Ben Stones News

Sheffield Theatres today announces the cast for its trilogy of new plays, Rock / Paper / Scissors, by Chris Bush.

Sheffield Theatres today announced the third director of the trilogy of new plays, Rock/Paper/Scissors by Chris Bush. Elin Schofield joins the previously announced Robert Hastie (Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres) and Anthony Lau (RTYDS Associate Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres) in the creative team.

In a world where people are being displaced every day, with very little news coverage on the seriousness of the situation, Kate Prince MBE imagines a fictional story of a family trying to find a place to call a new home. They live in harmony, until civil war disrupts this existence and devastates the community. They travel shores, making impossible choices in order to survive. Along the way, they lose one another, and have to find agency to find their way on their own. Sat against the backdrop of the music of legendary artist Sting, featuring vocals from other powerhouses, this electric dance piece is a story of love, loss, hope and trust.

Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Robert Hastie, today announces the Together Season, a bold programme of exciting work that will bring live theatre back to Sheffield this autumn; an open call for submissions for local artists to bring work to the Crucible stage in 2021 and the appointment of a new Associate Artistic Director, Anthony Lau, supported by RTYDS. 

A group of leading Theatre Designers have formed #scenechange a?" a Community that brings designers together at a moment of great uncertainty for the theatre industry and its creative professionals, to join in conversation and explore how to navigate a way through this time.

Kes Reimagined,created by award-winning choreographer Jonathan Watkins, will be made available to watch online via The Space for free from Tuesday 19 May at 7pm and available for 30 days.

Robert Hastie directs a dynamic, contemporary production of Shakespeare's tale of leadership, political machinations and the whims of public opinion.

Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK present Message In A Bottle, a new dance theatre production by Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting.

Theatre Royal Stratford East today announces the cast for Welcome to Iran, a new play written and directed by Artistic Director Nadia Fall and co-produced with the National Theatre. The production has its world premiere at Theatre Royal Stratford East between 18 April to 16 May before transferring to the National Theatre from 21 May to 13 June. The cast includes Moe Bar-El, Nalân Burgess, Souad Faress, Karina Fernandez, Nicholas Karimi, Serena Manteghi, Maimuna Memon, Isabella Nefar, Kareem Samara and Joplin Sibtain.

With the critically acclaimed production of The Boy Friend currently running at the theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announce the forthcoming two productions a?" the European première of Paula Vogel's Tony Award-winning play Indecent, directed by Rebecca Taichman; and Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus directed by Patrick Marber, who returns to the Menier following his smash-hit production of Tom Stoppard's Travesties.

Shakespeare's Globe has announced full casting for the world premiere of Swive [Elizabeth]. Created by award-winning writer Ella Hickson and award-winning director Natalie Abrahami, and designed by Ben Stones, this new play will shine candlelight on the ways and means by which women in power negotiate patriarchal pressure in order to get their way.

ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company's award-nominated Some Like It Hip Hop returns to The Peacock for a run from Wednesday 23 October - Saturday 9 November, following a UK tour.

Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK today announce the cast and creative team for Message In A Bottle, a new dance theatre production by Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting.

Laura Wade isn't the first to tackle Jane Austen's unfinished novel, abandoned in 1805, but she is the only one so far to write herself, the struggling adaptor, into the text. This witty, ingenious and surprisingly philosophical play, which premiered at Chichester last year, merges Austen with Pirandello, and satire with big existential questions.

The National Theatre has announced 15 productions of new plays and fresh adaptations by leading writers.

Sheffield's Richard Hawley-based musical is a spectacular piece of theatre that is full of humour and love - without dodging difficult social issues.

A comic operetta is a difficult thing to pull off, but the ENO has good form with the genre, having had great success with an irreverent version of Iolanthe last year. This year, they turn their attention to a new version of The Merry Widow for the first time in over a decade.

Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres Robert Hastie today announces the full casts for the debbie tucker green's hang; and the world premiere of his production of the new musical Standing at the Sky's Edge with music and lyrics by Richard Hawley and book by Chris Bush.

The full company for the Royal Exchange Theatre's brand-new production of THE PRODUCERS, directed by Raz Shaw, has been announced today. Joining Julius D'Silva and Stuart Neal who play the wonderfully bizarre double act Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, are MATILDA's Ms Trunchbull Charles Brunton (Roger De Bris), Hammed Animashaun, (Carmen Ghia), Dale Meeks (Franz Liebkind), Emily-Mae (Ulla) and an ensemble of 11 multi-talented actors. This wickedly funny, outrageous love letter to the Broadway musical builds upon the Exchange's growing reputation for reinventing celebrated musicals for its unique in-the-round theatre. Raz is joined by Choreographer Alistair David and Musical Supervisor Caroline Humphris. Featuring show-stopping songs such as Springtime for Hitler and When You Got It Flaunt It the production runs from 30 November 2018 - 26 January 2019.

The full company has been announced for Laura Wade's new play THE WATSONS, adapted from Jane Austen's unfinished novel, which receives its world premiere at the Minerva Theatre from 3 November - 1 December, with a press night on 8 November. Directed by Samuel West, the cast is: Sam Alexander, Sally Bankes, Joe Bannister, Jane Booker, Elaine Claxton, Tim Delap, Leonardo Dickens, Sophie Duval, Archie Elliot, Louise Ford, John Wilson Goddard, Grace Molony, Elander Moore, Katherine Rose Morley, Paksie Vernon, Cat White and Laurence Ubong Williams.