Fiona Laird

Casting has been announced for the Royal Shakespeare Company's forthcoming production of Charlie Josephine's new play, Cowbois. 

East meets west, as the RSC's latest production of Shakespeare's comedy gets a TOWIE makeover. Following a popular summer run at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Stratford-upon-Avon base, it transfers to the Barbican for a limited engagement over the winter. David Troughton stars as the infamous knight Falstaff, who is at the peak of his lecherous and womanising ways during the course of this play - until he meets his matches in Mistresses Ford and Page.

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. We've already posted our Christmas picks, and now here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings (sans tinsel). Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld reviews, interviews and features!

The River Street Theatre (RST), a project of Jaffrey's Park Theatre, will be exclusively presenting the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) new production of Shakespeare's classic comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor on Sunday, October 7 and Columbus Day Holiday, Monday, October 8 (both at 2 PM). The presentation is part of the RST's Stage2Screen Series.

Following the live broadcast, catch The Merry Wives of Windsor in cinemas across North America (from October 5)

What larks! Maybe not for the purists nor for anyone looking for a Chekhovian analysis of the human condition, but a guilty pleasure full the laughs.

The Barbican today announces its September to December 2018 Theatre and Dance season. Tickets go on sale to Barbican Members plus on Thursday 15 March, to Barbican Members on Friday 16 March and to the general public on Monday 19 March 2018. Young Barbican tickets for 14-25 year-olds are available for all productions from September to December 2018 (excluding Imagined Touch). There are 50,000 Young Barbican tickets for art, film, music, theatre and dance ranging from £5, £10 or £15.

RSC Artistic Director, Gregory Doran, today announced the Summer 2018 season in Stratford-upon-Avon, and launched the fundraising campaign Stitch In Time for the restoration and redevelopment of the company's historic Costume Workshop.

Final casting is announced today for the 50th anniversary production of Joe Orton's darkly comic masterpiece, LOOT.

David Birrell's extensive stage work ranges from An Enemy of the People at Octagon Theatre, Bolton, to Spamalot in the West End, as well as several years with the RSC. He's currently playing Badger in the highly anticipated new musical version of The Wind in the Willows, which features a book by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowees and an original score by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The production begins previews at Theatre Royal, Plymouth on 8 October.

The world premiere of a new play by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Ryan McBryde. The show will close on March 27, 2010.

The world premiere of a new play by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Ryan McBryde.

The world premiere of a new play by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Ryan McBryde.

The world premiere of a new play by Anders Lustgarten, directed by Ryan McBryde.

Sandi Toksvig and Ronnie Corbett have announced the starry line-up from the worlds of comedy, music and magic, who will be joining them on stage for SANDI TOKSVIG'S CHRISTMAS CRACKER - a variety family show in the Royal Festival Hall for 10 days only this Christmas.

Sandi Toksvig and Ronnie Corbett have announced the starry line-up from the worlds of comedy, music and magic, who will be joining them on stage for SANDI TOKSVIG'S CHRISTMAS CRACKER - a variety family show in the Royal Festival Hall for 10 days only this Christmas.

Sandi Toksvig and Ronnie Corbett have announced the starry line-up from the worlds of comedy, music and magic, who will be joining them on stage for SANDI TOKSVIG'S CHRISTMAS CRACKER - a variety family show in the Royal Festival Hall for 10 days only this Christmas.

Originally scheduled for one night only, Notes from New York?s fifth anniversary production of Jason Robert Brown?s The Last 5 Years will now play two additional performances due to phenomenal public demand. With the original performance on Sunday 12 October selling out in less than four weeks of going on sale, West End stars Julie Atherton and Paul Spicer will now share the stage at the prestigious Theatre Royal Haymarket for three nights in total on Sundays 12, 19 and 26 October 2008 in this much anticipated, brand new gala staging.

Connie Fisher makes a welcome return to the stage this week as she begins previews in the Marvin Hamlish/Carole Bayer Sager/Neil Simon musical They're Playing Our Song at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Previews of the show, which will be directed by Fiona Laird, begin on July 25 prior to an August 4 opening. The production will run till September 28.

For the third year running, the Greenwich Theatre presents the groundbreaking 'The Ten Minute Musical Challenge'. Originally devised by Ellie Jones in 2005, this year's challenge will be directed by Fiona Laird. The challenge is designed to bring together composers, bookwriters and lyricists who have not worked together before, to forge new collaborations and encourage these creative teams to work fast enough to produce a ten minute musical in just one day, from the stimulus of stories in that day's newspaper.