Well, after all the panic about the theatre closing because of RAAC concrete, Trafalgar, who run our local theatre have manage to find a temporary fix. Unfortunately, not in time for my starring role in Waiting for God which has now been postponed until July 2024. This is a long time for me to remember all my lines. Somehow, we managed to get interest from BBC’s One Show who sent a film unit down to interview the director. They also asked us to perform a few pieces that they could show. We gave it our all, but when it was a transmitted, we were just a pinprick in the distance. Apparently, the writer refused us permission to act the text and would only allow dumb show. I’m not sure why, as we had a license to perform it and he was being paid the license fee.
The group decided to perform a variety show instead of our play and someone commented that it was like Britain’s Got Talent without the talent, which was a trifle harsh. However, a sold out audience enjoyed it. I wasn’t involved, although something very strange happened. Someone came in to ask the audience if anyone recognised the car parked horizontally across the road blocking all the traffic. It turned out to be mine, which I had last seen properly parked in the kerb. The handbrake was on so I’ve no idea how it could do a three-point turn on its own.
My husband’s performance of Pinter’s The Homecoming has also been postponed and will now take place in March 2024. Luckily, the cast are still available. As we were suddenly told the theatre was open after all, a production of Merry Wives of Windsor had to quickly rally as it had gone on the back burner. They had to gird their loins, as they are the second play on after the reopening this month. The first is The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, which everyone wants to go to see, just to get an idea of what the theatre is like now, as we believe Trafalgar have done something with the seating to improve the terrible sight lines.
Whilst this was all going on, I managed to get to see a production of Noises Off. Now I know where the magazine got its title.
Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru (the Welsh-language national theatre company) is thrilled to announce a new season of productions and projects up to spring 2024, including 8 shows, with 3 of them touring nationally. This is the company’s first season under the leadership of new Artistic Director Steffan Donnelly, and it’s packed with amazing artists celebrating the Welsh language and telling fresh and important stories about contemporary society.
The season kicks off with an exciting programme of performances at the Llŷn and Eifionydd National Eisteddfod. Theatr Gen will be presenting and supporting 5 productions in various locations across the Maes. Caffi Maes B will be the stage for Parti Priodas – a brand new comedy from playwright and poet Gruffudd Owen about two people trying to survive someone else’s big day. Directed by Steffan Donnelly, this is a belter of a comedy full of hymns, tensions and dancing on tables.
The company will also be getting in the spirit of the festival with a puppet show for families – Yr Hogyn Pren. With a bespoke puppet created by Small World Theatre, artists Owain Gwynn, Elidir Jones and Melangell Dolma will come together to present this magical adventure. Theatr Gen is also delighted to be working with the winner of the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2022 Prose Medal, Sioned Erin Hughes, to present stage adaptations of two heartfelt monologues from her collection of short stories, Rhyngom. There will be an opportunity to enjoy this work, directed by Iola Ynyr at the Babell Lên, with Esyllt Maelor chairing a Q&A with the author following the performance.
At the Cwt Cabaret, Theatr Gen and Theatr Clwyd will join forces on Rwan Nawr, bringing the freshest Welsh writing to the Maes directed by Rhian Blythe and Daniel Lloyd. In the form of a living newspaper, 5 playwrights – Hannah Daniel, Mali Ann Rees, Manon Steffan Ros, Llŷr Titus and Kallum Weyman – will create a series of short plays responding to the world around them in an evening of entertainment and burning issues, hot off the press. The company are also supporting Frân Wen and the Eisteddfod’s production, Popeth ar y Ddaear, bringing theatre to Maes B for the very first time.
In the autumn, the company will bring Rhinoseros, the European masterpiece by Eugène Ionesco, to Welsh stages in its first ever Welsh language adaptation by Manon Steffan Ros under the direction of Steffan Donnelly. As relevant now as ever, this absurdist play combines unexpected humour and nightmarish tension in a commentary on society, extremism and how hatred can spread like a virus – as the residents of a village succumb to a new order and transform into rhinoceroses. Rhinoseros will be on sale soon, along with news about the talented cast and creative team.
As part of the company’s commitment to inspiring theatre audiences of the future, Theatr Gen is working with the artist Krystal S. Lowe to present a new and original show for young children this winter. Based on Krystal’s book ‘Whimsy’, Swyn is a bilingual production in British Sign Language (BSL) and Welsh about friendship, nature and celebrating the things that make us all unique. Directed by Rhian Blythe, this wonderful wintery adventure will spark young audiences’ imaginations through story and dance.
In the new year, Theatr Gen will platform the real-life experiences of young people today in the production Ie Ie Ie. Including honest interviews with young people across Wales, a gripping solo performance, and an opportunity for the audience to take part. This important piece of theatre raises essential questions around healthy relationships, lust, and consent. With director Juliette Manon at the helm, Ie Ie Ie is based on the show ‘Yes Yes Yes’ from award-winning Aoteaora/New Zealand-based theatre makers Karin McCracken and Eleanor Bishop. With the goal of presenting a piece created by young people for young people, the company will co-create parts of the show with young people across Wales by visiting schools and colleges over the coming months.
Alongside this ambitious programme of productions, Theatr Gen is delivering a number of long-term projects addressing the most important and challenging issues of this generation. Prosiect 40°C is a new project responding to the climate crisis. The aim of this multi-layered project is to discover different and creative means to challenge old ways of responding to natural disasters and to explore how the medium of live theatre can broaden our understanding of the climate crisis as an intrinsic part of life in Wales today. The project will begin with Gwreiddioli, a residency for artists at the Centre for Alternative Technology – in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and led by lead artist Dylan Huw – in August.
The Ar y Dibyn project continues to offer opportunities for those affected by addiction to respond to their feelings and experiences in creative ways. Since establishing the project in 2019, lead artist Iola Ynyr – alongside a group of artists, counsellors and translators who support the sessions – has worked with tens of participants across Wales to create powerful and eye-opening pieces. This is a project between Theatr Gen and Iola, in partnership with Literature Wales and with support from the North Wales Area Planning Board for Substance Misuse. The creative project Criw Creu will return in 2024, working with a group of Young Offenders from Parc Prison near Bridgend and offering opportunities for them to work with professional artists and performers. The Clwb Drama in partnership with Menter Gorllewin Sir Gâr also continues, with weekly drama sessions for primary school children in Carmarthen, the company’s home.
The company’s Artistic Director, Steffan: “It’s a privilege for me and the team to share this special programme with Welsh audiences. The season offers an excellent combination of the well-known and the unexpected, of the best new Welsh writing and adaptations of important international work, and it’s filled with stories about the relationship between the individual and society; about the pressure to fit in. Since I joined the company as Artistic Director last year, it has been a real pleasure to meet and work with so many exciting artists across Wales and I’m pleased to present some of that work in this announcement today. Theatr Gen is a theatre for Wales, and I hope there’s something for everyone in this year’s programme.”
As part of its commitment to working more sustainably and reducing its carbon footprint, the company will ensure that its productions reach the baseline standard of the Theatre Green Book (theatregreenbook.com). This includes making sustainability a top consideration on each show from the outset, sourcing materials sustainably and recycling and repurposing sets, props and costumes.
For more information about all the productions and projects above, please visit Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s website, theatr.cymru.
From Rhinoceros Theatre Company, who brought Shakespeare’s ‘KING LEAR’ to Hampton Hill Theatre last year in an acclaimed production, comes a staging of George Bernard Shaw’s most heartfelt, witty and piercingly satirical play: a tragicomedy of society folk perched on the precipice of life and death.
World War I is looming in the skies above. A semi-mad retired sea captain presides over a family and guests bickering, flirting, anguishing and philosophising in the countdown to apocalypse.
‘Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean…’
London is the setting for our contemporary and immersive adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, as two rival takeaway businesses battle for culinary supremacy across the city. While the batter sizzles and hot-headed brawls break out, the young lovers defy their families to follow their passion … with bitter consequences.
There is plenty of fun and humour on the menu too. Music, dance and immersive theatre, delivered with relish by our brilliant cast, bring out the lighter side of Shakespeare’s drama and make the audience integral to the action.
So, join us and be immersed in the high-stakes, high-calorie world of the Montagues and Capulets – it’s a feast you won’t want to miss!
Performance dates:
Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st October at 8.00 p.m.
Saturday 22nd October at 2.00 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.
Venue:
Edward Alleyn Theatre, Dulwich College, London SE21 7LD
Tickets are £12 / £8 (18 years and under) plus a booking fee.
IAN HISLOP AND NICK NEWMAN RETURN TO THE WATERMILL WITH A BRAND-NEW COMEDY – SPIKE
ORIGINAL MUSICALS THE WICKER HUSBAND AND OUR MAN IN HAVANA RETURN POST PANDEMIC
NEWLY CREATED WATERMILL YOUTH ENSEMBLE PERFORM FIRST PRODUCTION
BECCA CHADDER AND TALITHA WING JOIN AS PLAYWRIGHTS IN RESIDENCE
Book online at watermill.org.uk or VIA the Box Office on 01635 46044
TICKETS ON SALE TO FRIENDS OF THE THEATRE FROM WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER
GENERAL ON SALE TUESDAY 9 NOVEMBER
Artistic Director Paul Hart, Executive Director Claire Murray and the team at Newbury’s TheWatermill Theatre are thrilled to announce details of the spring season, running from January to May 2022, as well as the appointment of two new Playwrights in Residence.
The season opens with the world premiere of SPIKE, a new comedy based on the life of Spike Milligan by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman. It is followed by the return of folk-inspired mythic musical THE WICKER HUSBAND, rescheduled following the postponement of its debut run in 2020, due to the pandemic, and a world premiere musical adaptation of Graham Greene’s bestselling novel OUR MAN IN HAVANA. The Watermill’s newly created Youth Ensemble, comprised of young people age 11+, will make their debut in a new production, to be announced. The season takes place inside The Watermill’s auditorium, with both full capacity and socially distanced performances available. Government guidelines will apply throughout the season with adherence to current guidance and restrictions.
The Watermill have appointed Becca Chadder and Talitha Wing as the new Playwrights in Residence. They will be mentored by Watermill Associate Artist, Danielle Pearson, in a programme that forms part of a continued commitment to artists at the early stages in their careers. Further details will be announced soon.
Paul Hart said, “Joyous new work will galvanise our post pandemic recovery as we bring back two new musicals that were cut short by the pandemic, our young actors in the Youth Theatre return to the stage for the first time since 2019 and I’m delighted to be working with Ian Hislop and Nick Newman to bring the life and work of comic genius, Spike Milligan, to The Watermill. I’m proud and grateful that we’re able to continue creating new and innovative work, thanks to the generous support of our brilliant audiences, supporters and funders.
“It’s been a long road since The Wicker Husband, a piece that is so perfect for The Watermill’s stage, opened and was forced to almost immediately close, in March 2020. With its beautiful score, and incredible puppets, I can’t wait to welcome back the whole team for this remarkable show. And our commission of a new musical version of Our Man in Havana, will be performed for the first time, finally making it to our stage, after production was halted by the pandemic.
“I’m also excited to be working with Ian Hislop and Nick Newman again, bringing the world premiere of their brilliant new play about the comic genius that is Spike Milligan and his creation of the iconic Goon Show, to The Watermill stage.
“We’re also launching a brand new Youth Ensemble, opening up access to young people in our community led by our inspiring Outreach Director; Heidi Bird. For the first time our newly rebranded Youth Ensemble will be made entirely of young people who attend any one of our regular weekly groups, including our specialist access groups for young people who are Home Educated, have Autism, have added complications in their lives or are Deaf/deaf or have a hearing impairment. We are delighted to form this brilliant company of actors who will come together and tell a unique and inspiring story.
“Finally, I’m so pleased to welcome Becca Chadder and Talitha Wing as our Playwrights in Residence. They will be mentored by our Associate Artist, Danielle Pearson and I can’t wait to see how their work develops over the coming years.”
SPIKE, a new comedy by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman that delves into the inner workings of one of our most unique and brilliantly irreverent comedy minds, will premiere at The Watermill from Thursday 27 January – Saturday 5 March. SPIKE will be directed by Watermill Artistic Director Paul Hart, with design by Katie Lias. Full creative team and casting will be announced shortly.
“I’m not acting crazy. I’m the genuine article.”
It’s the booming fifties, and Britain is in the clutches of Goon mania as men, women and children across the country scramble to get their ear to a wireless for another instalment of The Goon Show. While Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers get down to the serious business of becoming overnight celebrities, fellow Goon and chief writer Spike finds himself pushing the boundaries of comedy, and testing the patience of the BBC.
Flanked by his fellow Goons and bolstered by the efforts of irrepressible sound assistant Janet, Spike takes a flourishing nosedive off the cliffs of respectability, and mashes up his haunted past to create the comedy of the future.
Will Spike’s dogged obsession with finding the funny elevate The Goons to soaring new heights, or will the whole thing come crashing down with the stroke of a potato peeler?
At last, it looks like the theatres are coming back to life. The local theatres are open with all sorts of Covid regulations for the performing companies. However, I don’t see much evidence of mask wearing amongst the audience. I managed to obtain tickets for Six, the musical about the wives of Henry VIII. It was brilliant, so much energy, clever lyrics, costumes and stage presentation. It was so good to be back in the theatre again. The theatre did ask that everyone took rapid flow tests before they came, but I wonder how many did, although the place was packed.
Our amateur productions are back in full swing. Although, I’m wondering why I offered to undertake being the costume lady for Flare Path, as I now have to take a trip miles away to collect the RAF uniforms. The other problem is asking actors to try things on, is like getting blood out of stone. How long does it take to try a pair of shoes on? So far it has taken six weeks.
Meanwhile, I am busy learning my part as well as juggling costumes, and now find that I seem to be providing the props. Talk about a one-man band. I suggested that the company should try to raise some money for the RAF Association by having collecting tins, and now realise that it will be me rattling them after every performance. I should have kept quiet.
A friend Ashton More wrote a musical that took place at Chelmsford Theatre utilising local actors (professional and amateur) but mainly consisting of schoolchildren. This was a big success. Our cancelled Lindisfarne play, Don’t Dress for Dinner, is now close to performance having been re cast after lockdown. Unfortunately, most of the people in the original production, are now busy with other things
My short film Feet of Clay is completed and we have shown it to some of the local filmmakers and have had positive feedback. There are some very clever, green screen special effects. The plan is to enter it into the film festivals in 2022, so we will have to look out for them.
Already we are advertising the auditions for plays to perform in 2022, so it looks as if it is full steam ahead, fingers crossed.
Image: Quarantine’s ’12 Last Songs’ runs at Leeds Playhouse on 23 October. Photo: JMA Photography
Leeds’ international performance festival, Transform, and renowned theatre company Quarantine are on the hunt for a dozen different local professionals for a one-off new show they are making to open at Leeds Playhouse on 23 October. The diverse list of people they are looking for includes a clock or watchmaker; an ICU Nurse; a Stockbroker; a Philosopher; an Armed Forces Officer; a Factory Worker; a Transplant Surgeon; a Track and Trace Worker; an Uber Driver; a Butcher; a religious leader such as a Granthi, Rabbi, Priest or Imam and an Acupuncturist.
Spanning 12 hours from midday to midnight on 23 October, 12 Last Songs will invite members of the public to demonstrate what they do for work, live on stage to create a fleeting portrait of Leeds. Part performance and part exhibition of people 12 Last Songs will explore the role work plays in our lives, how it shapes our identity and, in the context of the pandemic, how these ideas have been completely turned on their heads.
Each person taking part in the event will be invited to work a paid shift on stage, during which they will be asked to demonstrate their skills and answer questions about their work and lives.
12 Last Songs will launch Transform’s festival for 2021-22 which will re-imagine what an international festival can look like and represent now and in the future. In response to the last 18 months, Transform 21-22 is an invitation to artists and communities to join Transform in manifesting an extended festival for our times, one that is slower, more sustainable and care-led. From Autumn 21-Spring 22, this extended festival will invite audiences from across Leeds and beyond to rediscover and explore the city and connect with powerful artists from across the globe.
People who are interested in taking part in 12 Last Songs should email Jay Millard, Assistant Producer at Transform jay@transformfestival.org by 6pm, Tuesday 12 October. It should be noted that Transform and Quarantine are NOT looking for professional actors and no previous performance experience is required.
Audiences for 12 Last Songs are free to come and go across the 12-hour duration, and tickets are Pay What You Can, starting at just £2. www.transformfestival.org
Transform 21-22
12 Last Songs – 23 October 2021
Leeds Playhouse. Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds, Yorkshire LS2 7UP
12 Last Songs is co-commissioned by Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, Cambridge Junction with the support of the Stobbs New Ideas Fund, and HOME. It is co-produced by Transform and is supported by Arts Council England, The Rank Foundation and Manchester City Council.
Transform 21-22 is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, and supported by Leeds 2023 and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Produced in partnership with Leeds Playhouse.
Website: leedsplayhouse.org.uk
Telephone: 0113 213 7700
Tickets range from £2-£25 with audiences invited to select from a range of ticket options, making a choice based on their individual financial circumstances. Further information can be found on the Transform website. Please note that a booking fee (£2.50) is charged for each transaction (not for each ticket).
WITH DESIGNS BY BUNNY CHRISTIE & PUPPETRY BY TOBY OLIÉ
RUNNING FROM 22 JANUARY – 28 MAY 2022
PRESENTED BY THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE PARTNERSHIP
IN ASSOCIATION WITH BIRMINGHAM REP
Full casting and the complete tour schedule are announced for the highly anticipated upcoming production of George Orwell’s classic satirical fable, Animal Farm, adapted and directed by the multi award-winning Robert Icke (The Doctor, Hamlet, Mary Stuart, Oresteia, 1984).
The brand-new production will embark on an extensive UK tour, opening at Birmingham Rep from 22 January 2022, with press night on Wednesday 2 February. The play then tours to Cambridge, Newcastle, Bath, Norwich, Salford, Plymouth, Nottingham, Coventry, Blackpool, Liverpool, Canterbury, Richmond and Wolverhampton, completing its run on 28 May 2022 at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre.
The cast of Animal Farm includes Matt Churcher, Darcy Collins, Enrico D. Wey, Ailsa Dalling, Elisa De Grey, Edie Edmundson, Michael Jean-Marain, Rayo Patel, Yana Penrose, Markus Schabbing, Sharon Sze, Ben Thompson and Matt Tait.
The production also combine the forces of some of UK theatre’s most talented creatives, including designs by the four-time Olivier Award-winning Bunny Christie (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Company, Ink, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), and puppetry by Toby Olié (War Horse, Running Wild, The Grinning Man, Goodnight Mister Tom).
The animals of Manor Farm drive out the farmer and run the farm themselves.
A revolution. And then what? Then freedom. Every animal will be free.
Old Major, the prize boar, calls the animals of Manor Farm together.
He has had a strange dream of a better future.
George Orwell’s world-famous, biting political novelwas first published in 1945 and tells the story of a revolution and its aftermath. Re-imagined by an award-winning creative team, Animal Farm is a dynamic, daring and contemporary take on a timeless story.
Icke previously worked on another of Orwell’s classics, 1984, which he co-adapted and directed alongside Duncan Macmillan, garnering him his first Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play in 2014, enjoying smash-hit runs in both the West End and on Broadway. Animal Farm also reunites Icke and Christie following their celebrated 2016 collaboration on The Red Barn at the National Theatre.
The production is produced by Children’s Theatre Partnership (CTP) in association with Birmingham Rep. CTP creates bold and imaginative theatre for young people, engaging new audiences and aiming to inspire a life-long love of theatre.
ANIMAL FARM
By George Orwell
Adapted & Directed by Robert Icke
Set & Costume Designs by Bunny Christie
Puppetry Designs & Direction by Toby Olié
Produced by Children’s Theatre Partnership in association with Birmingham Rep
Press Night: Wednesday 2 February @ 7pm – Birmingham Rep
Full casting has been announced for the brand new stage adaptation of beloved British comedy THE GOOD LIFE which tours the UK this Autumn.
The acclaimed cast will include actress and presenter Preeya Kalidas as ‘Margo Leadbetter’, Dominic Rowan as ‘Jerry Leadbetter’, and Sally Tatum as ‘Barbara Good’, joining the previously announced actor and comedian Rufus Hound as ‘Tom Good’. Also featured will be Nigel Betts and Tessa Churchard.
The new comedy by Jeremy Sams, is based on the classic television series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey which entertained countless millions in the 1970s. Directed by Jeremy Sams, this world premiere production will be the first time that the iconic characters of suburban neighbours the Goods and the Leadbetters will be seen on stage.
THE GOOD LIFE will open at Theatre Royal Bath on 7 October 2021, before dates at Cheltenham Everyman, Salford Lowry, Oxford Playhouse, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Malvern Theatres, Richmond Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre.
Remember the Goods – Tom and Barbara, suburban eco-warriors? And their next-door neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, desperately trying to maintain the Surbiton status quo? Jeremy Sams’s comedy leads the well-loved characters through uproarious adventures, some old, some new and often (even today) hilariously familiar. This new play celebrates a time when, whatever our differences, we still managed to get on with our neighbours.
Beloved BBC comedy THE GOOD LIFE ran on British television from 1975 to 1978 starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.
Rufus Hound is an award-winning actor, comedian and presenter equally at home with roles on screen including Doctor Who, Cucumber, Hounded and on the stage including One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket), What The Butler Saw (Theatre Royal Bath / Leicester Curve), Don Quixote (RSC), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre London), Present Laughter and Neville’s Island (Chichester Festival Theatre) and his award-winning role as Mr Toad in The Wind in the Willows (London Palladium, UK tour and cinema broadcast).
Preeya Kalidas made history as the first British Asian female to play the lead in a musical when she originated the role of Priya in the West End production of Bombay Dreams. Notable screen credits include award-winning feature films Four Lions, Bend it like Beckham and as Amira Shah in BBC’s EastEnders. Preeya played the title role in BAFTA nominated Bollywood Carmen and also starred in Britz, Mistresses,Bodies, Banglatown Banquet and England Expects. Major stage credits include Oxford Street (Royal Court Theatre), Chiaroscuro (Bush Theatre) Olivier Award nominated for Bend it like Beckham the Musical (Phoenix Theatre), Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (The Adelphi), School of Rock (Gillian Lynne Theatre), and most recently Everybody’s talking about Jamie (Apollo Theatre).
Dominic Rowan’s work in theatre includes: A Dream Play,Iphigeneia at Aulis, Mourning Becomes Electra, Three Sisters, Happy Now?, The Talking Cure and Private Lives (National Theatre); The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice and Talk of the City (RSC); A Voyage Round My Father, Berenice and Lobby Hero (Donmar Warehouse); A Doll’s House (Young Vic), Playhouse Creatures (Old Vic); Way to Heaven and Forty Winks (Royal Court Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Oxford Playhouse); Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Crucible Theatre); The Rivals, Charley’s Aunt and Look Back in Anger (Royal Exchange); A Collier’s Friday Night (Hampstead Theatre); Wit’s End (New End Theatre); Under The Blue Sky, (Duke of York’s); The Misanthrope (Comedy Theatre), As You Like It (Globe Theatre).
Sally Tatum is an actress, comedian and writer who was placed on the BAFTA Rocliffe Forum List for emerging comedy writers. Stage credits include Present Laughter, and Red Light Winter (Theatre Royal Bath), A Day in the Life of Joe Egg (Liverpool Everyman), Gaslight (Old Vic) and As You Like It, Twelfth Night and Solstice (RSC). Television credits include Episodes, Boy Meets Girl, and My Mad Fat Diary.
Nigel Betts’ work in theatre includes: Steel (Sheffield Theatres), Albion (Almeida Theatre), Three Days in the Country (National Theatre), Wonderland (Hampstead Theatre), Pastoral (Soho Theatre), One Man Two Guv’nors, War Horse (National Theatre/West End), Aladdin, (Lyric Hammersmith),The 39 Steps, Up’n’Under, Henry IV, As You Like It (West End). TV includes: Toast, King Gary, Ridley Road, Grantchester, Casualty, All Creatures Great and Small, Father Brown, The A Word, Pennyworth, Harlots, Killing Eve, Trollied, EastEnders, Scarborough, Outlander, Little Boy Blue, Bliss, Bounty Hunters, Death in Paradise, Boy Meets Girl, Vera, Class, The Coroner, DCI Banks, New Tricks, You, Me & Them, The Wrong Mans, Doctor Who, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Holby City, Downton Abbey, The Escape Artist, The Starlings, Doc Martin, Moving Wallpaper, The Bill, Trial and Retribution, The Catherine Tate Show, Coronation Street, The Street, Emmerdale, Doctors, Grange Hill, Midsomer Murders, SilentWitness, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Sharpe’s Mission, Courtroom, Grease Monkeys, Inspector Lynley Mysteries, A Touch of Frost, Final Demand, Paradise Reclaimed, and As Time Goes By.
Tessa Churchard’s theatre credits include The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre, West End), As You Desire Me (Playhouse Theatre, West End) Noises Off (Piccadilly Theatre, West End), Family Business, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Blithe Spirit (Watford Palace Theatre), Lady Of Leisure, Still Life/ The Astonished Heart, Point Of Death (Liverpool Playhouse), Gaillileo’s Daughter, Man And Superman, Don Juan (Peter Hall Company, Bath Theatre Royal), Remember This (Royal National Theatre), Communicating Doors, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Richard III (Theatre Royal, Northampton), The Diary Of Anne Frank (Basingstoke Haymarket Theatre), Dying In The Street (The Print Room), and The Fabulist (Old Red Lion). For television and film her credits include The Coroner (BBC), EastEnders (BBC), Call The Midwife (BBC), Casualty (BBC), Dixi (CBBC), Doctors (BBC), The Grain Chest (CK Productions), Family Affairs (Talkback Thames), Harringham Harker (BBC), Jeeves And Wooster (ITV) and The Bill (Talkback Thames).
Jeremy Sams‘s directing credits include the National Theatre’s 2000 West End and Broadway revival of Noises Off, the West End musical Spend, Spend, Spend, the international tour of The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre.
Fiery Angel presents THE GOOD LIFE. Adapted and directed by Jeremy Sams based on the TV series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. Set and Costume Design by Michael Taylor, Lighting Design by Mark Henderson, Sound Design by Fergus O’Hare, Composition by Tim Sutton and casting by Ginny Schiller CDG.
Fiery Angel presents… THE GOOD LIFE
Adapted and directed by Jeremy Sams based on the TV series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey
Set and Costume Design by Michael Taylor
Lighting Design by Mark Henderson
Sound Design by Fergus O’Hare
Composition by Tim Sutton
Casting by Ginny Schiller CDG
7 October – 16 October 2021
Theatre Royal Bath theatreroyal.org.uk | 01225 448 844
‘A variety of musical styles and his self-effacing charm brings laughter and warmth. The multi-coloured coat may have established his place in the West End, but it’s very obviously talent that has kept him there.’The Stage
‘fun, sexy and energetic … (his) fans thrilled to be back in the theatre, listening to charming renditions of the songs they know and love’ Broadway World
With a return to the live arena in June 2021 with a special 40th Birthday concert at the London Palladium, and an 11-date theatre tour, LEE MEAD MY BAND AND ME, the year has suddenly become very busy for the multi-talented star of stage and screen, Lee Mead. Added to this, a live DVD – Lee MeadLive in Concert, recorded at The London Palladium is set for release in November and can be pre-ordered via Lee’s website www.leemead.co.uk.
The theatre tour, LEE MEAD – MY BAND AND ME kicks off on 10 September in Lee’s home county, Essex, at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton on Sea and runs through 31 October. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by Lee’s website.
Lee will be performing songs from his five hit albums that will include fan favourites and popular songs from the West End and Broadway. Lee will also be presenting some new material that has been written for him and that he has been writing during lockdown.
Lee, who has starred in West End shows including Joseph And The Amazing TechnicolourDreamcoat, Wicked and Legally Blonde, has also starred in touring productions of Phantom Of theOpera,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in 2022 will be playing Paul, the lovelorn vicar in Fat FriendsThe Musical. Lee was catapulted to fame when he won the role of Joseph in the TV show Any
Dream Will Do and has since gone on to star in the BBC One dramas, Casualty and Holby City playing Nurse Lofty and recently he played himself in the comedy hit Motherland.
During his career, Lee has performed with Josh Groban, Susan Boyle, Michael Ball and Donny Osmond to name a few and is himself a Gold-selling artist. He is delighted to be back on the road again doing what he loves most, singing fantastic songs with a wonderful live band under the direction of Musical Director Adam Dennis.
Talking about the tour Lee Mead commented “I’m so excited to get back out on the road again, not only to get the chance to play music with my band but also to experience live audiences again. There is nothing like it. I’ve missed performing so much as there is such a unique connection with theatre audience – whatever the size of the venue there is an intimacy about live performance that doesn’t compare to anything else for me.”
