Sam Wanamaker News

Christopher Marlowe's Edward II is one of the earliest English history plays, and tells the story of the title character, his infatuation with his favourites and the dissent of his disapproving peers. It is a tragedy, replete with violence, gore and death.

Brendan O'Hea returns to direct Globe on Tour, where a company of eight actors will once again offer audiences around the world a trio of plays which this year explore the themes of refuge and displacement. Continuing last summer's experiment, which revived the Shakespearean tradition of allowing audiences to vote for the play they'd like to see, this year's audiences will cast their votes for The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night or Pericles, all stories of lost families, new homes, and what it means to belong. The tour will return to the Globe stage for Refugee Week (17 - 23 June) as part of a wider programme of events in which refugee artists, performers and audiences will all share their stories.

Artistic Director of the Young Vic, Kwame Kwei-Armah, today announces the full cast for Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, a co-production with Elliott & Harper Productions and Cindy Tolan.

Full casting has been announced for the first major revival of Nigel Williams' My Brother's Keeper?, which opens at London's Playground Theatre at the end of February. Joining actor and former stand-up comedian Andy de la Tour as ailing patriarch Mr Stone, will be Katherine Pogson (Vera ITV, Brazil Terry Gilliam, Aunt Dan & Lemon New York Theatre Drama Desk nomination) as Mrs Stone, David Partridge (The Secret Theatre - Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe, All My Sons - Rose Theatre, Kingston, Travels With My Aunt - Cc Theatre, UK tour) and Josh Taylor (Poldark - BBC, The Crown - Netflix, Each His Own Wilderness -Orange Tree Theatre) as their warring sons Sam and Tony.

Arcola Theatre today announces the world premiere of Keith? A Comedy. Oscar Pearce directs Mark Jax (Morgan), Natalie Klamar (Roxy), Joseph Milson (Keith), Aki Omoshaybi (Mohammed), Sara Powell (Veena) and Lizzie Winkler (Anna). The production opens on 18 February, with previews from 13 February, and runs until 9 March.

Ella Road's debut play, The Phlebotomist transfers to the Hampstead Theatre Main Stage, following a sold out run Downstairs in 2018, with Jade Anouka reprising her role as Bea.

Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Sam Hodges today announces the full cast for his production of Howard Brenton's The Shadow Factory which returns to celebrate NST City's first anniversary after opening the space with a sell-out run last year. The cast includes Denise Black (Lady Cooper/Ma Dimmock), Bethan Cullinane (Jackie Dimmock), Joe Tracini (Len Gooch) and Michael Fenton Stevens (Lord Beaverbrook) joining returning cast members David Birrell (Fred Dimmock/Hugh Downing), Catherine Cusack (Lil Dimmock/Sylvia Meinster) and Shala Nyx (Polly Stride). The production opens on 1 February, with previews from 30 January, and runs until 2 March.

Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth have today announced the full cast for YOU STUPID DARKNESS!, a World Premiere from Sam Steiner (Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons; Kanye the First), directed by Paines Plough Joint Artistic Director James Grieve. The new play, set in a call centre for Brightline helpline, looks at the struggle for optimism and community amid the chaos of a collapsing world. The cast includes David Carlyle, Andrew Finnigan, Becci Gemmell and Lydia Larson. The production marks the continuation of a long-standing relationship between Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth and follows the success of Love, Love, Love and The Angry Brigade.

Shakespeare's Globe is delighted to announce the Summer Season 2019. Celebrating and interrogating our 'sceptred isle' through Shakespeare's history plays, a year-long journey begins with Richard II, opening 22 February in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, continuing into the Globe Theatre this summer with Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V. The season also includes A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, and the return of 2018's As You Like It. Robin Hood tales will form the core of the Read Not Dead series this year, and festivals throughout the summer include Women & Power and Poland is Hamlet. This year's Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank production will be Romeo and Juliet, opening on 28 February, with 20,000 free tickets available to state secondary schools. The Shakespeare's Globe Touring Ensemble will once again present a trio of plays for the audience to choose from: The Comedy of Errors, Pericles, and Twelfth Night.

Writer and Director Che Walker returns to the Finborough Theatre to direct the European premiere of his own play Time Is Love/Tiempo es Amor, opening at the Finborough Theatre for a four-week limited season today, 1 January 2019 (Press Nights: Thursday, 3 January and Friday, 4 January 2019 at 7.30pm).

Shakespeare's Globe has announced the full cast for Christopher Marlowe's Edward II, directed by Nick Bagnall, and for Tom Stuart's new play After Edward, directed by Brendan O'Hea.

In the intimate candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe, Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus has once again been brought to life on the London stage. In this version however, director Paulette Randall has switched the lead's gender, with Jocelyn Jee Esien taking on the role of the ambitious and knowledgeable Faustus.

The Gate Theatre have announced their next production, Dear Elizabeth, a two-hander by award winning US playwright Sarah Ruhl will be performed by a series of guest actors including Travis Alabanza, Jade Anouka,Tim Crouch, Tamsin Greig and Alex Jennings.

Writer and Director Che Walker returns to the Finborough Theatre to direct the European premiere of his own play Time Is Love/Tiempo es Amor, opening at the Finborough Theatre for a four-week limited season on Tuesday, 1 January 2019 (Press Nights: Thursday, 3 January and Friday, 4 January 2019 at 7.30pm).

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. We've already posted our Christmas picks, and now here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings (sans tinsel). Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld reviews, interviews and features!

Jodie Prenger leads the cast in Abigail's Party, Mike Leigh's groundbreaking comedy classic which begins a major UK tour in Brighton on 10 January 2019 and tours until 20 April 2019 in Edinburgh.

Mischief Theatre today announces new cast members and 2019 extension for the critically acclaimed and Olivier Award nominated The Comedy About A Bank Robbery. Due to continued high demand, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery announces an extension of their run until 3 November 2019, as they approach their third year on the West End.

You wait so long for a Macbeth then like the buses, four major productions come along at once. The Barbican is staging the Royal Shakespeare Company's offering while the roundly panned National Theatre's effort is out on tour and the National Youth Theatre's version is playing in the West End.

Playing the Wicked Witch of the West, actor Jos Vantyler shares the challenges of taking on such well-known roles, the joys of performing villains, and what audiences can expect from the show.

Queens-based Rude Grooms will mount a limited Halloween engagement of the rarely seen 1621 play The Witch of Edmonton in partnership with The Astorian and Long Island City Artists. The play was written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford and will be led by actor-manager Kate Pitt (The Way of the World at the Folger Theatre, Rude Grooms' Much Ado About Nothing) and associate produced by Emma Montoya Hills (Associate General Manager, HERE Arts Center). The production will play the Plaxall Gallery on October 28th at 7:30pm and The Astorian on Halloween, October 31, at 7:30pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at rudegrooms.com.