production.

As well as another UK tour in 2020, replica productions are planned for Australia and South Africa next year and beyond, with discussions underway for Canada and Asia.

The show in London was embraced by audiences and critics alike, receiving rave reviews for a cast that has included Louise Redknapp, Caroline Sheen, Amber Davies, Chelsea Halfpenny, Natalie McQueen, Bonnie Langford, Brian Conley and David Hasselhoff.

All the latest 2020 tour news, along with full details of future productions, will be announced in due course and can be found at 9to5themusical.co.uk

9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Selladoor Worldwide and Gavin Kalin Productions with Benjamin Lowy Productions, Glass Half Full Productions, Showtime Theatre Productions, Hartshorn – Hook Productions, Harmonia Holdings and Kilimanjaro Live.

CAST AND CREATIVE MEMBERS SAID TODAY….

LOUISE REDKNAPP (Violet Newstead)

I can’t express how much I have loved being part of 9 to 5. From the entire cast, to the all the teams backstage at the theatre and most of all the fantastic audience that came and cheered along time and time again. Violet Newstead will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s now time to officially clock off.

CAROLINE SHEEN (Violet Newstead)

9 to 5 was such an unexpected treat to be a part of. I joined a cast of strangers and they became some of my dearest friends, mainly thanks to the ethos of the producers, the sense of family and the joy of being in such a fun and exhilarating show. Just sublime. An honour and a thrill to have been a part of it.

AMBER DAVIES (Judy Bernly)

This show changed my life. It was an honour to work with Dolly and it’s been a dream to make so many friends and with work with incredible people. I am so proud and happy 9 to 5 was the show that brought me to the West End.

CHELSEA HALFPENNY (Judy Bernly)

The show has meant SO much to me. It has given me confidence and belief in myself, as it challenged me more than I ever thought it would. And the best part about it was that I met some of the nicest people who will be friends for life. 

NATALIE McQUEEN (Doralee Rhodes)

This journey has been one of a kind. To be a part of an original cast and to experience the wonderful things we got to do, made me feel incredibly lucky. I’m going to miss DD Doralee very much.

BONNIE LANGFORD (Roz Keith)

It was fabulous to create Roz in 9 to 5 the Musical. To sing Dolly Parton’s music and hear the laughter and joy from the audiences at the Savoy Theatre night after night was a total privilege. I’m certain that the magic of live theatre will return soon and we can join together to share the fun again more than ever. Until then, we’ll just have to listen to the live recording and dance and sing upside down at home!

BRIAN CONLEY (Franklin Hart Jr)

This has been one of the happiest shows I’ve ever worked in on and off stage. I can honestly say that the audience have given us a standing ovation every night of the week. It gives them everything they want. A great story, great songs, written by the Queen of country music and packed with comedy and love. One of my proudest moments was getting the chance to meet Dolly Parton not once, not twice, but three times,

DAVID HASSELHOFF (Franklin Hart Jr)

What a great ride, I tumbled outta bed and stumbled to the kitchen! Poured myself a cup of ambition! 9 to 5 – Great fun! Great cast!

PATRICIA RESNICK (Book)

Watching Londoners take 9 to 5 into their hearts over the past year has been one of the most prized joys of my life. I look forward to a time when we’ve come through the greatest challenge of the 21st century and can once again laugh, sing and be together in a theatre, one of the most incredible communal experiences known to the human race. Dolly and I can’t wait for you all to be able to join the 9 to 5 family again soon.

JEFF CALHOUN (Director)

The success of 9 to 5 on the West End has been a definite highlight of my career. Watching sold out audiences at the Savoy displaying such enthusiasm for our show will stay in my heart for a long time. There are few things as sacred as the relationship between an audience and a cast and I can’t wait to experience that bond again after these trying times. A huge thank you to everyone involved both on stage and backstage and to all the employees of the Savoy Theatre and the patrons who have filled the theatre over the past year.

Some Enchanted Evening: An online concert celebrating the music of Rodgers + Hammerstein starring West End favourites

Hope Mill Theatre

Sunday 26^th April 2020

Hope Mill Theatre is staging an online concert featuring West End stars, celebrating the much-loved music from legendary songwriting duo Rodgers + Hammerstein, on Sunday 26^th April at 7pm.

Like many theatres across the country, Hope Mill Theatre has been closed since Tuesday 17^th March due to Covid-19.

The venue ceased all productions and made the difficult decision to cancel their first in-house production of the year, which was to be the UK theatrical premiere of the Broadway version of  Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Rehearsals for this were due to start next week with the show opening at beginning of May.

In honour of the cancellation of this production, Hope Mill Theatre is producing a virtual concert featuring some of the much-loved duo’s favourite songs from shows such as Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific and Cinderella. The concert will be pre-recorded and shared on the venue’s YouTube channel and social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook. The concert will be free to watch but the venue is asking for donations.

The cast will perform their songs at home, with performances edited together into a complete concert experience, which will also feature some special guest hosts and familiar theatrical faces.

The line-up includes West End stars Maria Friedman (Ragtime, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) Louise Dearman (Wicked, Sideshow) and Sophie-Louise Dann (Lend Me A Tenor, Bend it Like Beckham)

The venue is also thrilled to introduce cast members from the cancelled production of Cinderella, Matthew Blaker, Julie Yammanee and Cinderella herself, Georgie Buckland. Buckland is a recent graduate from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was found through the venue’s open call for the role which received of over 500 submissions.

The concert will also include performers from past Hope Mill Theatre productions – Joel-Harper Jackson (Little Women), Laura Harrison (Parade) and Simbi Akande (Putting It Together). As well as Any Dream Will Do contestant Keith Jack.

Hope Mill Theatre will be launching a crowdfunder on the evening which will be used to raise money to help the venue to reopen when the time comes, and to get back on its feet.

Artistic Director, Joseph Houston, said: “It has been important for us as a venue to stay engaged with our wonderful and loyal audiences and supporters. Since closing we have had so much love and support from individuals and it has been the catalyst for us to continue to do what we know best and produce theatre, just in a very different way. We were so upset that we had to cancel our production of Cinderella as we had lined up the most incredible cast but we are thrilled that finally some of these talented performers will have the chance to be seen.”

Executive Director, William Whelton, said: “Rodgers + Hammerstein are credited as the creators of musical theatre as we know it and we could think of no other way of celebrating theatre during these times than to host a concert dedicated to them.”

Twitter: @Hopemilltheatr1

Facebook: Hope Mill Theatre