Alan Bennett News

THE MARLOWE Studio finishes its current season with an eclectic mix of shows.

Quintessence Theatre Group continues its fourth season of progressive classic theatre with its first family classic for the holiday season, Kenneth Grahame's THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS adapted for the stage by Alan Bennett and directed by Alexander Burns. THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS will begin previews on Wednesday, December 11 at 7pm and open on Saturday, December 14 at 7pm. All performances are at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave in Mt Airy, Philadelphia, 19119. To purchase tickets visit www.QuintessenceTheatre.org or call 215.987.4450.

After years of collaboration, Greenwich Theatre and Sell a Door Theatre Company have formally announced a partnership.

Chicago area and North Shore audiences -- for the third consecutive year -- will have the opportunity to experience the best of British theatre in December, when the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University presents the National Theatre Live (NT Live) broadcast series.

THE MARLOWE Studio finishes its current season with an eclectic mix of shows.

From Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from The Mysteries to Angels in America, from Guys and Dolls to London Road - join us for a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, featuring many of the most celebrated actors who have performed on our stages over the past five decades and directed by Nicholas Hytner.

The 50th anniversary celebration 'LIVE FROM THE NATIONAL THEATRE: 50 YEARS ON STAGE,' directed by Nicholas Hytner, will be broadcast by National Theatre Live to cinemas internationally today, November 2, 2013 (with many encore dates in U.S. cities). From Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from Antony and Cleopatra to Angels in America, from Guys and Dolls to London Road, this will be a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, featuring many of the most celebrated actors who have performed on their stages over the past five decades.

The Phoenix, the New Theatre Company founded by long-time PICT artistic director and founder Andrew Paul and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre founder and former director of theatre initiatives at the August Wilson Center, Mark Clayton Southers, will debut with a four week run of Joe Penhall's provocative, caustically funny, Olivier Award-winning play Blue/Orange. The production will star acclaimed actors David Whalen, Sam Tsoutsouvas, and newcomer Rico Parker, with direction by Andrew Paul and scenic design by Mark Clayton Southers. Blue/Orange, sponsored by founding Phoenix Board Member and noted arts philanthropist Richard E. Rauh, plays tonight, November 1-23, 2013 at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

The grandeur of Italian opera Live in HD from the Met will feature Puccini's Tosca starring Patricia Racette and Sondra Radvanovsky on Saturday, November 9, at 12:55 p.m. at The Ridgefield Playhouse. Benjamin Britten stars in Alan Bennett's play The Habit of Art on Wednesday, November 20, at 6:30 p.m. Live in HD from London's National Theatre. For tickets ($25 adults, $20 seniors/members, $15 students, $18 each for all 10 in the series), call the box office at (203) 438-5795, or order online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

The longlist for the annual Evening Standard Theatre Awards has been announced, and includes Dame Judi Dench, Dame Helen Mirren, James McAvoy and Dominic West.

THE MARLOWE Theatre helped the National Theatre celebrate its 50th birthday yesterday (Tuesday).

Thanks to the Live in HD series, the best of British theatre and The New York Metropolitan opera are coming to The Ridgefield Playhouse. The Met's inventive production of Shostakovich's The Nose will fill the Playhouse on Monday, October 28. Appropriately for Halloween, Frankenstein stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller on Thursday, October 31. Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art is center stage on Wednesday, November 20. These performances start at 6:30 p.m. and include behind-the-scenes tours and commentary by some of the genres' most revered stars. For dinner-and-a-show, Bernard's (22 West Lane, Ridgefield) is offering a special $45 prix-fixe menu, or a free glass of wine with dinner when tickets for Frankenstein and The Habit of Art are presented; reservations suggested beginning at 5 p.m.These events are underwritten by Jeanne Cook, Anita and Nicholas Donofrio, Liz and Steven Goldstone, Marilyn and Joe Kreitz, Joanne and John Patrick, Sabina and Walter Slavin, Taylor Zemo Foundation and The Ridgefield Press with support from Starbucks and Whistle Stop Bakery (products available in the lobby) and media sponsor WSHU.

The Phoenix, the new theatre company founded by long-time PICT artistic director and founder Andrew Paul and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre founder and former director of theatre initiatives at the August Wilson Center, Mark Clayton Southers, will debut with a four week run of Joe Penhall's provocative, caustically funny, Olivier Award-winning play Blue/Orange. The production will star acclaimed actors David Whalen, Sam Tsoutsouvas, and newcomer Rico Parker, with direction by Andrew Paul and scenic design by Mark Clayton Southers. Blue/Orange, sponsored by founding Phoenix Board Member and noted arts philanthropist Richard E. Rauh, plays November 1-23, 2013 at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.

According to a recent tweet by Stiles and Drewe, there may be a UK tour of BETTY BLUE EYES set for the Spring of 2014.

Helen Mirren, Benedict Cumberbatch and Christopher Eccleston have joined the starry cast for the National Theatre of Great Britain's 50th anniversary celebration "LIVE FROM THE NATIONAL THEATRE: 50 YEARS ON STAGE," directed by Nicholas Hytner. This special event will be broadcast by National Theatre Live to cinemas internationally on Saturday, November 2, 2013 (with many encore dates in U.S. cities). From Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to The History Boys, from Antony and Cleopatra to Angels in America, from Guys and Dolls to London Road, this will be a thrilling evening of live performance and rare glimpses from the archive, featuring many of the most celebrated actors who have performed on their stages over the past five decades.

Experiencing a play from Britain's National Theatre in London is possible thanks to the Live in HD series at The Ridgefield Playhouse, which will broadcast NTL 50 Years on Stage on Sunday, December 1, at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate its 50th anniversary, The National Theatre of Great Britain presents a once-in-a-lifetime performance featuring stars from its early golden period under the leadership of Laurence Olivier at the Old Vic theatre to its now iconic building in the heart of London. The anniversary performance will feature Britain's finest theatrical talent, including renowned writers such as Harold Pinter, Peter Shaffer, Tom Stoppard, Alan Bennett and David Hare, and celebrated actors including Maggie Smith, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and the rising stars of today.

First presented in 1951 and filmed the following year, Women of Twilight is a hard-hitting 'all-women play' in which unmarried mothers are ruthlessly exploited by an unscrupulous, baby-farming landlady. Neglected for over half a century, Sylvia Rayman's blistering drama is a real find - and, sadly, still relevant today.

The epic production of National Theatre's "War Horse," based on the novel by English author, poet, playwright and librettist and 2003-05 Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo, is the latest addition to a series of hit London plays that will be broadcast this season at Northwestern University. Single tickets to "War Horse" go on sale today (Sept. 27).

Long-time PICT artistic director and founder, Andrew Paul and Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre founder and former director of theatre initiatives at the August Wilson Center, Mark Clayton Southers have announced Pittsburgh's newest professional theatre company, The Phoenix. The mission of The Phoenix is to explore the issues facing our diverse and rapidly changing world through the language of theatre. The name is purposeful. The phoenix was a mythological creature that crossed borders finding a home in many cultures from ancient Greece and Egypt to Turkey, Persia, Russia, Tibet, China and Japan. It was and is a symbol of renewal, new life emerging from the ashes of the old in a never-ending cycle of death and rebirth.

First presented in 1951 and filmed the following year, Women of Twilight is a hard-hitting 'all-women play' in which unmarried mothers are ruthlessly exploited by an unscrupulous, baby-farming landlady. Neglected for over half a century, Sylvia Rayman's blistering drama is a real find - and, sadly, still relevant today.