Southbank Centre News

Celebrating its 40th  anniversary the London International Mime Festival, directed by Helen Lannaghan and Joseph Seelig, is a unique event in the theatre calendar, a once a year chance to see very best and newest contemporary visual theatre that embraces cutting edge circus-theatre, mask, physical theatre, object theatre and puppetry.

Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, Shallow Grave, Elizabeth, Thor), Emma Hamilton (The Tudors, The Musketeers, Mr Selfridge) and Nikki-Amuka Bird (Luther, Quarry, Survivors) open Southbank Centre's 10th London Literature Festival on Wednesday 5 October with a live reading of HG Wells's classic work, The Time Machine, on stage in front of Royal Festival Hall's world-famous organ.

With John Malkovich's acclaimed production of Good Canary entering its final week, Rose Theatre Kingston today announces its new season for 2017.  Headlining the season is the world premiere of My Brilliant Friend, a two-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan quartet of novels which have become a global literary sensation.  The true identity of the author is a mystery, with Elena Ferrante a pseudonym used by the writer, but speculation over the weekend suggested that the author had been unmasked.  

ice&fire today announces the full company for the world premiere of The Island Nation, written by its Artistic Director Christine Bacon.  Ria Parry directs Claire Dargo, Ayesha Dharker, Bally Gill, Clive Hayward, Nikki Patel and Neran Persaud in the production which opens at the Arcola Theatre on 28 October, with previews from the 26 October, and runs until 19 November 2016. 

Silver-prize and audience-prize winner at the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, critically acclaimed pianist Boris Giltburggives his New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall on October 27 with an all-Russian program, presented by the American Friends of the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society. The program includes works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Scriabin, as well as Giltburg's own piano arrangement of Shostakovich'sString Quartet No. 8 in C minor.  

Delicately observed and fearlessly told, good dog chronicles Britain's multi-cultural communities and the everyday injustices that drive people to take back control. Because in the end, everyone who's good gets what they deserve. Don't they?

The National Theatre is launching a new series of topical panel discussions this autumn centred on Youth, Nationhood and Death. The discussions will respond to issues raised by the repertoire or affecting the nation as a whole, will last for 1 hour, and tickets cost £6 (£5 concessions).  

Hull UK City of Culture 2017, details of which are announced today, is a 365 day programme of cultural events and creativity inspired by the city and told to the world. Divided into four seasons, this national celebration draws on the distinctive spirit of the city and the artists, writers, directors, musicians, revolutionaries and thinkers that have made such a significant contribution to the development of art and ideas.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET - the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and West End hit today reveals casting for the red-hot rock 'n' roll extravaganza which appears at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall as part of Southbank Centre's Winter Festival supported by NatWest. Million Dollar Quartet plays a limited season starring Martin Kemp from Saturday 17th December 2016 - Monday 2nd January 2017.

Southbank Centre presents its autumn and winter 2016 programme for performance, dance, theatre and comedy, celebrating an array of compelling work from across Southbank Centre's festivals including: a live reading of a specially commissioned adaptation of HG Wells' classic, The Time Machine performed by a cast of three including Christopher Eccleston; the world premiere of new immersive performance installation Seen and Not Heard by award-winning theatre company Complicite; a night of comedy with renowned comedian, novelist and actress Jenny Eclair; the Tony Award-winning and West End hit musical Million Dollar Quartet, starring Martin Kemp as father of rock 'n' roll Sam Phillips; and a new version of hit show BIANCO by the UK's leading contemporary circus company NoFit State who bring their unique Big Top to Southbank Centre for the first time.

Following a critically-acclaimed world tour, the UK's leading circus company NoFit State bring their ground-breaking promenade show BIANCO to London's Southbank Centre for the first time, running from 23 November 2016 - 22 January 2017.

English Touring Theatre today announces its spring season which features the world premiere of Silver Lining, a new comedy written by Sandi Toksvig, and a tour of the critically acclaimed Olivier Award winning Shakespeare's Globe production of Nell Gwynn, starring Laura Pitt-Pulford in the title role.  It is the final season under the stewardship of Director Rachel Tackley who is leaving the company to become Executive Director of Chichester Festival Theatre.  Richard Tywman takes over, having been Associate Director (International) of the Royal Court Theatre since 2013.

After a barnstorming, sell-out run in 2015, the heart-stopping blend of cabaret burlesque, Australian machismo and punkish swagger returns to London this Autumn, running September 9  - 24, 2016. Press night is set for September 12.

?With an acclaimed revival of Legally Blonde still running in the theatre, Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster announce a new season of Made At Curve productions for autumn and Christmas 2016.

Southbank Centre announces Marina Abramovi?, Nikki Amuka-Bird, MyAnna Buring, Christopher Eccleston, PJ Harvey, Sara Pascoe and Slavoj Žižek as a part of the Autumn/Winter 2016 Literature programme

After wowing audiences in Liza (on an E) in 2013, Trevor Ashley is bringing everyone's favourite diva back to London in a brand new show Liza's Back! (is broken), playing at the London Wonderground at the Southbank Centre for three performances only from Today 31 August to Saturday 3 September 2016.

After a raucous summer season at London Wonderground at Southbank Centre, Canadian Circus Company Cirque Alfonse will bid au revoir to the Spiegeltent on 25 September.

ice&fire today announces the world premiere of THE ISLAND NATION, written by its Artistic Director Christine Bacon and directed by Ria Parry, which opens at the Arcola Theatre on 28 October, with previews from the 26 October, and runs until 19 November 2016.