Spring Stage News

Jenna Augen (right) in Nachtland at the Young Vic

A busy season of theatre is coming up to start the year. Jenna Augen and Dorothea Myer Bennet will both appear in the Young Vic production of Nachtland (translated as a place of eternal darkness) a new satire from German playwright Marius Von Mayberg and directed by Patrick Marber. Kate Fahy joins the cast of the National Theatre’s production of Dodie Smith revival Dear Octopus with Emily Burns directing.

Stephen Kennedy also returns to the National Theatre in London Tide based on Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend with Ian Rickson directing and music by PJ Harvey. Hywel Morgan, Daniel Rabin and Tafline Steen all join the cast in Rob Icke’s production of The Player Kings with Ian McKellan as Falstaff and playing at the Noel Coward Theatre. Jodie McNee takes the lead in the stage adaptation of Minority Report , directed by Max Webster and opening at Nottingham Playhouse before transferring to London and Howard Ward returns to the Almeida production of The Hunt which transfers to New York with Rupert Goold directing.

Greg Hicks will next be seen at the Marylebone Theatre in a solo show inspired by Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man , directed by Lawrence Boswell. Hayley Carmichael appears in the world premiere of Shed at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, Phoebe Eclair Powell’s Bruntwood Prize winning play and Olivia Onyehara opens in A Song For Ella Grey, Northern Stage and Pilot Theatre’s ambitious new staging of David Skellig’s award winning novel adapted from the Orpheus myth. Lily Beau plays the lead role of Ffion in the National Theatre of Wales production of Feral Monsters and Sam Alexander will transfer with the Bath Theatre Royal production of Machinal to The Old Vic.

Lily Beau (left) in Feral Monster for the National Theatre of Wales

Stage News

Gavin Spokes joins the cast of A Very Expensive Poison a new play by Lucy Prebbles premiering at The Old Vic and directed by John Crowley. Tafline Steen plays River in Appropriate by Brandon Jacobs -Jenkins at The Donmar which Ola Ince directs. Josie Walker returns to The National playing Old Mrs Hempstock in The Ocean At The End of The Lane , Neil Gamain’s fantasy novel adapted to the stage and directed by Katy Rudd. Ferdy Roberts plays Dr Walker in the first revival of Conor McPherson’s Girl From The North Country which returns to the West End at the Gielgud Theatre. Daniel Rabin joins Robert Icke’s final production of at The Almeida The Doctor, Natalie Radmall- Quirke joins the cast of Ned Bennet’s Equus which comes to the Trafalgar Studio’s and Sophie Duval and Sam Alexander reprise their roles in Laura Wade’s The Watsons which transfers from CFT to The Menier Chocolate Factory. At the Globe Sophie Stone is Jacques in As You Like It directed by Elle While, Anita Reynolds plays in The Merry Wives of Windsor, whilst Jenna Augen joins Bartholomew Fair with director Blanche Mcintyre.

Openings include Tamsin Carroll in Peter Gynt at The National directed by Jonathan Kent, Scott Karim in Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre director Jeremy Sam , Patrick Brennan in Greg Doran’s Measure for Measure at the RSC and Tomi Ogbaro in Dominic Hill’s A Midsummer Nights Dream at Regents Park. Rupert Goold’s The Hunt with Howard Ward has opened to rave reviews at The Almeida and Jodie McNee has earned high praise for her performance as Belvedere in Venice Preserved at RSC Stratford. Jordan Mifsúd and Dorothea Myer-Bennett continue in Rattigan’s While The Sun Shines at The Orange Tree whilst Hayley Carmichael has opened in Peter Brooks WHY? at Bouffes Du Nord Paris.

Stage news

Natasha Gordon’s hugely successful Nine Night which premiered at The National this spring transfers to The Trafalgar Studios from December. Natasha will take the role of Lorraine in the West-End transfer of her debut play for which she recently won the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at The Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018.

Gavin Spokes will play Harry in Marianne Elliot’s updated production of Company Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy about life, love and marriage which will run at The Gielgud Theatre, West End from October. Tom Edden joins the Jamie Lloyd Company for Pinter at The Pinter, a season of one act plays in which he will perform Trouble in the Works, Night and GirlsAnita Reynolds joins the cast of ear for eye at The Royal Court Theatre with Debbie Tucker Green directing. Robert Hands will play Nick in the Tony Award Winning Come From Away directed by Christopher Ashley and premiering at The Abbey Theatre Dublin before transferring to the West End in January. Nicholas Lumley transfers to the Garrick, West End with the RSC’s Don Quixote with Angus Jackson directing with Richard Dempsey also joining the cast as Duke. Elsewhere graduate Patricia Allison will play Hermia in The Sheffield Crucible production of A Midsummer Nights Dream directed by Artistic Director Rob Hastie, Hayley Carmichael joins Les Bouffes du Nord’s production of The Prisoner directed by Peter Brook, Michelle Bonnard plays Darina in Iqbal Khan’s Tartuffe at The RSC, Sara Powell joins the cast of Adam Penford ‘s revival of The Madness Of George III with Mark Gatiss in the title role at Nottingham Playhouse.

Openings include Dan Rabin in the Chichester transfer of King Lear playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre and staring Ian Mckellen, Scott Karim joins the cast of The Village, Nadia Fall’s first production as artistic director at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Howard Ward, Sophie Stone and Clemmie Sveaas all join Michelle Terry’s inaugural season at Shakespeare’s Globe (in The Winter’s Tale & Eyam, Emilia and OthelloJenna Augen and Peter McGovern, meanwhile, continue at the Criterion Theatre in the hit show The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Jason Callender continues in the West End company of The Play That Goes Wrong.

Currently filming:

Jodie McNee plays Vivian and John Mackay plays Johnnie Ray in Judy, directed by Rupert Goold and with Renee Zellweger in the title role. Hayley Carmichael films the role of Anna in Mr Casanova with Benoit Jacquot and Stefan Kalipha films The Good Liar opposite Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen with Bill Condon directing.

On TV, Andrew Koji continues filming Warrior for HBO, Jay Simpson plays regular Perevozchenko in HBO/Sky collaboration Chernobyl about the 1986 Soviet disaster with Alex Blake and Daniel Crossley also playing guest roles across the 10 part series and Johan Renck as lead director. Jodie McNee returns as Willa in the second series of Britannia, joined this season by Joe Sims who plays Euan with Luke Watson directing. Also for Sky, Oliver Dench and Tafline Steen play regulars Sam and Leigh in Nyela’s Dream a 25 part teen comedy drama exec produced by Foz Allan. Hayley Carmichael, Anton Saunders and Patricia Allison join the cast of the BBC’s Les Misérables, Tom Shankland directing whilst Stephen Kennedy and Sarah Malin film Dark Heart for ITV based on the Will Wagstaff novels and adapted by Chris Lang. Unforgotten, also written by Chris Lang, sees Sara Powell and Michelle Bonnard join the cast for Season 3 , both characters featuring across the series and Howard Ward shoots Manhunt also for ITV, which details the pursuit of serial killer Levi Bellfield. Joseph May plays regular TJ in Living the Dream for Big Talk/Sky, Kriss Dosanjh is Moeen in Ackley Bridge for Channel 4, whilst James Doherty can be seen in The Windsors Wedding Special next month celebrating Harry and Meghan’s nuptials. Guest roles include Howard Ward as Kastor Breakspear in Carnival Row for Amazon, Alex Blake in Mrs Wilson for Brontë Film & TV, Richard Laxton directing and Max Fowler as Colin in The Affair (Season 4) , Showtime, Director Rodrigo Garcia.

Olivier Awards 2018

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie secures 5 Olivier Award Nominations including
Best Actress in a Musical for Josie Walker.

Congratulations to Josie as well our to our
other clients appearing in 2018 Olivier nominated shows:
Tamsin Caroll (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie); David Seadon -Young
(An American In Paris); Eugene O’Hare (The Ferryman); Daniel Rabin (Almeida’s Hamlet) and Howard Ward (Oslo).

Autumn Theatre Preview

Josie Walker returns to the West End with Sheffield Crucible’s production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in which she plays the lead role of Margaret; Jonathan Butterell directs opening at The Apollo Theatre in November. Olwen May plays the Butcher in St George and the Dragon with Lyndsey Turner directing for The National Theatre whilst Clemmie Sveaas will begin rehearsals for Pinocchio with John Tiffany directing. Also opening at The National this Autumn for a limited run is Oslo with Geraldine Alexander and Howard Ward, transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre from October. Tom Edden returns to the West End as he takes on the role of Mr Wormwood in Matilda for the RSC at The Cambridge Theatre. Lisa Palfrey, meanwhile continues as Big Mama in the Young Vic’s production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at The Apollo. Scott Karim joins Nicholas Hytner’s exciting new venture at the Bridge Theatre for his inaugural show Young Marx, Geoff Leesley transfers with Trouble in Mind, Laurence Boswell’s acclaimed production from Theatre Royal Bath coming to the Print Room Coronet and Jenna Augen plays Val in The Knowledge at the Charing Cross Theatre with Maureen Lipman directing.

Laura Rogers joins the cast of Rules For Living with Simon Godwin directing for ETT with Natalie Radmall Quirke also joining the company playing the lead role of Valerie in their celebrated revival of The Weir. Meanwhile at The Royal Exchange, Sophie Stone starts rehearsals for their much anticipated stage adaptation of the cult film Jubilee, Carol Macready, Kriss Dosangh head to Home Manchester for Walter Meierjohann’s production of Uncle Vanya and Patricia Allison plays Susan in The Harper Elliot/West Yorkshire Playhouse co production of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe directed by Sally Cookson.

Summer stage

Lisa Palfrey plays Big Mamma in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for the Young Vic at the Apollo Theatre, West End with Benedict Andrews directing. The Broadway hit Oslo opens at the National’s Lyttleton Theatre before transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre, West End; Geraldine Alexander and Howard Ward join the London cast with director Bartlett Sher.
Gavin Spokes returns to The Almeida over the summer in Against, Christopher Shinn’s new play with Ian Rickson directing whilst Queen Ann opens at The Haymarket, West End for the RSC with Hywel Morgan reprising his role as Prince George. Andrew Koji is at Regents Park for A Tale of Two Cities directed by Tim Shearer whilst Graham Turner opens in Dessert a new play premiering at Southwark Playhouse which Trevor Nunn directs.
In Bath, Sam Alexander and Michelle Bonnard both join Jonathan Church’s revival of Racing Demon whilst in Manchester Natasha Gordon performs What If Women Ruled the World as part of the festival with Vicky Featherstone directing. Also in Manchester, new graduate Patricia Allison makes her professional stage debut in Our Town with Sarah Frankcom as director.
The Ferryman receives its West End opening with Eugene O’Hare in the cast, The Committee opens at The Donmar with Robert Hands, Jodie McNee and Sarah Malin continue in the astounding Anatomy of a Suicide at The Royal Court whilst David Seadon Young joins Rachel Kavanaugh for Oklahoma at The Royal Albert Hall as part of this years BBC Proms season.

TV Update:

Pooky Quesnel returns to The A Word, BBCs groundbreaking drama centring around the family of an autistic boy. Pooky reprises her role as Louise for Series 2. Also recommissioned for a second series is National Geographic’s MARS. Cosima Shaw returns as astronaut Lesley in the innovative sci- fi adventure set in the perhaps not too distant future. Max Fowler will begin filming on State of Happiness an epic new drama series for Maipo Film exploring the Norwegian oil boom of the 1970s. Petter Noess Oscar nominated director of Elling is at the helm. Ken Bones, meanwhile, appears as the Papal Envoy across Season 3 of the hugely popular Versailles for Capa Drama and Canal+.
Back home Geraldine Alexander joins Benedict Cumberbatch in one off BBC 90 minute drama The Child in Time an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel about the grief and loss of a couple directed by Julian Farino. Scott Karim films Crazy Diamond (Electric Dreams: The World of Philip K Dick) with Marc Munden for Left Bank/Channel 4. Hywel Morgan films the E4/Netflix produced The End Of The F**king World based on the American comic book. Laura Rees plays Dotti and Melissa Vaughan Sear in The City and the City a Mammoth Screen production for BBC 2 with Tom Shankland directing and Howard Ward plays Gary Green in Sky Atlantic’s The Tunnel which returns for a 3rd and final series later this year.
Kriss Dosanjh will play Uncle Molinder in BBC’s The Boy with the Topknot a 90 minute single drama for BBC2 adapted by from Sathnam Sanghera’s critically acclaimed Memoir with Lynsey Miller directing. Joseph May plays Justin Trudeau in The Windsors, Sophie Stone films the key role of Jo Halley in the 4th season of Shetland, Anita Reynolds films Rellik, a new 6 parter for the BBC from the creators behind The Missing and Gary Oliver plays Franco in the ever popular Benidorm. Over in soap land Laura Rogers joins Eastenders as new character Corrine Mandel whilst in Coronation Street the Bethany/Nathan storyline continues to unfold with Chris Harper both brilliant and appalling as the groomer at its centre.

Screen Latest

Television

channel-columnJodie McNee and Sara Powell will be playing regular roles in ITV’s recently announced factual drama Little Boy Blue. Written by Jeff Pope and directed by Paul Whittington (Cilla, Mrs Biggs), this four part drama focuses on the murder of 11 year-old Rhys Jones in Croxteth, Liverpool in 2007 and the efforts of his parents to gain justice. Filming is now underway and will also feature Kent Riley and Howard Ward in guest roles across the series. Gary Oliver and Scott Karim join the cast of Britannia, Sky’s new 10 parter written by Jez Butterworth whilst Pooky Quesnel joins Hayley Carmichael in the E4/Netflix production Kiss Me First based on Lottie Moggarch’s thriller novel about stolen identity in the digital world. Melanie Kilburn and Tony Guilfoyle, meanwhile, feature in new Jimmy McGovern drama Broken, a 6 parter for the BBC and Thomas Coombes films the recurring role of Brother Anthony in Knightfall shooting in Prague for the History Channel.

Film

In film news Carol Macready and Josie Walker film Amma Asante’s forthcoming drama Where Hands Touch set in Berlin during WW2, Nicholas Lumley films the sequel to Paddington playing Old Timer Jack and Alex Felton and Alex Blake shoot the Richard Eyre directed Children Act. Looking ahead, Roger Sloman and Nicholas Lumley begin rehearsals on the new Mike Leigh feature about the Peterloo massacre due to shoot 2017.

Currently showing

You can catch series regulars Cosima Shaw in the brilliant Mars (National Geographic), Pooky Quesnel in Class (BBC and iPlayer) and Ken Bones in Medici (Netflix from December).

Stage Latest

London Theatre

David Seadon-Young20161122-1 will play the role of Adam in An American in Paris, the award winning Broadway musical opening at The Dominion Theatre in March 2017. Aleksandar Mikic reprises his role as The Lead in The Wish List directed by Matthew Xia at the Royal Court, Daniel Rabin opens in Robert Icke’s Mary Stuart at The Almeida, Howard Ward is in rehearsals for Wild Honey at the Hampstead Theatre, Gavin Spokes plays The Dame at this years Hackney Empire Panto Sleeping Beauty whilst Clemmie Sveaas returns to the Royal Opera House in Javier de Frutos’ production of Les Enfants Terribles. Laura Rogers will perform in Winter Solstice directed by Ramin Gray for The Orange Tree and Sarah Malin will play Prospero in The Tempest at the Southwark Playhouse directed by Amy Draper, whilst Arabella Neale takes over the role of Patricia in David Hare’s The Red Barn at The National’s Lyttleton Theatre from December.

Succesful openings include Tom Edden in Amadeus at The National Theatre, Stephen Kennedy in The Old Vic’s King Lear with Glenda Jackson, John Mackay in EV Crowe’s The Sewing Group at The Royal Court and Graham Turner in King Lear & Cymbeline for the RSC at The Barbican. Also transferring to London with the RSC are Sam Alexander and Peter McGovern in Much Ado About Nothing and Love’s Labour’s Lost playing in rep at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

And beyond

At The Sheffield Crucible Josie Walker will join the cast of the Everyone’s Talking About Jamie playing Jamie’s mum Margaret in the coming-of-age story of a teenage drag queen directed by Jonathan Butterell. Lisa Palfrey joins the cast of Headlong’s new Jack Thorne play Junkyard directed by Jeremy Herrin, RADA Grad George Caple is to join the fist resident Rep company at The Liverpool Everyman in 25 years where roles will include playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet directed by Nick Bagnall. Geoff Leesley has opened to excellent reviews in Trouble in Mind directed by Laurence Boswell at the Ustinov Studio Bath whilst Richard Dempsey plays JJ Silvers in Strictly Ballroom and Jenna Augen plays Grandma in The Witches, both opening at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Jason Callender meanwhile begins rehearsals for The Play That Goes Wrong Tour, Sandy Foster opens in Maria Aberg’s production of Fantastic Mr Fox touring the UK next year and Jude Monk McGowan takes Punchdrunks acclaimed London show Sleep No More to Shanghai.