The Royal Exchange Theatre News

In the coming months, Broadway will welcome a fresh crop of productions- many of which will mark the Broadway debuts for a slew of talented actors. Whether they are fresh faces or established stars, these Broadway babies will soon take their very first bows on the grandest stages in the world. Meet all of the Great White Way's newest stars below, and be sure to let us know who you're most looking forward to seeing onstage!

Steep Theatre's upcoming Fourteenth Season features a slate of four premieres directed by a lineup of Chicago's hottest directors. Steep Artistic Associates Jonathan Berry, Joanie Schultz, and Robin Witt, who have accounted for some of Steep's most memorable shows in recent years, return home to direct this season.

HOME, the organisation formed by the merger of Manchester's Library Theatre Company and Cornerhouse, will follow up their critically acclaimed sold-out production of Angel Meadow with a spectacular site-specific production of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo & Juliet in Manchester's historic Victoria Baths in September 2014 (http://homemcr.org/romeo-and-juliet), the building which won BBC1's first Restoration programme in 2003.

Following on from last year's smash hit The Butterfly Lion, the Mercury Theatre Colchester will be producing another Michael Morpurgo classic this August with their Made in Colchester production of Friend or Foe. Opening at the Mercury on Friday, August 29 and running until Saturday, September 13, Friend or Foe is a thrilling tale of extraordinary friendship which will appeal to adults and children alike.

House on The Hill Productions in association with Jermyn Street Theatre presents NATURAL AFFECTION by William Inge, directed by Grace Wessels, set design by Victoria Johnstone, costume design by Emily Stuart, and lighting by Steve Lowe.

House on The Hill Productions in association with Jermyn Street Theatre presents NATURAL AFFECTION by William Inge, directed by Grace Wessels, set design by Victoria Johnstone, costume design by Emily Stuart, and lighting by Steve Lowe.

Casting has been announced for the National Theatre production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

Award-winning playwright Ayub Khan Din's first play, East is East, which premiered at the Royal Court and was later turned into a much-loved feature film, returns to the London stage after 17 years. This hilarious and ever-pertinent modern classic about growing up in multiracial England will star the multi award-winning stage and screen actress Jane Horrocks (Young Vic's Annie Get Your Gun,Sunshine on Leith, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, Absolutely Fabulous) as Ella Khan, one of the greatest female roles written for modern theatre.

We've been reporting on the buzz since January, but now Hugh Jackman is making Broadway fan's May dreams come true! It's just been officially announced that Sonia Friedman Productions will present the Royal Court Theatre production of THE RIVER, a new play by Jez Butterworth, starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo, and directed by Ian Rickson.

Gina McKee (Di & Viv & Rose, King Lear, Ivanov, Our Friends In The North, Notting Hill) will play Queen Elizabeth, alongside the previously announced Martin Freeman (Clybourne Park, The Hobbit, Sherlock, Fargo) as Richard III in Jamie Lloyd's first production of his second season at Trafalgar Transformed, Richard III, running from 1 July to 27 September, with press night on 8 July.

Gina McKee (Di & Viv & Rose, King Lear, Ivanov, Our Friends In The North, Notting Hill) will play Queen Elizabeth, alongside the previously announced Martin Freeman

The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center ('the PAC') today announces the establishment of a core team of artistic leaders: David Lan (Artistic Director of London's Young Vic) as Consulting Artistic Director; Lucy Sexton (artist, producer, and Director of the New York Dance & Performance Awards (aka The Bessies)) as Associate Artistic Director; and Andy Hayles, Managing Partner of Charcoalblue (London's National Theatre, Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre, and the future home of Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse), as theater design consultant. Stephen Daldry (director of the films The Hours, Billy Elliot, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and of Billy Elliot the Musical, and former Artistic Director of London's Gate Theatre and Royal Court Theatre) has joined the PAC's Board of Directors. The artistic team is collaborating with the PAC's staff, board and numerous consultants to create a place that is unique on the cultural landscapes of New York, the United States and the world.

James I, James II and James III - are a new cycle of history plays by award-winning playwright Rona Munro and directed by Laurie Sansom, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, which are to be presented in an unprecedented co-production by the National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain, during the Edinburgh International Festival in August and at the National Theatre in London from September to October.

Samantha Bond (Passion Play, Amy's View, Downton Abbey, Outnumbered) plays Muriel Eubanks, a glamorous divorcee looking for love in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and John Marquez (Privates On Parade, The Taming of the Shrew, Doc Martin) plays Andre Thibault, Beaumont-sur-Mer's Chief of Police.

Ruth Wilson (Saving Mr Banks, Anna Christie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Luther, The Lone Ranger) will star in the London premiere of The El. Train: three one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill (The Web, Before Breakfast and The Dreamy Kid). The plays, written between 1913 and 1918, are being presented together for the first time. Ruth will act in The Web and Before Breakfast, directed by Sam Yates, and will make her directorial debut with The Dreamy Kid. Combining live music with immersive design, all housed in the intimate setting of Grade II listed Hoxton Hall (built 1863, seating an audience of 125), The El. Train will run for a limited four-week season from tonight, 6 December - 30 December, with press nights on the 12 & 13 December. Design is by Richard Kent, with lighting by Neil Austin and original composition and sound design by Alex Baranowski. The El. Train is being produced by Found Productions.

The Library Theatre Company's reputation for the quality of its Christmas shows is second-to-none, and this year's production, Wanted! Robin Hood, a brand-new adaptation of the magical tale of the legendary hero of Sherwood Forest, suitable for everyone aged six upwards, promises to be one of its very best. The show will run tonight, 29 November 2013 - Saturday 11 January 2014.

Anna Jordan is today, Friday 22 November, announced as the winner of the £16,000 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting for her play, Yen.

The full cast for The El. Train, joining the previously announced Ruth Wilson, is Simon Coombs, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Christian Edwards, Nicola Hughes, Adam Sopp, Ony Uhiara and Zubin Varla.

The Library Theatre Company's reputation for the quality of its Christmas shows is second-to-none, and this year's production, Wanted! Robin Hood, a brand-new adaptation of the magical tale of the legendary hero of Sherwood Forest, suitable for everyone aged six upwards, promises to be one of its very best. The show will run Friday 29 November 2013 - Saturday 11 January 2014.

Steep Theatre Company's 13th Season began in grand fashion on October 3rd with the North American Premiere of Motortown by Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. The show has now been extended through November 23rd.