The National Theatre has launched an initiative in order to develop British musicals, in conjunction with comments from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber that British musical theatre – in comparison to Broadway – had lost its momentum. For the initiative, leading playwrights and composers have been brought together for a two-year project to address musicals in the UK and to initiate new work in the future. This will come as hugely good news for both theatre and musical theatre fans, in the hope of seeing new work developed and supported.National Theatre’s British musicals
The National Theatre has launched an initiative in order to develop British musicals, in conjunction with comments from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber that British musical theatre – in comparison to Broadway – had lost its momentum. For the initiative, leading playwrights and composers have been brought together for a two-year project to address musicals in the UK and to initiate new work in the future. This will come as hugely good news for both theatre and musical theatre fans, in the hope of seeing new work developed and supported.
The Place’s summer season showcases a wide range of dance performances from some of the most diverse and eclectic choreographers creating work today. Many established choreographers have honed their skills on The Place’s stage, and there will be a number of opportunities to see emerging artists creating vibrant new work.
Adelaide’s centre for contemporary dance, LWDance Hub, has launched a new Open House Programme, under the direction of newly appointed Open House Producer Callan Fleming, an independent South Australian dance artist and choreographer. The dance scene down under is truly thriving, and the Open House Programme is an exciting new way for local dance artists to collaborate. 
Following a hugely successful 2016 Australian and UK tour, Frantic Assembly and State Theatre Company South Australia’s critically acclaimed Things I Know To Be True returns to delight audiences in the UK from 27 September 2017. Andrew Bovell’s new play will tour to Oxford Playhouse, The Lowry in Salford, Leicester Curve, Mercury Theatre in Colchester, York Theatre Royal, Chester Storyhouse, Southampton’s Nuffield, Poole Lighthouse and London’s Lyric Hammersmith. 
Tickets for Dance Umbrella, London’s flagship festival of international dance, went on sale last week, with an exciting programme of dance and theatre scheduled for the autumn. Dance Umbrella will run from 11 – 28 October 2017, opening with Satchie Noro and Silvain Ohl’s outdoor performance Origami on a 40ft shipping container at Battersea Power Station, as the UK premiere for the piece.
Barre classes are most definitely in vogue at the moment, with both dancers and non-dancers alike engaging in barre-related activities. They can be a challenging workout, but are they beneficial for dancers to partake in? It seems barre can be so much more than a Sunday morning class, and actually an ideal cross-training complement for dancers. 
London’s New Diorama Theatre recently opened ND2, a 4,000 square metre space, which will act as a creative hub by day and an events space by night. It is the largest rehearsal space in central London, with the theatre having signed a one year lease with London-based property developer British Land.
The month of May saw it confirmed that the production of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will have its Broadway premiere in spring 2018, at the newly renovated Lyric Theatre in New York. The official opening will be 22 April 2018, with preview performances, casting and all further details to be announced in the coming months. Tickets will go on sale in the autumn.
Birmingham Royal Ballet, in association with Sadler’s Wells, is set to launch a world class ballet development programme in 2017, in order to nurture talent currently on stage. The two organisations are joining forces for a major new concept for classical choreographers, in the form of a five-year programme of professional development, with two commissions made each year. Ballet Now will support a total of six artists per year, with one choreographer, composer and designer per commission.
Cirque Éloize will return to the Edinburgh Fringe this year after an 18 year break: it will mark Cirque Éloize’s second time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and follows a critically-acclaimed 1999 run of Circus Excentricus. This year the company will present Cirkopolis, an imaginative and humorous show seen by over 450,000 in 100 cities in 30 countries. It won the Drama Desk Awards for Unique Theatrical Experience in 2014.