Mayor of London, Meryl Streep and More Laud Donmar's Young+Free Initiative for Shakespeare Trilogy

Today ambassadors, including The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and actors Meryl Streep and Ben Whishaw, help the Donmar Warehouse celebrate the release of the first batch of YOUNG+FREE tickets, available to those aged 25 and under, for the all-female Shakespeare Trilogy at King's Cross.

So far over 5,000 people have signed up via www.youngandfreelondon.com, with ambassadors encouraging young people to sign up from today before performances start on 23rd September.

Speaking about the YOUNG+FREE ticket scheme, the ambassadors said:

"Who owns Shakespeare? We all do. I am thrilled to be supporting this extraordinary project from the Donmar." - Meryl Streep

"All Londoners should benefit from the fantastic cultural riches our capital has to offer. I'm delighted that this scheme will bring young people and world-class theatre together in the heart of our great city." - The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Other Ambassadors supporting YOUNG+FREE include: Joan Armatrading, Christine Baranski, Frances Barber, Laura Dockrill, Cynthia Erivo, Lenny Henry, Jenny Jules, Cush Jumbo, Symran Makhani, Nicola Mendelsohn, Vanessa Ogden, Lucy Perman, Ramsha Saleem, Fiona Shaw, Kate Tempest and Jill Tuffee.

To help celebrate the release of the first YOUNG+FREE tickets, the Donmar has also launched the social media challenge #CHARADESPEARE. Donmar Artistic Director Josie Rourke today challenged Tom Hiddleston to share his short video acting out the title of a Shakespeare play. Videos will be shared on social media with the hashtags and #YOUNG+FREE and #CHARADESPEARE.

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YOUNG+FREE builds on the success of the Donmar's transformative Front Row ticket scheme. All of the front row seats for The Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy will be free to 25s and under through the YOUNG+FREE initiative. YOUNG+FREE tickets will be released throughout the run on a weekly basis.

Support from Delta Air Lines, the Official Airline Partner of the Donmar Warehouse, alongside funding from individuals and trusts and foundations, has made possible 20% of YOUNG+FREE tickets. The Donmar is challenging the public to make up the final 5% by 'paying forward' £20 tickets into the YOUNG+FREE initiative.

As part of YOUNG+FREE the Donmar's Education and Outreach programme will enable 2,300 students from targeted London state schools to see these productions. Alongside these free tickets are creative projects and free workshops, targeted at schools, youth groups, community centres and organisations working with young people at risk of offending, designed to inspire and empower young people with limited experience of Shakespeare performance.

The Donmar's all-female Shakespeare Trilogy will launch a new production of The Tempest on 23 September, at a new 420-seat in-the-round temporary theatre, built at the King's Cross Theatre site, built and run by Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds for Theatre Tracks.

The Tempest marks the reunion of director Phyllida Lloyd with actor Harriet Walter, who will play Prospero. The production will then be joined in rep by the acclaimed productions of Julius Caesar and Henry IV. Full casting includes: Jade Anouka, Sheila Atim, Jackie Clune, Shiloh Coke, Karen Dunbar, Clare Dunne, Zainab Hasan, Leah Harvey, Jennifer Joseph, Martina Laird, Sophie Stanton, Carolina Valdés and Harriet Walter.

Press day for the Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy will be on Tuesday 22 November 2016 at 11am (Julius Caesar), 3.30pm (Henry IV) and 8pm (The Tempest).

The Tempest will transfer to New York's St. Ann's Warehouse in January 2017, concluding an unprecedented eight months of Donmar productions in the US. The Donmar New York season will continue with Artistic Director Josie Rourke's transfer of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses starring Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber at the Booth Theatre on Broadway from October.

IF YOU GO:

THE DONMAR SHAKESPEARE TRILOGY

23 September - 17 December 2016

PRESS PERFORMANCE DAY TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER

Julius Caesar (11am), Henry IV (3.30pm), The Tempest (8pm)

For 25s and under to register for YOUNG+FREE visit www.youngandfreelondon.com

The first YOUNG+FREE tickets will be released on Friday 2 September

From 23 September

THE TEMPEST

Director Phyllida Lloyd

Designer Chloe Lamford

Theatre Environment Designer Bunny Christie

Lighting Designer James Farncombe

Musical Director Shiloh Coke

Sound Designer Peter Malkin

Movement Director Ann Yee

Assistant Director Ola Ince

From 27 October

JULIUS CAESAR

Director Phyllida Lloyd

Designer Bunny Christie

Lighting Designer James Farncombe

Lighting Designer at the Donmar Neil Austin

Musical Director Shiloh Coke

Sound Designer Tom Gibbons

Movement Director Ann Yee

Fight Director Kate Waters

Video Designer Duncan McLean

Assistant Director Ola Ince

From 17 November

HENRY IV

Director Phyllida Lloyd

Designer Bunny Christie with Ellen Nabaro

Costume Designer Deborah Andrews

Lighting Designer James Farncombe

Lighting Designer at the Donmar Neil Austin

Musical Director Shiloh Coke

Sound Designer Tom Gibbons

Movement Director Ann Yee

Fight Director Kate Waters

Assistant Director Stef O'Driscoll

All performances at Donmar at King's Cross, King's Boulevard, King's Cross, London N1C 4BU.

For more information visit www.donmaratkingscross.com.

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