Royal Shakespeare Company News

According to The Hollywood Reporter, HOMELAND's Damian Lewis has boarded the thriller OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, joining Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard and Naomie Harris in the cast. Susanna White directs.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, presents Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 as part of the Clarice Smith Repertory. STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn will direct both parts of this sweeping epic - one of Shakespeare's culminating achievements in the history play genre - over multiple nights. As Kahn says, describing Parts 1 and 2 as his favorite Shakespearean drama: 'It brings to the stage every issue we as human beings experience.' The two productions will run in the Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from today, March 25 - June 8, 2014.

On April 10, TheatreSquared will launch its first mainstage Shakespeare production with the playwright's signature drama, Hamlet, starring Grant Goodman. The production is helmed by director Sean Patrick Reilly and features a professional cast including T2 associate artistic director Amy Herzberg. As Hamlet begins, the king has been poisoned by his own brother, who now claims the throne and queen. Visited by his father's ghost, Prince Hamlet learns of his uncle's treachery - and vows revenge. TheatreSquared's original production is on stage from April 10 through May 4, 2014, at Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville (505 W. Spring Street). Tickets range from $15-36 ($10/under 30) and are on sale now via the Walton Arts Center Box Office by calling (479.443.5600) or visiting theatre2.org.

The Bushwick Starr will present a collaboration between stage and film director Daniel Fish and dance and theater artist Andrew Dinwiddie. Using nearly seven weeks of residency time at the Bushwick Starr, and in collaboration with actor T. Ryder Smith (War Horse, Passion Play) and designers Blanca Añon (ETERNAL, Owned) and Daniel Kluger (Nikolai and the Others, A Map of Virtue), they will create PHIL. 176 / OBIT, an episodic performance installation that draws simultaneously on the text of Shelly Kagan's renowned Yale College philosophy course, 'PHIL 176: Death,'* and on current American obituaries and death notices.

The Royal Shakespeare Company's prop store is the focus of a new exhibition by the Bristol based Stand + Stare Collective. Visitors can explore the secrets behind twelve props from the Company's fascinating prop store, find out more about how they are made, the stories that lie behind them and what happens to a prop once a production ends.

Citizens Theatre Artistic Director Dominic Hill takes on a new production of Stephen Jeffreys' raunchy and bawdy historical drama The Libertine as the finale to his Spring 2014 Season. Following performances in Glasgow, the production will tour to Bristol Old Vic from 28 - 31 May, the first time the Citizens has presented work at the Bristol theatre.

Game of Thrones actor Owen Teale will star in director Terry Hands' new production of Under Milk Wood, which comes to the Exeter Northcott Theatre in April. The production marks the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth, as well as the 60th anniversary since Under Milk Wood was first produced in Britain, as a radio play by the BBC, in 1954. A cast of Welsh actors also includes Torchwood actor Kai Owen and Steven Meo (The Fabulous Baker Boys).

Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award Winner John Lithgow brings his critically acclaimed show, Stories by Heart to celebrate the Long Wharf Theatre 2014 Gala, taking place on Friday, June 6.

59E59 Theaters will welcome KPS Productions in association with the Pleasance Theatre in Edinburgh to Brits Off Broadway with PLAYING WITH GROWN UPS by Hannah Patterson, directed by Hannah Eidinow. PLAYING WITH GROWN UPS begins performances on Tuesday, April 29 for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 18.

The four girls sharing the title role in Broadway's MATILDA THE MUSICAL are featured in today's New York Times. In light of Warren Buffet and Quicken Loans' recent announcement of a billion dollar prize for correctly picking the winners of all 63 NCAA men's basketball tournament games, the Times consulted three pundits: a mathematician and his students who are using a linear algebra program to make their picks, a sportswriter with a coin to flip, and the four 'Matildas.' Follow the link for the video feature, where you can watch Ava Ulloa, Gabriella Pizzolo, Paige Brady and Ripley Sobo explain their bracket-picking methodology. Check out the video below!

Trevor Nunn directs a cast led by Natascha McElhone as Alex Forrest with Mark Bazeley as Dan Gallagher and Kristin Davis as his wife Beth, in the world stage premiere of Fatal Attraction written by James Dearden, opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 25 March 2014, with previews from 11 March.

The Broadway League has awarded coveted New York Education Grants to the Broadway productions of Act One, Matilda the Musical, and Violet. Each production receives a $5,000 grant towards its 2014 educational and community engagement initiatives. The grants aid the growth and development of theatre education in the city as they encourage Broadway productions to create more opportunities for young people. This is the first year that the Broadway League has awarded three grants instead of two, due to the increased number of proposals of quality programs.

Peter Brook is one of the world's most respected and revolutionary directors of contemporary theatre. To help his actors achieve extraordinary performances, he has a special exercise, called 'the Tightrope,' which evolved over decades of experimentation and practice into a process of transformation that makes theatre real and new for actor and audience alike. In this quietly eloquent and unique film, director Simon Brook - Peter's son - reveals how the Tightrope works its dramatic alchemy.

Meet Broadway's newest MATILDAS in today's Wall Street Journal where Ava Ulloa, Gabriella Pizzolo, Paige Brady and Ripley Sobo talk to reporter Sophia Hollander about their experience joining the Broadway smash, MATILDA THE MUSICAL. Check out their interview below!

Christopher Sieber, who will be Broadway's newest Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, will have to wait to play the tyrant headmistress on stage .During rehearsals for his debut as Miss Trunchbull in MATILDA THE MUSICAL last month, Sieber fractured a bone in his hand. He is now expected to begin performances on Tuesday April 8 if his hand is fully healed. Cast member Ben Thompson will perform the role beginning this Tuesday March 18 when Mr. Sieber had hoped to begin performances in the show.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson announced today eight productions of the upcoming 2014/15 Season, which includes four major Shakespearean titles, plus a sequel to Shakespeare's epic tragedy and a world premiere musical based on a classic novel.

The University Musical Society (UMS) presents a diverse April line-up featuring four uplifting performances to close out the 2013/2014 season of live performances. The first weekend marks the return of the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerry Blackstone, in a powerful rendition of Brahms' German Requiem (Friday, April 4).