Donmar Warehouse names new head
March 12, 2011
The Donmar Warehouse in London has named Josie Rourke as the new artistic director of the successful Covent Garden venue. She will take over from Michael Grandage at the beginning of 2012.
Josie Rourke
It has been rumoured for some time that Rourke, 34, who is currently artistic director of the Bush Theatre, would take over at the Donmar. Her stewardship of the Bush since 2007 has seen a number of high profile productions, successful funding drives and the relocation of the venue to a new home, which will open in September this year. She has also worked in Sheffield, at the Royal Court, the Old Vic and London’s National Theatre.
Rourke is also directing the forthcoming high-profile production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre (from 16 May) starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
Grandage has proved a hugely successful artistic director at the Donmar over the past 10 years through a succession of hit shows including his Olivier and Tony Award winning production of Red starring Alfred Molina . He in turn inherited the venue from Sam Mendes, who cemented the Donmar’s reputation as a world-class theatre.
Rourke said that she was “thrilled and honoured” to be taking up the post and that, “ten years ago, I started my career as the Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar. Nothing could make me more proud than to return to the place where I began. Both Michael Grandage and Sam Mendes have always been great friends and invaluable mentors and when I take over as the Donmar’s Artistic Director I will inherit their legacy of twenty years of wonderful productions, extraordinary performances and great nights out at the theatre.”
Michael Grandage commented that the Donmar’s board of directors had made “an inspired appointment” and that “the Donmar will now benefit from that energy and leadership.”
Grandage’s last season at the Donmar will include Jude Law and Ruth Wilson starring in Eugene O’Neill’s play Anna Christie, Douglas Hodge in John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence and Eddie Redmayne in Richard II.
LINKS
Book tickets to Josie Rourke’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing
Jude Law in new Donmar season
January 15, 2011
Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage has announced his final season, starring Jude Law, Ruth Wilson, Douglas Hodge and Eddie Redmayne.
Michael Grandage will end his 10 year stewardship of the Donmar Warehouse in London’s Covent Garden this year with an impressive season of big-hitting plays.
Jude Law in Hamlet at the Donmar in 2009
Stepping down from the role in December 2011, Grandage has maintained critical and audience success at the Donmar, and ensured that the small venue continues to punch far above its weight.
His final season kicks off with a new production of Eugene O’Neill’s epic, Pulitzer prize winning play Anna Christie (from 8 August 2011) starring Ruth Wilson and Jude Law, and directed by Donmar associate Rob Ashford. Design is by Paul Wills, whose Donmar productions include The Man Who Had All The Luck and Novecento.
Both Jude Law and Ruth Wilson are returning to the Donmar after performances in 2009: Law in Hamlet for the Donmar West End season and Ruth Wilson in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Also in the season is a revival of Inadmissible Evidence (from 13 October 2011) by John Osborne, which will see Douglas Hodge star in Jamie Lloyd’s new production, designed by Soutra Gilmour.
Douglas Hodge, who returns to the Donmar after the venue’s West End production of Guys and Dolls and The Collection/The Lover, will play Bill Maitland, a middle aged lawyer struggling to avoid the harsh truths of his life and keep a hold on reality. He is currently starring in La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway.
Finally, Eddie Redmayne returns to the theatre following his Olivier and Tony Award-winning performance in Red, to play the title role in Shakespeare’s Richard II (from 1 December 2011). Michael Grandage will direct, making this his final production at the Donmar whilst as artistic director, with design by Richard Kent.
Other highlights for the Donmar in 2011 include:
- A US tour of Michael Grandage’s current Donmar production of King Lear, playing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (from 28 April 2011) and starring Derek Jacobi and Gina McKee.
- Securing the lease of the main Earlham Street venue and also purchasing a new rehearsal, education and office space in Covent Garden to help grow and secure the organisation.
- Michael Grandage’s acclaimed 2008 production of Enid Bagnold’s The Chalk Garden to be produced for BBC Radio 3 (broadcast 13 March 2011 at 8pm), reuniting the original cast including Margaret Tyzack and Penelope Wilton.
Shows coming up at the theatre ahead of Grandage’s final season include musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Harold Pinter’s Moonlight starring David Bradley, Deborah Findlay and Daniel Mays; and Michael Grandage directing Felicity Jones in Schiller’s Luise Miller.
No announcement has yet been made as to Grandage’s successor at the Donmar Warehouse.
MORE ON MICHAEL GRANDAGE
Michael Grandage accepting his 2010 Tony Award for Red
Michael Grandage’s previous work at the Donmar includes King Lear, Red (also Broadway – Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Director of a Play), The Chalk Garden (Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director), Othello (Evening Standard Award for Best Director), John Gabriel Borkman, Don Juan in Soho, Frost/Nixon (also West End and Broadway), The Cut, The Wild Duck (Critics’ Circle Award for Best Director), Guys and Dolls (Donmar in the West End – Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Grand Hotel (Evening Standard Award for Best Director, Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Henry IV, After Miss Julie, Caligula (Olivier Award for Best Director) and The Vortex. As part of the Donmar in the West End season Grandage directed Ivanov – Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director, Twelfth Night, Madame de Sade and Hamlet (also Kronborg Castle and Broadway). Other West End work includes Evita. He was the Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres 1999 – 2005, where his many productions included Don Carlos (Evening Standard Award for Best Director).
Grandage took over as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in November 2002. Between 2002 and 2012 Grandage will have presented seventy productions. Under his leadership, the company have garnered over eighty major awards including Oliviers, Tonys, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards. For Grandage personally this includes, Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Director of a Play for Red, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director for Ivanov, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director for The Chalk Garden, Evening Standard Award for Best Director for Othello, Critics’ Circle Award for Best Director for The Wild Duck, Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production for Guys and Dolls, Evening Standard Award for Best Director and Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production for Grand Hotel, and Olivier Award for Best Director for Caligula.
From 2000 to 2005 he served as Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres where he produced over 40 plays with predominantly young directors and designers. His own work there included Richard III with Kenneth Branagh, Edward II with Joseph Fiennes, The Tempest with Derek Jacobi and an award- winning production of Don Carlos which transferred to the West End.
LINKS
Donmar Warehouse: Artistic Director Michael Grandage Announces His Farewell Season At Donmar Warehouse: Ruth Wilson, Jude Law, Douglas Hodge And Eddie Redmayne Return To The Donmar For Grandage’s Final Productions
January 14, 2011
KING LEAR TO TRANSFER TO BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC FOLLOWING UK TOUR
DONMAR TO PURCHASE NEW REHEARSAL AND OFFICE SPACE
THE CHALK GARDEN COMPANY REUNITES FOR BBC RADIO 3 BROADCAST
With his critically acclaimed production of King Lear soon to embark on a national tour, Michael Grandage today announces his farewell season as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, stepping down from the role in December 2011.
Following the run of the musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; David Bradley, Deborah Findlay and Daniel Mays lead the company of Pinter’s Moonlight before Michael Grandage directs Felicity Jones in Schiller’s Luise Miller in a new version by Mike Poulton. His final season, announced today, sees the return of many Donmar alumni in new productions of Anna Christie by Eugene O’Neill, Inadmissible Evidence by John Osborne and Richard II by William Shakespeare. He is joined in his final season by his two outgoing Associate Directors Jamie Lloyd and Rob Ashford.
On becoming Artistic Director in 2002, Grandage took over a company that owned neither theatre nor rehearsal space. Under his tenure the company have purchased the lease of the theatre (taking ownership in 2016), and today he also announces their intention to purchase an office, education and rehearsal space for the company before he departs. This legacy will help secure the long term future of the Donmar in uncertain financial times.
Michael Grandage said today “After nearly ten years running the Donmar, it is a very exciting and emotional moment to announce my farewell season. From next month to February 2012 we will be presenting six new productions and I am delighted this final year celebrates so much of the repertoire we have presented over the last decade. It is particularly wonderful to be joined by so many friends and colleagues in this last season of work – it is these collaborations and creative partnerships both on stage and with the staff at the Donmar, that have made the achievements of the past ten years possible, and I hope the range and diversity of our programme continues to reach out to many more people in the year ahead”.
Grandage took over as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse in November 2002 and his final production of Richard II will close in February 2012. During a decade of leading the organisation he has created an international theatre with a commitment to connecting with as many people as possible through touring, education and affordable ticket prices, as well as continuing to produce work of the highest quality at the company’s home base in Covent Garden.
Between 2002 and 2012 Grandage will have presented seventy productions. Under his leadership, the company have garnered over eighty major awards including Oliviers, Tonys, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards. For Grandage personally this includes, Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Director of a Play for Red, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director for Ivanov, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director for The Chalk Garden, Evening Standard Award for Best Director for Othello, Critics’ Circle Award for Best Director for The Wild Duck, Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production for Guys and Dolls, Evening Standard Award for Best Director and Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production for Grand Hotel, and Olivier Award for Best Director for Caligula.
Grandage’s inaugural production in 2002 was The Vortex with Chiwetel Ejiofor, a relationship he was to renew five years later with his multi-award-winning production of Othello. He has put the European repertoire at the heart of his programming, engaging with leading writers to offer new adaptations of foreign classics including David Greig (Caligula and Creditors), Tom Stoppard (Pirandello’s Henry IV and Ivanov) and David Eldridge (The Wild Duck and John Gabriel Borkman). The Donmar’s award-winning production of Schiller’s Mary Stuart, in a new version by Peter Oswald, transferred to the West End and Broadway.
He has also continued to present musicals re-imagined in the intimate Donmar surroundings, including Grand Hotel, Parade, and most recently Passion; as well as work from the contemporary American repertoire such as A Streetcar Named Desire, and twentieth century British plays including The Chalk Garden, Old Times, Betrayal and a festival of work devoted to T.S. Eliot, with a revival of The Family Reunion as its centrepiece. New writing has provided the company with two of its biggest successes in recent years – Peter Morgan’s Frost/Nixon which enjoyed a West End transfer and a run on Broadway, and John Logan’s Red which saw the company return to Broadway and win six Tonys at the 2010 awards.
During his tenure, Grandage put accessibility at the forefront of the company’s ethos – he introduced a national touring programme and an extensive education programme which has grown annually over the last nine years. In 2009 he led the company into the West End for a year long season of work at the Wyndham’s Theatre – Donmar West End – at Donmar prices, a top price of £32.50 and with over 130 tickets for each performance at just £10. The season – Ivanov with Kenneth Branagh, Twelfth Night with Derek Jacobi, Madame de Sade with Judi Dench and Hamlet with Jude Law – played to 98% capacity.
In addition to a national touring programme, Grandage has also overseen the expansion of the company internationally – in 2009 the Donmar’s work played across 4 continents. Recent US work includes Red, Creditors, Hamlet, Frost/Nixon and Mary Stuart; in Australia, the Donmar’s award-winning Guys and Dolls; in Argentina, Piaf and in Europe, Piaf (Spain) and Hamlet (Denmark).
Grandage is a keen supporter of new talent, both on stage and behind the scenes. The company’s most recent venture, Donmar Trafalgar, is a three year initiative to promote the work of recent graduates of the Donmar’s Resident Assistant Director scheme. The second season of work will begin at the end of this year with work directed by Hamish Pirie, Abbey Wright and Paul Hart.
From 2000 to 2005 he served as Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres where he produced over 40 plays with predominantly young directors and designers. His own work there included Richard III with Kenneth Branagh, Edward II with Joseph Fiennes, The Tempest with Derek Jacobi and an award- winning production of Don Carlos which transferred to the West End.
ANNA CHRISTIE
by Eugene O’Neill
Cast includes: Jude Law, Ruth Wilson
Director: Rob Ashford; Designer: Paul Wills
Composer and Sound Designer: Adam Cork
4 August – 8 October
Press night: 9 August
‘We’re all poor nuts, and things happen, and we just get mixed in wrong’
Exiled from her home by the Old Devil Sea to the inland plains, Anna Christie’s life changed forever at just five years of age. Fifteen years later, she is reunited with the father who sent her away and sets sail in search of a new beginning.
Eugene O’Neill’s epic Pulitzer Award-winning play about love and forgiveness charts one woman’s longing to forget the dark secrets of her past and hope for salvation.
Jude Law returns to the Donmar to plat Mat Burke. He previously played the title role in Michael Grandage’s production of Hamlet for the Donmar West End season for which he won the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance. Law’s other theatre work includes Dr Faustus and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Young Vic), Les Parents Terribles (National Theatre and Broadway) and Death of a Salesman (West Yorkshire Playhouse). His film work includes Hugo Cabret, Contagion, Repo Men, Sherlock Holmes, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, The Repossession Mambo, Sleuth, My Blueberry Nights, The Holiday, Closer, Alfie, The Aviator, Cold Mountain, Road to Perdition, The Talented Mr Ripley and Wilde.
Ruth Wilson returns to the Donmar to play Anna Christie reuniting her with director Rob Ashford. He directed her as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire for which she won the Olivier for Best Supporting Actress. Her other theatre work includes Through a Glass Darkly (Almeida Theatre), Philistines (National Theatre) and Good (Sound Theatre). Her television credits include Luther, The Prisoner, Freezing, Mad, A Real Summer, Capturing Mary, Jane Eyre and Suburban Shootout; and for film, Get Off My Land.
Eugene O’Neill (1888 – 1936) was one of the greatest American playwrights. His many works for the stage include Beyond the Horizon, The Emperor Jones, Desire Under the Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes Electra, The Iceman Cometh, Long Day’s Journey into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936.
Rob Ashford returns to the Donmar to direct. His previous work for the company includes the critically acclaimed productions of A Streetcar Named Desire (South Bank Theatre Award) and Parade – which marked his directorial debut. As a director his work includes Promises, Promises (Broadway Theater) and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (opening March 2011 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre). He was the choreographer on Michael Grandage’s Guys and Dolls for the Donmar at the Piccadilly Theatre. His other credits include Candide (ENO, La Scala and La Chatelet Theatre), Michael Grandage’s production of Evita (Adelphi Theatre); Thoroughly Modern Millie (both UK and US – Tony Award for Best Choreography) and the films Love Walked In and Beyond the Sea. Ashford serves on the Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE
by John Osborne
Cast includes: Douglas Hodge
Director: Jamie Lloyd; Designer: Soutra Gilmour; Lighting Designer: James Farncombe
Composer and Sound Designers: Ben and Max Ringham
13 October – 26 November
Press night: 18 October
‘I can’t escape it. I can’t forget it. And I begin again.’
Bill Maitland, a middle aged lawyer, struggles to avoid the harsh truths of his life and keep a hold on reality. As those closest to him begin to draw away, he puts himself on trial to fight for his sanity.
John Osborne’s poignant, witty and intensely compelling portrait of loss, betrayal and defeat releases the author’s characteristic display of soaring rhetorical venom to powerful effect.
Douglas Hodge returns to the company to play Bill Maitland. His previous work for the Donmar includes Michael Grandage’s production of Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly Theatre) and The Collection/The Lover; and as an Associate Director for the Donmar, he directed Dimetos, Murder in the Cathedral (part of the Donmar’s TS Eliot Festival) and Absurdia. His other theatre work includes his celebrated performance as Albin in Les Cages Aux Folles for which he won the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical (Menier, Playhouse Theatre and Longacre Theatre on Broadway). His other theatre work includes A Matter of Life and Death, Betrayal and Burned by the Sun (National Theatre), The Caretaker (Comedy Theatre) and Dumb Show (Royal Court). For television, his credits include Outnumbered, Skins, Whistleblowers, Lift, Mansfield Park, Spooks, The Way We Live Now and The Russian Bride; and for film, Robin Hood, Scenes of a Sexual Nature and Vanity Fair.
John Osborne (1929 – 1994) was a playwright, screenwriter and actor. His principal works for the stage include Look Back in Anger, The Entertainer, Epitaph for George Dillon, Luther, A Patriot for Me and The Hotel in Amsterdam (revived by the Donmar under Michael Grandage in 2003).
Jamie Lloyd directs. As Associate Director of the Donmar, Lloyd’s work for the company includes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – currently in rehearsals, Passion – centrepiece of the company’s Sondheim at 80 Season and winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, Polar Bears, Piaf (Donmar Warehouse, Vaudeville Theatre, Buenos Aires – ADEET Award for Best Production and Clarin Award for Best Musical Production – and Spain) and readings as part of the TS Eliot Festival and the Tennessee Williams’ season. His other credits include Salome (Headlong), The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre) Three Days of Rain (Apollo Theatre), Eric’s (Liverpool Playhouse), The Pride (Royal Court – Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement), The Lover and The Collection (Comedy Theatre) and The Caretaker (Sheffield Crucible and Tricycle).
RICHARD II
by William Shakespeare
Cast includes: Eddie Redmayne
Director: Michael Grandage; Designer: Richard Kent; Lighting Designer: David Plater
1 December 2011 – 4 February 2012
Press night: 6 December
‘O call back yesterday, bid time return’
King Richard banishes his noblemen and seizes their land to fuel his own wars. As anger mounts, a battle for the soul of England begins and one man’s divine right to rule is called into question.
Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece is an epic tale of destruction, ruin and decay that casts light on the decline of a kingdom and the solitude of power.
Richard II reunites Grandage and Redmayne who recently worked together on the multi-award-winning production of John Logan’s Red. Following performances at the Donmar, the production transferred to Broadway winning 6 Tony Awards, including Best Director for Grandage and Best Performance by a Featured Actor for Redmayne.
Eddie Redmayne returns to the Donmar to play Richard II. He previously appeared in Red (Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Supporting Actor) and Hecuba. His other theatre work includes Now or Later (Royal Court) and The Goat (Almeida Theatre and Apollo Theatre). His television credits include Miraculous Year, The Pillars of the Earth, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Elizabeth I and In Search of Shakespeare; and for film, My Week with Marilyn, Black Death, Glorious 1939, Powder Blue, Yellow Handkerchief, The Other Boleyn Girl, Savage Grace, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and The Good Shepherd.
Donmar Artistic Director Michael Grandage directs his final production for the company. Previous work for the Donmar includes King Lear, Red (also Broadway – Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Director of a Play), The Chalk Garden (Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director), Othello (Evening Standard Award for Best Director), John Gabriel Borkman, Don Juan in Soho, Frost/Nixon (also West End and Broadway), The Cut, The Wild Duck (Critics’ Circle Award for Best Director), Guys and Dolls (Donmar in the West End – Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Grand Hotel (Evening Standard Award for Best Director, Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Henry IV, After Miss Julie, Caligula (Olivier Award for Best Director) and The Vortex. As part of the Donmar in the West End season Grandage directed Ivanov – Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director, Twelfth Night, Madame de Sade and Hamlet (also Kronborg Castle and Broadway). Other West End work includes Evita. He was the Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres 1999 – 2005, where his many productions included Don Carlos (Evening Standard Award for Best Director).
DONMAR – U.S.A.
KING LEAR
by William Shakespeare
At the Brooklyn Academy of Music
28 April – 5 June
Cast includes: Harry Atwell, Tom Beard, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Stefano Braschi, Ron Cook, Michael Hadley, Derek Hutchinson, Derek Jacobi, Paul Jesson, Gwilym Lee, Gina McKee, Justine Mitchell, Alec Newman, Amit Shah, Gideon Turner, Ashley Zhangazha
Director: Michael Grandage; Designer: Christopher Oram
Lighting Designer: Neil Austin; Composer and Sound Designer: Adam Cork
The Donmar Warehouse returns to BAM following last year’s critically acclaimed production of Strindberg’s Creditors directed by Alan Rickman. The company made their BAM debut in 2003 with Sam Mendes’ productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya.
Prior to performances at BAM, King Lear will be broadcast to cinemas worldwide on 3 February as part of NT Live, and embark on an 8 week national tour to Venue Cymru, Llandudno (21 – 26 February), Belfast Opera House (28 February – 5 March), Glasgow Theatre Royal (7 – 12 March), Milton Keynes Theatre (14 – 19 March), The Lowry, Salford (21 – 26 March), Richmond Theatre (28 March – 2 April), Bath Theatre Royal (4 – 9 April) and Hall for Cornwall, Truro (11 – 16 April).
“Who is it that can tell me who I am?”
An ageing monarch. A kingdom divided. A child’s love rejected. As Lear’s world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question.
One of the greatest works in western literature, King Lear explores the very nature of human existence: love and duty, power and loss, good and evil.
Derek Jacobi and Michael Grandage renew their collaboration, having previously worked together on The Tempest, Don Carlos and Twelfth Night. Grandage’s creative team – Christopher Oram, Neil Austin and Adam Cork are the Tony Award-winning team behind the company’s recent Broadway smash hit Red.
SECURING THE DONMAR’S LONG TERM FUTURE
Under Michael Grandage’s tenure, the Donmar Warehouse has secured two major capital assets in purchasing both a property in Covent Garden for rehearsal, education and office space on a 112 year lease, and the theatre site on Earlham Street on a 125 year lease. This marks a significant step for the charity and for the independent future of the Donmar as a producing theatre.
The Donmar, which, until now, hasn’t owned its own offices, rehearsal rooms or theatre site, has set aside reserves over the last few years to make these capital purchases a priority. The revenue has been generated from many of Grandage’s productions staged outside the Donmar from Guys and Dolls to last year’s Red, and has enabled the company to build a designated capital fund under his tenure. This reserve will now form the springboard for a fundraising campaign to complete these plans.
The Donmar Warehouse currently has to rent a variety of different spaces across London for its rehearsal, auditions, office staff and education work. The Donmar Board recently committed to the purchase of a building in Covent Garden to become its creative home. This will enable the company to continue to achieve all its artistic ambitions to the highest standards and also overcome many practical and financial constraints imposed by the present situation.
The purchase of the theatre site in Earlham Street went ahead in 2008 and the Donmar charity will continue to work closely with its current landlord, ATG, for the remaining five years of ATG’s lease on the theatre before taking sole possession.
DONMAR ON BBC RADIO
THE CHALK GARDEN
by Enid Bagnold
Cast: Steph Bramwell, Suzanne Burden, Jamie Glover, Felicity Jones, Clifford Rose, Una Stubbs, Margaret Tyzack, Penelope Wilton
Director: Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage’s production of The Chalk Garden is being recorded for BBC Radio 3 with the company reuniting for this special event – it will be broadcast on Sunday 13 March at 8pm. Previously BBC Radio 3 broadcast Michael Grandage’s production of Othello with Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The Chalk Garden opened at the Donmar in 2008 to great critical acclaim winning many awards, including the Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Best Actress for Margaret Tyzack, the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for Penelope Wilton, and the Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Award for Best Director for Michael Grandage.
The child’s a flower. She grows in liberty.
Raised in a manor house beside the sea, where the flowers struggle to grow, sixteen-year-old Laurel runs wild. As her eccentric grandmother tends to the garden, Laurel’s need for love forces her into a world of fantasy. But things begin to change with the sudden appointment of a governess who brings a mysterious new presence to an already dysfunctional household.
The Chalk Garden was first staged in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1956 – John Gielgud directed Edith Evans and Peggy Ashcroft. The garden of the play was inspired by Bagnold’s own garden at North End House in Rottingdean.
DONMAR EDUCATION
To complement the Donmar’s productions the company continues to undertake a programme of education and outreach work led by their team of Education practitioners, including Education specialists and former Resident Assistant Directors.
Around the forthcoming season, the Donmar will deliver its playwriting project Write Up around the production of Moonlight. The project aims to inspire participants to write a short play, which is developed with the help of professional writing practitioners and performed on the Donmar stage by a cast of professional actors. For this project, participants will be encouraged to use the Donmar’s production of Pinter’s Moonlight as their inspiration and stimulus.
Also, in keeping with its commitment to access, the Donmar is providing a programme of work to compliment King Lear on its nationwide tour. The project, Reuniting the Kingdom will see the Donmar recreate their Schools Matinee programme with schools in each of the eight venues. Donmar Education practitioners will deliver workshops inspired by the rehearsal process, focusing on text, voice, character and the themes of the Donmar’s production. Students who would not necessarily be able to afford to attend the production will be offered a discounted ticket price and will receive a complimentary resource and edited version of the text.
As part of the core Education programme there is a Schools Matinee for each production. This programme allows over 200 young people to attend a production, participate in a post-show discussion with the cast which is led by the Resident Assistant Director, and also undertake a preparatory workshop in their school led by one of the Education Associates. To support the teachers through this programme a Teachers Preview Performance and a Resource Pack are provided.
Release issued by: Donmar Warehouse press office
LINKS
“Stephen Sondheim” the HBO drama?
August 23, 2010
We are not sure how long it took Stephen Sondheim’s friend John Logan to come up with his new HBO drama about a famous, gay, middle-aged Broadway composer who lives a self-destructive life full of booze and coke, and who then has a heart-attack.
Legendary Broadway composer Sondheim, who is gay and has admitted in the past to being a good drinker and taking coke in his early days, had a heart-attack at 49.
Norbert Leo Butz to star in The Miraculous Year
The drama is The Miraculous Year, HBO’s new Broadway-themed pilot about Terry Segal (played by Tony award-winner Norbert Leo Butz), who is juggling writing a challenging new show with his dysfunctional New York family.
HBO has recently insisted that similarities between Terry Segal and Sondheim are purely coincidental, with the broadcaster commenting that, “Terry Segal is a fictional character, not based on anyone”.
Needless-to-say Logan and the very private Sondheim aren’t getting on so well at the moment and that the script is undergoing some changes, including Segal suffering an aneurysm rather than a heart attack.
The project has attracted some big names, with recent Best Picture Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow directing the pilot, and a cast that redefines STAR POWER, and includes Susan Sarandon in the recurring role of Patty Atwood, the director and choreographer of the play-within-the-show. Plus Patti LuPone will play Veronica, a Broadway star (she should be able to manage that!); Hope Davis (American Splendor) is Mandy Vance, Terry’s sister and a corporate lawyer; Frank Langella (Nixon in Frost/Nixon) is Alex Segal, Terry and Mandy’s father, and a world-class painter; and Elaine Cassidy (Harper’s Island) will play Brona McKinney, Terry’s assistant.
Stephen Sondheim and Judi Dench at the Sondheim at 80 BBC Prom this month
Plus British stars Eddie Redmayne (recent Tony award winner for Red) will play a performer in Terry’s show, and Linus Roache is Scott Vance, Mandy’s husband.
Production on the pilot began at the end of July in New York.
Hopefully we might know a bit more about the real Stephen Sondheim, who is currently celebrating his 80th year, from the Random House book he is working on, to be launched in October. Called Finishing the Hat, the book has an intriguing subtitle, “Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes”, and will feature his lyrics alongside never-before-published songs. Its publicity promises “a rare personal look into his life as well as his remarkable productions”, and is to be “penetrating and surprising, poignant, funny and sometimes scathing”.
Bring it on, or others may tell your story for you.
LINKS
Pre-order Sondheim’s Finishing The Hat and save £10.50
OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Supporting Winners
June 17, 2010
OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Supporting Winners
Best Performance in a Supporting Role
2009 Patrick Stewart for Hamlet
2008 Rory Kinnear for The Man Of Mode
2007 Jim Norton for The Seafarer
2006 Noma Dumezweni for A Raisin In The Sun, Young Vic
2005 Amanda Harris for Othello
2004 Warren Mitchell for The Price
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
2011 Michelle Terry for Tribes
2010 Ruth Wilson for A Streetcar Named Desire
2002 Marcia Warren for Humble Boy
2001 Pauline Flanagan for Dolly West’s Kitchen
2000 Patricia Hodge for Money
1997 Deborah Findlay for Stanley
1995 Dora Bryan for The Birthday Party
1994 Helen Burns for The Last Yankee
1993 Barbara Leigh-Hunt for An Inspector Calls
1992 Frances de la Tour for When She Danced
1991 Sara Crowe for Private Lives
1984 Marcia Warren for Stepping Out
1983 Abigail McKern for As You Like It
1982 Anna Massey for The Importance Of Being Earnest
1981 Gwen Watford for Present Laughter
1980 Suzanne Bertish for Nicholas Nickleby
1979 Doreen Mantle for Death Of A Salesman
1978 Elizabeth Spriggs for Love Letters On Blue Paper
1977 Mona Washbourne for Stevie
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2011 Adrian Scarborough for After the Dance
2010 Eddie Redmayne for Red
2002 Toby Jones for The Play What I Wrote
2001 Ben Daniels for All My Sons
2000 Roger Allam for Money
1997 Trevor Eve for Uncle Vanya
1995 Ken Stott for Broken Glass
1994 Joseph Mydell for Perestroika
1993 Julian Glover for Henry IV (Parts 1 and 2)
1992 Oleg Menshikov for When She Danced
1991 David Bradley for King Lear
1984 Edward Petherbridge for Strange Interlude
1983 Alan Devlin for A Moon For The Misbegotten
1982 David Healy for Guys And Dolls
1981 Joe Melia for Good
1980 David Threlfall for Nicholas Nickleby
1979 Patrick Stewart for Antony And Cleopatra
1978 Robert Eddison for Twelfth Night
1977 Nigel Hawthorne for Privates On Parade
Best Supporting Performance
2003 Essie Davis for A Streetcar Named Desire
1999 Brendan Coyle for The Weir
1998 Sarah Woodward for Tom & Clem
1996 Simon Russell Beale for Volpone
1989/90 Michael Bryant for Hamlet, The Voysey Inheritance and Racing Demon
1988 Eileen Atkins for Cymbeline, The Winter’s Tale and Mountain Language
1987 Michael Bryant for King Lear and Antony And Cleopatra
1986 Paul Jesson for The Normal Heart
1985 Imelda Staunton for A Chorus Of Disapproval and The Corn Is Green
1976 Margaret Courtenay for Separate Tables
Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical
2011 Jill Halfpenny for Legally Blonde – The Musical
2010 Iwan Rheon for Spring Awakening
2009 Lesli Margherita for Zorro
2008 Tracie Bennett for Hairspray
2007 Sheila Hancock for Cabaret
2006 Celia Imrie for Acorn Antiques – The Musical!
2005 Conleth Hill for The Producers
2004 The Chorus of Jerry Springer – The Opera
2003 Paul Baker for Taboo
2002 Martyn Jacques for Shockheaded Peter
2001 Miles Western for Pageant
2000 Jenny Galloway for Mamma Mia!
1999 Shuler Hensley for Oklahoma!
1998 James Dreyfus for Lady In The Dark
1997 Clive Rowe for Guys And Dolls
1996 Sheila Gish for Company
1995 Tracie Bennett for She Loves Me
1994 Sara Kestelman for Cabaret
1993 Janie Dee for Carousel
1992 Jenny Galloway for The Boys From Syracuse
1991 Karla Burns for Show Boat
Tony Awards tonight
June 13, 2010
The annual Tony Awards will be announced tonight, Sunday 13 June 2010, at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Sean Hayes, presenting this year's Tony awards
The star-studded event will be hosted by Sean Hayes, best known as Jack from Will & Grace and currently starring in Promises, Promises on Broadway.
The awards, the most important in the US arts calendar, will feature performances from current Broadway shows including American Idiot, Fela!, Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, La Cage aux Folles, A Little Night Music and Ragtime. Star presenters will include Katie Holmes, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Angela Lansbury, Mark Sanchez, Daniel Radcliffe, Barbara Cook, Stanley Tucci, Idina Menzel and Laura Bell Bundy!
Other appearances and performances will include Glee’s Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, Paula Abdul, Antonio Banderas, Cate Blanchett, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Douglas, Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Chris Noth, Bernadette Peters, Raquel Welch and David Hyde Pierce, who will receive a special Tony Award and is slated to appear in London next month in La Bete at the Comedy Theatre.
Shows up for awards this year include a revival of August Wilson’s Fences starring Denzel Washington (10nominations); Broadway musical Fela! (11 nominations) – and which makes its UK premiere at the National Theatre in November; and nods for a number of high-profile Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken (Behanding in Spokane), Liev Schreiber (A View From The Bridge), and Scarlett Johansson (A View from the Bridge).
Glee's Lea Michele rehearsing on Friday for the Tony Awards
Recent Broadway musical The Addams Family starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, failed to find favour with the Tony awards committee, scoring only two nominations – best original score and best supporting actor in a musical for Kevin Chamberlin.
UK creatives or shows have garned 28 nominations this year. The Menier Chocolate Factory in South London will be awaiting news on two of its successful productions that have transferred to Broadway and received 15 Tony nominations: La Cage Aux Folles opened at the Longacre Theatrein April to enormous critical acclaim. The show features original London star Douglas Hodge and US actor Kelsey Grammer, both of whom have been nominated in the best actor in a musical category. In total the show has picked up 11 nominations, including best revival of a musical, scenic design (Tim Shortall), costume design (Matthew Wright), lighting design (Nick Richings), sound design (Jonathan Deans), direction (Terry Johnson), choreography (Lynne Page), orchestrations (Jason Carr) and best supporting actor (Robin De Jesus).
Also A Little Night Music, which started life at the Menier in 2008 before transferring to the Garrick theatre in the West End, opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr theatre in December 2009. It has picked up 4 nominations, including competing against La Cage in the best musical revival category, and nods for Catherine Zeta-Jones (best actress in a musical), Angela Lansbury (best supporting actress in a musical), and sound design (Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen).
Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer in La Cage Aux Folles
Other nominated UK shows include the Donmar Warehouse’s transfer of Red which enjoys 7 nominations including best play, best actor for Alfred Molina, best supporting actor for Eddie Redmayne, and best scenic design (Christopher Oram), lighting design (Neil Austin), sound design (Adam Cork) and direction (Michael Grandage). The Donmar production of Hamlet sees a nod for Jude Law and best lighting design of a play for Neil Austin. And the Royal Court’s production of Enron, which failed on Broadway but continues to sell well in London is nominated for best original score (music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Lucy Prebble), best supporting actor for Stephen Kunken, best sound design (Adam Cork) and best lighting design (Mark Henderson). Also veteran UK actress Rosemary Harris also received a best supporting nod for The Royal Family and one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, will receive a lifetime achievement award.
US viewers can watch the awards on CBS from 8pm ET. Selected countries are also airing the awards over the next week, although not in the UK. TonyAwards.com will only be featuring live footage of the red carpet arrivals and Creative Arts Awards from 6pm until 8pm ET.
See a list of Tony Award 2010 nominations here
La Cage dominates Tony nominations
May 7, 2010
The UK’s Menier Chocolate Factory has scored another hit with its production of La Cage Aux Folles – this time on Broadway.
La Cage Aux Folles starring Douglas Hodge and Kelsey Grammer
The small South London arts venue has dominated this year’s Tony Awards nominations – with a total of 15 nods. Its musical productions of Jerry Herman’s La Cage Aux Folles and Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music have both garnered multiple nominations for their Broadway transfers.
La Cage Aux Folles premiered at the Chocolate Factory in 2008 before transferring the Playhouse Theatre in London, and opened at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway last month to enormous critical acclaim.
The show features original London star Douglas Hodge and US actor Kelsey Grammer, both of whom have been nominated in the best actor in a musical category. In total the show has picked up 11 nominations, including best revival of a musical, scenic design (Tim Shortall), costume design (Matthew Wright), lighting design (Nick Richings), sound design (Jonathan Deans), direction (Terry Johnson), choreography (Lynne Page), orchestrations (Jason Carr) and best supporting actor (Robin De Jesus).
A Little Night Music, which started life at the Menier in 2008 before transferring to the Garrick theatre in the West End, opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr theatre in December 2009. It has picked up 4 nominations, including competing against La Cage in the best musical revival category, and nods for Catherine Zeta-Jones (best actress in a musical), Angela Lansbury (best supporting actress in a musical), and sound design (Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen).
Catherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music
Overall, it has been a successful year for the UK on Broadway, with a total of 28 nominations going to UK creatives. Other celebrated UK shows include the Donmar Warehouse’s transfer of Red which enjoys 7 nominations including best play, best actor for Alfred Molina, best supporting actor for Eddie Redmayne, and best scenic design (Christopher Oram), lighting design (Neil Austin), sound design (Adam Cork) and direction (Michael Grandage).
The Donmar also saw its production of Hamlet garner a best actor nod for Jude Law and best lighting design of a play for Neil Austin.
The Royal Court’s production of Enron, which transferred to Broadway but was not well received and has closed early at the Broadhurst Theatre, was nominated for best original score (music by Adam Cork and lyrics by Lucy Prebble), best supporting actor for Stephen Kunken, best sound design (Adam Cork) and best lighting design (Mark Henderson). Enron is currently playing to strong audiences in London at the Noel Coward Theatre.
Veteran UK actress Rosemary Harris also received a best supporting nod for The Royal Family and one of the UK’s greatest living playwrights, Alan Ayckbourn, will receive a lifetime achievement award.
Other big hitters nominated this year include a revival of August Wilson’s Fences starring Denzel Washington (10 nominations); Broadway musical Fela! (11 nominations) – and which makes its UK premiere at the National Theatre in November; and nods for a number of high-profile Hollywood stars including Christopher Walken (Behanding in Spokane), Liev Schreiber (A View From The Bridge), and Scarlett Johansson (A View from the Bridge).
Recent Broadway musical The Addams Family starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, failed to find favour with the Tony awards committee, scoring only two nominations – best original score and best supporting actor in a musical for Kevin Chamberlin.
The 64th awards will be presented on 13 July in New York.
See a list of Tony Award 2010 nominations here
