Category: Theatre

Theatre Happenings

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Feb UpdateNatasha Gordon starts rehearsals for The Low Road at The Royal Court, Bruce Norris’s new play which outgoing Artistic Director Dominic Cooke will direct.  Opening in the Court’s main house in March, it is preceded by If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep in which Ferdy Roberts appears. Over at The Old Vic,  Richard Teverson starts rehearsals for Lindsay Posner’s revival of The Winslow Boy also opening March. Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, will transfer to the West End in Cocktail Sticks, as part of the National’s Alan Bennet double bill performing at The Duchess Theatre. Amy Cudden continues in the roles of Rachel/Roscoe Crabbe In One Man 2 Guvnors now playing opposite Rufus Hound at The Haymarket whilst Roger Sloman and Jess Murphy round off their runs at The National in The Magistrate and People respectively.

Out of town Graham Turner continues in Orphan of Zhao at RSC, Stratford and Mark Stobbart takes the role of Issac in The Hired Man , Colchester/Leicester Curve co-production with Daniel Buckroyd directing.  Also Benjamin Davies begins rehearsal with Blackwatch for The National Theatre of Scotland. Msimis Dlamini continues in the UK tour of Soul Sister and Emma Handy opens in Thursday as part of The Adelaide Festival.

Congratulations

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AwardsCongratulations to Lisa Palfrey who won Best Actress at the inaugural Theatre Critics of Wales Awards, for her role of Gloria in Before It Rains (Sherman Cymru/Bristol Old Vic).  And to Amy Cudden (Shallow Slumber/Soho), Hermione Gulliford (Lot & His God/Print Room) and Richard Dempsey (Victoria, Victoria/Southwark Playhouse) whose performances are all in the running for the 2013 Off West End Theatre Awards.

Coming Up: 2013

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Welcome to the new year which sees our clients looking forward to some exciting and diverse new projects.

Screen:

EBA-2013Tom Edden is deep in rehearsals for Mike Leigh’s as yet untilted 2013 film project. Whilst the script itself is, as usual, a work in progress between Mike and the actors the subject of this particular film has been revealed to be a biopic of the painter Turner. Principal photography commences April. Angela Terence films opposite Paddy Considine with the return of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. The 2 hour film for ITV which focuses on the Victorian detective will be directed by Christopher Menaul and shoots January.
Chris Ryman meanwhile goes into studio recording on Count Arthur Strong this month which is the latest comedy  helmed by Graham Linehan (IT Crowd, Father Ted). Set in a south London ‘greasy spoon’, Chris plays cafe regular Bulent.  Watch out too for Spencer Jones who will  be making a guest appearance.

Stage:

Ferdy Roberts joins the cast of the intriguingly titled If You Don’t Let Us Dream We Won’t Let You Sleep at The Royal Court Theatre.  Rehearsals begin in January with Simon Godwin directing. Emma Handy opens in Thursday, Bryony Lavery’s new play which sees ETT join forces with Brink for a premiere at The Adelaide Festival, Australia. Also touring is Benjamin Davies who will be taking on the role of Stewarty in John Tiffany’s acclaimed production of Black Watch for The National Theatre of Scotland which be restaged in Glasgow and Norwich before flying out for dates in Seattle and San Francisco. Another play originally staged by the NTOS receives its English premiere at The Finborough this month. Somersaults is directed by Russel Bolam with Richard Teverson amongst the principal cast.

One Man 2 Guvnors : West End

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After his award winning turn on Broadway, Tom Edden returns to the West End for 8 weeks only reprising his role as Alfie. This will be the last chance to see Tom’s amazing comedy performance which won him The Drama Desk Award along with Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations in New York this summer. Gavin Spokes is also in the West End cast and takes over the lead role of Francis in January. Starting rehearsals to join the new company is Amy Cudden who will be playing the leading role of Rachel/Roscoe Crabbe also from January.

Theatre Openings

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The Orphan of Zhao has opened at the RSC to high praise. Graham Turner’s heartfelt performance as the country doctor has been singled out by many critics in Greg Doran’s first production as new Artistic Director. The piece is variously described as an “extraordinary theatrical event” (Guardian) “an emotionally piercing marvel” (The Times) and a “gripping production… of an unseen classic” (The Telegraph).

Also opening last week at The Print Room was Lot and His God , the UK premiere of Howard Barker’s take on the Genesis story in which Hermione Gulliford takes the role of Lot’s wife.  The Telegraph writes “Gulliford performs the part mesmerisingly. In a dusty, dirty, dark bar in Sodom she meets the angel Drogheda, who is there to convince her and her husband to flee their home. Gulliford rolls the language around her mouth, easily and playfully and the result lays bare the many layers of meaning and intention in Barker’s script – no easy feat.”

Over at The National Theatre, Alan Bennett’s People featuring Jess Murphy was another opening last week to 4 and 5 star reviews. It now plays in rep in The Lyttelton Theatre alongside Scenes From An Execution (Robert Hands, Jay Simpson) which opened to excellent reviews in October. Previewing now and opening next week is The Magistrate which sees Roger Sloman return to The National in Pinero’s classic. And Derek Hutchinson returns too in another Alan Bennett play Cocktail Sticks which Nick Hytner directs as a companion piece to People.

Looking forward, Lynn Gardner (Guardian) tips Ignorance at Hampstead Downstairs a new play from Steve Waters as one to watch. Daniel Rabin is cast as part of a small-town postwar US community struggling to accept a foreigner in their midst.

New writing

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Our clients’ commitment to new writing is reflected in the London Evening Standard Award’s Longlist for most promising new playwright. The nominations include Red Velvet (Tricycle) featuring Natasha Gordon, Goodbye To All That (Royal Court) in which Roger Sloman appeared, You Can Still Make A Killing (Southwark Playhouse) with William Mannering and The Kitchen Sink (Bush Theatre) which starred Lisa Palfrey. Good luck to all the nominees.

 

Picture show Lisa Palfrey in “The Kitchen Sink”
©2012 Bush Theatre

Autumn Theatre Preview:

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Roger Sloman returns to The National in Pinero’s The Magistrate directed by Timothy Sheader. Jess Murphy returns too, currently rehearsing for Alan Bennett’s new play People which Nick Hytner directs.  Gavin Spokes, meanwhile,  joins the National’s highly successful West End run of One Man 2 Guvnors at The Haymarket.

Also in London, Vincenzo Nicoli opens in a new production of Revenger’s Tragedy at Hoxton Hall with Suba Das directing and Will Mannering premieres in a new play You Can Still Make A Killing which Matthew Dunster directs at Southwark Playhouse. Hermione Gulliford appears in the UK premiere of Howard Barker’s Lot and His God directed by Robyn Winfied-Smith at The Print Room in Notting Hill.

“The Welsh Boy” ©Jane Hobson

Geraldine Alexander has just opened in The Welsh Boy at Bath, Ustinov Studio whilst Chris Ryman performs in Greyscale’s What The Animals Say, which arrives London in October. Also opening in October is Scenes From An Execution with Jay Simpson and Robert Hands at The National plus Natasha Gordon in The Tricycle’s Red Velvet.

EBA latest Theatre

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Jay Simpson is in rehearsals at The National for Howard Barker’s Scenes From An Execution with director Tom Cairns. Graham Turner joins the RSC for their Winter Season at The Swan, Stratford where his casting includes the leading role of Dr Cheng in The Orphan of Zao, directed by Greg Doran.
Lisa Palfrey plays Gloria in Before It Rains which will mark the re-opening of Bristol Old Vic whilst Ferdy Roberts takes his devised Filter Theatre Co’s ‘Water’ to the Sidney Festival, Australia.  Natasha Gordon will be joining Indhu Rubasingham’s cast of Red Velvet in her first production as Artistic Director at The Tricycle.

Theatre News:

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Please watch out for the following EBA clients who will be on stage during the summer.

The Fairy Queen at Glyndebourne

Richard Teverson returns to The National in Nadia Falls’ directorial debut The Doctor’s Dilemma. William Mannering will be playing Touchstone in The Globe’s touring production of As You Like It, directed by James Dacre. Roger Sloman will be back at Glyndebourne in Jonathan Kent’s revival of The Fairy Queen and Daniel Rabin plays John in Chichester’s new staging of Blue Remembered Hills as part of their 50th. Ferdy Roberts will be taking Filter’s innovative new staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to The Royal Exchange , Manchester 5 July – 4 August whilst Colm Gormley will be playing Albany in the RSC’s touring production of King Lear which Tim Crouch is directing.