Sunday, May 19

NEWS

Furnace Festival celebrating new artists is back at Leeds Playhouse
27Oct By Paul ClarkeNo Comments
NEWS

Furnace Festival celebrating new artists is back at Leeds Playhouse

Leeds Playhouse’s trailblazing Furnace Festival is back after a two-year break celebrating new work in a kaleidoscopic mix of performances, workshops, conversations and social events. Furnace is the Playhouse's development engine that generates new performance work supporting the local creative community. The week- long showcase events that are free or pay-what-you-can shares new work and offers space for artists to explore their practice. Highlights of the Furnace Festival include: Let's Talk - Tuesday 9th November, 10.30am A panel discussion with Disability Arts Online and Leeds Playhouse's Associate Director Amy Leach discussing access and work by disabled artists within the theatre. This is a chance for people to ask questions and air their views in a safe and supportive a...
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Three Nights of Ground-breaking New Theatre
27Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Three Nights of Ground-breaking New Theatre

Following on from the success of their event at 81 Renshaw Street in July 2019, the Lantern Writers collective were all set to soar again last April until – well, we all know what happened next. But time flies, the world moves on, and so better late than never, they reconvene to deliver another three nights of ground-breaking new theatre at Liverpool’s Royal Court this November. The premise remains the same with twelve pieces of original writing delivered across three evenings with plays typically ranging in length from 15 minutes to half-an-hour, although this time round an hour-long piece opens the proceedings. Covering a wide variety of genres, audiences are guaranteed a diverse mix each night with comedy and drama intermingled to provide an entertaining showcase. One of the g...
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Dreaming of a White Christmas in Manchester
19Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Dreaming of a White Christmas in Manchester

Jamie Wilson, Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Kevin McCollum are thrilled to announce Broadway and West End star Sally Ann Triplett will join the Made at Curve’s production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as ‘Martha Watson’ as it embarks on a UK tour. The show also stars Dan Burton as ‘Phil Davis’, Matthew Jeans as ‘Bob Wallace’, Jessica Daley as ‘Betty Haynes’, Emily Langham as ‘Judy Haynes’ and Duncan Smith as ‘General Waverly’. White Christmas comes to Manchester Palace Theatre on 22nd November until Saturday 4th December. The previously announced Sheila Ferguson has withdrawn from the production. The cast is completed by Phillip Bertioli, Imogen Bowtell, Isabel Canning, Freddie Clements, Meg Darcy, Adam Denman, Beth Devine, Kirsty Fuller, Ashton Harkness, Sam Holden, Matt Holland,...
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Chelsea Halfpenny to star as Jenna in Waitress Musical at Wolverhampton Grand!
17Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Chelsea Halfpenny to star as Jenna in Waitress Musical at Wolverhampton Grand!

Producers Barry & Fran Weissler and David Ian are delighted to announce that Chelsea Halfpenny with join the cast as Jenna in the smash hit romantic musical comedy Waitress. Chelsea will take over the role from Lucie Jones who leaves the production to move on to a soon to be announced new project. Waitress will play at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Tuesday 28th June – Saturday 2nd July 2022. Chelsea Halfpenny began her career in the popular children’s television series Byker Grove. She appeared as Amy Wyatt in Emmerdale for three years and Alice Munroe in Casualty, a part she played for four years. Chelsea recently made her West End debut as Judy Bernly in 9 to 5 The Musical at the Savoy Theatre. Waitress is based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly. Music and lyr...
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An age old festive tale is brought to life in Salford
17Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

An age old festive tale is brought to life in Salford

Award winning theatre company Carnival of Eternal Light return to the stage with their very first seasonal production - A Christmas Carol. Based on the immensely popular and legendary novel of Charles Dickens Carnival bring to life this much-loved classic as miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is taught the error of his ways and taken on a voyage across the past, present and future of his life. As Scrooge comes to face to face with Ghosts of Christmas’ Past, Present and Yet to Come can this cruel old man redeem his soul? A Christmas Carol is Carnival’s fourth show overall after the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland adaptation The Looking Glass, the original superhero based Elysiad and their GM Fringe 2020 production The Delirium of Phobos. It is adapted and written by Actor, Playwright and Carniva...
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Red Ladder heads home to Leeds with timely new play
17Oct By Paul ClarkeNo Comments
NEWS

Red Ladder heads home to Leeds with timely new play

This November Red Ladder Theatre Company is heading home to Leeds with a very timely new play My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored exploring race and identity. It opens with 15-year-old Reece, played by Jelani D’Aguilar, being roughly accosted by police. Misha Duncan-Barry’s young, Black teacher Gillian Misha witnesses it all but doesn’t question or intervene as the disturbing scene plays out. The consequences of her lack of action erupt the following day when Gillian finds herself locked in a classroom with Reece. As a radical theatre company Red Ladder are always looking to challenge audiences, and this time take the audience to the centre of a discussion that asks ‘if you see something you do not agree with, do you intervene?’ This new work is the stage debut from writer N...
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The Addams Family are preparing to move into your neighbourhood!
17Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

The Addams Family are preparing to move into your neighbourhood!

Aria Entertainment and Music & Lyrics are delighted to announce the final ensemble cast members for the UK and Ireland tour of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, A Musical Comedy. The final members of the ensemble are Jessica Keable, Sario Solomon and Ying Ue Li. They join the previously announced, Joanne Clifton (Morticia Addams), Cameron Blakely (Gomez Addams), Scott Paige (Uncle Fester), Kingsley Morton (Wednesday Addams), Grant McIntyre (Pugsley Addams), Valda Aviks (Grandma), Sean Kingsley (Mal Beineke), Kara Lane (Alice Beineke), Ahmed Hamad (Lucas Beineke), Dickon Gough and Ryan Bennett (sharing the role of Lurch), Abigail Brodie, Sophie Hutchinson, Castell Parker, Matthew Ives and Sean Lopeman. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and has a shocking s...
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First Act presents Spring Awakening at The Hope Street Theatre
17Oct By Mark DavorenNo Comments
NEWS

First Act presents Spring Awakening at The Hope Street Theatre

Warrington based First Act, will be bringing Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s award-winning musical Spring Awakening to The Hope Street Theatre from the 28th - 30th October in a fresh and vibrant new production. Based on the 1891 German by Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of adolescent sexuality. Set in mid-19th-century Germany, the musical, with its alternative and folk-infused rock score, explores oppression, freedom, teenage angst, and the dangers of hiding the truth. First Act launched in 2017 with a simple vision: create acting classes for young performers which developed skill, technique, and talent; an acting school where theatre education is the primary goal. Since its incorporation First Act have been delive...
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Beautiful – The Carole King Musical embarks on new UK tour
15Oct By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical embarks on new UK tour

Curve, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Mayflower Theatre Southampton have today announced plans to launch a new UK tour of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical, Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, opening at Curve in February 2022. Directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Sunset Boulevard, West Side Story), Beautiful will open at Curve on Monday 28th February until Saturday 12th March before moving to Theatre Royal Bath from 17th – 26th March 2022 and Mayflower Theatre Southampton from 12th – 16th April 2022, with additional tour dates and casting to be announced soon. The hit show, which ran in the West End for two and a half years before two successful UK tours, will feature a talented cast of actor-musicians performing countless classics including Y...
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Jack & the Beanstalk is at Halifax’s Victoria Theatre…oh yes it is!
10Oct By Paul ClarkeNo Comments
NEWS

Jack & the Beanstalk is at Halifax’s Victoria Theatre…oh yes it is!

The Trots are so poor they don’t have a bean to their name, and what is more there is a giant terrifying the village. Come and see if Jack can defeat the giant, win the heart of the girl he loves and turn the Trots’ fortunes around. Once again The Victoria Theatre will have all the ingredients for a perfect family panto, with a dastardly villain, a hapless comic and a hilarious panto dame, as well as fabulous musical numbers and bags of slapstick fun! Jack & The Beanstalk is the panto at Halifax’s Victoria Theatre with Adam Stafford returning as Dame Trot Comic Josh Benson will be returning for his 2nd panto as Joshin' Josh, Dame Trot’s wacky son. Richard Lloyd is returning for his second year too playing Fleshcreep, the snazzy dressed panto villain. Nikki Schofield has ap...
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