Royal Shakespeare Company News

The new Broadway production of Shakespeare's timeless love story ROMEO AND JULIET starring international film star Orlando Bloom, making his Broadway debut opposite two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad, officially opens tonight, Thursday, September 19, 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). ROMEO AND JULIET began previews on Saturday, August 24th, 2013 and is scheduled to run through Sunday, January 12th, 2014.

International film star Orlando Bloom makes his Broadway debut alongside Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad, as Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers in a new Broadway production of the timeless love story Romeo and Juliet, directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux. The show opens on Broadway tonight, September 19, 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The production also stars two-time Tony Award nominee Jayne Houdyshell as the Nurse and Tony Award nominee Joe Morton as Lord Capulet.

The four girls who share the title role in MATILDA THE MUSICAL appeared on WLNY TV's "Live from The Couch" this morning. Watch Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro sing an a cappella version of "Naughty," and talk to hosts John Elliott and Elise Finch about their pre-show rituals and learning an English accent. Check out their appearance below!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater kicks off this season'sWorld's Stage Series with Blind Summit's The Table, a production from the United Kingdom, which launches its first United States tour Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare for a limited two-week engagement, October 16 to 27, 2013. This imaginative performance introduces audiences to Moses, a cantankerous puppet with a cardboard head immersed in an existential crisis on a table. Known for reinventing puppetry for contemporary adult audiences by drawing from the traditional Japanese Bunraku style, Blind Summit Theatre presents The Table showcasing its radically modern style of puppetry and storytelling. The Table will be performed in the theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare October 16 - 27, 2013.

Rehearsals are well underway for a star-studded production of RICHARD II that opens at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon on 10 October. The highly anticipated production, which sold out months in advance of the opening, marks Gregory Doran's inaugural production as Artistic Director.

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre site on the Internet, is excited to announce a new feature to its comprehensive regional coverage - the Featured Regional Theater of the Week! Each week, BWW will introduce its readers to a regional theater located in one of our (over 130!) coverage cities. By exploring these different venues, their history and showcasing the production seasons, BWW continues its commitment to expand our presence in communities and cities across the United States. This Week's Featured Regional Theater: American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA

This October Half Term (Mon 28 October - Fri 1 November) the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon is offering audiences and visitors activities for all the family to find out more about making theatre. Workshops include creating a Shakespeare play in a day, stage fighting, how fake wounds are created in stage make up demonstrations, singing workshops and a chance to join members of the Richard II company on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage. Blown Away, an engaging show for ages 3 - 6 with live music and puppetry, is on every day, plus the very best of British food is available in the Rooftop Restaurant.

The four girls who share the title role in MATILDA THE MUSICAL will be guests on WLNY TV's "Live from The Couch" tomorrow morning Wednesday September 18 between 8-9 AM. They are Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon and Milly Shapiro, each of whom makes her Broadway debut. WLNY TV is Channel 55 on Time Warner and Channel 14 on RCN. Please check your local cable listings for more information.

In honor of Roald Dahl Month, members of the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit MATILDA THE MUSICAL cast will be crashing Hangouts on Google+ Thursday, September 19. For a chance to video chat with Lesli Margherita, Gabriel Ebert, Ryan Steele and Samantha Sturm, follow the steps below.

Alces Productions present the UK Premiere of CODE OF THE WEST, a comedy about the ultimate Californian dream, written and directed by Mark Giesser, from Wednesday 16 October - Saturday 9 November 2013 at Tabard Theatre, 2 Bath Road, London W4 1LW.

Pittsburgh International Children's Theater, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, presents Theatreworks USA in the Pittsburgh premiere of Peter Pan October 20-27, 2013 at six performance locations throughout the area. Performance locations include: City: Byham Theater, October 20 at 2:00 p.m.; East: Penn Hills High School, October 23 at 7:00 p.m.; North: Marshall Middle School, October 24 at 5:30 & 7:30 p.m.; West: Hopewell High School, October 25 at 7:00 p.m.; South: Mt. Lebanon High School, October 26 at 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.; and Butler: Seneca Valley Intermediate School, October 27 at 2:00 p.m. Citizens Bank is the season sponsor of Pittsburgh International Children's Theater.

Those aged 16 to 26 and full-time students (of any age) will benefit from Discovery Tickets. The discount applies to top price tickets for most week-long shows and also productions in The Marlowe Studio, with prices sitting around £8.

Rehearsals begin today, September 16 in London for the critically heralded all-male Shakespeare's Globe repertory productions of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and RICHARD III on Broadway this fall. The productions, which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London's West End earlier this year, will open Sunday, November 10 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street), with previews beginning October 15. Twelfth Night and Richard III, which are directed by Tim Carroll, designed by Jenny Tiramani and with music by Claire van Kampen, will play a limited engagement for 16 weeks. Tickets are on sale now through www.telecharge.com. For a schedule of performances and more information, please visit www.shakespearebroadway.com.

Today we are talking to a Tony Award-winning performer known around the world for her iconic original performance as Eponine in both the West End and Broadway editions of international stage sensation LES MISERABLES, copiously convivial chanteuse Frances Ruffelle. Discussing her legacy with the iconic mega-musical and her relationship with the show's director, John Caird, Ruffelle opens up about a life in the theatre, telling tales of her time spent treading the boards in the various incarnations of LES MISERABLES - winning the Tony for her Broadway performance - as well as working on the original London production of Stephen Schwartz's CHILDREN OF EDEN with Caird and fellow InDepth InterView participants Matthew Bourne and Ruthie Henshall in addition to shedding light on fascinating workshop experiences - STARLIGHT EXPRESS, SUNSET BOULEVARD and WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND among them - and her more recent roles, such as her run as the title character in PIAF and featured part making up the intricate ensemble of William Finn's entertaining revue MAKE ME A SONG. Ruffelle also discusses her solo album work and future recording plans and also comments upon the pop success of her daughter, UK star Eliza Doolittle. Most importantly, Ruffelle peels back the layers of the return engagement of her successful solo show BENEATH THE DRESS and clues us in on what we can expect from her upcoming dates at celebrated cabaret venue 54 Below. Plus, Ruffelle fills us in on her next cabaret piece and its inspiration, as well as shares the 411 about her new films coming out in the next couple of months. All of that, thoughts on Broadway versus the West End, sharing the screen with Anne Hathaway in the mega-hit big screen edition of LES MISERABLES, thoughts on some of her recent TV roles as well as much, much more in this all-access pass with a particularly lovely and lively star.

Macbeth performed in a Cardiff Shopping Centre, Much Ado About Nothing performed by serving members of the Royal Air Force, The Tempest in a quarry in Durham, and Richard III performed in Leicester Cathedral by Leicester University students where the King's newly discovered body will be buried, are just four of the 90 productions that will be part of the UK's biggest amateur theatre project - Open Stages.

A new trailer for The Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) production of RICHARD II, which will be played in cinemas around the world, has debuted, featuring a voiceover by Michael Pennington, playing John of Gaunt. Check it out below!

Rehearsals begin on Monday, September 16 in London for the critically heralded all-male Shakespeare's Globe repertory productions of William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and RICHARD III on Broadway this fall. The productions, which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London's West End earlier this year, will open Sunday, November 10 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street), with previews beginning October 15. Twelfth Night and Richard III, which are directed by Tim Carroll, designed by Jenny Tiramani and with music by Claire van Kampen, will play a limited engagement for 16 weeks. Tickets are on sale now through www.telecharge.com. For a schedule of performances and more information, please visit www.shakespearebroadway.com.