Leyshon's BEDLAM Marks First Ever Staging of Female Playwright at Globe

Playwright Nell Leyshon's work 'Bedlam' will mark the first ever staging of a female playwright in the 400-year history of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Leyshon tells the UK's Guardian that it was a "great privilege" to be the first woman ever to have a play showcased at the Globe. "It's a challenge and I'm quite aware of the fact," she said. "I have to be honest, it fed my writing; I thought I can't write a flabby play. I wanted to prove that women can do conflict, that they can write big structures, big stories because I've heard it too many times that women aren't as good at that."

'Bedlam' is a fictional portrayal of a London hospital for the insane, based on direct research from Bethlem Royal Hospital. Nell Leyshon won the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award for her play Comfort Me With Apples.

Shakespeare's Globe's 2010 theatre season is entitled ‘Kings and Rogues'. The season will open on Shakespeare's birthday - 23 April - and embrace some of the playwright's most regal rogues and some of his most roguish kings.

Shakespeare's masterpieces Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 will premiere at the new Globe, as will the rarely performed Henry VIII, which was responsible for burning down the original Globe. Henry VIII will be played by Dominic Rowan who is currently performing in the west-end production of The Misanthrope, following his celebrated performance as Touchstone in the Globe's 2009 production of As You Like It.

Henry VIII will be directed by Mark Rosenblatt (Holding Fire! at Shakespeare's Globe) and composed by Nigel Hess (Romeo and Juliet and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare's Globe). Artistic Director of the Globe, Dominic Dromgoole, will direct Jamie Parker as Prince Hal and William Gaunt as Worcester and Shallow in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. Parker (History Boys at The National Theatre and on Broadway) was last seen in the Globe season's As You Like It and A New World. William Gaunt starred in the popular BBC series Next of Kin, and his recent stage work includes The Family Reunion at the Donmar, The Cherry Orchard at Chichester and King Lear and The Seagull for the RSC. Designer Jonathan Fensom and composer Claire van Kampen return to collaborate with Dromgoole following their recent partnerships on Love's Labour's Lost and King Lear at Shakespeare's Globe.

Launching the season on Shakespeare's birthday, 23 April, will be Lucy Bailey's production of Macbeth with Elliot Cowan. Cowan recently played Stanley Kowalski in the Donmar's award-winning A Streetcar Named Desire, and his screen credits include Mr Darcy in the TV drama series Lost in Austen and Ptolemy in the film Alexander. Bailey's previous credits at the Globe include Timon of Athens and Titus Andronicus and she now returns to collaborate with the mischievous Venezuelan choreographer Javier De Frutos. De Frutos received the Olivier Award for ‘Best Theatre Choreographer' for Cabaret, and last year he premiered a sensational new work at Sadler's Wells for the Diaghilev centenary. Lady Macbeth will be played by Laura Rogers, who received critical acclaim for her performance as Celia in the Globe's 2009 production of As You Like It. Orlando Gough is composing with design by Katrina Lindsay.

Christopher Luscombe's charming and exuberant production of The Merry Wives of Windsor returns in 2010, following its triumphant 2008 Globe premiere. The Merry Wives of Windsor celebrates the foundations of the modern TV sitcom and features many characters from Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. This highly entertaining production will again feature vibrant designs from Janet Bird and Nigel Hess' delightful score.

New writing remains at the core of Dromgoole's vision for Shakespeare's Globe and the 2010 season hosts two world premieres. Award-winning playwright Howard Brenton presents his new play Anne Boleyn which dramatises the life and legacy of Henry VIII's notorious second wife as both a sexually ambitious woman and a religious reformer. Anne Boleyn will re-unite Brenton with director John Dove following their successful partnership on In Extremis at the Globe.

Bedlam by Nell Leyshon marks the Globe's first ever staging of a known female playwright in its entire history, which will be directed by Jessica Swale, who recently scored a big hit with The Rivals at Southwark Playhouse. Leyshon's new play is a fictional portrayal of a London hospital for the insane, and explores the link between art and madness. Nell Leyshon won the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award for Comfort Me With Apples.

In 2009, both new plays - Helen by Euripides in a new version by Frank McGuinness and A New World by Trevor Griffiths - smashed their targets and played to packed audiences, indicating the growing audience for new writing at Shakespeare's Globe.

In addition to its main-stage programme, Shakespeare's Globe will revive its 2009 touring productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Raz Shaw and The Comedy of Errors directed by Rebecca Gatward. Approximately 35,000 people, at over 30 beautiful venues across the UK and Europe attended a performance of the 2009 tour. In 2010, the tours will exchange venue circuits to reach new audiences and both will play two separate weeks at Shakespeare's Globe.

Dominic Dromgoole, Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe commented: "Our building continues to embrace the most democratic audience in the world - all of us a rogue and a king in our own way - much like William Shakespeare. The 2010 theatre season offers a flavour of some of his wild, warm, violent and virtuous kings and rogues - plus new creations from two of our most rousing, contemporary playwrights. We are proud to continue our national and international touring, reaching out to new audiences for the Globe."

Public booking for the theatre season opens today - 15 February 2010. Tickets are available through the box office: 020 7901 9919 / 020 7087 7398 or online: www.shakespeares-globe.org.