Tag: Jay Simpson

Spring News Update

Posted on | by Eamonn

We’re celebrating our two year anniversary this month with some exciting client announcements. Our latest news update proves the depth and versatility of our actors who are landing great roles in some of the best productions.

On Stage:

9th March BannersGavin Spokes will lead the cast in The National Theatre’s award winning comedy One Man 2 Guvnor’s. He will take on the brilliant leading role of Francis for the UK tour opening in Sheffield from May and continuing. Jodie Mc Nee will play Maggie in the classic Hobson’s Choice at Regents Park this summer with Nadia Fall directing. Also confirmed early summer, Ferdy Roberts will join the eagerly awaited stage premiere of the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love at The Noel Coward, Ferdy takes the role of Fennyman with Declan Donnellan directing. Richard Dempsey will also be returning to the West End as he joins the cast of Sam Mendes’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in the role of Mr Bucket. Royal Scottish graduate Tafline Steen, meanwhile, makes her professional stage debut at The Almeida Theatre in King Charles III, Mike Bartlett’s controversial new play which Rupert Goold directs. Jay Simpson joins the RSC for the first time playing a trio of terrific roles as part of The Roaring Girls season whilst Joe Sims joins the cast of Three Sisters at Southwark Playhouse in a new version by Anya Reiss with Russell Bolam directing. Daniel Rabin goes to The Globe this season for Antony & Cleopatra and Holy Warriors, David Eldridge’s new play whilst Amy Cudden joins Blanche McIntyre for Tonight At 8.30, a fascinating collection of one act Coward plays that will be touring from May.

Openings include Jodie McNee as Viola in Liverpool Everyman’s Twelfth Night, Amy Marston in Ayckbourn’s A Small Family Business at The National and Jess Murphy in World Enough & Time at The Park Theatre. Jude Monk McGowan continues in Punch Drunk’s acclaimed The Drowned Man at Temple Studios whilst Alex Blake and Scott Karim join Secret Cinema this month who are recreating Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

On Screen:

9th March SquareHayley Carmichael joins a terrific cast for the new BBC drama series Our Zoo, the period drama based around the setting up of Chester Zoo in the 1920s. Joe Sims is confirmed as returning to Broadchurch Series II in his breakthrough role of Nigel Carter, Naomi Bentley joins the ensemble of the popular Sky comedy drama Mount Pleasant whilst Roger Sloman will be making a regular return to Eastenders as local undertaker Les Coker. Joseph May joins the ABC drama Mistresses shooting in LA whilst Episodes in which he plays series reg Andy Button is recomissioned for a 4th season. Also returning is the ever popular Waterloo Road which will see Pooky Quesnel joining the academy as Olga.

November Screen:

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Joe Sims joins the cast of The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries written by Peter Morgan and to be directed by Roger Michell. This 2 parter for ITV films on location in Bristol and recounts the tragic death of Joanna Yeates and the press harassment of the landlord wrongly assumed guilty of her murder. Robert Hands begins filming on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell an epic new 7 part historical drama for the BBC directed by Toby Haynes and shooting from November. Jay Simpson and Hermione Gulliford shoot The GameNovember Screen by Toby Whithouse, BBC Wales’ new espionage thriller directed by Daniel O’Hara and Alex Blake films a guest role on Season 3 of Borgia with Christoph Schrewe directing. Sarah Winman films Undeniable a 2 part drama written by Chris Lang and directed by John Strickland whilst Richard Teverson films Jamica Inn a new adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier novel with Philippa Lowthorpe directing.

On screen, November sees the premiere of the much anticipated Doctor Who 50th featuring Ken Bones which will showing concurrently in 3D across UK cinemas Sat 23rd. Also coming to cinema screens soon is Leave To Remain, a moving portrait of asylum seekers which premiered at The London Film Festival last month and featuring Farshid Rokey as 5 Names. Natasha Gordon also plays an asylum seeker in her debut feature Dough. Shooting in London and Sofia, she takes the role of Safa, a refugee from Darfur opposite Jonathan Pryce.

On TV:

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Update On TVKen Bones joins the regular cast of Atlantis, Little Monster Film’s new mythical drama series currently shooting for the BBC. Dan Rabin films Game of Thrones the ever popular fantasy adventure now into its 4th season. Vincenzo Nicoli joins Hank Zipzer as regular character Papa Pete in this new show for Kindle Entertainment exec produced by Henry Winkler. Pooky Quesnel signs up as regular new character Olga in the next series of Waterloo Road and can currently be seen on screen, alongside Jay Simpson, in new ITV drama The Guilty which starts Thurs 5th Sept. Also featuring heavily on screen at the moment is Daniel Coonan whose character Carl continues to wreak havoc in Eastenders. Finally, watch out for Max Fowler in The Killing [US Version] coming soon to Netflix

On Film:

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On Film 240813Lisa Palfrey joins director Matthew Warchus for Pride shooting in London and Wales from September and depicting a gay and lesbian group in the 80s who find solidarity with the striking miners. Ken Bones joins the cast of Exodus, Ridley Scott’s latest feature with 20th Century Fox with Christian Bale portraying Moses. Having wrapped on the recent Mike Leigh feature, Tom Edden starts shooting Cinderella in September with Ken Branagh directing whilst Colm Gormley films the next Ken Loach feature Jimmy’s Hall. Just wrapped are Max Fowler on Tokarev opposite Nick Cage and Robert Hands on Eliza Graves. Watch out for Jay Simpson who will be appearing in Rush, the hotly anticipated new Ron Howard movie set in the intirguing world of Formula 1 and Vincenzo Nicoli who is in in the next Paul Greengrass feature Captain Phillips both on general release very shortly.

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Summer Nights

Lisa Palfrey in Family TreeHBO’s mockumentary series Family Tree directed by Christopher Guest and featuring Lisa Palfrey as Luba, Chris O’Dowd’s Moldovan stepmother also tx’s BBC2 10pm from Tuesday July 16. Regular viewers of Eastenders will have seen Carl’s dramatic arrival in the square – watch out for Daniel Coonan whose storylines in the show promise to be huge this summer. And Jay Simpson and Vincenzo Nicoli can both be seen in exciting new Channel 4 drama Run which begins txs July.

Summer Shoots

Eliza Graves Film PosterRobert Hands is filming the feature Eliza Graves. Directed by Brad Anderson and based on an early work of Edgar Allen Poe. Robert will be appearing alongside Kate Beckinsale and Jim Sturgess and is currently shooting in Sofia. Amy Marston has just been cast in New World by Peter Flannery and Martine Brant. This four parter for Channel 4, the next chapter of The Devils Whore, will be directed by Charles Martin for Company Pictures. Also for Company Pooky Quesnel is filming Truckers, a five-part drama written by William Ivory set in Nottingham with Sue Tully directing. Also Richard Teverson and Hermione Gulliford are filming guest roles on series two of The Bletchley Circle. Rocky Marshall shoots legal drama Silk for the BBC and Derek Hutchinson films By Any Means a new Tony Jordon drama for the BBC.

Summer Fun

ITV has commissioned Hartswood to make a 6 x 60 minutes comedy drama series titled Edge Of Heaven starring Nitin Kundra in the role of Tandeep Chatterjee. Written by Robert Evans the series follows the organised chaos of the Taylor-Chatterjee family and shoots starts late August. Cosima Shaw is filming Toast a new 6 part sitcom for Channel 4, directed by Michael Cumming, written by Arthur Matthews (Father Ted) and Matt Berry. Roger Sloman and Richard Dempsey both film guest roles in the new series of Doc Martin which Nigel Cole directs.

Screen Update:

Posted on | by Eamonn

Film:

 

Cosima Shaw in Papadopoulos & Sons
Cosima Shaw in
Papadopoulos & Sons

Tom Edden is currently filming with Mike Leigh on his Untitled 13 project
and then goes on to work with Kenneth Brannagh in his live action movie
version of Cinderella. Confirmed cast include Cate Blanchett. Max Fowler,
meanwhile shoots his debut US feature Tokarev, an action thriller in which
he is cast opposite Nicolas Cage and shoots through July in Alabama with
Paco Cabarez directing. Fast & Furious 6 has also opened in both London & LA with Benjamin Davies in the role of Adolfson. Also on current general release in UK is the ‘sleeper’ hit indie film Papadopoulus & Sons in which Cosima Shaw plays Sophie.

Television:

Broadchurch DVDRoyal Welsh College graduate Chris Gordon starts filming the last ever Poirot, Dead Man’s Folly with Tom Vaughan directing.  Filming takes place in London and Cornwall through June.  Richard Dempsey and Joseph May film guest roles this month on NBC/Carnival’s reimagining of Dracula whilst Jay Simpson shoots Talking to the Dead a 2 part drama for Sky directed by China Moo Young. Catch up to with Broadchuch, ITV’s hugely successful crime drama which is released on DVD this week featuring new client Joe Sims as suspect Nigel Carter.

Spring Shoots:

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LogosKen Bones has been confirmed for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode, details of which are being kept a closely guarded secret but has been written by Steve Moffatt and will be directed in 3D by Nick Hurran.  Pooky Quesnel and Jay Simpson have both signed up to Hartswood Film’s The Guilty, a 3 part drama for ITV  directed by Ed Bazalgette which deals with the fall out after the disappearance of a 4 year old boy.  Del Synnott joins the cast of  The Great Train Robbery playing gang member Brian Field and featuring in Julian Jarrold and James Strong’s separate films for World Productions charting The Robber’s Tale and The Policeman’s Tale. Cosima Shaw, meanwhile, shoots new Warner Bros pilot The Selection set in an apocalyptic world and helmed by Alex Graves. Sara Powell and Robert Hands film guest roles in Love & Marriage, Tiger Aspects news comedy drama whilst Rocky Marshall completes filming on Montana, a British vigilante thriller set in London’s East End and directed by Mo Ali.

Spring Watch

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Max Fowler in MayDay
Max Fowler in Mayday ©BBC

A young girl disappears from an idyllic community and so begins Mayday, the BBC’s absorbing new five part drama beginning Sunday 3 March and continuing.  Max Fowler plays the juvenile lead Linus with Daniel Coonan as PC Simmons. Also starting this week on the History Channel is the epic miniseries The Bible featuring Ken Bones as Ira. Coming soon to Fox UK, also with Ken Bones, is Da Vinci’s Demons which reveals the secret history of Leonardo Da Vinci. Over on ITV, bestselling novel Ice Cream Girls has been adapted and will screen this Spring with Sara Powell in the role of Fez. Also on ITV, set against the backdrop of the London Blitz, Daniel Rabin will be appearing as Granger in Murder on the Home Front. We’re also looking forward to Channel 4’s new drama Run in which Jay Simpson and Vincenzo Nicoli will appear. This fast-paced contemporary narrative is directed by Bafta winning Charles Martin.

January Viewing

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Stobart-and-Spokes-in-UtopiaUtopia has premiered on Channel 4 and has quickly been marked as ‘one to
watch’ in 2013. Continuing Tuesday’s at 9pm, several of our clients will be
appearing during the run (Mark Stobbart, Gavin Spokes pictured alongside
Hermione Gulliford and Jay Simpson). Spies of Warsaw is currently showing on
BBC 4, a beautifully shot war time spy drama with Richard Teverson playing
Roddy Fitzware. Meanwhile, Hat Trick’s Great Night Out is on ITV Friday’s at
9pm. The 30 something comedy-drama set in Stockport includes Naomi
Bentley in its regular cast.

Theatre Openings

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

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

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

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