Bill Ward Will Lead National Tour Of THE GLEE CLUB

Out of Joint, Cast, Doncaster and Kiln Theatre, London announced to today that star of Coronation Street and Emmerdale and respected stage actor Bill Ward will lead the cast of their national tour and London run of The Glee Club. Fresh from playing Hugo / Loco Chanelle in the West End hit Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Ward will take on the role of Bant in this new production of Richard Cameron's play to be directed by Out Of Joint's artistic director Kate Wasserberg.

In the summer of '62, five hard-working, hard-drinking Doncaster miners, together with their church organist accompanist, are frantically preparing to wow the audience of a local gala concert with their sweet tones. This is The Glee Club, a group of unlikely singers, who though being established in the working men's clubs, aren't exactly known for being at the vanguard of a musical revolution. But both Britain and music are about to change ... and so too are the lives of these six men, will anything ever be the same again?

Richard Cameron's raucous comedy about friendship and divided loyalty in a rough and rugged world, features the romantic songs of the 1950's performed live on stage.

Bill Ward's stage career includes Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Viva Forever, Million Dollar Quartet and Spamalot in The West End, Shakespeare In Love at the Bath Theatre Royal and on tour, Look Back in Anger at Northern Stage and The Lady From The Sea at The Royal Exchange. His television roles include Charlie Stubbs in Coronation Street and James Barton In Emmerdale.

The Glee Club was first staged at the Bush Theatre in 2002 before transferring to the West End. It was revived seven years ago to open Cast, in Doncaster, the writer's hometown. The announcement of the first batch of dates reveals that the tour of Kate Wasserberg's new production will begin at the same theatre on February 28 and will culminate in a run at Kiln Theatre in London from June 4 to 27. More dates are to be announced.

Kate Wasserberg says - "Richard Cameron is one of our greatest living writers, and I am so excited to be working with our partners Cast and Kiln Theatre to produce The Glee Club. With incredible songs and boisterous humour, it is the bittersweet story of one boy's coming of age and the men he knew, held together by their love of music and each other. Out of Joint is above all things a touring company and we can't wait to bring this play, about what unites us even when events threaten to tear us apart, to audiences all around the U.K."

Tour Dates

February 28 - March 7- Cast in Doncaster (press performance March 3 - 7.30pm)
https://castindoncaster.com

March 10 - 14 - Theatr Clwyd, Mold
https://www.theatrclwyd.com/en/

March 24 - 28 - Lichfield Garrick
https://lichfieldgarrick.com

April 7 - 11 - Malvern Theatre
https://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

April 14 -18 Cambridge Arts Theatre
https://www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

April 21 - 25 - Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
https://www.theatreroyal.org

April 28-May 2 - Northern Stage, Newcastle
https://www.northernstage.co.uk

May 5 - 9 - Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford
https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

May 12 - 16 - Oldham Coliseum
https://www.coliseum.org.uk

May 19 - 23 - Leeds Playhouse
https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk

May 27 - 30 - Theatre Royal, York
https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

June 4- 27 - Kiln Theatre
Press night - 8 June
https://kilntheatre.com

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