Royal Shakespeare Company News

The play's afoot! Sherlock Holmes battles one of his greatest mysteries to date at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, a world-premiere adaptation from Tony Award-winning playwright Ludwig (Broadway's Lend Me a Tenor). Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved The Hound of the Baskervilles, this fast-paced comedic tale of murder, intrigue and a wild hound is directed by Amanda Dehnert (Arena Stage's The Fantasticks) as part of Arena Stage's 65th anniversary season. A co-production with McCarter Theatre Center, Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery runs January 16-February 22, 2015 in the Kreeger Theater.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced that it will become the first UK theatre to co-host a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). The Much Ado About Nothing: In Performance MOOC will take place in March 2015 giving young people aged 16 - 19 around the world free access to leading Shakespeare experts, actors and directors.

In a new production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre and originally seen as a staged reading as part of Vibrant -- A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, and part of its Winter Season of 20 Premieres, the European premiere of Pig Girl by former Canadian Playwright-in-Residence at the Finborough Theatre, Colleen Murphy, runs at the Finborough Theatre, playing twelve Sunday and Monday evenings from Sunday, 11 January 2015 (Press Night: Monday, 12 Janaury 2015 at 7.30pm).

Following the internationally acclaimed production with sold-out engagements on Broadway and in London's West End, television legend, Oscar recipient and five-time Tony Award-winner Angela Lansbury returns to the stage in Noel Coward's smash-hit comedic play 'Blithe Spirit' in an exciting North American tour to be launched at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre.

Broadway's award-winning Matilda The Musical, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Dodgers, has invited children from New York City public schools to participate in "Write Here, Write Now," a program sponsored by the RSCand the NYC Department of Education that provides over 300 students from arts-underserved communities with the opportunity to explore writing in a unique way, as their storytelling is brought to life on a Broadway stage. On December 12, the program will culminate with the cast performing a private presentation of the original scenes written by the students on stage at Broadway's Shubert Theatre.

BBC AMERICA's drama series, The Musketeers, returns for season two in January. The series, which has thrilled audiences across the globe, having sold to 140 territories, is set on the streets of seventeenth century Paris, where Law And Order is more of an idea than a reality.

Suzanne Bertish and Paxton Whitehead have been selected to receive the 2014 Joe A. Callaway Award presented by the Actors' Equity Foundation. The award, honoring the best performance in a professional production of a classic play (one written prior to 1920) in the New York metropolitan area, will be presented at Equity's Eastern Regional Membership Meeting at 2 pm on Friday, January 9, 2015 at the Equity offices, 165 West 46th Street, New York. The announcement was made by Arne Gundersen, President of the Foundation and Joan Glazer, Managing Director.

Three leading Scottish actors, Jonathan Watson, Paul Riley and Maureen Beattie, known to audiences for their popular stage, screen and comedy performances, will appear in the National Theatre of Scotland's new comedy, Yer Granny, in 2015.

Matilda The Musical has paid back its $16 million investment on Broadway, making the show a rare hit simultaneously on Broadway and in London's West End.

The Almeida Theatre has announced its new Winter-Spring 2014-15 season, featuring Rupert Goold's celebrated RSC production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, starring Ian McDiarmid as Shylock and Susannah Fielding reprising her role as Portia; Robert Icke directing Tobias Menzies in an intimate staging of Wallace Shawn's THE FEVER AT THE MAY FAIR HOTEL; the World Premiere of Mike Bartlett's play GAME, directed by Sacha Wares and designed by Miriam Buether in a radical reconfiguration of the theater; and Simon Stephens reimagining Bizet's CARMEN in the UK premiere of CARMEN DISRUPTION, helmed by Michael Longhurst.

The Hill Country Community Theatre is pleased to announce the cast for its holiday production of 'A Christmas Carol', by Christopher Schario, adapted from the book by Charles Dickens. 'A Christmas Carol' will be directed by Bridget Farias Gates and will begin performances tonight, December 4.

Ian Reddington (Eastenders, Coronation Street) and Christopher Villiers (Emmerdale) will join Wendi Peters, best known for her role as Cilla Battersby in Coronation Street, in the ensemble cast of Oh What A Lovely War on its national tour in 2015.

The Royal Shakespeare Company will host its first semi-integrated British Sign Language performance on 5 January at 7.15pm of Phil Porter's The Christmas Truce. The production is inspired by the incredible true Christmas story from 1914, when soldiers along the Western Front left their trenches on Christmas Eve to meet their enemies in No Man's Land to talk, exchange gifts and play football. Directed by RSC Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, the show is suitable for ages nine plus and runs until 31 January 2015 in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

THE WIZARD OF OZ, a holiday classic in the making, is now delighting audiences at Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven.

Signal Ensemble Theatre presents the United States premiere of Red Bud by Brett Neveu and directed by Brant Russell at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., January 22 - February 28.

Macbeth is the first production from Black Theatre Live, a pioneering consortium of 8 regional theatres committed to increasing the amount of Black and Ethnic Minority theatre on the touring circuit.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced the start of a major project which will see the restoration of the oldest part of the Company's theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon, plus the opening of a new exhibition, which will immerse visitors in the RSC's rich history and showcase how the Company makes its world famous productions. The project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Adapted for stage by Christopher Sergel, based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, this enchanting production of To Kill A Mockingbird comes to the Theatre Royal from Tuesday 3 February for one week only. Daniel Betts will play Atticus Finch alongside Zackary Momoh as Tom Robinson and Christopher Akrill as Boo Radley. Original cast member and composer Phil King will reprise his role.

Ron Cook (Mr Selfridge, Henry V, King Lear, Hot Fuzz) as Sir Charles Gurney, Kathryn Drysdale (Suspects, Love's Labour's Lost, Tripping Over, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) as Grace Shelley, Joshua McGuire (Privacy, Posh, About Time, Mr Turner) as Dinsdale Gurney and Anthony O'Donnell (The Captain of Kopenick, Skyfall, Matchpoint) as Daniel Tucker, join BAFTA winning James McAvoy, as Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney, in the first West End revival of Peter Barnes' satirical comedy, The Ruling Class, directed by Jamie Lloyd, Artistic Director of Trafalgar Transformed.

Ron Cook (Mr Selfridge, Henry V, King Lear, Hot Fuzz) as Sir Charles Gurney, Kathryn Drysdale (Suspects, Love's Labour's Lost, Tripping Over, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) as Grace Shelley, Joshua McGuire (Privacy, Posh, About Time, Mr Turner) as Dinsdale Gurney and Anthony O'Donnell (The Captain of Kopenick, Skyfall, Matchpoint) as Daniel Tucker, join BAFTA winning James McAvoy, as Jack, the 14thEarl of Gurney, in the first West End revival of Peter Barnes' satirical comedy, The Ruling Class, directed by Jamie Lloyd, Artistic Director of Trafalgar Transformed.