St. Stephen's To Reopen As Arts Center, 'Second Chances' Themed 2009 Season Planned

St Stephen's, Hampstead, which has lain derelict for over thirty years, returns triumphantlyto life on 17 March 2009 when burgeoning young theatre company Antic Disposition commences an artistic residency and breathes new life into the building. Following its £4 million refurbishment, it will reopen with a Second Chances themed season, comprising The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Much Ado About Nothing and A Christmas Carol.

Following its opening production of the CS Lewis classic The Lion, the Witch and theWardrobe from Tuesday 17 March to Saturday 19 April 2009, Antic Disposition will present a brand new production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing from Tuesday 23 June to Saturday 19 July 2009 and a new musical version of Charles Dickens' perennially popular A Christmas Carol from Tuesday 8 December 2009 to Sunday 3 January 2010.

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Tue 17 March - Sat 19 April 2009As the Blitz rages in London, four young children are evacuated to a mysterious countryhouse, where they discover an enchanted wardrobe that leads to an adventure in thefrozen world of Narnia. Can the children help the great lion Aslan defeat the evil WhiteWitch and break the spell that has held the land locked in winter for a hundred years? Find out in this magical new production of CS Lewis' enchanting family adventure.

Produced by Antic Disposition, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is directed by BenHorslen and John Risebero and designed by John Risebero with lighting design byHoward Hudson. It is adapted from the CS Lewis novel by Adrian Mitchell with an originalscore composed by Shaun Davey and musical direction by Christopher Peake.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING Tue 23 June - Sat 19 July 2009The war may be over, but the battle of the sexes has only just begun. As peace breaksout, dashing soldier Claudio is quick to propose to the beautiful Hero, but their celebrationsare soon threatened by the scandalous rumours spread by the wicked Don John.

Will confirmed singletons Beatrice and Benedick stop sniping at each other long enough tosave the day and perhaps find love themselves? Antic Disposition presents a new production of one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, a feast of music, romance andverbal jousting that will delight and entertain absolutely anyone who has ever been in love. Produced by Antic Disposition, Much Ado About Nothing is directed by Ben Horslen and John Risebero and designed by John Risebero with lighting design by Howard Hudson.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Tue 8 Dec 2009 - Sun 3 Jan 2010On a foggy, freezing Christmas Eve, tight-fisted Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. To help Scrooge avoid the ghastly fatethat awaits him beyond the grave, Marley arranges for him to be visited by three spirits. Butcan the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come persuade Scrooge to openhis heart to the magic of Christmas before the sun rises? Antic Disposition's magical new musical brings Charles Dickens' much-loved tale to life, accompanied by a memorablemedley of seasonal songs and carols. Produced by Antic Disposition, A Christmas Carol is directed by Ben Horslen and JohnRisebero and designed by John Risebero with lighting design by Howard Hudson.

Having been designed by architect Samuel Sanders Teulon (1812 - 1873), St Stephen's,Hampstead is considered to be one of the finest Victorian churches built in the Gothicstyle. Built in 1869 and regularly attended by over a thousand parishioners each Sunday, it was closed for worship in 1977, following which it has lain derelict until the present day. Original proposals for its future included conversion to luxury flats and demolition to makeway for a car park for the adjacent Royal Free Hospital. Whilst fortunately neither plan came to fruition and the building achieved Grade 1 listed status, vandals and squatters moved in and left their mark on the building during the years it stood empty. In 1999, the StStephen's Restoration and Preservation Trust was awarded a lease to restore the building.

To celebrate the building's new lease of life, Antic Disposition's first resident season at StStephen's follows a theme of Second Chances. The stories of all three productions emphasise the idea that, no matter how bad the crime or how distant hope seems, it's never too late to change and find happiness. The characters of Edmund in The Lion, theWitch and the Wardrobe, Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and Scrooge in A ChristmasCarol, all deserve punishment for their misdeeds but instead find forgiveness and theopportunity of a new life - they are given a second chance, just as St Stephen's has been.

Antic Disposition was founded in 2005 by director Ben Horslen and designer John Risebero, with the aim of producing innovative and entertaining theatrical work from a variety of genres. Over the past three years the company has earned a strong reputation for high quality productions of classic plays, including a critically acclaimed production of Richard III, performed in the derelict setting of St Stephen's Hampstead and a sell-out runof The Importance of Being Earnest at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London's West End. Each August the company produces Festival Shakespeare du Quercy, a celebration of theworks of Shakespeare, which takes place in open-air locations across the South West ofFrance.

For its inaugural season in 2005, Antic Disposition produced The ShakespeareRevue, which also toured the UK and played at the New End Theatre in Hampstead. It produced Romeo and Juliet in 2006, Twelfth Night in 2007 and A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2008, all of which subsequently appeared at the Cochrane Theatre in London.

St Stephen's Hampstead has an impressive list of celebrity patrons who have supported the building's restoration, including Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench,Jude Law, Sam Mendes, Nicholas Parsons, Angela Rippon and Andrew Sachs. Adrian Mitchell, whose adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will open the season, was a stalwart supporter of the building's restoration and previous Hampstead resident. A performance during the run will be dedicated to his memory.

St Stephen's, Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, London NW3 2PP Nearest Tube:Belsize Park Box Office:0871 230 5540 (24 hrs) www.anticdisposition.co.uk