Last year's best book about British theatre, according to the judges of this year's Theatre Book Prize, was a fascinating study based on the files from the Lord Chamberlain's Office now held in the British Library.
With its UK premiere earlier this year at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth's fast-paced, hilarious and (slightly) bonkers Monster Raving Loony brings its party fun and punkish anarchy to Soho Theatre next month. Opening on 17 May,Monster Raving Loony by James Graham will preview from 14 May, and run until 18 June.
A new smart phone app which adds a Shakespearean touch to your text messaging, has been launched today to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death and as part ofa tourism drive for the capital, called 'Fans of London'.
The European premiere of The New Group's critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production, The Spoils, a razor-sharp new comedy written by and starring internationally acclaimed actor Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice), will transfer for a strictly limited season at London's Trafalgar Studios, from 27 May to 13 August, with press night on 2 June.
Following his critically acclaimed West End concerts, Ross Leadbeater, the award winning Welsh singer-pianist and musical director releases his debut EP ahead of his solo UK Tour celebrating his musical favourites from The Great British Songbook.
The Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography 2015 shortlist has been revealed. The contenders are Peter Whitebrook for John Osborne Anger is not about..., James Shapiro for 1606 William Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, David Hare for The Blue Touch Paper, Qais Akbar Omar and Stephen Landrigan for A Night in the Emperor's Garden and Michael Pennington for Let Me Play The Lion/How to Be an Actor.
Sheffield Theatres' associate director Charlotte Gwinner returns to directing duties at the Crucible with Waiting For Godot. This version of Samuel Beckett's classic features a stark, yet somewhat beautiful set from designer Simon Daw that sits on the boundary between art and nature; life-and-death; beauty and terror-a visual metaphor for many of the themes of the play.
The second season of ABC's medieval musical comedy GALAVANT opens with a song entitled 'A New Season,' a direct response to the nearly unanimous opinion that it would be cancelled after its initial eight-episode run. However, despite middling numbers, ABC brought the quirky show from Dan Fogelman, Alan Menken, and Glenn Slater back this January. While I thought the sophomore season's comedy and storytelling were far superior to the often meandering first season's, Season 2 has struggled to find an audience, rarely able to garner even half the rating's share of Season 1. So, while it is looking extremely unlikely that ABC will roll the dice on the show again, if they do, I have some suggestions for Team GALAVANT that I think will give them a fighting chance in Season 3.
Roald Dahl's classic James and the Giant Peach, adapted by David Wood, will tour the UK, Middle East and Asia this summer, opening at the Greenwich Theatre in London in April prior to a worldwide tour.
Theatre Royal Plymouth Artistic Director Simon Stokes today announces the full cast for his production of James Graham's Monster Raving Loony. Samuel James takes the role of Screaming Lord Sutch, with Joseph Alessi, Camilla Beeput, Joanna Brookes, Jack Brown playing a number of different characters. The production opens on Wednesday 10th February, with previews from Saturday 6th February, and runs until Sat 27th February.
Half Moon has received £46,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for its Stages of Half Moon project. Led by 100 local young people, the exciting project will shed light on the rich heritage of Half Moon Theatre, the role it played in the East End and the development of theatre from the 1970s to the present day.
Boyd Gaines, four-time Tony Winner (Gypsy, She Loves Me, Driving Miss Daisy), joins Julia Murney (Wicked, The Wild Party), veteran director Tony Walton, and Fundamental Theater Project in celebration of their honorary patron, Sir Peter Shaffer (Equus, Amadeus, Royal Hunt of the Sun) and in support of their mission of fostering emerging voices in the theater.
A major revival of Noel Coward's hilarious masterpiece, Private Lives will embark on a prior to the West End UK tour starring stage and screen stars Tom Chambers (Top Hat, Strictly Come Dancing) as the loveable and charming Elyot and Laura Rogers(Tipping The Velvet, An Ideal Husband) as the unconventional and vivacious Amanda, alongside Charlotte Ritchie (Call The Midwife, One Night in November) as Sybil and Richard Teverson (Downton Abbey) as Victor.
46 BEACON, a coming-out and coming-of-age play set in 1970's America by Drama Desk and Richard Rodgers Award Award winner Bill Rosenfield, willl get its world premiere at The Hope Theatre, Islington, London N1 1RL, 4 -12 October 2015.
A company of more than 60 artists will bring The Iliad to life in a durational reading on Friday 14 August. The reading will begin at the British Museum and culminate on the Almeida stage. The marathon reading is the latest event in the theatre's Almeida Greeks Festival which has so far seen Robert Icke's critically acclaimed production of Oresteia transfer to Trafalgar Studios in the West End and James Macdonald's production of Bakkhai play to sold out houses at the Almeida.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) celebrated Shakespeare's vibrant legacy with GALA 2015 on Monday, June 8 at the Theater's home on Navy Pier, raising $1.2 million for Chicago Shakespeare in Urban Communities initiatives. Three hundred and fifty of Chicago's civic, corporate and cultural leaders attended the event benefiting CST's award-winning engagement programs including Team Shakespeare education initiatives and Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the fifth annual Spirit of Shakespeare Awards to this year's Civic Honoree, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and ITW Vice Chairman David Parry and his wife Ros Parry, and Artistic Honorees, Simon Callow and Phylicia Rash?d.
The St. James Studio has announced a series of talks and events taking place in conjunction with European Arts Company's new adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, running from 15 to 20 June 2015, culminating in a gala performance of the production on Saturday 20 June, which will celebrate exactly 125 years since the publication of Oscar Wilde's famous novel.