Sean Holmes News

With searingly topical timing, this summer sees the Lyric Hammersmith presenting the UK premiere of Terror, a tense courtroom drama by German lawyer and writer Ferdinand von Schirach which has become something of a worldwide hit. The premise is simple enough: a trial is undertaken on stage and the whole audience is the jury, voting after all the evidence has been presented.

The Lyric Hammersmith today announces further casting for Simon Stephens's new version of Anton Chekhov's highly renowned play, The Seagull, directed by Artistic Director Sean Holmes.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Curve and Lyric Hammersmith today announce that, following a successful UK tour, their production of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox will return for a second run at Lyric Hammersmith this summer.  The production, adapted for the stage by Sam Holcroft, directed by Maria Aberg with original music by Arthur Darvill, runs at the Lyric Hammersmith from 26 July to 20 August, after it completes its national tour.  

The UK premiere of TERROR, a thrilling courtroom drama by Ferdinand von Schirach, directed by Artistic Director Sean Holmes and designed by Olivier Award-winner Anna Fleischle, arrives at the Lyric Hammersmith 14 June for a 22 June 2017 opening. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

The Lyric Hammersmith today is pleased to announce the full casting for the UK premiere of Ferdinand von Schirach's thrilling courtroom drama Terror, directed by Artistic Director Sean Holmes and designed by Olivier Award-winner Anna Fleischle.

Directed by Filter Theatre's Sean Holmes, with music and sound by Tom Haines and Ross Hughes, TWELFTH NIGHT is a ferocious reimaging of Shakespeare's classic comedy where nothing onstage is hidden and everything is revealed, from cables, costumes, props and more. Six actors, together with two musicians (Alan Pagan & Ross Hughes), perform all the various roles, often interacting directly with the audience as they run up the aisles or take seats next to surprised audience members, several of whom are called up onstage to participate in the show's outrageous antics. And be prepared to enjoy and pass along large boxes of delivery pizza when prompted to do so by the cast.

The Lyric Hammersmith has announced its new season running May 2017 to January 2018 including three major new productions: a UK premiere, a new adaptation of a classic and the return of the now traditional Lyric pantomime.

Two worlds collide in Filter Theatre's infectiously funny and irreverent take on Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's lyrical comedy of romance, satire and mistaken identity. Originally commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) Complete Works Festival, Filter Theatre's Twelfth Night combines dynamic narrative drive with a dynamic rock 'n' roll score played live onstage. Performances begin Tuesday, March 14 and it will perform through Sunday, March 19.

Young Lyric presents Evolution, a four day multi-art form festival taking place from Wednesday 15 - Saturday 18 March 2017.

Transferring from its critically acclaimed sell-out run at the Finborough Theatre earlier this year where it was nominated for seven OffWestEnd Awards including Best New Play, Best Male Performance, and Best Director, the world premiere production of It Is Easy To Be Dead by Neil McPherson opens at Trafalgar Studio 2, for a strictly limited four week limited season.

"Th' time is rotten ripe for revolution." Set amidst the tumult of the Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising, Sean O'Casey's searing The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by idealism and revolution. The play opens with the domestic hum of a Dublin tenement and its residents just before the uprising's violence sweeps through the streets and dramatically impacts their lives.

Sean O'Casey's masterpiece about Ireland's 1916 Easter Uprising, THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS, will make its New Jersey debut at Peak Performances, October 20th through October 23rd, directed by Sean Holmes.

It's been twenty years since Mark Ravenhill's notoriously titled Shopping and F**king was first staged at the Royal Court. In his foreword for the Lyric Hammersmith's anniversary production, Ravenhill describes the show's scandalous reputation - and its actual reception. 1996 audiences may have been - largely - ready to nod seriously at plays highlighting such 'issues', but this production, directed by Sean Holmes, seems aimed at a broader demographic than just the theatrical intelligentsia.

The Lyric Hammersmith today announces full casting for Shopping and f**king. Alex Arnold will be playing Robbie, Ashley McGuire will be playing Brian, David Moorst will be playing Gary, Sam Spruell will be playing Mark, Sophie Wu will be playing Lulu.

"Th' time is rotten ripe for revolution." Set amidst the tumult of the Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising, Sean O'Casey's searing The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by idealism and revolution. The play opens with the domestic hum of a Dublin tenement and its residents just before the uprising's violence sweeps through the streets and dramatically impacts their lives.

As the Lyric's smash-hit Bugsy Malone, returns to the stage for a limited 12-week run, the theatre announces a new production to complete their autumn season - Mark Ravenhill's Shopping and f**king.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in New Jersey, Tallahassee, Seattle and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include THE PRODUCERS at Paper Mill, AS YOU LIKE IT in Tallahassee, and GHOSTS in Seattle, just to name a few.

Now celebrating its 90th anniversary, The Plough and the Stars has been given a reimagined revival by The Abbey Theatre, Ireland's National Theatre and is on tour at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA until October 9th. This Brechtian inspired production is as alien as it is fresh and reminds us of a plightful world outside of our current political climate. Parallels could easily be drawn from turn of the century Ireland to 2016 America, but that's not the story The Abbey Theatre or director Sean Holmes are interested in telling. Not everything on the American Stage needs a path back to us. The Abbey's approach is more vast and profound as evidenced in an early line 'There's no such thing as an Irishman, or an Englishman, or a German or a Turk; we're all only human bein's.'

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From Amadeus and a starry Stoppard revival to exciting new musicals, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews…

Sean Holmes has been Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith since 2009. Memorable productions during his bold and varied tenure include Three Kingdoms, Saved, Bugsy Malone, Ghost Stories, the Secret Theatre programme, and the Olivier Award-winning Blasted. Next up is a revival of Mark Ravenhill's provocative Shopping and F***ing.