Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions today announce that Cate Blanchett and Tom Burke will star in Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier’s new version of Chekhov’s masterpiece The Seagull. Also directed by Ostermeier, the production will play a limited 6 week run at the Barbican Theatre from February 2025.

Blanchett stars as Arkadina, a celebrated actress whose larger-than-life presence dominates both the stage and her personal relationships. Arriving at her family’s country estate for the weekend, she finds herself caught up in a storm of conflicting desires. Her playwright son, Konstantin, struggles to step out of her shadow as he pursues his own artistic ambitions and her lover Trigorin, played by Tom Burke, becomes the object of affection for the aspiring young actress Nina.

As their lives entwine and they each grapple with their desires, ambitions, and disappointments, Chekhov’s timeless story unfolds in a gripping tale of vanity, power, and the sacrifices made in the name of art.

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Addiction, the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity. Emma was having the time of her life. Now she’s in rehab. Clinical isolation fronted with an existential crisis, People, Places and Things sits you down in therapy and asks ‘How do you think this story ends?’.

Courtesy of Cambridge Arts Theatre.

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Lungs is one of the four new plays being shown at the Roundabout by Paines Plough Theatre Company. Duncan MacMillan presents us with a touching and matter-of-fact debate on the matter of having children. This is portrayed through the journey of a young conscientious couple who stumble upon the question: should we have a baby?

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Arguably one of the most definitive books of the 20th century, the Orwellian classic has gripped readers with its forward thinking ideas. Adapted for the stage by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan in 2013, the classic receives a 21st century makeover as themes such as surveillance, truth and love take centre stage. Courtesy of Oberon Books, you have the chance to win your very own copy.

For your chance to win a copy of 1984, answer the following question:

Who is the main character in 1984?

A) Mr Charrington

B) Parsons

C) Winston Smith

Competition closes on Friday 2nd January. Send your name, email address and answer to theatrefullstop@gmail.com. Good luck!

Following a highly successful run first at the Nottingham Playhouse then at London’s Almeida theatre, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s Nineteen Eighty-Four transfers to the West End’s London Playhouse Theatre, in collaboration with Headlong.

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