Shakespeare & Company News

It's 1767, and for three years, a mysterious, bloodthirsty creature has terrorized the countryside in the French province of Gevaudan.

The fascinating history behind Shakespeare's greatest plays continues with a third series of Shakespeare Uncovered, premiering Fridays, October 12-26 on PBS (check local listings) and streaming the following day at pbs.org/shakespeareuncovered and on PBS apps. The ambitious series concludes with celebrated new hosts Helen Hunt, F. Murray Abraham, Romola Garai, Brian Cox, Simon Russell Beale and Sir Antony Sher, who seamlessly weave their personal passions with history, biography, iconic performances and new analysis to tell the stories behind the stories of Shakespeare's famous works. The final season investigates “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Measure for Measure,” “Julius Caesar,” “The Winter's Tale” and “Richard III.” 

Tennessee Shakespeare Company opens the doors of its new home prior to full facility renovation with a production of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth inspired by the Elizabethan playhouses and current events that helped create it in 1606.

The all-female cast has been confirmed for the world premiere production of The Worst Witch which opens at Royal & Derngate this Christmas as part of the theatre's Made in Northampton season. An original story for the stage by Emma Reeves (Royal Television Society Award for Best Children's TV Programme and 2017 British Screenwriters Award for Best Children's Programme) based upon Jill Murphy's beloved series of classic novels The Worst Witch, the production will be directed by Theresa Heskins (2017 UK Theatre Award for Best Show for Children and Young People) and designed by Simon Daw, with music by Luke Potter.

Following a successful 4-city tour of Florida that included a well-received appearance at the Forward Motion Physically Integrated Dance Festival in Miami, the company brings its vaunted skill set back to the Bay Area with select performances that include a newly reconceived staging of Robert Dekkers' Flutter, along with AXIS Artistic Director Marc Brew's Quartet No.1 to the Berkeley Ballet Theater, that will then be followed by a collaboration with Crowded Fire Theater, Star Finch, and Ensemble Mik Nawooj at the Bay View Opera House in San Francisco entitled Death Become Life: Banish Darkness, all before segueing to its 2019-20 season that will include a special Oakland-based educational event for Dance Access Day in February, as well as the world premiere of Alice in Oakland-their ambitious and much anticipated collaboration with Arthur Pita-coming to and co-presented by Z Space in San Francisco, November 2019

Animus continues its fourth full theatrical season with the New York Revival of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuinness.

Angela Lansbury has enjoyed a career without precedent. Her professional career spans more than half-a-century, during which she has flourished, first as a star of motion pictures, then as a four-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star, and most recently as the star of 'Murder, She Wrote,' the longest running detective drama series in the history of television.

This November, Marc Pickering (Boardwalk Empire, HBO; Les Miserables, Universal Pictures; Sleepy Hollow, Paramount Pictures) will star as the mischievous Cat in the Hat in Immersion Theatre's larger-than-life musical extravaganza, Seussical the Musical. He is joined by Scott Paige (Eugenius, The Other Palace; The Addams Family, UK/Asia Tour; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, UK Tour/West Yorkshire Playhouse) as the warm-hearted Horton the Elephant and Amy Perry (Bananaman, Southwark Playhouse, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Adelphi Theatre; Sweet Charity, Cadogan Hall) as the humble Gertrude McFuzz in this high-energy production for 'thinkers' of all ages.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the actors selected for The Wallis Studio Ensemble's 2018-2019 company. This marks the third season of this groundbreaking company for early-career actors producing theater for social change. The San Diego Tribune describes the emerging ensemble as 'hauntingly beautiful' - and by ArtNowLAas 'Mesmerizing ... harrowing and provocative, this is avant-garde theater that sticks with you long after the curtain comes down." The Ensemble also received the Los Angeles Times theater pick of the week in June 2018 and was featured on NPR's KPCC in a piece by Priska Neely in 2016, in its first season.

Tandy Beal & Company kicks off the holiday season with JOY!, A Holiday Show with Circus, Dance, and Live Music, an exuberant family-friendly mix of brilliant visuals, rib-tickling circus comedy, and stunning acrobatics. Featuring the reunion of Pickle Family Circus stars Pino and Razz, also known as Cirque du Soleil soloists Jeff Raz and Diane Wasnak, this unique extravaganza returns after acclaimed performances last holiday season. Performing original Candy Land flavored tunes and other seasonal favorites, award-winning a cappella group SoVoSo will accompany this magical madcap holiday circus featuring world-class acrobats, dancers, and performers in a zany holiday spectacular

A landmark research project commissioned by Arts Council England - and involving schools and teachers who work with either the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) or Tate - outlines the overwhelmingly positive benefits of arts and cultural education on the lives of young people. The research, undertaken by the School of Education at the University of Nottingham, has led to calls for urgent change, as thousands of young people and teachers express concern over the impact that declining arts and cultural provision in schools will have on future generations.

The 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller's riveting drama The Price is today announced for a West End transfer in February 2019 following a critical and publicly acclaimed reception in Bath earlier this summer. Eminent British actor David Suchet and Olivier Award winner and BAFTA and Emmy nominated Brendan Coyle will both reprise their star roles, as furniture dealer Gregory Solomon and New York cop Victor Franz, respectively, in Jonathan Church's exemplary revival with Adrian Lukis and Sara Stewart. The Price will run at Wyndham's Theatre from 5 February to 27 April with opening night for press on 11 February 2019.

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces principal company for its major revival of one of the world's most-beloved musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, in a new staging by Trevor Nunn. Joining the previously announced Andy Nyman (Tevye) is Judy Kuhn as Golde, with Harriet Bunton (Hodel), Dermot Canavan (Lazar Wolf), Stewart Clarke (Perchik), Matt Corner (Fyedka), Joshua Gannon (Motel), Louise Gold (Yente), Kirsty MacLaren (Chava) and Molly Osborne (Tzeitel).

Just in time for Halloween, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents a spine-chilling, two-week-only performance of St. Nicholas by Conor McPherson. Starring renowned regional actor Bruce Cromer, this amusingly gothic ghost story winds its way through the fog of memory towards a supernatural and suspenseful conclusion. Playing October 12-27. Directed by Brian Robertson. Production Sponsor is LPK.

Two offerings at USC are complimented by SCSC's return to Finlay Park and Trustus's parody musical!

Check out rehearsal photos for Henry V at Hartford Stage below!

Central Works 2018 season closes with a tale of madness, alienation and moral responsibility- Chekhov's WARD 6, adapted by Gary Graves opening Today Oct 13 running through Nov 11 (previews Oct 11 & 12) at the historic Berkeley City Club.

After a sell-out run in June this year in which Laura Linney made her London Theatre debut, she will return to the Bridge to reprise the title role in Richard Eyre's production of My Name is Lucy Barton. Running from 23 January -16 February 2019 for a strictly limited 26 performances, this haunting dramatic monologue is adapted by Rona Munro from Pulitzer Prize-winning Elizabeth Strout's 2016 New York Times best-selling short novel of the same name. Evening performances are Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm with Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets for My Name is Lucy Barton will go on sale for Priority Members today at 10am, for Advance Members on Thursday 18 October 2018 at 10am with tickets released for public sale on Friday 19 October 2018 at 10am.

Animus Theatre Company (Jonathan Judge-Russo, Founding Artistic Director), an ensemble of young, dynamic artists exploring the resilience of the human spirit through new and under-represented works, continues their fourth full season with Frank McGuinness' gripping drama about ideologies held hostage, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, directed by the acclaimed theatre professional, Alan Langdon.

Laura Linney has extended her London Theatre debut in Pulitzer Prize-winning Elizabeth Strout's My Name is Lucy Barton, directed by Richard Eyre at the Bridge Theatre, through February 16, 2019, adding an additional 26 performances.