Josie Rourke News

Vienna is corrupt. The Duke, who has let the city fall to vice, hands control to his Deputy, a hardline, puritan reformer.

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From gender-flipped Sondheim to David Hare and Martin McDonagh, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld reviews, interviews and features!

AFI FEST presented by Audi will close with the World Premiere of Focus Features and Working Title's MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.  Directed by Josie Rourke and written by Academy Award® nominee Beau Willimon, the historical drama is based on John Guy's biography, “Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart.”  The film stars Academy Award® nominees Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, along with Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Martin Compston, Ismael Cordova, Brendan Coyle, Ian Hart, Adrian Lester, James McArdle, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.  The Closing Night Gala will take place on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

The Donmar Warehouse has released rehearsal images of Measure For Measure which opens on Thursday 11 October (with previews from Friday 28 September). Directed by Artistic Director Josie Rourke it stars Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden who will alternate the roles of the powerful Deputy and the powerless Novice within every performance.

Donmar Warehouse's outgoing Artistic Director Josie Rourke announces today two new productions as part of her final season, both with rising directorial talents at the helm: The UK premiere of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat, directed by former Donmar Resident Assistant Director Lynette Linton; and an original stage adaptation of Peter Strickland's chilling film Berberian Sound Studio, written for the stage by Joel Horwood, marking the directorial debut for Donmar Associate Artist Tom Scutt and starring actor Tom Brooke. Josie Rourke's final production at the Donmar will open in April 2019 and will be announced later this year.

Roundabout Theatre Company's premiere of Theresa Rebeck's Bernhardt/Hamlet begins previews today. Get to know the cast as they begin Broadway performances!

The Donmar Warehouse today announces the appointment of Anna Cooper CDG as the new Casting Director from September 2018. Anna will work with newly appointed Artistic Director Michael Longhurst on casting productions in his first season in 2019.

'Hey Nonny Nonny!' 'Sigh No More!' Shakespeare's classic, playful comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, is this year's rip-roaring Season 5 opener for the vibrant, 30 by Ninety Theatre in Mandeville, Louisiana. This suburban playhouse, positioned just across the lake from New Orleans, is named for its' common latitude and longitude, but doesn't hold back on big city ambitions to invigorate, entertain, and challenge local audiences to grow from shared experiences through the stage. It is an idea not lost on Shakespeare himself nearly five millennials ago.

Following critical acclaim and with the current run almost sold out, the European premiere of Jordan Seavey's Homos, or Everyone in America at the Finborough Theatre adds 3 extra Wednesday matinees due to public demand - 15, 22 and 29 August at 3pm. Josh Seymour directs Tyrone Huntley (The Academic), Harry McEntire (The Writer), Dan Krikler (Dan) and Cash Holland (Laila). The production completes its run on 1 September.

The Donmar announces full casting for Artistic Director Josie Rourke's production of Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. Joining the previously announced Hayley Atwell and Jack Lowden are Ben Allen, Matt Bardock, Nicholas Burns, Jackie Clune, Rachel Denning, Molly Harris, Adam McNamara, Raad Rawi, Sule Rimi, Anwar Russell and Helena Wilson.

Earlier this week news broke that Glenda Jackson, fresh from her triumphant, Tony-winning run in Three Tall Women, will next don the crown as Shakespeare's tragic monarch King Lear. Broadway is making much ado about something and understandably so. New York stages haven't seen much gender-swapped or gender-blind casting of Shakespeare, but take a peek across the pond to find a revolution of sorts in the interpretation of the Bard's work.

The cast is announced today for the European premiere of Jordan Seavey's Homos, or Everyone in America at the Finborough Theatre. Josh Seymour directs Tyrone Huntley (The Academic), Harry McEntire (The Writer), Dan Krikler (Dan) and Cash Holland (Laila). The production opens for a four-week limited season on Thursday, 9 August 2018, with previews from 7 August, playing until 1 September.

The Donmar Warehouse today announces the appointment of Michael Longhurst as its new Artistic Director from March 2019, with his first programming to begin in mid 2019.

The Donmar Warehouse presents an arresting new stage adaptation of Muriel Spark's iconic novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Scottish playwright David Harrower, in the 100th anniversary year of Muriel Spark's birth. The production will star Lia Williams in the title role, with rising talent Rona Morison, alongside a cast including Nicola Coughlan, Emma Hindle, Edward Mackliam, Grace Saif, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Helena Wilson, Angus Wright and Kit Young. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie will be directed by Polly Findlay, who returns to the Donmar following her acclaimed production of Limehouse.

St. Ann's Warehouse welcomes back the Donmar Warehouse to present the American screen premieres of their acclaimed, visceral all-female Shakespeare Trilogy-Julius Caesar, Henry IV, and The Tempest-directed by Phyllida Lloyd, May 31-June 3.

Artistic Director Josie Rourke said, "I'm delighted to announce two new productions at the Donmar, joining the previously announced THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, for my penultimate season, with all three directed by women.

Donmar Warehouse has released a statement regarding the death of London actor Alex Beckett.

Roundabout Theatre Company will present the world premiere of the Roundabout - commissioned play, Bernhardt/Hamlet by Pulitzer finalist Theresa Rebeck, directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel, will kick off Roundabout's 2018 - 2019 Broadway season.

The Donmar Warehouse today announces an arresting new stage adaptation of Muriel Spark's iconicnovel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Scottish playwright David Harrower, in the 100th anniversary year of Muriel Spark's birth.

St. Ann's Warehouse welcomes back the Donmar Warehouse to present the American screen premieres of their acclaimed, visceral all-female Shakespeare Trilogy-Julius Caesar, Henry IV, and The Tempest-directed by Phyllida Lloyd, May 31-June 3. In 2016, following a 13-week final repertory season, the plays were filmed in front of a live audience in London and edited for the screen to include separately shot, hand-held and GoPro footage breaking the formality of the traditional live camera "capture" of stage productions.