John Retallack News

A second batch of shows for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been announced, bringing the current total number on sale for 2026 to 2,083. Learn more here!

MARIUPOL is coming to Edinburgh this summer. Set across thirty turbulent years, MARIUPOL tells the story of love found, lost, and tested by war. Learn more about the show here!

From 22 March, for a limited four-week release, the original 2015 Bristol Old Vic production of Pink Mist will be available on demand. The prodution was co-by George Mann and John Retallack and brought Owen Sheers’ visceral poem about the impact of war on servicemen and their families searingly to life on stage.

Bristol Old Vic today announced an ambitious range of digital work running Feb-May to keep people entertained through the Spring and beyond, allowing stories to be shared and creativity to flourish in new ways once again.

Following its top selling run at the Orange Tree Theatre this autumn, Maya Arad Yassur's strikingly original and audacious play Amsterdam will take to the road in early 2020. The three-way co-production, between Actors Touring Company, the Orange Tree Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth embarks on a tour that opens in Plymouth in February and stretches across the UK. Amsterdam is directed by Matthew Xia as his inaugural production as artistic director of ATC.

This week marks 80 years since Britain declared war on Germany and the Second World War began. Yet the story of a young poet caught in conflict, torn between his desire to be on the front line and the safety of his desk job, is still as relevant and poignant as ever.

This autumn will see Matthew Xia's inaugural production as artistic director of Actors Touring Company. The UK premiere of Amsterdam by Maya Arad Yasur will open the Orange Tree Theatre's Autumn season before embarking on a tour beginning at Theatre Royal Plymouth in February 2020.

Bristol Old Vic's Jun 2019 - Jan 2020 season brochure was launched today, revealing some new additions to the tantalising list of productions already on sale.

Internationally acclaimed Actors Touring Company has today announced the appointment of Matthew Xia as its new Artistic Director. Matthew will take up the position part-time in December 2018 and will be in place full-time from March 2019. He will lead alongside ATC's Executive DirectorAndrew Smaje.

Summer 1999. Margate's beaches are packed with day-trippers.... and its hotels filled with Kosovan asylum seekers - including Hanna (played by Celia Meiras), a survivor of Europe's most recent genocide. Hannah (Lisa Payne) is from Margate and bored with life in the rundown seaside town - hanging out with her boyfriend Bull and his prejudiced mates. The only things the two sixteen year olds have in common are their names and their love of singing along to their favourite pop songs....

Now in its tenth consecutive year, the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre presents Vibrant 2018 - A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, its annual explosion of new writing, running between 7-25 October 2018.

This new play by award-winning writer/director John Retallack builds on the success of his 2001 piece Hannah & Hanna, which has been performed nationally and internationally.

Louise and Jon are part of a tight friendship group along with Sjon and Johan. But Jon's fed up. He wants out. First he has to tell the others. It is this simple act that starts a cycle of misinformation, rumour and suspicion. Friendship sours to enmity and old rivalries come to the surface forcing Louise to make a choice. Should she take her chance and leave too, or stick with what she knows? Not only does she have to decide how she actually feels ... she then has to say it out loud. 

On Tuesday 24 April at Greenwich Theatre, CultureClash Theatre presented their first new writing night, Voices In The Dark, with 8 new short plays selected from over 100 submissions from around the world.

Northern Broadsides is delighted to announce that their Executive Director Sue Andrews has won the prestigious WGGB OLWEN WYMARK THEATRE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS 2017.

BWW speaks to the team bringing Under My Thumb to the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Print Room at the Coronet has today announced further details for Out of Blixen and Babette's Feast, two productions that will run consecutively, putting a spotlight on the fascinating life and writing of Karen Blixen.

Casting was today confirmed for the return of Bristol Old Vic's acclaimed production, Pink Mist, which kicks off a national tour from Bristol Old Vic on 23 January.  

Three school-mates, three boys on the verge of adulthood, three lads with dreams bigger than the prospects that staying where they are can offer.  The army - a career, opportunity, adventure, skills and excitement. 

Casting has been announced for award-winning writer Owen Sheers' acclaimed play Pink Mist, about the mental and physical scars of war, which opens at the Bush Theatre in January 2016 before a run at the Bristol Old Vic.