Charles Kingsley

For 2020, the 44th year of London's annual festival of contemporary visual theatre, 10 overseas companies join 8 British groups, including 4 LIMF co-commissioned productions: This Time, a tender take on relationships and ageing from aerial theatre company Ockham's Razor; Romancing the Apocalypse from multi award winning dance duo Thick & Tight; Dead Good, a funny and poignant story of dying from full mask theatre company Vamos Theatre; and the story of one of showbiz's long overlooked partnerships, The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel performed by Told by an Idiot at new festival venue, the iconic Wilton's Music Hall.

9 - 11 December, Pontine Theatre presents A New England Christmas at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye NH.  The program includesChristmas Everyday by William Dean Howells, Once on Christmas by Dorothy Thomas and Cap'n Eli's Best Ear, by Frank Stockton.  Performances areFriday at 7pm, Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 2pm.  Tickets are $24 and may be purchased in advance at -- www.pontine.org.  Tickets may also be purchased at the door  a half-hour prior to each performance, based on availability.  This production is underwritten by Gillian Aguilar.  Pontine's 2016-17 Season is supported by grants from the NH State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Seacoast Science Center is located at 570 Ocean Blvd in Rye NH.  For information, contact Pontine --info@pontine.org -- (603) 436-6660.    

Long Wharf Theatre will honor Charles C. Kingsley, a former chair of the Board of Trustees and a partner at Wiggin and Dana, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, with the organization's Founders Award.

New musical theatre is often showcased in fringe venues to test the water and see if the show could have success on a larger platform. Water Babies, however, has its first outing on the stage of one of the largest producing houses in the country, the Curve in Leicester. The production values are extremely high and it is evident that there is a lot of belief in this project. Judging by what I witnessed last night, this production absolutely needs and deserves a future.

Richard E Grant will appear 'as live' on stage interacting with the real actors in a never seen before 3D hologram effect - a first for a theatrical production. Using a combination of cutting edge technology and traditional theatre illusion this effect allows live actors to perform alongside filmed sequences.

Directed by Ed Curtis, with music by Chris Egan, and book and lyrics by Ed Curtis and Guy Jones, this enthralling new musical, with landmark special effects, will open on 6 May, with previews from the 24 April, and run until 17 May. Cementing its reputation for staging major new musicals, Curve sets Water Babies on its journey.

Lauren Samuels joins Louise Dearman in the world premiere of a brand new musical inspired by Charles Kingsley's classic novel, The Water Babies. Hinckley-born actress Lauren Samuels returns to Curve where she made her professional stage debut. A finalist in Andrew Lloyd's Webber search for Dorothy - Over the Rainbow, her career has since flourished to the West End and beyond.

Louise Dearman will lead the cast of the world premiere of a brand new musical inspired by Charles Kingsley's classic novel, The Water Babies. The first actress to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in the global smash-hit musical Wicked, Dearman makes her Curve debut as Mrs D.

Long Wharf Theatre's Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Sandy Stoddard as chair, succeeding Charles Kingsley.