Royal Shakespeare Company News

The National Theatre's multi-award-winning production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time makes its Kent premiere at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, this month.

Award-winning actor Stephen Wight takes on the title role of Lee McQueen and Dianna Agron will play Dahlia in the world premiere of James Phillips's play McQUEEN directed by John Caird, which will run at St. James Theatre from tonight 12 May, with press nights on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 May.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) will honor internationally acclaimed theatre designer and six-time Tony Award Winner Bob Crowley at the NYTW 2015 Spring Gala tonight, May 11, 2015. The event, which will be held at the Edison Ballroom (240 W 47th St.) will be chaired by Disney Theatrical Production President Thomas Schumacher, Sherie Rene Scott, Jack O'Brien, and John Barrett.

Entering its seventh season in 2015-16, CONTACT!, the Philharmonic's new-music series, will extend its reach across New York City through a new partnership with National Sawdust (formerly Original Music Workshop), a new, non-profit, state-of-the-art music venue opening in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in October 2015.

The Old Globe presents George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, helmed by celebrated director Jessica Stone, who recently made her Globe debut with Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Award-winning local playwright Yussef El Guindi (Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World; Ramayana) returns to ACT with a new play that weaves issues ripped from world headlines into an intimate and personal story. Co-Produced by Portland Center Stage and ACT, THREESOME is directed by Chris Coleman and will soon premiere Off-Broadway.

As previously announced, David Suchet will star as 'Lady Bracknell' in Oscar Wilde's much loved and exhilarating masterpiece THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST. Directed by Adrian Noble, the new production will open in the West End on July 1, 2015, with previews from June 24. Suchet recently told the Daily Mail that Goeffrey Rush and Brian Bedford's portrayals of the iconic character led him to take the role, but that he wants to play the lady 'straight.'

Zorba!, directed by Walter Bobbie (Chicago) and choreographed by Josh Rhodes (Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella) with musical direction by Rob Berman, is the final production of New York City Center's 2015 Encores! season. The show opened last night, May 6 and runs through May 10, 2015. Let's see what the critics had to say...

Today in 1982, Macbeth opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 21 performances. Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare's play is April 1611, when Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the Globe Theatre.

An all-new THEATER TALK welcomes back show favorite and leading lady Helen Mirren, currently starring on Broadway as Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's new play The Audience – now rivaling big musicals for its more-than-million-dollar weekly grosses at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Mirren's latest theatrical triumph returns her to the world of royalty, specifically that of Queen Elizabeth II, one that she previously assumed in her Oscar® winning role in the 2006 film, The Queen, also written by Morgan.

As Britain prepares to go to the polls, Lara McDonnell, Anna-Louise Knight, Matilda Shapland and Violet Tucker discuss what they would do if they were Prime Minister. The four girls share the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical which is now booking through to 29 May 2016.

The Royal Shakespeare Company continues its commitment to creating live theatre for young audiences with its First Encounters with Shakespeare production of The Famous Victories of Henry V - a 90 minute adventure condensing the three great plays of Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V.

BAFTA Award-winning writer, Geoff Thompson's personal and haunting new play, The Pyramid Texts will be making its world stage premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 26 to 30 May. It will be performed by the prolific British actor, Christopher Fairbank and directed by twice Oliver Award-nominee, Michael Vale.

Carrie receives its long awaited London Premiere in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from Friday 1 to Saturday 30 May 2015, with a press night tonight 6 May. Preview performances were sold sold out, following the best on-sale week of any show in the venue's 22-year history.

59E59 Theaters will welcome acclaimed actor Edward Petherbridge to Brits Off Broadway in MY PERFECT MIND, created by Told by an Idiot, written by Kathryn Hunter, Paul Hunter and Edward Petherbridge, directed by Kathryn Hunter. Produced by Told by an Idiot, Young Vic, and Theatre Royal Plymouth, MY PERFECT MIND begins performances on Wednesday, June 10 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 28.  Press opening is Tuesday, June 16 at 7 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; and Sunday at 3 PM. Please note, there is an additional performance on Sunday, June 21 at 7 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org. 

Portland Shakespeare Project is thrilled to present staged readings of the first two plays of The Wars of the Roses trilogy, Henry VI on June 1 and Edward IV on June 2, both starring Dame Janet Suzman, on the Alder Stage at Artists Repertory Theatre.

The Bard SummerScape festival presents an entirely new way to experience Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein's quintessential celebration of the American frontier

Nigel Terry, English stage and film actor best known by film audiences for his portrayal of King Arthur in John Boorman's Excalibur (1981) has died of emphysema at age 69.

URINETOWN's Jonathan Slinger is set to star as 'Willy Wonka' in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, beginning toinght, May 2, 2015 for a run through April 2016. He follows Alex Jennings in the role.