Newcastle Theatre Royal says it is responding to overwhelming feedback from parents of local children with autism and other sensory conditions, by offering a Relaxed Performance of upcoming children’s show The Tiger Who Came to Tea, outside of school hours.

The Theatre recently became the first in the UK to be awarded the Autism Access Award by the National Autistic Society, in recognition of its work with autistic audience members through the specially adapted relaxed performances.

The shows, which have a less formal, more supportive atmosphere in order to reduce anxiety levels and which include toned down lighting and special effects have been met with an overwhelming response from audiences, particularly parents of children with special needs.

Louise Relton’s son is autistic and has attended Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Relaxed Performances of their record-breaking Pantomime and the recent tour of Shrek The Musical. She said: “In the past I tried to take my son to a regular theatre performance but he was unable to manage. The Relaxed Performances at Newcastle Theatre Royal have introduced him into a whole new world in a magical place and for that I can’t thank their Relaxed Performance team enough.”

All of Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Relaxed Performances so far have been held during the school day and the Relaxed Performance of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, on Friday 3 July, will be held at 4pm. Director of Operations at Newcastle Theatre Royal, Dawn Taylor, explained: “Our Relaxed Performances are extremely popular and exceptionally well received but we have had a lot of feedback that the mid-afternoon slot means that local parents find it difficult to attend as a family and the parents of those children who don’t attend a school where a trip is organised, are unable to bring their child out of school for the performance.

“By offering The Tiger Who Came to Tea Relaxed Performance at 4pm, we hope that even more people who could benefit from attending a Relaxed Performance will be able to enjoy the experience of live theatre in this supportive setting. We still hope that schools will book to bring their children with extra needs to see the show as part of an out-of-hours school trip.”

The Tiger Who Came to Tea Relaxed Performance plays on Fri 3 July at 4pm, tickets are £8.50. For more information visitwww.theatreroyal.co.uk or call Group Bookings on 08448 11 21 22.

New hit British musical SUNNY AFTERNOON today announced new members of the cast to start from April 6 2015.  Originating cast members will be joined by Jason Baughan in the role of Eddie Kassner and Jo Servi as Gregory Piven. 

Nominated for five Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, SUNNY AFTERNOON is currently booking until 24 October 2015, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.

Olivier-nominated John Dagliesh and George Maguire will continue to play Ray Davies and Dave Davies respectively alongside Ned Derrington as Pete Quaife and Adam Sopp as Mick Avory, who complete the band.

Full cast (from 6 April 2015): Carly Anderson, Jason Baughan, Philip Bird, John Dagleish, Ned Derrington, Lillie Flynn, Emily Goodenough, Elizabeth Hill, Vince Leigh, George Maguire, Amy Ross, Jo Servi, Adam Sopp, Dominic Tighe and Tam Williams.

Also joining the company, as understudies, will be Lia Given, Lloyd Gorman, Vicki Manser, Kay Milbourne, Ryan O’Donnell, Robbie White and Silas Wyatt-Barke

Fifty years ago, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their fifth single ‘Tired of Waiting For You’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night.

Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola,Sunny Afternoon marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s rise to fame.

Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware.

The official cast recording album, produced by Ray Davies at his Konk studios, is released on BMG Chrysalis and is available to buy at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunny-Afternoon-The-Kinks/dp/B00NH8O7LU.

Sonia Friedman Productions commissioned Joe Penhall in 2011 to write the book based on Ray Davies’s original story. The company developed the production over the next four years, assembling the creative team and cast that presented Sunny Afternoon last year at Hampstead Theatre under the direction of Edward Hall, and now at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

Ray Davies is an influential and prolific rock musician and was co-founder and lead singer and songwriter for rock band The Kinks, and later a solo artist. He has an outstanding catalogue of hits from the earliest 1960s to the present day with estimated record sales in excess of 50 million. He has also acted, directed and produced shows for theatre and television.

Joe Penhall is an award winning playwright and screenwriter. Plays include Some Voices (Royal Court),Blue/Orange (National Theatre and West End), winner of Best New Play at the Evening Standard Awards, Olivier Awards and at the Critics Circle, and Dumb Show, Haunted Child and Birthday (all Royal Court). Screenplays include Enduring Love and The Road.

As Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre, Edward Hall’s productions include Wonderland, Sunny Afternoon, Raving, Chariots of Fire, No Naughty Bits, Loyalty and Enlightenment. As Artistic Director of Propeller, his work has toured worldwide, played the West End and Broadway and has won numerous awards both in the UK and overseas. Other theatre work includes A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (National Theatre), Edmond with Kenneth Branagh (National Theatre), Macbeth with Sean Bean (Albery), The Constant Wife (Apollo), Julius Caesar (RSC), Henry V (RSC) and The Deep Blue Sea(Vaudeville). Television work includes Downton Abbey, Spooks and Kingdom.  Edward is an Associate of the National Theatre and the Old Vic.

Sonia Friedman Productions

with Tulchin Bartner Productions, Greg Ripley-Duggan for Hampstead Theatre Productions, Tanya Link Productions, Just for Laughs Theatricals/Glass Half Full Productions, Rupert Gavin present

SUNNY AFTERNOON

In association with Hampstead Theatre and Arlon Productions

• Run ends 18 April 2015
• Two weeks left to see critically acclaimed play directed by Madani Younis, written by Marco Ramirez

The Royale, the story of Jay ‘The Sport’ Jackson, the first black heavyweight champion of the world, will end its run at the Bush Theatre on 18 April 2015. The production opened in March to public and critical acclaim, starring Nicholas Pinnock. 

Written by Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black), directed by Madani Younis (Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre), The Royale is loosely based on the true story of the boxer Jack Johnson.

Scripted in 12 rounds by Orange is the New Black writer Marco Ramirez, this play looks at the transcendence of sporting heroes as cultural icons of our time.

The production is designed by Jaimie Todd, with lighting by James Whiteside.

Jay ‘The Sport’ Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. But it’s 1905, and in the racially segregated world of boxing, his chances are as good as knocked out. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for ‘the fight of the century’, The Sport just might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight champion.

Through the sights and sounds of the early 20th century boxing circuit, The Royale examines society’s relationship with our present-day cultural heroes and the responsibilities that are thrust upon them when they find themselves outside of the ropes.

The Royale is loosely based on the real-life story of Jack Johnson, whose story is one of great talent and triumph, but also racism and injustice. Despite Johnson being one of the greatest fighters who had ever lived, one newspaper wrote at the time of his first title fight: “If the black man wins, thousands and thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret his victory as justifying claims to much more than mere physical equality with their white neighbors.”

Madani Younis took over as Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre in 2012. For 2013 he programmed the company’s most successful season to date, which saw the theatre play to 99% capacity, and for which the theatre was awarded the Groucho Club Maverick Award 2013. For the Bush Theatre he has previously directed Perseverance Drive and Chalet Lines. Prior to his appointment at the Bush, he was Artistic Director of Freedom Studios in Bradford, Yorkshire where his work included the site-specific work, The Mill – City of Dreams. He has also worked nationally and internationally as a theatre director, writer and practitioner. Whilst at Freedom Studios he collaborated with the Bush Theatre through workshops culminating in Freedom’s two week residency in 2010 at the theatre. He was previously Director of Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Asian Theatre School. He originally trained in film, and his debut short film Ellabellapumpanella, commissioned by the UK Film Council, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007. He was the recipient of the Decibel Award at the South Bank Awards show in 2006.

West Yorkshire Playhouse is pleased to announce that Robin Hawkes will join Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining in a new role as Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive of the theatre, creating a new joint leadership team for the Playhouse. The Playhouse is a leading venue in the UK’s theatre scene and together Brining and Hawkes will continue to develop an arresting programme of exceptional performance, innovative artist development programmes and pioneering community engagement projects, rooted in Leeds. Robin joins West Yorkshire Playhouse from his current role as Director of Artistic Administration at the National Theatre.

Artistic Director James Brining comments…
I am delighted that Robin will be joining the team to take up the position of Executive Director.  He brings a wealth of experience from an organisation with a world class pedigree.  He will help us continue to grow the scale and ambition of our work and our engagement with artists and audiences in the North and further afield.

Robin has been working at the National Theatre for seven years and has been responsible for the coordination of 20+ productions each year across the National’s three venues on the South Bank. His recent producing projects include the transfer of the Public Theater’s Here Lies Love in the newly re-opened Dorfman Theatre, the National Theatre’s 50th Anniversary celebration 50 Years on Stage, and the co-production with Punchdrunk Theatre Company of The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable.

Robin has also worked as a Producer for the NT’s production of War Horse, both in the West End and internationally. Prior to the National, he was an administrator at the Independent Theatre Council, an association of small and medium-size theatre companies across the UK. Robin was Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick from 2012 to 2015.

Robin said of his new role,

I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining James and the team at West Yorkshire Playhouse, a theatre for which I have such admiration as a centre of artistic excellence and pioneering community engagement. I’m hugely excited by the ambitious reimagining that the Playhouse has started to deliver to audiences, staff and artistic collaborators, as well as to the wider community in and around the city over the past few years. I’m looking forward tremendously to joining James in leading the organisation, as I share the passion he has demonstrated over his first couple of years as Artistic Director for a world class and accessible theatre, which is grounded in the vibrant community and culture of Yorkshire, and works with partners both within the region and further afield to produce great and inspiring work.

I’ve spent seven hugely varied and enjoyable years at the National Theatre, and it’s been particularly exciting in the last year to play a part in developing Tessa Ross and Rufus Norris’s first season. I look forward to bringing skills and experience from my time at the National to my new role at the Playhouse.

Robin will take up this new role at the Playhouse in June, while former Chief Executive Sheena Wrigley joined HOME in Manchester in April and this position will be held for the next few months by Pat Weller on an interim basis.

Sir Rodney Brooke, Chairman of the Playhouse board comments

Our search for an Executive Director to replace Sheena Wrigley attracted an excellent field of candidates, a tribute to the reputation of the theatre under James Brining’s artistic leadership. I am delighted that we have secured the services of an outstanding talent in Robin Hawkes. He will bring with him experience at the highest level of the operation of the National Theatre. His partnership with James Brining promises a glittering future for the Playhouse.

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Guy James in association with
Jermyn Street Theatre present

JERRY’S GIRLS

A musical revue celebrating the works of Jerry Herman

TRANSFERRING FROM ST. JAMES STUDIO TO JERMYN STREET THEATRE
FOR A LIMITED THREE-WEEK RUN

FROM TUESDAY 12 TO SUNDAY 31 MAY 2015

EMMA BARTON JOINS THE CAST

Following a sell-out run at St. James Studio last month, musical revue Jerry’s Girls will transfer to Jermyn Street Theatre for a limited three week run from Tuesday 12 to Sunday 31 May 2015, with a press night onFriday 15 May.

Featuring songs from classic musicals including Hello Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles, Jerry’s Girlsbrings together an all-female cast to celebrate Jerry’s special gift for writing songs that capture the true spirit of the great American musical, honouring the legacy of the multi Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of some of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time.

Jerry Herman’s many Broadway shows include Hello Dolly!, Mame, Dear World, Mack & Mabel, The Grand Tour and La Cage Aux Folles. His string of awards and honours includes multiple Tony, Grammy, Olivier and Drama Desk Awards, the Johnny Mercer Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, the Oscar Hammerstein Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame. Jerry also has the distinction of being the only composer-lyricist in history to have three musicals run for more than 1,500 performances on Broadway.

“Jerry Herman’s iconic songs are glorious and contemporary in this must-see revue

showcasing some incredible vocal talent”

THE STAGE

Emma Barton will join the cast, alongside Ria Jones and Sarah-Louise Young who both return to the production:

Emma Barton is best known to television audiences for playing the role of Honey Mitchell for three years in the BBC’s flagship drama EastEnders. Theatre credits include Dolly in One Man Two Guvnors (UK Tour), Roxie Hart in Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), Marty in Grease (Victoria Palace Theatre), Over the Moon (The Old Vic), Anyone Can Whistle (Savoy Theatre) and Annie (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Other television includes You, Me & Them (UKTV), Spooks (BBC1), Doctors (BBC1) and Secret History (Channel 4).

Ria Jones’ many West End credits include Grizabella in Cats, Fantine in Les Miserables, The Narrator inJoseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Svetlana in Chess. Other work includes the UK Tour of West End Women, 42^nd Street at Leicester Curve, Nine at the Donmar Warehouse and the UK Tours ofHigh Society, Acorn Antiques and The Witches of Eastwick. Ria also performs worldwide as a concert soloist.

Sarah-Louise Young has been voted one of Time Out’s Top Cabaret Acts and Best Musical Variety Act in the London Cabaret Awards. She has guested with Fascinating Aïda and is a member of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. West End credits include her solo show Julie Madly Deeply at Trafalgar Studios. She has performed her other solo piece, Cabaret Whore at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Soho Theatre and Off-Broadway.

Created by Jerry Herman and collaborator Larry Alford in 1981, Jerry’s Girls originated as a modest cabaret presentation at Onstage, a nightclub located in New York’s theatre district in midtown-Manhattan. After La Cage Aux Folles opened to rave reviews two years later, a full-scale, all-star production was mounted which opened at Broadway’s St. James Theatre in 1985 with a cast including Chita Rivera, who received a Tony-Award nomination for her performance.

Jerry’s Girls is directed by Kate Golledge and choreographed by Matthew Cole. The musical director isEdward Court. It is presented by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Guy James, the team behind the 2014 London premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Marry Me a Little at the St. James Studio, which played a sold out run in August before returning in October due to popular demand.

@JerrysGirlsLDN

THIS NEW, SOUTH WALES VALLEYS VERSION BY HINTERLAND’S ED THOMAS OF BRECHT’S CLASSIC PLAY WILL BE STAGED AT THE MERTHYR LABOUR CLUB

The cast has been confirmed for the first production in National Theatre Wales’ fifth season – an anarchic, all-female, new version of Bertolt Brecht’s 1939 anti-war play, Mother Courage and Her Children, performed in and around the Merthyr Labour Club in May 2015.

Hinterland creator Ed Thomas returns to the stage to adapt, NTW artistic director John McGrath will direct and My Name is Sue composer Dafydd James will write original music for this new production, mixing Brecht’s world with the Saturday-night spirit of Merthyr.

“According to the bigwigs, this war’s being fought in the name of God and all things lovely . But I think that’s bollocks. Every body in this war is out for what they can get, including a small businesswoman like me. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Performed by a cast of nine Welsh actresses in the gutsy English of the south Wales valleys, supported by a chorus of women from Merthyr, and in the context of our own unending wars, this will be a 21stCentury version of what is often described as a 20thCentury classic.

The cast includes: Donna Edwards, Sara McGaughey, Gaynor Morgan-Rees, Rhian Morgan as Mother Courage herself, Sharon Morgan, Cathy Owen, Nicola Reynolds, Ri Richards and Eiry Thomas.

Artistic director John McGrath said: “Every director has a list of plays that they want to direct some day, and Mother Courage has long been up at the top of my list. The spirit of south Wales, particularly Merthyr Tydfil, feels very close to the questions of the play. To what lengths are we willing to go in order to survive? What kind of cunning and know-how might carry us through the worst of times? Brecht always encourages us to see why people behave in the way they do, and the questions he raises in this play are every bit as relevant today as they were when he sat down to write it in 1939.”

In 1988, Ed Thomas wrote his first play, House of America. The play won several awards as a play and a film (1996), on both a National and International level. His other works include Flowers of the Dead Red Sea (1991), East From The Gantry (1993), Song From a Forgotten City (1995), Gas Station Angel(1998) and Stone City Blue (2004). They have toured extensively across the world within the UK, Europe, Australia and South America, to theatres including The Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse and Tramway, Glasgow. They have been translated into more than ten languages. Ed is the founder and artistic director of Fiction Factory, and at present is working on Hinterland/Y Gwyll, a detective series produced in both English and Welsh for S4C and the BBC, and distributed worldwide by All3Media. Over the last ten years, Ed has written, directed and produced over a hundred and twenty hours of drama in several genres, winning over seventy nominations and prizes including those from BAFTA CYMRU and Prix Europa. His programmes have been distributed to over eighty countries. These include Satellite City, Silent Village, China, Mind to Kill, Caerdydd, Pen Talar, Y Pris, Cwmgiedd/Columbia andGwaith/Cartref. He lives in Cardiff.

Director John E McGrath is the founding Artistic Director of National Theatre Wales. He has also worked as a theatre director in New York, London and Manchester. From 1999-2008 he was Artistic Director of Contact Theatre, Manchester. He trained and worked in New York for several years, including a stint as Associate Director of leading experimental company Mabou Mines. As a director, he has worked with a wide range of artists including poet Lemn Sissay (Storm, Something Dark and Why I Don’t Hate White People) and hip-hop theatre artist Benji Reid (b like water). For National Theatre Wales, he has directed A Good Night Out in the Valleys, Love Steals Us From Loneliness, The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning, In Water I’m Weightless and The Opportunity of Efficiency(produced by the New National Theatre, Tokyo). In 2004 he published a book about art in the surveillance age, Loving Big Brother: Performance, Privacy and Surveillance Space, and in 2005 was awarded the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Cultural Leadership Award.

Musical Director Dafydd James is an award-winning writer, composer and performer, working in theatre, radio and television in both English and Welsh. His work has been performed across the UK and internationally in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan and the USA. Credits includePsychobitches (Tiger Aspect/Sky Arts), Terrace (BBC, Radio 3), Gwaith/Cartref (Fiction Factory/S4C)Heritage (National Theatre), The Village Social (NTW), Llwyth (Theatr Genedlaethol/Sherman Cymru) and My Name is Sue & Sue: The Second Coming (Dafydd James & Company). Currently, he has a musical project in development with NTW and Heritage is being translated for the National Touring Theatre of Sweden. He also has an original six-part drama series in development with Fiction Factory, and is one of four writers attached to ‘Y Labordy’, a visionary scheme for writers through which he’s developing a play, a television series and a feature film.

Full listings information:

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN
By Bertolt Brecht
Translation by John Willett
Revised by Ed Thomas
Lyrics revised by Dafydd James &
Ed Thomas
Director John E McGrath
Music by Dafydd James
Designer Jean Chan
Lighting Designer Natasha Chivers
Sound Designer Mike Beer
Video Designer Ian William Galloway
Movement Director Jo Fong
Emerging Director Rhiannon White

Dates: 7-22 May 2015 (except Sat & Sun)
Times: 7.30pm, plus 1pm matinees on 14 & 21 May
Venue: Merthyr Labour Club, Court St, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8DU
Box Office: http://nationaltheatrewales.org/mother-courage-and-her-children
By phone: 029 2063 6464
Ticket Prices: £10-£16 (including local concession)

Recommended for ages 14+

For more information about Mother Courage and Her Children, go to:http://nationaltheatrewales.org/mother-courage-and-her-children

Follow Mother Courage and Her Children, on Twitter:
#ntwmother
@ntwtweets

National Theatre Wales was launched in November 2009, and creates invigorating theatre in the English language, rooted in Wales, with an international reach. The Welsh Government and the Arts Council of Wales are supporting National Theatre Wales. For more information on our shows, visit:nationaltheatrewales.org

“NTW have never been afraid to ask what theatre is and what it might be” The Guardian

“MAMMA MIA!”

TURNS 16 ON 6 APRIL

AT LONDON’S NOVELLO THEATRE

The global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! at London’s Novello Theatre celebrates its 16th birthday in London on Monday 6 April. From West End to global phenomenon, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs with an enchanting tale of family and friendship unfolding on a Greek island paradise. To date, it has been seen by more than 54 million people in 49 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $2 billion at the box office. 

MAMMA MIA! originally opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on 6 April 1999, before transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004. The musical re-opened at the Novello Theatre in 2012.

The London production of MAMMA MIA! has been seen by more than 10% of the entire UK population. The show has celebrated over 6,500 performances in London and has broken box office records in all three of its London homes. In 2011, it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China.

Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, is the highest grossing live action musical film of all time.

MAMMA MIA! in London stars Dianne Pilkington as Donna Sheridan, with Kim Ismay as Tanya and Rebecca Lock as Rosie, Richard Trinder as Sam, Alasdair Harvey as Harry, Charles Daish as Bill, Alice Stokoe as Sophie Sheridan and Lloyd Green as Sky. Also in the cast are Rosanna Bates as Ali, Brodie McBride as Lisa, James Alexander Gibbs as Pepper and James Evans as Eddie. At certain performances, the role of Donna Sheridan is played by Shona White.

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

MAMMA MIA! is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Novello Theatre

Aldwych

London WC2B 4LD

Monday to Friday Prices: £65.00, £37.50, £20.00, £15.00

Saturday Prices: £67.50, £52.50, £39.50, £20.00*, £15.00 *£25.00 from 27 April 2015 

Please note: Saturday pricing applies to all performances 25-30 May and 27 July-29 August

A £2.25 per ticket booking fee applies to tickets booked online, and a £2.50 per ticket booking fee applies to tickets booked by phone. No booking fee on tickets purchased in person at the Novello Theatre Box Office.

All prices include £1 restoration levy, which will increase to £1.25 for performances from 27 April 2015.

Early Bird Pricing – anyone booking four months or more in advance of the performance they are attending (Monday to Thursday performances only) will be able to purchase top price tickets for £45, a saving of £20 on the regular top price, but only through Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, either online, in person at the theatre, or by calling the Novello Theatre Box Office.

Performance Times:

Monday – Saturday 7.45pm

Matinees – Thursday & Saturday 3.00pm

Currently booking to 24 October 2015

The performance lasts 2 hours and 35 minutes (including a 15-minute interval)

Box Office: 0844 482 5115

http://www.mamma-mia.com/

http://www.facebook.com/mammamiamusical

http://twitter.com/MammaMiaMusical

A stage adaptation of one of the world’s best-selling novels is coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal in May. Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca will be brought to life on stage by Kneehigh – the company local audiences will know from the hugely popular recent production of Brief Encounter.

Conjuring Cornish romance and theatrical magic, Emma Rice’s production of Rebecca is a spellbinding adaptation of this famous novel, which has never been out of print since it first hit bookshelves in 1938. It plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from 11-16 May.

Following the mysterious death of his first wife, Maxim de Winter returns to Manderley with his new young bride. Surrounded by memories of the glamorous Rebecca, the new Mrs De Winter is consumed by jealousy. She sets out to uncover the secrets of the house and a past fiercely guarded by the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers. All is not what it seems in Manderley…

The cast is led by Tristan Sturrock as Maxim de Winter, Emily Raymond as Mrs Danvers with Richard Clews, Katy Owen, Ewan Wardrop, Andy Williams, Lizzie Winkler and introducing Imogen Sage as Mrs de Winter.

Tristan Sturrock originated the roles of Alec in Brief Encounter and Tristan in Tristan & Yseult and has gone on to play both in the West End and across the UK, America and Australia. His one man show Mayday Mayday has played successful seasons in Edinburgh and New York.

Kneehigh Theatre is one of the country’s most celebrated companies. Based in Cornwall, just a stone throw’s from Daphne du Maurier’s home, the company has grown from humble beginnings and has carved a global reputation for their extraordinary shows. They have created productions with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company and their international hits include Trsitan & Yseult and Brief Encounter.

The multi-award winning creative team is led by Emma Rice, Kneehigh Theatre’s Joint Artistic Director. Known for her “remarkably inventive, eye-catching theatricality” (San Francisco Chronicle), Emma’s credits include The Red Shoes, Don John,Brief Encounter and Tristan & Yseult.

Rebecca appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Monday 11 – Saturday 16 May 2015. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Regent’s Park
Open Air Theatre

• FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR J.M. BARRIE’S PETER PAN AT REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE, WITH LEAD CASTING CONFIRMED FOR THE SEAGULL AND SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS

• HIRAN ABEYSEKERA WILL PLAY PETER PAN ALONGSIDE DAVID BIRRELL AS CAPTAIN HOOK IN J.M. BARRIE’S PETER PAN

• JANIE DEE WILL PLAY IRINA ARKADINA WITH SABRINA BARTLETT AS NINA AND MATTHEW TENNYSON AS KONSTANTIN IN THE SEAGULL

• LAURA PITT-PULFORD WILL PLAY MILLY BRADON AND ALEX GAUMOND WILL PLAY ADAM PONTIPEE IN SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS

Casting for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s 2015 production of J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan has today been announced, with lead casting for The Seagull and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers also confirmed. The season opens for previews on 15 May.

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is delighted to be unveiling a brand new impactful and atmospheric redesign of the Summer Café, Main Bar and Interval Café by B3 Designers in time for the 2015 season.

PETER PAN

Hiran Abeysekera will play the title role alongside David Birrell as Captain Hook, who returns to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre following roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ragtime. Also returning to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre will be Beverly Rudd (Smee) and George Bukhari (Nibs).Peter Pan will run from 15 May – 14 June.

Hiran Abeysekera recently performed in Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the National Theatre. Previous theatre credits include The Taming of the Shrew (RSC) and Rats’ Tales (Manchester Royal Exchange).

David Birrell previously appeared at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2012 as Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and as Father in Ragtime. He won Best Supporting Actor in the 2015 Manchester Theatre Awards for Journey’s End (Octagon Theatre), and won the Critics’ Award for Theatre in Scotland Best Male Performance for Sweeney Todd (Dundee Rep), for which he was also nominated for the TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical.

Beverly Rudd previously appeared at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre as Little Red Ridinghood in Into the Woods, and as Lucy Lockit in The Beggar’s Opera.

George Bukhari previously appeared as Piggy in Lord of the Flies, and as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Further casting includes Kae Alexander (Wendy), Patrick Osborne (John), Thomas Dennis (Michael),Rachel Donovan (Tinker Bell), Eben Figueiredo (Tootles), Thomas Pickles (Slighty), Richard James-Neale (Curly), Jacob James Beswick & Chris Lew Kum Hoi (Twins), Carl Prekopp (Gentleman Starkey), Okorie Chukwu, Owain Gwynn, Jonathan Holby and Arthur Kyeyune (Pirates), Melanie Pappenheim, Daniel Bradley, Candida Caldicot, Zands Duggan & Tamara Young (Musicians) and Joe Swain (Show Climber).

Peter Pan is directed by Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel, who have previously worked together for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre productions of Lord of the Flies, Into The Woods (Oliver Award, Best Musical Revival) and the 2015 Olivier Award nominated production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. The set will be designed by Jon Bausor whose credits include Lord of the Flies, The Crucible, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ragtime and To Kill a Mockingbird (all for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)and MAMETZ (National Theatre Wales) for which he won Best Design in the UK Theatre Awards 2014.

Peter Pan will have costumes designed by Olivier Award winner Jon Morrell, Puppet Design by Rachael Canning (Into The Woods), Composition and Sound Score by Nick Powell, Musical Supervision and Direction by Candida Caldicot, Lighting Design by Rick Fisher, Sound Design by Nick Lidster for Autograph and Polly Jerrold as casting director.

“I ran away the day I was born,” said Peter, “cause I heard Father and Mother talking of what I was to be when I became a man. I want always to be a little boy and to have fun, Wendy”. But this could not be for the Darlings; all children, except one, grow up.  1914 is a very different world. Faced with this reality, their only escape is to let imagination take flight to Never Land.

George Llewelyn Davies, killed in action in WW1, was one of the children who inspired this iconic character. Remembering him, and a generation of lost boys, Timothy Sheader and Liam Steelrediscover J. M. Barrie’s original stage play.

Recommended for all ages 9+. By arrangement with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

THE SEAGULL

Olivier Award winner Janie Dee will star as Irina Arkadina in Chekhov’s The Seagull, with Sabrina Bartlett as Nina and Matthew Tennyson as Konstantin. The Seagull will run from 19 June – 11 July and will be directed by Matthew Dunster with set design by Jon Bausor.

Janie Dee has previously starred in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre productions including Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night. Janie won the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critic’s Choice Awards for Best Actress for Alan Ayckbourn’s Comic Potential which she performed in London and New York, and the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Carousel, directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre. She appeared alongside Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit, and has just finished a run as Helene Hanff in 84 Charing Cross Road (Salisbury Playhouse). She is currently in rehearsal for Ah, Wilderness! at the Young Vic and, following The Seagull, will play the title role in Mrs Henderson Presents at Theatre Royal Bath.

Sabrina Bartlett can currently be seen playing Keren Daniel in BBC1’s drama Poldark and recently starred in BBC1’s Passing Bells.

Matthew Tennyson won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for Making Noise Quietly (Donmar).

Further casting for The Seagull to be announced.

Matthew Dunster’s directing credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Love Girl & The Innocent and You Can Still Make a Killing (Southwark Playhouse).  As a playwright, his play Children’s Children premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2012 and his re-imagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Most Incredible Thing, a collaboration with The Pet Shop Boys and choreographer Javier de Frutos, opened at Sadler’s Wells in 2011.

As guests assemble at a country house for the staging of an avant-garde open air play, artistic temperaments ignite a more entertaining drama behind the scenes, with romantic jealousies, self-doubt and the ruthless pursuit of happiness confusing lives, loves and literature.

Celebrated as one of the most important plays of the nineteenth century, The Seagull will have movement by Charlotte Broom, Lighting Design by Philip Gladwell, Sound Design by Christopher Shuttand casting by Julia Horan and Lotte Hines.

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS

Featuring Alex Gaumond as Adam and Laura Pitt-Pulford as Milly, director Rachel Kavanaugh reunites the creative team behind 2013’s award-winning production of The Sound of Music. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will run from 16 July – 29 August.

Laura Pitt-Pulford played Maria in The Sound of Music at the Curve, Leicester and also appeared at the Curve in Piaf and Hello, Dolly!, as well as The Light Princess at the National Theatre.

Alex Gaumond recently played opposite Robert Lindsay in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy), and played Miss Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical (Cambridge Theatre). Previous credits include Top Hat, We Will Rock You and Legally Blonde.  He is currently playing Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd at the ENO.

Rachel Kavanaugh directed The Sound of Music (Best Musical Revival, WhatsOnStage Awards) for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and her production of Oklahoma! is currently on UK tour. Rachel was Artistic Director at Birmingham Rep, directing productions including His Dark Materials, Racing Demon,The Madness of George III and A Doll’s House, and for Chichester Festival has directed An Ideal Husband, The Way of the World and Love Story.

From the Golden Age of the movie musical, this much-loved musical includes Bless Your Beautiful Hide, Goin’ Courtin’, Wonderful, Wonderful Day, and the dance spectacular, Barn Dance.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers will have Set and Costume Design by Peter McKintosh, Choreography by Alistair David, Musical Supervision and Dance Arrangements by Gareth Valentine, Musical Direction by Stephen Ridley, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Orchestration by Larry Blank, Sound Design byNick Lidster for Autograph and Casting by James Orange.

LORD OF THE FLIES

2015 dates have been confirmed for the UK tour of Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s classic story of survival, superstition and immorality, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams. Timothy Sheader’s acclaimed 2011 production returns to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre for just 14 performances from 3 – 12 September prior to a UK tour which starts at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking on 16 September 2015. Tour dates can be found below.

Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel will reunite to co-Direct with Set Design by Jon Bausor and Music composed by Nick Powell. Lighting Design will be by Paul Keogan, Sound Design by Avgoustas Psillas for Autograph and Casting by Pippa Ailion.

Casting and 2016 dates are still to be announced.

The UK tour of Lord of the Flies is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.