Dominic Cooke News

A fire is ignited as the ensemble gather silently in an act of remembrance. It then ascends high above the Olivier stage, where it continues to burn for the duration of the play. It conjures a feeling of warmth, comfort, and community, echoed by the in-the-round configuration of the extensive auditorium that somehow soon feels intimate.

A new virus is infecting gay men across New York City.  As the rising death toll is ignored by government and the medical establishment, fear and confusion turns to rage and division.  Using this anger, writer and activist Ned Weeks sets out to unite the community in their fight for recognition and right to survive. 

Writer and activist Susan Sontag once famously referred to Larry Kramer as 'one of America's most valuable troublemakers.' His play The Normal Heart is now being revived at the National Theatre.

Now in its fifth year, the award – which honours the memory of RTST co-founder, Sir Peter Hall – offers the winner their first-time opportunity to direct a full-scale, fully funded, mid-scale regional touring production of a classic or modern play, which may be an existing play or a new adaptation of a novel or film.

Extra tickets go on sale to the public from Monday 19 July. Tickets for The Normal Heart, East is East, Manor and Hex on sale to the public from Friday 30 July. Learn more about all of the upcoming productions here!

Learn more about how and where to purchase tickets for the upcoming production, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. Preview performances of The Music Man are set to begin on Monday, December 20, 2021, with Opening Night scheduled for Thursday, February 10, 2022 at the Winter Garden Theatre.

The National Theatre has today announced its programming until the start of next year with productions on all three South Bank stages as well as three major UK tours, two productions on Broadway, a return to cinemas, and a new feature film to be broadcast on television this autumn. In the week the theatre reopened for audiences again, six new productions were announced, and five productions halted by the pandemic were confirmed to return to the South Bank.  

Today's top stories: Diana sets its Broadway return date, nominations for the Drama League Awards, a Game of Thrones stage play is being developed for Broadway, and more!

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin is currently working on developing Game of Thrones as a stage play for Broadway, the West End and Australia. Martin is writing the play alongside Duncan MacMillan, and it is set to be directed by Dominic Cooke. The first show is expected to launch in 2023.

Fictionhouse has announced the appointment of Emily McLaughlin as Head of Development.

Last week, we acknowledged the forthcoming birthday of Andrew Lloyd Webber via a look back at five defining London stagings of his work. This time, we offer the same tribute to Stephen Sondheim, with whom Lloyd Webber, 18 years Sondheim's junior, shares a birthdate of March 22: on that day, the great man turns 91.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, the producers have made the decision to postpone the forthcoming run of Good, starring David Tennant. The production was due to play from 21 April – 17 July 2021.  

It's not clear as of this writing quite when live theatre will return in force, so in the interest of casting as wide a net as possible, what follows are five performances to whet the appetite, culled from offerings both online and, in due course, inside an actual playhouse.

In the spirit of eternal optimism, here is a handful of London show titles promised for the year ahead that have us giddy with anticipation to be in a playhouse once again.

Lockwood Henderson Productions will present the first London revival of 'Constellations' by Nick Payne at Southwark Playhouse, directed by Jonathan O'Boyle, and starring Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo and Oliver Johnstone. The play will run Thursday 26 November - Saturday 19 December, 2020.

For one year only, pantomime comes to the National Theatre. Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd's hilarious and heartfelt version of Dick Whittington, first staged at Lyric Hammersmith in 2018 and freshly updated for 2020, will open in the socially distanced Olivier theatre on the 11 December.  

C.P.Taylor's GOOD, starring David Tennant and directed by Dominic Cooke, which was due to open this October, has announced new dates for 2021 and a new run at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

I owe a lot to Follies - friendships with fans and actors and occasional pieces of journalism have resulted from the show - but it made me realise how transformative live theatre can be. Thinking about it, it's ironic that a show signalling the death of old Broadway should ignite such a passion, but isn't that the point of Follies?

C.P.Taylor's GOOD, starring David Tennant and directed by Dominic Cooke, which was due to open this October, is to be postponed until Spring 2021.

Clint Dyer will replace Dominic Cooke as director Of Get Up, Stand Up a?' The Bob Marley Musical.