A new era is upon us, and with this, many questions arise. Forced to craft new ways of living, thinking, working -post 2020, we’re at a transformational time on a national, as well as global level. Questioning what ‘England’ is and what it means in early 21st century Britain, The National Theatre have bravely responded to this with a series of works, Dear England a powerful reminder of the power of football, and how through the ‘beautiful game’, we can tackle ugly, harsh truths on a wider scale.
A look more so into the vision of England’s current manager Gareth Southgate, Dear England ushers us into a world whereby the power of the collective and looking after our well-being are considered paramount – a stark contrast to the egotistical/individualistic nature of the game in the old world. Fictionalised clashes between Southgate’s innovate notion of delving deeper into the psyche and emotional nature of each football player at odds with fellow management – these clashes comical yet fascinating to watch transpire. Es Devlin’s pristine digitised set interchanging between changing rooms and the grandiosity of the football stadiums the team face their various opponents in – this Match of the Day type aesthetic anchoring Dear England in the now, making the show instantly familiar and exciting to watch.
In hip hop’s 50th anniversary year and ahead of the first Olympics to feature breaking as a sport, a new pathway for talented performers has been announced by Sadler’s Wells. Applications open today for Academy Breakin’ Convention, the new hip hop theatre school that’s one of the major initiatives at Sadler’s Wells’ fourth London venue, Sadler’s Wells East, due to open next year as part of the East Bank development in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The theatrical form of Cabaret has entertained audiences alike for over 500 years – a French form fusing dining and entertainment – the end result creating a relaxed atmosphere for theatregoers to shut off from the harsh realities of the outside world. A celebration of variety performance, live performance is given the platform to shine, to dazzle – something increasingly important in our new day and age. Hosting an evening of glamorous, daring, flirtatious live art, Cabaret All Stars Disco promises an experience filled with lots of laughs and entertainment.
Kiln Theatre today announces the appointment of Amit Sharma as Artistic Director and CEO – he takes up the role on 1 December 2023. Sharma is currently Associate Director at Kiln Theatre, and also works as a freelance director.
The 2023 UK Theatre Awards winners were revealed today (Sunday 8 October) in a ceremony at London’s Guildhall, hosted by Musical Theatre star Zoe Birkett. Lyric Theatre Belfast enjoyed double celebrations with The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, a collaborative production between Lyric Theatre Belfast and Prime Cut winning Best Play revival and Garry Hynes winning Best Director for the Druid Theatre production Druid O’Casey, a trilogy of stories written by Irish dramatist Sean O’Casey. In total, Irish theatres and production companies had four nods in the winners list.
The Faber New Play Award, which offers publication to coincide with the premiere, and a prize of £5,000, was granted to the best play written by an unpublished playwright under the WGGB New Play Commission Scheme. The scheme was a response to the decline in new theatre commissions during the Covid-19 pandemic, and offered eighteen commissions for playwrights across England in 2022. Under the scheme, And The Earth Opened Up Under Her has been commissioned by Pilot Theatre, York.