THE RAILWAY CHILDREN Wins LOA For "Best Entertainment"

As Damian Cruden's production of The Railway Children wins the Best Entertainment Award at the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards, the producers announce that comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke will lead the cast as Station Master Perks in the revival of the critically acclaimed show which returns to Waterloo Station Theatre this summer.

Joining Marcus Brigstocke are David Baron as the Old Gentleman, Mark Holgate as Jim, Tim Lewis as Peter, Andrew Loudon as the Father and Doctor, Amy Noble as Roberta, Blair Plant as Shepansky and Grace Rowe as Phyllis. Final casting will be announced shortly.

Tickets are now on sale for the Olivier award-winning production which runs for a second season at The Waterloo Station Theatre from 19 June until 4 September with press night on 28 June 2011. Seen last year by over 165,000 people, Joanna Scotcher won the Whatsonstage.com award for Best Design. Lighting is by Richard G. Jones, with music by Christopher Madin and sound by Craig Vear. With audiences sitting either side of a real railway track, the 1000 seat Waterloo Station Theatre was created especially for this production in the old Eurostar Terminal.

Marcus Brigstocke has recently made his musical theatre debut playing King Arthur in the UK Tour of Monty Python's Spamalot. In 1996, after studying Drama at Bristol University, he won the BBC New Comedian Award at the Edinburgh Festival. A regular on the BBC's Have I Got News For You, QI, The Now Show and Just A Minute, he has also written and recorded three series and four specials of his show, Giles Wemmbley-Hogg Goes Off. Brigstocke played Adam Savage in the BBC 1 drama The Savages as well as Rick in BBC3's Vacant Possession. On stage his credits include God Collar at the Vaudeville Theatre, The Award Winning Show and The Museum of Everything at the Pleasance Theatre and Help Yourself at the Gilded Balloon and on Tour. On film his credits include Love Actually, Beyond The Sea and Telstar. Brigstocke has recently finished writing his first book, God Collar, which will be published by Bantam Press in June. God Collar focuses on the 'God-shaped hole' that opened up in Marcus's life following the death of his best friend and with his unique and incisive humour explores his own issues surrounding ideas of faith.

Mike Kenny's adaptation was first produced by York Theatre Royal at the National Railway Museum, York, where it enjoyed two sell-out and critically acclaimed seasons in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 Jenny King and Matthew Gale transferred the production into Waterloo Station where the run of the production was extended due to public demand. The Great Northern Railway No 1, Stirling Single from the National Railway Museum, York, and the Old Gentleman's Saloon that was used in the original 1970 feature film, will return to Waterloo as the production re-opens this Summer. A North American production, also produced by Matthew Gale and Jenny King, will open at the Roundhouse Theatre in Toronto from 3 May 2011 and further productions are being planned for New York, San Francisco, Melbourne and Sydney.

The Railway Children tells the story of Bobby, Peter and Phyllis, three children whose lives change dramatically when their father is mysteriously taken away. They move from London to a cottage in rural Yorkshire with their mother where they befriend the local railway porter and embark on a magical journey of discovery, friendship and adventure. But the mystery remains - where is Father, and is he ever coming back?

E. Nesbit's much loved children's book, The Railway Children, was first published in 1906 and has subsequently been adapted for the stage and screen, most famously in the 1970 film version directed by the late Lionel Jeffries and starring Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins, Dinah Sheridan and Sally Thomsett.

The Railway Children, a York Theatre Royal production, is presented in London in association with the National Rail Museum by Jenny King and Matthew Gale for The Touring Consortium (Railway Children), Tristan Baker, Oliver Royds, PW Productions and Sue Scott Davison. The production has been made possible with the support of BRB (Residuary) Ltd, Arts Council England, Welcome to Yorkshire and Network Rail.

Listings Information
Dates 19 June - 4 September 2011

Address The Waterloo Station Theatre, Waterloo Station, SE1

Box Office 0871 297 0740

Performances Tuesday - Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday - Saturday matinees at 2.30pm* (extra matinees at peak times)
Sundays at 1.00pm and 5.00pm with some Sundays at 2.30pm*
*check with box office or on website for schedule

Tickets £22.75 - £49.75 - all prices include a donation to Railway Children Charity

Website www.railwaychildrenwaterloo.com