John Whiting News

Following its critically acclaimed sell-out premiere at Liverpool Theatre Festival in September, Swan Song, a revised comedy by acclaimed playwright Jonathan Harvey, will commence a short tour this year playing at venues opening to socially distanced audiences.

Last week, in response to the killing of George Floyd in the US and its impact on black Britons, the Bush Theatre approached its wide-ranging community of black artists and asked six of them to respond in the moment, however they saw fit.

Hazel and Robin are retired physicists, living in a small cottage on the English coast, in the aftermath of a recent nuclear disaster. Their daily routine of keeping house, yoga, and tending to the cows is upended by the sudden and unexpected arrival of Rose, a former colleague and friend. As crackers and wine are trotted out, so are old jealousies, and the true reason for this visit, which seems to be an evening of laughter, food, and memories, reveals itself to be something else entirely. Stage West presents Lucy Kirkwood's thrilling and astonishing Tony nominee The Children, which begins a 5-week regional premiere run on Thursday, March 12.

From February 28 to March 28, SpeakEasy Stage Company will proudly present the Boston premiere of the acclaimed drama THE CHILDREN by British playwright Lucy Kirkwood.

Seattle Rep will welcome back director Tim Bond and a cast of Seattle veteran actors for its production of Lucy Kirkwood's post-apocalyptic drama The Children, beginning February 7 in the Leo K. Theater. Tickets are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222 and online at seattlerep.org.

My name is Lucy Barton is officially in previews on Broadway! Four-time Emmy winner, two-time Golden Globe winner, three-time Academy Award and four-time Tony nominee Laura Linney returns to Broadway in a haunting new solo play adapted by Rona Munro from the bestselling novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout.

Fringe First winners Bear Trap Theatre and Alfred Fagon Award-winner Paula B Stanic bring the gripping true story of a revolutionary leader to the stage this autumn. Based on the too-short life of Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton, the drama opens on the night of his assassination. 50 years on from his death, the play highlights Hampton's life and legacy, in particular the peaceful negotiations he led with Chicago street gangs and his efforts to end to police brutality. Messiah is a timely retelling of Hampton's story, considering the revolutionary potential of politically engaged young people and the will to make a difference, whatever the cost.

Steep Theatre begins its 19th season and opens its first production as an Equity theatre in October with the U.S. premiere of Olivier Award-winner Lucy Kirkwood's Mosquitoes, directed by Jaclynn Jutting. Kirkwood won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Play for her Chimerica, and her play The Children enjoyed a well-received run at Steppenwolf this past spring. This production will mark Steep's first venture with the playwright, as well as with director Jutting, a long-time friend of the company.      

Arcola Theatre in association with DOT Theatre today announce the full company for the London première of multi-award-winning writer Zinnie Harris' Meet Me at Dawn. Murat Daltaban directs Jessica Hardwick (Helen) and Marianne Oldham (Robyn). Meet Me at Dawn, which draws on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice in this gripping tale of devotion and loss, opens on 16 October, with previews from 9 October and runs until 9 November.

Steep Theatre begins its 19th season and opens its first production as an Equity theatre in October with the U.S. premiere of Olivier Award-winner Lucy Kirkwood's Mosquitoes, directed by Jaclynn Jutting. Kirkwood won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Play for her Chimerica, and her play The Children enjoyed a well-received run at Steppenwolf this past spring. This production will mark Steep's first venture with the playwright, as well as with director Jutting, a long-time friend of the company.

With Friday 30 August marking both Frankenstein Day and Mary Shelley's 222nd birthday, the cast of the Belgrade Theatre's forthcoming co-production of Frankenstein have been marking the occasion by paying a visit to one of the author's old haunts.

Steep Theatre announces the programming for its upcoming 19th season, which will continue the company's tradition of presenting bold plays from today's most exciting playwrights, brought to life by fearless ensembles and visionary directors.

Scottish screen actress Eilidh Loan is to star in the new theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, depicting Shelley herself onstage as the author personally unfolding her monstrous tale of creature and creator. With a cast also including Ben Castle-Gibb, Thierry Mabonga, Sarah MacGillivray, Natali McCleary, Michael Moreland and Greg Powrie, the seminal 1818 gothic horror novel adapted by award-winning writer Rona Munro will now run until 7 March 2020 as new dates are added.

Jobsite Theater has broken all-time sales records with three of the first four plays in their 20th Anniversary Season, ensuring that this will be their best season to date in every category. The resident theater company of the Straz Center now turns their eyes to Lucy Kirkwood's Hedda, a gripping modern-day adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, on stage in a North American professional premiere May 10 - Jun. 2, 2019.

Theatre Royal Bath today announces four additional productions - Vienna 1934-Munich 1938, The Life I Lead, Trying It On and The Man in the White Suit, to complete its Summer Season 2019 programme and further casting with Katherine Parkinson, Janie Dee as well as Vanessa Redgrave, Miles Jupp and David Edgar among the stars set to take to the stage in both treasured classics and acclaimed new works.

Writer Jonathan Harvey and Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are to present the world premiere of a new cabaret show at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe.

Studio Theatre concludes its 40th Anniversary Season Main Series productions with the DC premiere of playwright Lucy Kirkwood's urgent and unsettling eco-thriller The Children, directed by Studio Artistic Director David Muse. Inspired in part by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear explosion in Japan, Kirkwood's disaster drama begins as an old love triangle flaring to life in the aftermath of a natural disaster and morphs into a disquieting look at the cataclysmic impact of human intervention in the natural world. The Children deepens Muse's relationship with Kirkwood's work he directed the US premiere of her Olivier Award-winning epic play Chimerica in 2015.

Hub Theatre Company of Boston launches its highly anticipated seventh season with Helen Edmundson's captivating drama The Clearing, directed by Daniel Bourque, running Friday, April 5 - Saturday, April 20 at First Church Boston, 66 Marlborough Street in Boston's Back Bay. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 5 pm. All performances are "Pay-What-You-Can."  Donations of non-perishable food items will be collected at each performance for local charities. For tickets and more information visit www.hubtheatreboston.org 

A new theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley's seminal 1818 gothic horror novel Frankenstein is set to depict Shelley onstage, as she unfolds her monstrous tale of creature and creator. Adapted by award-winning writer Rona Munro and co-produced by leading company Selladoor (in the company's tenth anniversary year), Matthew Townshend Productions, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, and Perth Theatre at Horsecross Arts, the production will tour nationwide from 2 September - 30 November 2019. Further dates and casting are yet to be announced.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of The Children written by acclaimed British playwright Lucy Kirkwood and helmed by celebrated Chicago director Jonathan Berry. Filled with dark humor, this thought-provoking and haunting play features three of Chicago's top actors tackling complex roles: ensemble members Ora Jones (Rose) and Yasen Peyankov (Robin) with Janet Ulrich Brooks (Hazel). Following sold-out runs in London and New York, Steppenwolf proudly presents this brave and profound work that confronts the responsibility each generation must face for the way it leaves the world.