Rose Theatre Kingston Announces Spring 2019 Season
By: Stephi Wild Sep. 28, 2018
With the world première double-bill of Nick Dear's Hogarth's Progress currently playing at Rose Theatre Kingston as part of its 10th anniversary season, the company today announces its Spring 2019 season. This will be the first season presented in the venue's newly reconfigured auditorium, with developments taking place in January 2019 following a capital fundraising programme.
The season includes the first major stage production of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, a co-production with Neil Laidlaw and Birmingham Repertory Theatre opening at Rose Theatre Kingston ahead of a UK tour. Based on the best-selling novel by Louis de Bernières, the production is adapted by Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Rona Munro and directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Melly Still, who returns to the company following the world première production of My Brilliant Friend last year. Lindsay Posner also returns to Rose Theatre Kingston with Marie Jones' Olivier Award-winning Stones in His Pockets, having directed a revival of Stephen Bill's Curtains earlier this year.
As part of its drama season, the company also welcomes the critically acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee's best-selling novel To Kill a Mockingbird, a Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production presented by Jonathan Church Productions, Curve and Regent's Park Theatre Ltd.
The season also includes two family shows which will tour the UK. Firstly, the company presents the world première stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's much-loved Zog in a co-production with Freckle Productions. Then, Rose Theatre Kingston and Curve come together once again as co-producers, following the success of George's Marvellous Medicine earlier this year, with a brand new production of Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat.
Also announced today is that submissions are open for the first annual Peter Hall Emerging Artists Fellowship (PHEAF), a new initiative in honour of Sir Peter Hall's remarkable achievements and his service to theatre, and to recognise his role as Rose Theatre Kingston's Founding Artistic Director and his time as Chancellor of Kingston University. The scheme will provide artists with opportunities to work on Rose Theatre Productions and receive mentoring from world-class professionals and ultimately stage their own production in the Rose Theatre's Studio with the full support of the Rose team.
PHEAF is generously supported by the Rolex Institute and Kingston University. For further information, please see: https://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/news/peter-hall-emerging-artists-fellowship . Submissions are now open - applications must be received no later than Monday 22 October 2018.
Tickets for Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Stones in His Pockets and To Kill a Mocking Bird are on sale to Rose Circle members now, Loyalty Card members on Monday 1 October at 10am and go on general sale on Thursday 4 October at 10am.
Jerry Gunn, Executive Producer of Rose Theatre Kingston said today, "This will be a particularly exciting season for us as we present a wonderful programme of Rose Productions in our newly refurbished auditorium. The reconfiguring, which forms part of our 10th anniversary capital campaign, will significantly enhance the theatrical experience and we're looking forward to introducing audience members to our new space as we welcome the next ten years of theatrical fun at the Rose.
We kick-start our season with a show for our very young audience Zog, followed by an Olivier Award-winning rollicking comedy in Stones in His Pockets, mad-cap mayhem with the naughty Cat in The Hat, and the return of the director Melly Still (My Brilliant Friend) with a beautiful and heart-wrenching adaptation of the classic novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. I'm also delighted to welcome Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's astounding production of To Kill a Mockingbird which I have been desperate to bring to Kingston since seeing it for the first time."
Rose Theatre Kingston and Freckle Productions present
The world première of
Zog
Based on the best-selling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Adapted and directed by Mike Shepherd
14 - 23 February 2019
Press night: Tuesday 19 February 2019, 4pm
Large in size, and keen in nature, Zog is so eager to win a golden star at Madam Dragon's school, where dragons learn all the things that dragons need to know. Zog tries so very hard, perhaps too hard, and he bumps, burns and roars his way through years one, two and three.
Luckily, the plucky Princess Pearl patches him up ready to face his biggest challenge yet...a duel with Gadabout the Great!
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's much-loved Zog comes to life in Mike Shepherd's (founder and Artistic Director of Kneehigh) magical adaptation with Johnny Flynn's (award-winning actor and singer-songwriter with The Sussex Wit) sumptuous folk score featuring live musicians. Katie Sykes' design lifts the book from the page and creates a real and fantastical world. From the producers of Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales and Tabby McTat, Zog promises to be roaring fun for all ages.
Julia Donaldson is one of the most popular writers of children's books today; her titles include The Gruffalo, Stick Man and Room on the Broom. Other titles by Donaldson and Scheffler include The Snail & the Whale, A Squash and a Squeeze, The Smartest Giant in Town and The Tales from Acorn Wood series.
Axel Scheffler has achieved worldwide acclaim for his children's book illustrations, as co-creator of The Gruffalo series, and for Jingle Jangle Jungle, Pip and Posy and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats among many others. Born in Germany, Axel now lives in London with his partner and daughter.
Mike Shepherd is the founder and Artistic Director of Kneehigh. Mike is an actor, director and teacher who believes passionately in the conditions of creativity. Recent directing credits include Tin Drum, Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) and The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.
Johnny Flynn is an English poet, musician, and actor. He is the front-man of English folk band Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit, and as an actor he recently starred on screen in British thriller, Beast.
Rose Theatre Kingston and Theatre Royal Bath Productions present
Stones in His Pockets
By Marie Jones
Directed by Lindsay Posner
28 February - 9 March 2019
A quiet community in rural Ireland is turned upside down when a Hollywood film crew descends to film their latest blockbuster in this moving and hilariously sharp comedy by Marie Jones, directed by Lindsay Posner.
When the quintessentially optimistic Charlie and the ever so cynical Jake meet as extras on a Hollywood film shoot in Ireland, they strike up an unusual friendship. After a tragic incident involving a local teenager, Charlie and Jake begin to discover more about themselves and their community than they could have imagined.
A poignant exploration of the collision between romanticised notions of 'Irishness' and the harsher reality, Marie Jones' Olivier Award-winning comedy is brought to life by two extraordinary actors playing all 15 characters between themselves - from the cheeky lads intent on stardom to Hollywood Goddesses!
Marie Jones's work includes Archy in Manhattan (Grand Opera House), Dear Arabella (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), an adaptation of Gogol's The Government Inspector (UK/Irish tour), A Night in November (International tour), Women on the Verge of HRT (UK/Irish tour/Vaudeville Theatre), Dancing Shoes, co-written with Martin Lynch (Grand Opera House/UK tour) and Fly Me to The Moon which premièred at the Grand Opera House prior to a run in New York and is now being performed and translated in other countries including Canada and throughout Scandinavia.
Lindsay Posner's directing credits for the Rose include Curtains. Other credits include Romeo & Juliet, Richard III (Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, York), Stones in his Pockets (McCarter Theatre, US), The Lie, The Truth, Dinner with Saddam, Communicating Doors (Menier Chocolate Factory), Abigail's Party (Menier Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Bath, Wyndham's Theatre, UK tour), The End of Longing, Speed the Plow (Playhouse Theatre), Hay Fever (Duke of York's Theatre), Harvey (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Relatively Speaking (Wyndham's Theatre), A Little Hotel on the Side (Theatre Royal Bath), Other Desert Cities, The Winslow Boy and Noises Off (The Old Vic), The Turn of the Screw (Almeida Theatre) and Uncle Vanya (Vaudeville Theatre). He was Associate Director of the Royal Court from 1987-1992 where his productions included Death and the Maiden (which transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre and won two Olivier Awards), Colquhoun and McBryde and The Treatment.
Rose Theatre Kingston welcomes
A Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's production presented by Jonathan Church Productions, Curve and Regent's Park Theatre Ltd
To Kill a Mockingbird
Adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel
Based on the novel by Harper Lee
12 - 23 March 2019
Guest performance: Wednesday 13 March 2019, 7.30pm
Experience the critically acclaimed production of one of the greatest novels of the 20th century as the sell-out show returns to the stage.
Set in the Deep South, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel sees racial injustice divide a small-town community. With integrity and compassion, lawyer Atticus Finch seeks the truth. His courageous daughter, Scout, brings hope to a neighbourhood in turmoil.
This utterly enchanting and timely production from London's award-winning Regent's Park Theatre captures the warmth, poignancy and magic of this best-loved classic.
Rose Theatre Kingston and Curve, Leicester present
A brand new production of
The Cat in the Hat
Based on the much-loved book by Dr. Seuss
Adapted by Katie Mitchell
Directed by Suba Das
Set & Costume Design: Isla Shaw; Composer: Tasha Taylor Johnson
10 - 20 April 2019
Guest performance: Wednesday 10 April 2019, 5.30pm
Press performance at Curve: Friday 14 December 2018, 1.30pm
When the Cat in the Hat steps onto the mat, Sally and her brother are in for a rollercoaster ride of havoc and mayhem! The Cat can rescue them from a dull rainy day, but what mischief do they get up to along the way?
Look at me! Look at me! Look at me NOW! It's fun to have fun but you have to know how!
Based on the much-loved book by Dr Seuss that has captivated generations of readers, The Cat in the Hat features feline frivolity aplenty, with his acrobatic accomplices Thing 1 and Thing 2. With riotous rhymes, which have delighted children for over fifty years, and infectious humour and spectacular circus for the grown-ups, the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat comes to Rose Theatre next year.
Directed by Curve's Associate Director Suba Das (Pink Sari Revolution, Sukanya), with Design by Isla Shaw (The Witches, The Gruffalo) and original songs from Composer Tasha Taylor Johnson (George's Marvellous Medicine), this Rose Theatre Kingston and Curve co-production of The Cat in the Hat will be a purrfect treat for all the family.
Age recommendation: 4+
Suba Das is Associate Director at Curve. His credits for the company include Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party, the European première production of Shiv by James Tait and the world premières of Wipers by Ishy Din, Ravi Shankar's Sukanya and Pink Sari Revolution, based on the book by Amana Fontanella-Khan. Other credits include East Is East (Northern Stage/Nottingham Playhouse), POP (National Centre for Circus Arts/Roundhouse CircusFest), Hope Light and Nowhere (Underbelly/IdeasTap Edinburgh Award winner), Zindabad (Tamasha Theatre Company/Gate Theatre), Medea (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and a trilogy of site-specific work: Othello, The Winter's Tale (in partnership with the Old Vic Tunnels) and The Revenger's Tragedy (with Hoxton Hall). In addition Das co-founded the BAME theatre and training company Custom/Practice and created and curates the annual Inside Out Festival, a showcase of East Midlands' talent. He is also a Trustee of North Music Trust, a Critical Friend for the Royal Opera House and a judge for the Sky Arts Academy Awards.
Rose Theatre Kingston, Neil Laidlaw Productions and Birmingham Repertory Theatre present
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Based on the novel by Louis de Bernières
Adapted by Rona Munro
Directed by Melly Still
Set and Costume Designer: Mayou Trikerioti; Lighting Designer: Malcolm Rippeth
Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls; Projection Designer: Dom Baker for OD Vision; Composer: Harry Blake
23 April - 12 May 2019
Press night: Thursday 25 April, 7pm
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is an epic love story set on the Greek island of Cephalonia. It follows the lives of Dr Iannis, his beautiful, strong-willed daughter Pelagia and the Italian Captain Antonio Corelli, during the Italian and German occupation of the island in World War II.
The first major stage production of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, based on the best-selling novel by Louis de Bernières will tour the UK in 2019, 25 years after the book was first published. Captain Corelli's Mandolin will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Melly Still and adapted by Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Rona Munro. Casting to be announced.
For Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernières won the 1995 Commonwealth Writers' Prize - Overall Winner for Best Book, the 1995 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction and the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. In 2001, the novel was adapted into a film starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.
Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television and most recently adapted Elizabeth Strout's My Name is Lucy Barton for a new production at The Bridge Theatre, directed by Richard Eyre and starring Laura Linney. Rona received huge critical acclaim for The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and National Theatre), which won Best Play at the Evening Standard Awards and Writers' Guild Awards in 2015. Rona's TV and film work includes Oranges and Sunshine, directed by Jim Loach and starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving, Aimee and Jaguar, which won a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and also received a Golden Globe nomination, and the BAFTA-nominated Bumping the Odds for the BBC. Rona is currently working on the adaptation of Ian Rankin's Rebus: Long Shadows for Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Melly Still is currently directing the UK tour of The Lovely Bones. Her directing credits for the Rose include the world première of My Brilliant Friend. Other directing credits for theatre include Cymbeline (RSC), The Haunting of Hill House (Sonia Friedman Productions, Hammer and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), Life Raft (Bristol Old Vic), Coram Boy (National Theatre/Broadway - for which she was a Tony Award nominee for Best Director), From Morning Till Midnight, Nation, The Revenger's Tragedy (National Theatre), Rats' Tales (Manchester Royal Exchange), Beasts and Beauties (Hampstead Theatre) and Tiger Bay the Musical (Wales Millennium Centre). Her opera directing work includes The Cunning Little Vixen and Rusalka (Glyndebourne) and Zaide (Sadler's Wells). She will also direct the upcoming UK and Ireland tour and European stage première of Agatha Christie's The Mirror Crack'd.
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