Salisbury Playhouse News

First Look images from the rehearsal rooms of Sting's The Last Ship have been released. Rehearsals for the production, which has a TONY-nominated original score and lyrics composed by Sting, are underway. It will play a 4-week season in Newcastle before embarking on a major UK & Ireland Tour.

This March the world premiere of a brand new musical from Barlow & Smith starring Tiffany Graves (Chicago, Sweet Charity, West End) and Evelyn Hoskins (Carrie, Southwark Playhouse, Peter and the Starcatcher, Royal & Derngate, Mrs Henderson Presents) comes to VAULT Festival for a strictly limited run directed by Adam Lenson (Superhero, Songs for a New World).

Artistic Director Edward Hall announces Hampstead Theatre's spring/summer season. The UK premiere of Rajiv Joseph's darkly comic post-truth play Describe the Night will be directed by Lisa Spirling. The world premiere of Jemma Kennedy's blisteringly entertaining Genesis Inc. will be directed by Laurie Sansom. The world premiere of Fiona Doyle's haunting and provocative new drama The Strange Death of John Doe will be directed by Artistic Director Edward Hall for Hampstead Downstairs. The production is a Hampstead Theatre commission and a finalist for The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Under 30s can access Priority Booking for all shows via The Downstairs Club - Hampstead's free membership scheme to allow better access to the cheaper seats.

Wolverhampton has announced three new shows. On Sale Dates For New Season: Friends of the Grand - 10am Monday 19 February 2018, General Public - 10am Wednesday 21 February 2018

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere of Great Apes from the novel by Will Self; reimagined for the stage by Patrick Marmion. Great Apes is a new play by Patrick Marmion directed by RSC and Donmar actor Oscar Pearce (Wolf Hall, Real Thing), based on the novel by Will Self opening at the Arcola Theatre on Monday 19th March.

Theatre Royal Bath today announces the opening productions for its summer season 2018 across the Ustinov Studio and Main House. Launching at the Ustinov Studio will be the highly acclaimed, Bristol based theatre company, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory with their new production of Henry V directed by Elizabeth Freestone. Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband will transfer to Theatre Royal Bath's Main House direct from the West End, marking the first production in Jonathan Church's 2018 summer season. Priority booking will open to members on Saturday 10 February at 10am, with general on-sale from 21 February. The full programme will be announced in due course.

Casting has been announced for Moonfleet, a new British musical based on the novel by J Meade Falkner, to be staged by Salisbury Playhouse (19 April - 5 May 2018; Press Night Tuesday 24 April).

As Kathy Burke's Lady Windermere's Fan, starring Jennifer Saunders and Samantha Spiro, plays to packed houses, Classic Spring is delighted to announce that Guy Chambers' new folk opera, The Selfish Giant, will be co-produced by Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and directed by multi-award-winning director Bill Buckhurst. The limited run of lightly-staged performances will run at Royal & Derngate 4 April - 7 April, before moving to the Vaudeville from 10 - 14 April. Jonathan Church will direct An Ideal Husband, the third production in the year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde at the Vaudeville Theatre. An Ideal Husband will play at the Vaudeville Theatre 20 April to 14 July 2018, before opening the Theatre Royal Bath Summer Season on 18 July to 4 August 2018.

Northern Broadsides is delighted to announce that their Executive Director Sue Andrews has won the prestigious WGGB OLWEN WYMARK THEATRE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS 2017.

Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions today announce the world premiere of the brand-new musical - Pieces of String with book, music and lyrics by Gus Gowland. The production, directed by Ryan McBryde and designed by 2017 Linbury Prize Finalist Fin Redshaw, opens on 27 April at the Mercury, with previews from 20 April and runs until 5 May.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights writing in the English language. Chosen from over 150 nominated plays, the Finalists are:

The world premiere of the first English-language adaptation of the classic novella by Ghassan Kanafani, Returning to Haifa, adapted for the stage by Naomi Wallace and Ismail Khalidi, opens at the Finborough Theatre for a four week limited season on Tuesday, 27 February 2018 (Press Nights: Thursday 1 and Friday 2 March 2018 at 7.30pm).

Donmar Associate Robert Hastie returns for this timely revival from one of our greatest living playwrights, following his previous productions My Night with Reg and Splendour.

As part of their 10th anniversary season Rose Theatre Kingston today announces the full cast for Stephen Bill's award-winning play Curtains. Lindsay Posner directs Leo Bill (Michael), Caroline Catz (Susan), Jonathan Coy (Geoffrey), Tim Dutton (Douglas), Wendy Nottingham (Margaret), Saskia Reeves (Katherine), Sandra Voe (Ida) and Marjorie Yates (Mrs Jackson). The production opens on Wednesday 28 February, with previews from Thursday 22 February, and runs until Saturday 17 March.

Kerry Ellis will star as Gwendolen, her first non-singing role, in the 2018 UK tour of Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford, Courtyard Theatre Hereford, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Belfast Grand Opera House, Theatre Royal Bath and Manchester Opera House. Hannah Louise Howell will play Gwendolen at all other venues. They will be joined by Geoff Aymer, Louise Coulthard, Thomas Howes, Peter Sandys-Clarke and Simon Shackleton, playing Chasuble, Cecily, Algernon, Jack and Lane/Merriman respectively.

When Actors Touring Company's English language version of Winter Solstice received its world premiere at Orange Tree Theatre in early 2017, it received rave reviews and played to sell out audiences. From February to March 2018, the company takes Roland Schimmelpfennig's startling drama to the road for a national tour of the UK.

Theatre Fest West returns from 9 to 24 February for a seventh year celebrating theatre across the South West. Salisbury Playhouse and Salisbury Arts Centre will once again join forces with The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham and Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge to present some of the most interesting companies from across the region.

Touring Consortium Theatre Company and Rose Theatre Kingston today announce the full company for Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde adapted for the stage by David Edgar. Joining the previously announced Phil Daniels as Jekyll/Hyde are Rosie Abraham (Lucy/Maid/Singer), Sam Cox (Poole), Polly Frame (Katherine Urquart), Anyebe Godwin (Charles), Ben Jones (Lanyon/Carew), Robin Kingsland (Gabriel John Utterson), Grace Hogg-Robinson (Annie Loder) and Matthew Romain (Enfield/Parson).

The multi-award winning Mark Bruce Company will tour their haunting new dance/theatre re-imagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth in 2018.

Principal casting has been announced for the UK premiere of The Last Ship the acclaimed musical by the internationally renowned musician Sting which will run at Glasgow's Theatre Royal from Monday 18 until Saturday 23 June as part of a major UK tour. The show will make its UK premiere in Newcastle in March.