Tag: Stephen Kennedy

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

Summer Stage

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Gavin Spokes returns to the National Theatre in Kerry Jackson, a new play by April de Angelis with Indhu Rubsingham directing.  Jay Simpson is also going back to The National joining Clint Dyer’s cast of Othello.   John Mackay joins the Almeida Theatre’s production of The Doctor with Robert Icke directing the West End transfer and joins Mariah Louca and Daniel Rabin who reprise their original roles. Kate Fahy is back in the London revival of Moira Buffini’s award winning play Handbagged and Jenna Augen returns to Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt for the Broadway transfer.

Olivia Onyehara is in RSC rehearsals for Blanche McIntyre’s All’s Well That Ends Well in which she plays Diana and Guy Rhys will play Benedict in Sheffield Theatre’s Much Ado About Nothing with Rob Hastie directing.  Openings include Sara Powell in Jamie Lloyd’s The Seagull, Tom Edden in Chichester Festival Theatre’s Crazy For You and Stephen Kennedy and Derek Hutchinson in Deborah Warner’s The Tempest playing at Bath Ustinov.   Robert Hands and James Doherty continue in Come From Away at The Phoenix Theatre and Richard Teverson is at London County Hall in the ever popular Witness For the Prosecution.

Stage News 2019

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RADA graduate Leah Gayer makes her professional debut in Always Alys a gripping new psychological thriller by Lucinda Coxon playing at The Bridge Theatre and directed by Nicholas Hytner.  Lyndsey Turner directs  RWCMD grad Ashna Rabheru as Kit and Charlotte Lucas as Win in a revival of Caryl Churchill’s landmark play Top Girls at The National Theatre. Stephen Kennedy joins Josie Rourke at The Donmar for her final show as Artistic Director.

West End transfers include Robert Hands in Come From Away opening at The Phoenix Theatre from The Abbey, Dublin;  Sophie  Stone as Margaret Clifford in The Globe’s Emilia at The Vaudeville, Hywel Morgan as Marcus in Laura Wade’s Home I’m Darling at The Duke of York’s and Daniel Crossley who joins The Almeida’s production of The Twilight Zone at The Ambassadors.

Jodie Mc Nee returns to The RSC in 2019 to play Belvidera in Venice Preserved with Prasanna Puwanarajah directing and Patrick Brennan also joins the company in As You Like It  directed by Kimberley Sykes and Measure for Measure with Greg Doran.  Colm Gormley joins Julie Hesmondhalgh in Mother Courage at The Royal Exchange with Amy Hodges directing whilst Trevor Nunn’s production of Agnes Colander with Sally Scott transfers from The Bath Ustinov to Jermyn Street.

Gavin Spokes continues as  Harry in the acclaimed Company playing at The Geilgud Theatre whilst Natasha Gordon performs as  Lorraine in Nine Night her award winning debut play now running  at Trafalgar Studios.

Currently filming:

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

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

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.

On Screen: To Watch

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20160318On television this spring catch the much anticipated third series of Line of Duty featuring Lisa Palfrey, Natasha Gordon and Melanie Kilburn starting on BBC2 from the 24th March. On BBC1 new drama The A Word with Pooky Quesnel will screen from 22 March whilst royal drama The Crown, Peter Morgan’s biographical story of the royal family with Chris Gordon and Tony Guilfoyle begins on Netflix later this year as does Dark Angel the true story of the Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton featuring Ferdy Roberts on ITV. On Sky keep an eye out for Stephen Kennedy in Lucky Man Thursdays 11pm on Sky 1 and Derek Hutchinson in Canal +’s Versailles airing Saturday nights on BBC2. In other TV news Reece Dinsdale is to direct an episode of Jimmy McGovern’s ever popular Moving On for the BBC later this year.

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.

And in 2016…

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On Screen

Kent Riley20160114 Screen will play the regular role of Barry in Brief Encounters, ITV’s new 6 part drama about the women and party planners behind Ann Summers filming from January. Jodie McNee joins the cast of the brilliant Ripper Street with Daniel Nettheim directing whilst Lisa Palfrey will film Hinterland the popular Welsh drama for BBC4 also filming early 2016. David Nellist films Taboo, the Ridley Scott produced new mini series starring Tom Hardy, Joe Sims will guest in the cult hit Red Dwarf and Geraldine Alexander films Marcella, ITV’s new 8 part drama from the creator of The Bridge. Pooky Quesnel films the last block of The A Word, BBC’s new drama that centres around an autistic child, Ken Bones finishes filming on Medici and newcomer Oliver Dench lands a leading role in new Nickelodeon drama Let It Ride shooting across Canada and Northern Ireland until Easter. In film, Sara Powell shoots Denial, David Hare’s new Holocaust drama whilst Gary Oliver has just completed filming on the feature Bitter Harvest, in which he plays Joseph Stalin directed by George Mendeluk.

Coming up on screen early in 2016, Stephen Kennedy appears in Lucky Man on Sky 1 as well as Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo’s World War 1 drama which will making its network premiere on BBC1 late Jan. Sam Alexander guests in Call the Midwife, Joe Sims will be in Beowulf ITV’s epic new fantasy drama and Terence Beesley can be seen in the BBC’s epic new drama War and Peace. Look out for Terry too in The Musketeers alongside Melanie Kilburn who also guests in BBC’s returning drama series.