Tag: Sam Alexander

Stage News

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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

Autumn Screen

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We stand in support of the strike action. Those actors whose regular filming has been uninterrupted by the disputes include: Thomas Coombes who’s been shooting the new six-part drama Moonflower Murders directed by Rebecca Gatwood for Eleventh Hour Films/BBC and Masterpiece; Michelle Bonnard who’s filming Insomnia, an adaptation of Sarah Pinborough’s sleep deprivation novel for Left Bank Pictures with Börkur Sigthorsson directing; Jodie McNee joins The Gathering in Liverpool, a story of rivalry within the elite world of gymnastics from the creators of Line of Duty with Gareth Bryn directing; Olwen May films The Bay Season 5 as new regular DC McClaren;  Sophie Stone plays series regular Wendy in Generation Z for Forge and Channel 4, directed by Ben Wheatley and Alex Blake who has recently completed filming on Joan, a new six part series for ITV/ITVX based on the true story of notorious jewell thief Joan Hannington.

Sam Alexander in “Murder Retrial”

Guest roles include Amy Cudden in Mr Bates vs the Post Office a drama detailing the great miscarriage of justice around the postal workers; Jay Simpson in The Day of the Jackall, a TV remake of the classic film;  Daniel Crossley who is filming a six part TV series about Ayrton Senna for Netflix in Brazil; Gavin Spokes and Patrick Brennan who both appear in Out There, a new rural Welsh thriller for ITV led by Martin Clunes; Aidan Kelly who is completing shooting on forthcoming drama Say Nothing for FX focusing on the Troubles in NI. Sam Alexander also plays the lead role in a new drama commissioned by Channel 4, titled Murder Retrial, examining the British judicial system.

Premiering at the London Film Festival this October; Melanie Kilburn plays Mrs Forde in Starve Acre with Matt Smith starring and Daniel Kokotajilo directing and Josie Walker stars in writer-director Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature film In Camera.  Congratulations also to Lily Beau who played leading roles in  Y Swn and Y Goleudy which have both recently been nominated for a host of Welsh BAFTA Awards.

Other things to watch out for this Autumn include Jakob Diehl in Netflix blockbuster All the Light We Cannot See,  Gavin Spokes in the hugely popular Slow Horses, Sara Powell in Paramount Plus thriller The Killing Kind (streaming now), James Doherty in the highly anticipated TV remake of Sexy Beast and Jodie McNee in crime thriller Culprits for Disney Plus.

Spring shoots

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Film & TV

Andrew Koji shoots back to back feature films – SENECA with John Malkovich directed by Robert Schwentke and BOY KILLS WORLD with Bill Skarsgård, director Moritz Mohr. Jakob Diehl joins the cast of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, Steven Knight’s adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize Winning novel directed by Shawn Levy for Netflix .

Thomas Coombes has been shooting STREET DOGS with director Jamie Payne also for Netflix and goes onto film RAIN DOGS , an original drama for HBO/BBC. Jodie McNee films CULPRITS for Disney and Hulu , an 8 part heist drama written and directed by J.Blakeson and Sara Powell films brand new psychological thriller THE WINTER CHILD with Dominic Le Clerc directing.

Gavin Spokes joins the regular cast of new drama series BETTER for Sister Pictures/BBC and Michelle Bonnard returns as Sal in UNFORGOTTEN 5. Carol Macready films the new season of STRIKE: TROUBLED BLOOD and Eugene O’Hare returns for Season 6 of OUTLANDER as Gov Josiah Martin. Melanie Kilburn joins Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark in STARVE ACRE for BBC Films whilst Aidan Kelly films US thriller JERICHO RIDGE with Will Gilbey directing.

Theatre

Greg Hicks will be seen in Daniel Fish’s Tony Award winning revival of OKLAHOMA which transfers to The Young Vic. Carol Macready joins Anne Marie Duff in the Almeida production of THE HOUSE OF SHADES directed by Blanche McIntyre. Olwen May leads the cast in The Manchester Royal Exchange’s production of ELECTRIC ROSARY by Bruntwood Prize winner Tim Foley and Anita Reynolds has been cast in the Old Vic production of A MONSTER CALLS .

Tom Edden, currently in New York with Jamie Lloyd’s award winning CYRANO returns to play in Chichester Festival’s revival of CRAZY FOR YOU directed by Broadway legend Susan Stroman. Sam Alexander will play Teddy in Bath Theatre Royals’ tour of Pinter’s THE HOMECOMING and Laura Rogers has been cast as Countess Andrenyi in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS opposite Henry Goodman as Hercule Poirot.

Christopher Harper will play the leading role of Professor Robert Langdon in THE DA VINCI CODE touring from May and Richard Teverson joins the cast of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION playing at London County Hall. Look out too for Mariah Louca in Soho Theatre’s new musical THE MINISTRY OF LESBIAN AFFAIRS.

Stage News

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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.

2018 – Screen

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Viewing

The Sky Atlantic premier of British historical period drama Britannia written by Jez Butterworth and featuring Jodie McNee as Willa tx from January 18th. Also on Sky Atlantic Thomas Coombes plays regular Michael “Goz” Gozdecki in Save Me a thriller from the producers of Line of Duty written by and starring Lennie James. On Netflix and E4 catch Pooky Quesnel and Hayley Carmichael in the eagerly anticipated Kiss Me First an innovative and emotional 6 part thriller written by Skins creator Bryan Elsley. On the BBC Daniel Coonan plays murdered detective Alex Butler and Sam Alexander Father Michael in new crime drama Hard Sun from the creators of Luther. The fifth and final season of Episodes will air in February with Joseph May reprising his regular role of Andy Button.

Filming

Andrew Koji is currently shooting The Innocents for Netflix and then continues filming on the first series of Warrior for HBO. Hayley Carmichael heads to Serbia to shoot Undergods a collection of darkly humorous, kafkaesque tales about failed societies and the people who inhabit them written and directed by two times winner of the Cannes Lions, Chino Moya. John Mackay plays the role of Dirk Schreiber in writer/director Hugo Blick’s new BBC/Netflix drama The Forgiving Earth a drama concentrating on the prosecution of international war crimes whilst Sarah Malin films 2 episodes of Jed Mercurio’s latest drama Bodyguard, a political thriller that follows the lives of the royal protection branch, tx this summer. Meanwhile Ken Bones joins the cast of A Discovery of Witches an 8 part adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ historical fantasy novel for Sky 1, Anton Saunders has been cast in the role of Godric in the third series of the BBC drama The Last Kingdom and Ben Dilloway shoots the TV adaptation of the Royal Court’s Wanderlust by Nick Payne for BBC/Netflix

Screen update

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TV

Thomas Coombes joins the cast of Hatton Garden – Jeff Pope and Paul Whittington’s next collaboration for ITV after Little Boy Blue and The Moorside, this time telling the inside story of the infamous jewell heist. Filming begins in Budapest on the second season of National Geographic’s MARS the global sic-fi series from Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment with Cosima Shaw reprising her role as Leslie. Matt Rawle films a guest role in Trust, Danny Boyle’s new show for FX about the Getty family whilst Sally Scott shoots Trauma, Mike Bartlett’s new drama for ITV with Marc Evans directing. Rocky Marshall returns as bodyguard James Hill in The Royals whilst Esther Coles joins the popular comedy series Josh which returns again to the BBC for series 3. Roger Sloman and Gavin Spokes make guest appearances in Greg Davies’ Man Down whilst Emma Handy and Sam Alexander both return to Doc Martin for the much loved new series. New grad Patricia Allison completes filming on Thanks For the Memories a 2 x 90’ film for ZDF based on Cecelia Ahern’s novel whilst Colm Gormly films a guest role in Victoria, Mammoth Screen/ITV, Paul Frift directing.

Film

Carol Macready completes filming on Walk Like A Panther, Fox International’s new comedy drama about the British wrestling world with Dan Cadan directing. Hayley Carmichael shoots Overlord, Julius Avery and JJ Abraham’s World War II
drama set in France. Ken Bones films Baghdad In My Shadow, a thriller set amidst London’s Iraqi community directed by Samir and Kriss Dosanjh films Benjamin, Simon Amstell’s writing and directorial debut feature. Meanwhile, Special Sundance Jury Award winner Gods Own Country featuring Melanie Kilburn as Gloria will be released in UK in early September and Sophie Stevens‘ first feature The Black Prince (from the producers of 12 Years a Slave) has opened in cinemas this week and has already made it into the top 10 in the UK box office chart.

Summer stage

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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.

Stage Latest

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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.

Summer theatre

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20160801In theatre news Tom Edden will play The Emperor in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus directed by Michael Longhurst for The National Theatre. Richard Teverson will play Sackville in Theatre Royal Bath’s production of The Libertine, directed by Terry Johnson coming to The Theatre Royal Haymarket in September. Stephen Kennedy joins the cast of Deborah Warner’s King Lear at the Old Vic this autumn with Glenda Jackson in the title role, Scott Karim returns to the Globe in Matthew Dunster’s Imogen and Amy Booth-Steel joins the company of Briony Kimmings’ musical A Pacifists Guide to The War on Cancer a co pro between The National Theatre and Complicite. At Regents Park, Tafline Steen and Jordan Mifsúd play Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, a revival of Deborah Bruce’s acclaimed production, this summer. Laura Rogers plays Dorothea in Tennessee William’s A Lovely Sunday For Creve Coeur at The Print Room. Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, joins the cast of The Roundabout at The Park and Richard Dempsey plays Peter in Noel Cowards Home Chat at The Finborough theatre.

RSC transfers to the West End include Sam Alexander with Much Ado about Nothing and Peter McGovern in Love’s Labours Lost. Coming to The Barbican are Nicholas Lumley in Maria Aberg’s Doctor Faustus and Hywel Morgan with Polly Jerrold’s The Alchemist. Graham Turner meanwhile opens in Stratford as The Fool in Greg Doran’s King Lear prior to a Barbican run this autumn.

Out of town Geraldine Alexander heads to The Royal Exchange to play Sarah Turing in Breaking The Code directed by Rob Hastie, Rhys Rusbatch will play Captain Jack Absolute in The Rivals at Bristol Old Vic, Eugine O’Hare plays Sir Clifford in Sheffield Crucible’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover directed by Phillip Breen, Jason Callender joins the company of The Play that Goes Wrong on tour, and NYT graduate Melissa Vaughan plays Dora in Night Must Fall directed by Luke Sheppard and touring.

In Rehearsals:

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20160301Josie Walker will play Mrs Gogan and Stephen Kennedy Fluther Good in a revival of Sean O’Casey’s Plough and The Stars, directed by Howard Davies for The National Theatre and marking the centenary of the Easter Rising. Also for The National, Pooky Quesnel joins the cast of The Suicide in a fresh adaptation of Erdman’s original script relocated to contemporary London directed by Nadia Fall. Tom Edden will play The Good Angel in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s West End Production of Dr Faustus with Kit Harrington in the title role whilst at the Royal Exchange, Jodie McNee takes on the role of Kay in Sarah Waters’ The Night Watch directed by Rebecca Gatward. Sam Alexander returns to Hampstead Theatre in Howard Brenton’s new play Lawrence After Arabia with John Dove directing, Hywel Morgan joins the cast of the RSC’s The Alchemist directed by Polly Findlay, Natasha Gordon joins Mel Giedroyc in Simon Dormandy’s production of Luce at the Southwark Playhouse and Michelle Bonnard plays Jess in The Quiet House by Bruntwood Prize winning writer Gareth Farr at The Park Theatre. For the West Yorkshire Playhouse and London’s South Bank Centre, Carla Harrison Hodge plays Avocado and Pomegranate in two hander The Fruit Trilogy, 3 short plays from the Tony Award winning playwright of the Vagina Monologues Eve Ensler whilst over at The Birmingham Rep Sophie Stone plays the Postmaster in Artistic Director Roxanna Silbert’s innovative new production of Gogol’s The Government Inspector. Also out of London Tony Guilfoyle plays Prospero in William Galinsky’s production of The Tempest at Hippodrome/Great Yarmouth and Kate Maravan joins the cast of Phelim McDermott’s new show Opening Skinner’s Box for Improbable.