Simon Daw News

Orange Tree Artistic Director Paul Miller directs the first major London production in a generation of Terence Rattigan's Blitz-era comedy While the Sun Shines. It follows Miller's acclaimed production of Rattigan's French Without Tears, which played two sold out runs at the Orange Tree Theatre before embarking on a UK tour.

Full casting has been announced for the West End transfer of The Worst Witch, adapted for the stage by Emma Reeves from Jill Murphy's original books. The Worst Witch opens at the Vaudeville Theatre from 24 July - 8 September 2019, following a hugely successful nationwide tour.

Packed with cauldrons full of original songs, magic and mayhem, The Worst Witch flies on to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage for the first time from Wed 22 - Sun 26 May.

The Worst Witch will fly into the West End for 7 weeks only, over the summer holidays, from 24 July * to 8 September (*all tickets for the 24 July performance are just £20.00!) following its hugely successful premiere at Royal & Derngate and hit UK tour. This new story, adapted for the stage from Jill Murphy's original books by Emma Reeves (who won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Children's TV Programme and 2017 British Screenwriters Award for Best Children's Programme for the televised version of The Worst Witch) was launched last November as Royal & Derngate's Made in Northampton 2018 Christmas show.

Long before Harry Potter or Hermione Grainger there was Mildred Hubble - an ordinary girl who found herself enrolled in a school for witches. Now audiences are invited to join her on her biggest and most important adventure yet when The Worst Witch comes to the Belgrade Theatre this Easter.

The world premiere of a stage version of Jill Murphy's The Worst Witch is the non-panto festive show at Northampton's Royal and Derngate this Christmas, ahead of a national tour in 2019.

The all-female cast has been confirmed for the world premiere production of The Worst Witch which opens at Royal & Derngate this Christmas as part of the theatre's Made in Northampton season. An original story for the stage by Emma Reeves (Royal Television Society Award for Best Children's TV Programme and 2017 British Screenwriters Award for Best Children's Programme) based upon Jill Murphy's beloved series of classic novels The Worst Witch, the production will be directed by Theresa Heskins (2017 UK Theatre Award for Best Show for Children and Young People) and designed by Simon Daw, with music by Luke Potter.

The first major revival of Charlotte Jones' play Humble Boy is another interesting choice by the Orange Tree's Artistic Director Paul Miller. It is surely a challenge to pull off a play that combines astrophysics, bee-keeping and Shakespearean family angst, but Miller achieves this in a neat and clever way, whilst maintaining tenderness and gentle comedy.

Paul Bradley, Jonathan Broadbent, Selina Cadell, Rebekah Hinds, Belinda Lang and Christopher Ravenscroft will appear in the first major London revival of Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones, directed by OT Artistic Director Paul Miller. The production is designed by Simon Daw, with lighting design by Mark Doubleday and the sound designer and composer is Max Pappenheim.

A bereaved couple meet after a long separation. Stilted pleasantries give way to raw accusations and brutal truths. It would be very easy for Poison to be a melodramatic hour and twenty minutes of trite pain, closure and gaining the strength to move on. Thankfully this UK premiere of Lot Vekemans' critically acclaimed two-hander avoids all such obvious clich s to produce a production of immense subtlety and sensitivity.

Adirondack Theatre Festival is presenting The Boy in the Bathroom as part of its 23rd summer season of professional theater. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26-Saturday, July 29 and Tuesday, Aug. 1-Friday, Aug. 4, as well as a 2 p.m. matinee performance Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the Charles R. Wood Theater.

This September, SoBe Arts will present the world premiere of TESLA, a multidisciplinary opera, by Carson Kievman and Thomas Babe, about the exceptional life, explorations and brilliant inventions of Nikola Tesla.  We are please to announce our amazing cast and creative team and share the story of Tesla.

Flint Youth Theatre is proud to announce Michael Lluberes as the new Producing Artistic Director. Michael Lluberes is an award winning playwright and director. His work includes: The Boy in the Bathroom (New York Musical Theatre Festival, NYMF Best New Musical and Best Book Awards, Chance Theater, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Upcoming: Adirondack Theatre Festival), Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers (BroadwayWorld L.A. Theatre Award Best Play, The Blank Theatre, No Rules Theatre Company, Kennedy Center Page-to-Stage Festival), The Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died But Teacher You Went Right On (ASCAP/Dreamworks Workshop), Twelfth Night (Sonnet Rep), Bayonets of Angst (NYMF), Simon Dawes Becomes A Planet (Time Shared), 1,000 Cats (TV: HBO's Funny Or Die Presents).

Stewart Permutt's two-hander is the latest piece to run in Park Theatre's Park90 performance space, running alongside Action To The Word's A Clockwork Orange in Park200. As the play begins it looks like it will be a study on religious intolerance and culture clash, but as it goes on it tries to deal with the weighty topic of mental health. This lack of focus is one of the play's biggest failings.

Birmingham Hippodrome is delighted to welcome esteemed choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh to The Patrick Centre on Mon 27 & Tues 28 Mar, with her virtuoso new dance work, Material Men redux.  

Manchester International Festival has today announced John McGrath's inaugural programme for the 2017 event (Thursday 29 June - Sunday 16 July).

Award-winning Director and Choreographer, Arthur Pita in collaboration with HeadSpaceDance returns to London to present his latest production STEPMOTHER/STEPFATHER - a wickedly gruesome double bill of dark dance. STEPMOTHER/STEPFATHER will tour to Birmingham and Bournemouth before its London premiere at The Place from 2nd to 11th March, followed by visits to Canterbury, Salford Quays and Newcastle. Tickets are on sale at all venues.

Leading television and stage actress Michelle Collins is to be joined by newly announced cast member Joe Coen (Bad Jews) for the World Premiere of A Dark Night in Dalston.

Delving into the murky history and contemporary reality of the garment industry, World Factory provokes a conversation about consumer capitalism and ethical trade in relation to China. The original production of World Factory was created and produced by METIS Projects in co-production with the New Wolsey Theatre, the Young Vic, and Company of Angels, and first performed at the New Wolsey Theatre and Young Vic in 2015.

Delving into the murky history and contemporary reality of the garment industry, World Factory provokes a conversation about consumer capitalism and ethical trade in relation to China. The original production of World Factory was created and produced by METIS Projects in co-production with the New Wolsey Theatre, the Young Vic, and Company of Angels, and first performed at the New Wolsey Theatre and Young Vic in 2015.