Peter Brook News

A new production of Rossini's Guillaume Tell, the composer's final opera, will open at the Met on October 18 in the first company performances of the ambitious historical epic in more than 80 years-and its first-ever Met performances in its original French. The new staging is directed by Pierre Audi, the incoming Artistic Director of the Park Avenue Armory and conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi. Rossini's opera tells the story of a Swiss revolutionary on a quest for freedom. Its famous "William Tell Overture" is one of the best-known and most performed pieces in the standard classical repertory, though the opera, which makes considerable demands on its stars, orchestra, and chorus, has rarely been presented in modern times. Gerald Finley will star in the title role, which he has made a specialty of in recent seasons, with Marina Rebeka as the Princess Mathilde;  Bryan Hymel as her suitor Arnold; Maria Zifchak as Tell's wife Hedwige; Janai Brugger as their son Jemmy; Italian bass Marco Spotti in his Met debut as Walter Furst; Kwangchul Youn as Arnold's father Melcthal; and John Relyea as Gesler. 

Once upon a… etc. there was a nice lad called Ricky Whittington, who lived somewhere that isn't London. Frustrated by the lack of social and economic opportunities in not-London, he put all his possessions into a handkerchief-tied-to-a-stick and set off to is-London with his (talking - get on board) Cat, who was a li'l prick.

A new production of Rossini's Guillaume Tell, the composer's final opera, will open at the Met on October 18 in the first company performances of the ambitious historical epic in more than 80 years-and its first-ever Met performances in its original French. The new staging is directed by Pierre Audi, the incoming Artistic Director of the Park Avenue Armory and conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi. Rossini's opera tells the story of a Swiss revolutionary on a quest for freedom. Its famous "William Tell Overture" is one of the best-known and most performed pieces in the standard classical repertory, though the opera, which makes considerable demands on its stars, orchestra, and chorus, has rarely been presented in modern times. Gerald Finley will star in the title role, which he has made a specialty of in recent seasons, with Marina Rebeka as the Princess Mathilde;  Bryan Hymel as her suitor Arnold; Maria Zifchak as Tell's wife Hedwige; Janai Brugger as their son Jemmy; Italian bass Marco Spotti in his Met debut as Walter Furst; Kwangchul Youn as Arnold's father Melcthal; and John Relyea as Gesler. 

LaMaMa is proud to present the US premiere of Pitecus by RezzaMastrella (Flavia Mastrella and Antonio Rezza), resident artists of Italy's renowned experimental theatre Teatro Vascello for a limited engagement from October 13 - October 16, 2016. La MaMa has had a long-standing relationship with Teatro Vascello since the 1970's, and this production is the first time the company has been back since 2000.

LaMaMa will present the US premiere of Pitecus by Rezza-Mastrella (Flavia Mastrella and Antonio Rezza), resident artists of Italy's renowned experimental theatre Teatro Vascello for a limited engagement from tonight, October 13, through October 16, 2016.

Four hundred years after the death of William Shakespeare, The Museum of Modern Art will screen 21 films based on his iconic writings in Breaking Bard: Shakespeare on Film, today, October 12, through October 24 in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters.

It was thirty years ago when British director Peter Brook and BAM Executive Producer Harvey Lichtenstein first peeked inside what was left of the Majestic Theatre on Brooklyn's Fulton Street and deemed the crumbled remains of the elegantly ornate 1904 structure as the perfect venue for their landmark production based on the ancient Sanskrit epic poem, 'The Mahabharata.'

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," opens its 26th season of adult, alternative musical theatre with the world premiere of a new revised version of the wild, 1969 adult jazz-rock musical CELEBRATION, by the creators of The Fantasticks, runningSept. 29-Oct. 22, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

Kandinsky, renowned for staging real, often dark subject matter with their innovative, distinctive use of movement and visuals, will tackle the contentious topic of psychosomatic illness and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in brand new production Still Ill, running 1-19 November 2016 at the New Diorama Theatre.

With Battlefield, Peter Brook and his internationally renowned team -- Marie-Helene Estienne and Jean-Claude Carriere -- revisit the great Indian epic the Mahabharata 30 years after Brook's legendary production captivated the theater world-and inaugurated the BAM Majestic Theater (now the BAM Harvey Theater).

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York's premiere French cultural center, is thrilled to unveil major renovations to Florence Gould Hall this Wednesday, September 28 with the opening performance of pioneering British theatre company Forced Entertainment's premiere of Tomorrow's Parties. 

Celebrating a decade of new theatre making, Box of Tricks is thrilled to announce the transfer of Ella Carmen Greenhill's movingly funny and touching play PLASTIC FIGURINES to New Diorama Theatre in London from 27 September - 22 October 2016.

"We want our rights and we don't care how / We want our revolution NOW" The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, commonly known as Marat/Sade, changed theatre for ever when it premiered in the 1960s.

As part of its unique annual Hands-on-Opera education and youth performance program, Opera Parallele (OP) will present the world premiere of Xochitl and the Flowers, by OP composer-in-residence Christopher Pratorius. Based on the children's book of the same name by Jorge Argueta and with a libretto by Opera Parallele's Roma Olvera, three free performances will be presented November 17 and 19 at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco. The fully staged and costumed production will be developed during an innovative eight-week residency with third grade students of the Alvarado Elementary School Spanish Immersion Program in San Francisco, assisted by the Opera Parallele creative team and professional singers. Performances will be given Thursday, November 17, at 6 pm and Saturday, November 19, at 11 am and 1 pm at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission Street in San Francisco. Admission is free, but past Hands-on-Opera performances have filled up quickly, so audience members are encouraged to arrive early. For more information, visitwww.operaparallele.org .

Director Kip Williams brings a darker, raw vision to Sydney Theatre Company's latest interpretation of William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, presents the World Premiere of Man in the Ring by Michael Cristofer, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell.

Family, friends and the Broadway community will come together to celebrate the life of beloved wardrobe supervisor Irene Bunis on Monday, September 26 at 3:00pm at The Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway), longtime home of Broadway's hit musical MAMMA MIA!, which Irene kept vibrantly befitted in spandex and platform boots for fourteen years.

American Conservatory Theater kicks off its 50th subscription season with the 2015 Oliver Award-winning 'Best New Play,' King Charles III (September 14-October 9, 2016). With its witty echoes of Shakespearean drama, Mike Bartlett's brilliant contemporary work of speculative history blurs the boundaries of truth and tragedy.

Celebrating a decade of new theatre making, Box of Tricks is thrilled to announce the transfer of Ella Carmen Greenhill's movingly funny and touching play PLASTIC FIGURINES to New Diorama Theatre in London from 27 September - 22 October 2016.

The latest instalment in our series showcasing Britain's best lighting designers focuses on the four-time Olivier and two-time Tony Award winner Paule Constable. She's worked on numerous landmark theatrical productions, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, War Horse and Waves at the National Theatre and the RSC's Wolf Hall, as well as with leading opera and dance companies.