Working Theatre News

Throughout the month of October The Royal Opera House will present live-streamed performances featuring artists from both The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, alongside a range of archival content and dedicated social media takeovers from our global community of Black creatives and performers. 

The Peggy Ramsay Foundation with Film4 and the Maria Bjornson Memorial Fund are delighted to announce the six winners of the Peggy Ramsay/Film4 Awards which celebrate and support emerging British writing talent.  

Theatre Royal Drury Lane has announced that it will be offering tours of its newly refurbished venue. Nestled in the heart of Covent Garden, Theatre Royal Drury Lane has survived tragedy, fire, bankruptcy and even murder. Join in on a guided tour of the West End’s most iconic theatre and discover hidden tales that date back 400 years.

Whilst the hugely popular tours and storytelling sessions are booking up fast, there's still plenty to explore on the day. The theatre's foyer will be full of craft activities throughout the day as families can try their hands at theatre design - creating a puppet, paper doll or mask - all inspired by 255 years of amazing design at Bristol Old Vic.

Ford's Theatre today announced the launch of The Lincoln Legacy Commissions—a new play development initiative for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) playwrights that explores racial history and social justice in the United States and gives voice to lesser-known historical figures and their contributions to American life. Playwrights Pearl Cleage, Rickerby Hinds, Nambi E. Kelley, Dominic Taylor and Charlayne Woodard comprise the inaugural writers of The Lincoln Legacy Commissions.

TPS Talks are a new initiative of TPS, DTE and SistaStyle Productions that provide real-world stories and insights from working theatre professionals to college/university classrooms, corporate events, group organizations, and more.

Bucks County Playhouse's acclaimed education program encourages children, teens and adults to explore their creativity through a wide variety of online classes for Spring 2021. The current roster of classes includes: Acting for Adults, Broadway Dance Workshops, Improv for Adults, Writers Workshop and Writing and Performing Your Own Solo Show.

Soho Theatre's re-opening of the former Granada/EMD in Walthamstow takes a stride forward with the appointment of key posts: Jessica Draper in the newly created role of Head of Creative Engagement, and the new Co-Chairs of the board for the revitalised venue, Olivier Award-winning performer and Waltham Forest resident Alessandro Babalola and the Royal Court's Executive Director Lucy Davies.

Bristol Old Vic today announced it was recruiting a new Chair for their Board of Trustees. The new Chair will help to shape the future of one of the most dynamic and inclusive cultural institutions in the UK, leading a team committed to creating theatre with and for its community, and sharing that work with a national and international audience.

I hope this list helps someone give the perfect gift this holiday season!

Royal & Derngate and The National Youth Theatre have announced a new partnership committed to providing outstanding vocational learning opportunities in theatre for up to 500 young people aged 14 to 21 in Summer 2021.

Due to rising regional and national cases related to the coronavirus pandemic, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site will temporarily close to the public starting Monday, Nov. 23. Virtual programming such as the scheduled monthly Cabinet Conversations (Dec. 17), Virtual Play Readings (Dec. 10) and distance-learning events will continue.

My theatre tech classes, directing classes, and playwriting classes have taught me skills for the industry. However, when I graduate I worry about navigating the dicey industry of 21st century theatre in New York; there was no class on that. 

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and TheFrontOffice (an entertainment development company founded in 2019 by director, Wendy C. Goldberg) have partnered to create the Freelancers Relief Fund: Theatre Designers providing a limited number of rapid response grants of $1,000 each for scenic, lighting, costume, sound and projection designers who have had theatre employment within January 2019 - March 2020. 

Marin Theatre Company partners with Working Theatre (NYC) and five other theatre companies in presenting the West Coast Digital Debut of Leila Buck's interactive theatrical experience, American Dreams. In the year of COVID-19, digital productions are the new medium and companies are experimenting with available styles, either live recorded productions or in this case, a Zoom presentation similar to our work at home business meetings.

Bucks County Playhouse has announced its lineup of acclaimed education programs have moved online for Fall and Winter 2020-21.

Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service have announced a phased reopening schedule for Ford's Theatre and the Ford's Theatre Museum beginning Wednesday, October 14, 2020, with advance tickets required. Tickets for October 14-18 will be available online beginning October 13, 2020, at 10 a.m.

Theatres Trust, the national advisory body for theatres in the UK, is awarding £25,000 in grants to six theatres through the Accessible Theatres Scheme to make their buildings more inclusive. 

The Kenton Theatre, the UK's fourth-oldest working theatre based in the centre of Henley-on-Thames, has today announced its plans to raise £35,000 through their fundraising campaign Kenton For Keeps. Like most theatres in the UK the Kenton Theatre has suffered financially during the COVID-19 pandemic when it had to close its doors to the public in March. 

Fort Worth Opera announced today the names of the six librettists whose unpublished works have been selected for Frontiers: FWO Libretto Workshop, an exciting exploration of operatic storytelling, and the eighth installment of its innovative new works showcase.