Ian McDiarmid News

Sheffield Theatres has revealed details of the 2026/27 season. An ambitious season of classics alongside five world premieres will welcome audiences across the Sheffield Theatres stages.

Since the early 1970s, Penelope Wilton has established herself as a major player on the British stage, and we are taking a look back at her expansive theatrical career, just in time for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

Jamael Westman, who originated the title role in the West End production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, has been cast in Star Wars: Starfighter. The new standalone story will be released theatrically on May 28, 2027.

With the highly anticipated second season of Andor arriving in a few short weeks, we have compiled a list of the most noteworthy Star Wars actors to have graced the Broadway stage over the years.

Elizabeth Debicki, Kate Fleetwood, David Ajala, and Mirren Mack join Ewan McGregor to complete the cast of My Master Builder - a new play by American playwright and screenwriter Lila Raicek.

The nominees for this year's UK Theatre Awards have been announced. The UK Theatre Awards celebrate the very best of theatre across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Check out the full list of nominees here!

The ninth annual T.S. Eliot Lecture on December 15th at 6pm will feature Ralph Fiennes reading and then discussing his relationship with T.S. Eliot’s poem Four Quartets, marking the 80th anniversary of its first publication as a single volume in 1944. 

The world première of Marcelo Dos Santos' new play Backstairs Billy looks at a pivotal moment in the 50 year relationship between the Queen Mother and her loyal servant William “Billy” Tallon.

The full company has been announced for Orlando – joining Emma Corrin, in the title role, are Deborah Findlay (Mrs Grimsditch), Jessica Alade (Virginia, Drunken Tory), Debra Baker (Virginia, Favilla, The Captain), Akuc Bol (Virginia, Euphrosyne, Prue), Lucy Briers (Virginia, Queen Elizabeth, Officer), Richard Cant (Virginia, Harriet, Kitty), Melissa Lowe (Virginia, Drunken Tory), Jodie McNee (Virginia, Marmaduke), Oliver Wickham (Virginia, Clorinda), and Millicent Wong (Virginia, Sasha, Nell).

The Michael Grandage Company announced that their production of Orlando opens at the Garrick Theatre on 5 December 2022, with previews from 25 November, and runs until 25 February 2023. 

The Michael Grandage Company has announced that Emma Corrin will return to the London stage as the title role in Orlando, from the novel by Virginia Woolf in a new version by Neil Bartlett. Michael Grandage directs, reuniting him with Corrin, following their recent collaboration on the feature film My Policeman for Amazon.

Tonight, NBC will air its sixth live musical production. Following in the footsteps of The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, The Wiz, Hairspray, and Jesus Christ Superstar, the peacock network will be presenting Annie. Based on Harold Gray's comic strip titled Little Orphan Annie, this musical tells the story of a little orphan with equal measures of pluck and positivity who charms everyone's hearts, despite a next-to-nothing start in New York City in the year 1933.

With the UK tour of the world première of Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table starring Ian McDiarmid and directed by Michael Grandage recently finished, Wiltshire Creative today announced that Belinda Lang will direct a new production of Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children at Salisbury Playhouse in April 2022.

I don’t know why I’m starting this article with an admission that I had never really been ‘that into Shakespeare’. It is the sort of casual assertion which leaves a ghostly trail of incredulous disappointment upon the face of the poor actor you have annointed your confessor - they will never really respect you again.

When Booker Prize-winner Julian Barnes saw The Lemon Table early in its world premiere run, he gave his seal of approval to the adaptation of his short stories. A fine accolade for adaptor and star Ian McDiarmid, best known for his role as Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars films, Olivier and Tony award-winning performances, and 12 years as the Almeida Theatre’s artistic director.

Following the re-opening of Salisbury Playhouse with John Godber's September in the Rain, and Ian McDiarmid and Michael Grandage in rehearsals for the world première of Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table, Artistic Director Gareth Machin and Executive Director Sebastian Warrack today announce the Spring 2022 season at Wiltshire Creative.

In the words of Cosmo Brown, 'Make 'em laugh' - and how life-affirming to hear waves of laughter ripple through Salisbury Playhouse this week. At times over the past few months, the building has felt like a ghost ship, but now it's awake, buzzing and alive with people having a great night out.

Wiltshire Creative today announce their programme for Autumn 2021, featuring theatre, live music, comedy nights, film screenings, craft workshops and more. Throughout the season they will also continue their commitment to engaging communities in the South West and encouraging creativity in audiences of all ages, from an extensive youth arts programme to celebrating older generations.

Following the run of September in the Rain, Michael Grandage will direct Ian McDiarmid in Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table from 14 to 23 October, ahead of a UK tour.

Olivier and Tony Award-winning Ian McDiarmid and Michael Grandage have collaborated to bring The Lemon Table to the stage for the first time. In McDiarmid's one man performance we encounter a spectrum of bitter-sweet pleasures, wild eccentricity and dark secrets.