Stephen Mear News

The Industry Minds Awards will be held on Sunday 22nd September at The Piano Works West End. The ceremony will recognise those pioneering and furthering mental and physical health in the creative arts, in the hope of raising awareness of mental health support in the arts and recognising those who make a huge difference

Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Productions have announced final adult casting for the new production of Mary Poppins which begins rehearsals in September and returns to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre from 23 October 2019.

Bird College - Conservatoire for Dance and Musical Theatre today announces the appointment of John Reid as a new patron, working alongside the President Stephen Mear and joining patrons Gary Avis, Christopher Biggins, Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Gavin Lee, Lara Pulver, Liz Robertson and Dougie Squires OBE MVO, adding to the breadth of ambassadors within the arts.

Storyhouse in Chester has announced the cast for The Little Shop of Horrors taking place at the multi-award-winning venue from 10 May - 2 June.

After Michel Le Grand's Donkeyskin, which gave the genius composer one more chance to see his immortal music on the stage and the intimate Sondheim review Marry Me a Little in the Studio, Theatre Marigny and Jean-Luc Choplin are now getting into the real thing by putting on a full production of classic musical with a entirely British creative team and cast playing and singing in English with subtitles. Though Theatre Marigny is much smaller than the Chatelet, similar productions there such as Kiss Me Kate and the Sondheim cycle were scheduled for only few weekd runs, An American in Paris was a Broadway tryout, so it easily sold out its two-month run, thanks in no small part to visitors from abroad. My Fair Lady, 42nd Street, and Singing in the Rain had already played in Paris before, although in French or on tour but were already part of the general public consciousness as movie favourites. Guys and Dolls, on the other hand, which has never been seen in Paris before or not even on tour, has an intrinsically American subject matter and only a now hardly watchable movie version, only known among French cinephiles as the only musical in which Marlon Brando appeared, teaming up with Frank Sinatra.

Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS is coming to London's Dominion Theatre this festive season, playing from 15 November 2019 to 4 January 2020. Book tickets here in our pre-sale!

Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum will present the spectacular new Made at Curve production of Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS at London's Dominion Theatre from Friday 15 November 2019 Saturday 4 January 2020, with a press night on Monday 25 November 2019. Tickets on sale Monday 25 March 2019 at 10.00am.

Petula Clark and Joseph Millson will join the Company to play the Bird Woman and George Banks in the new production of Mary Poppins, which returns to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre from 23 October 2019. They join the previously announced Zizi Strallen in the title role and Charlie Stemp as Bert.

Lyric Opera of Chicago announced today that audiences are now able to purchase single tickets to Lyric's premiere of the Broadway classic and new-to-Chicago production of 42nd Street.

Sir Matthew Bourne OBE has been announced as the recipient of this year's Special Award at the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard, in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in dance.

Storyhouse announced today that a new production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's musical Little Shop of Horrors will run on the main stage from Friday 10 May - Sunday 2 June, to mark the multi award-winning arts centres second birthday.

Public booking for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Mary Poppins will open at 10am GMT on 28 January 2019. The musical, based on the stories of P. L. Travers and the original film, returns to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre after fifteen years. Mary Poppins will begin previews on 23 October 2019 with opening night on 13 November and initially go on sale until 29 March 2020.

Based on the animated Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, performances of THE LITTLE MERMAID officially opened on Broadway on this day in 2008.

In honor of the show's eleventh anniversary of becoming part of Broadway's world, we're flashing back to its 2008 opening night at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre!

With Mary Poppins Returns coming to movie theaters in a week, I thought the perfect  #TBT would be a look back at the Opening Night of Mary Poppins on Broadway. So I dove back into the BroadwayWorld archives and found the 2006 video (when we were formerly known as BroadwayBeat) with Ashley Brown, straight from starring as 'Belle' Beauty and the Beast on Broadway! And lets not forget Gavin Lee who made his Broadway debut with Mary Poppins.

After five years of renovations, The Marigny Theater reopens in style, with an enchanted but not always so enchanting musical adaptation of Jacques Demy's popular film Donkeyskin (Peau d'Âne), best remembered for the songs of legendary film composer Michel Legrand.

Five of the UK's leading musical theatre conservatoires are collaborating to form the Alliance of Musical Theatre Conservatoires (AMTC), to raise the profile of musical theatre as a specialist art form in the UK and abroad.

Bird College - Conservatoire for Dance, Music and Theatre Performance today announces the appointment of Gavin Lee as patron. Lee will be an advocate for Bird College and for the wider dance and musical theatre sector promoting the work of the college. Lee will work alongside current patrons Christopher Biggins, Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Lara Pulver, Liz Robertson, Dougie Squires OBE and Gary Avis MBE.

Tickets for the Canadian premiere of Sting's acclaimed musical The Last Ship will go on public sale Monday November 12. Presented by David Mirvish and produced by Karl Sydow and Kathryn Schenker, the limited six-week engagement runs February 9 through March 24, 2019 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre.

Lyric Hammersmith has announced additional festive events over Christmas.