THE WHO'S TOMMY and More Slated for New Wolsey Theatre's Spring 2017 Season

This Spring, the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich will produce the second Ramps on the Moon touring production, The Who's Tommy, which will tour to Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and London. Ipswich will see the show first from Thu 30 March to Sat 15 April.

Based on the iconic 1969 concept album, The Who's Tommy is the multi-award winning epic rock musical written by Pete Townshend.

With a cast of 22 performers and musicians, this is the story of the pinball-playing boy which has entertained and intrigued audiences for more than 40 years. A one-of-a-kind theatrical event!

Tommy will feature a creative use of audio description, captioning and British Sign Language interpretation which will enhance the experience for everyone. It is made in association with Ramps on the Moon - a consortium of theatres across the UK that are committed to driving change in their organisations. For more information, visit www.rampsonthemoon.co.uk

This season will also see the New Wolsey Theatre co-produce with Salisbury Playhouse and Queen's Theatre Hornchurch to present The Worst Wedding Ever from Wed 1 to Sat 11 March.

This laugh-out-loud comedy about preparations for a family wedding was a huge hit when it premiered at Salisbury Playhouse in 2014. The production is written by Chris Chibnall, creator of ITV's Broadchurch and from 2018 will be Head Writer and Executive Producer of BBC TV's Doctor Who.

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From Tue 14 to Sat 18 March, English Touring Theatre returns with their production of Silver Lining - a hilarious new comedy by writer, actor, presenter and political activist Sandi Toksvig. It tells the tale of 5 extraordinary yet forgotten women, who come together one treacherous night to recreate The Great Escape - senior citizen style!

Fresh from their work-in-progress performance in PULSE Festival 2016, Gecko present the finished production of The Wedding, from Thu 20 to Sat 22 April. In a blur of wedding dresses and contractual obligations, an extraordinary international ensemble shares their struggle between love and anger, creation and destruction, community and isolation.

From Tue 2 to Sat 6 May, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds presents the classic tale of Northanger Abbey. This delightful stage version of Jane Austen's earliest novel is adapted by acclaimed Austen specialist Tim Luscombe, who's Mansfield Park was also produced and toured by the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

Roy Hudd stars in the premiere stage production of the hit 90s BBC sitcom Waiting for God, in a new script penned by original series creator Michael Aitkens and directed by Tony Award winner David Grindley. They will visit with the production from Mon 8 to Sat 13 May.

The masters of Bollywood experiences, Phizzical make their debut in Ipswich with Bring on the Bollywood - a romantic comedy that features a fantastic soundtrack interwoven with wit, wild parties and some wicked dances. From Tue 16 to Sat 20 May, expect a colourful story that could be a cousin of The Comedy of Errors or Twelfth Night.

Deserted by his wife, a hapless vacuum cleaner salesman gets sucked in to a dirty world of espionage and double agents when the chance of helping out MI6 with a job or two proves too good an offer to resist. Thrillingly adapted for the stage from Graham Greene's hilarious, ever popular novel, Creative Cow present Our Man In Havana from Tue 23 to Sat 27 May.

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The New Wolsey Theatre's acclaimed Young Company will present Fin Kennedy's How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found from Tue 18 to Sat 29 April at the New Wolsey Studio. This extraordinary play follows one man's desperate attempts to buck the system, and asks what really makes us who we are in the 21st century.

As part of the regional tour to primary schools, the New Wolsey Theatre will present their production Alfie Strange: Trained Time Travellers Only, with a public performance on Sat 18 March. Popular with teachers and pupils alike, this is the story of how Alfie Strange (aged 8 ¼) gets stuck in a book and how he escapes it. You won't believe who he meets on the way!

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New companies to the New Wolsey Theatre this season include:

From Tue 7 to Thu 9 February, Nick Williams present a Bristol Old Vic production of Pink Mist, telling the story of three young men who are deployed to Afghanistan. It was inspired by 30 interviews with returned servicemen and is described as 'fearlessly lyrical in its imagery' by The Times and 'beautifully performed' by The Guardian.

On Thu 23 & Fri 24 February, Vamos Theatre in a co-commission with London International Mime Festival present The Best Thing, a swinging sixties story of unconditional love from the UK's leading full mask theatre company.

On Sun 26 February, join us for an emotional roller coaster one-man play Jack Lane takes you behind Norman Wisdom's well-known character in Wisdom Of A Fool. Jack plays 30 characters throughout this tour de force performance.

Travel across Europe in a night as Birmingham's genre-bending European arts festival takes to the road and shines a light on the continent's diverse and emerging talent in theatre, dance and performance art. Experience The Best of BE Festival with three exceptional shows from Italy, Germany & Switzerland on Thu 27 & Fri 28 April.

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Returning to the New Wolsey Theatre this season:

Following the success of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, We Will Be Free! and United We Stand, Townsend Productions' new play, Dare Devil Rides To Jarama, commemorates and celebrates the contribution and sacrifice of the volunteer International Brigades on the 80th anniversary of their creation on Wed 15 February.

With nine years as an Edinburgh Fringe must-see phenomenon, a BBC Radio 4 Series and now a critically acclaimed West End run at London's Apollo Theatre as well as an Olivier Award to their name, Showstoppers! are back for another year on Fri 17 & Sat 18 February. Get the kids involved this year for the first time in The Showstopper Kids' Show on Sat 18 February!

LipService return to explore the world of women writers, scribbling in secret or under pseudonyms, squeezing in their writing amongst the hustle and bustle of taking tea, choosing chintz and the odd attack of the vapours from Mon 20 to Wed 22 February in Mr Darcy Loses the Plot.

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PULSE Presents, the New Wolsey Theatre's continuing work to develop new Contemporary Theatre outside of the PULSE Festival is bigger than ever! This season's line-up will feature no less than 11 shows including: Inua Ellam and Fuel Theatre's An Evening with An Immigrant; John Osborne's 3 Stories from Radio 4; Access All Areas' The Misfit Analysis, Hijinx Theatre's Meet Fred, and returning by popular demand The Pretend Men with Police Cops.

Performances for children and families include: Pin and Needles with Raymond Briggs' The Bear; Story Pocket Theatre with Michael Murpurgo's King Arthur; from the makers of Aliens Love Underpants Big Wooden Horse's Monstersaurus; and innovative interactive show inspired the latest educational neuroscience We're Stuck, by One Tenth Human and China Plate.

Music, comedy and opera continue to entertain this season. Appearances include: The MGM Story; Duke's Comedy Club; Mike Vernon & The Mighty Combo; Swansea City Opera with Lakme; Robyn Bennett and her band Bang Bang; The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, and the return of The Magnificent Music Hall, and cult musical duo Jonny & The Baptists.

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The season will go on sale to Friends on Sat 29 October, and on general sale on Sat 12 November. Tickets can be booked through the Tickets Sales Team by calling 01473 295900 or by booking online at www.wolseytheatre.co.uk.

With a 400 seat main auditorium, and 100 seat studio space, the New Wolsey Theatre is nationally renowned for the quality and diversity of its productions, both as a sole producer, and in collaboration with a diverse range of artists and companies. With a particular reputation for musical work, often employing actor-musicians, the New Wolsey is a leading player in the development of new musicals, staging the world premieres of It's A Wonderful Life, 20th Century Boy, Mods & Rox, Miss Nightingale and Midsummer Songs. Recent musical revivals have included, a national tour of the Tim Firth and Madness musical Our House, Brecht and Weill's The Threepenny Opera and an actor-musician version of Sweet Charity. We have recently joined forces with six other regional theatres and Graeae Theatre Company to create Ramps on the Moon, an Arts Council funded strategic touring project, with the aim of increasing the engagement and participation of D/deaf and disabled actors, artists and audiences. The first production under this banner, The Government Inspector, was launched from Birmingham Rep in 2016, and 2017 sees our own production of The Who's Tommy opening in Ipswich before embarking on a national tour.

The New Wolsey Theatre is committed to developing new talent and new voices. Our annual PULSE Festival acts as a spring-board for new and emerging artists, as well as providing a home for risk-taking and innovative work from more established companies. We run an extensive Creative Learning programme providing opportunities for young people to develop their creative, personal and social skills, as well as touring work to primary and secondary schools in and around Suffolk. More opportunities for young people to explore the arts as a career are being offered with the Young Directors, Young Communicators and Young Technician schemes launched in 2016.

As part of its work to support disabled artists the New Wolsey began its 'Agent for Change' initiative in 2013, to extend its engagement with disability arts and artists in the eastern region and to provide a support network for artists and arts organisations.

The New Wolsey received the 2012 TMA award for Most Welcoming Theatre, and was nominated as The Stage Award's Regional Theatre of the Year 2014. We have received the Trip Advisor Certificate for Excellence three years running for customer service, and have a Silver Award from Suffolk Carbon Charter for our environmentally friendly procedures and policies. As a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity, we are funded by the Arts Council of England, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council as well as through the invaluable donations, individual giving and corporate support of our many friends, patrons and sponsors.

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