Category: News

Theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh has unveiled his theatrical vision for the West End’s new Sondheim Theatre, which he aims to turn into a home for shows from subsidised venues around the UK that would otherwise be under threat of vanishing following their runs. Named after the esteemed Stephen Sondheim, the site is expected to flourish under Mackintosh.

The gap for a flexible, small-scale theatre in central London is clear: it is something which often limits other venues, such as the National Theatre, and the Sondheim space could provide a non-proscenium arch home for many of its productions which originate in the subsidised sector. The venue would be an important West End venture to provide subsidised theatres with a home away from home.

The reimagined theatre will host productions for runs of between eight and 16 weeks, and is being created to give shows from venues such as the Donmar and studio spaces at Sheffield Theatres and Leicester’s Curve a future life. In order for it to take shape, the Ambassadors Theatre will be redeveloped, with a flexible performance space with around 450 to 475 seats. The building will also have a new floor built above the auditorium that will house a rehearsal space for larger shows.

It will also include a redeveloped foyer, new dressing rooms and a cabaret space, which will be created in the basement bar; the theatre’s current ceiling will be dismantled and repositioned as part of the redevelopment. The theatre is planned to open in 2017, and will be able to accommodate around four or five shows a year, programmed a year or more in advance. There will also be one slot left available for a surprise show which may arise that that needs a London space.

The National Theatre’s Connections Festival is 21 in 2016, and to celebrate, the theatre is involving more young people than ever in making theatre through ‘Connections 500’. The National Theatre is looking for 500 youth theatres and schools to stage 12 plays, picked from over 150 that have been commissioned for young people since 1995.  

The theatre pledges to provide all participants with all the support needed to fulfil the task, and the chance to stage the play in one of its 40 partner theatres across the UK. Connections 500 is open to any company of young people aged 13-19. Whether a school, youth theatre, voluntary organisation or an organisation which has never staged a production before, the group can apply to be part of Connections. 

Engaging young people in existing and new theatre is an admirable concept, made possible by the size and prestige of the National Theatre. Its ability to ensure the full 500 youth theatres and schools will be able to take part is guaranteed by its stature within the arts industry. Overall, Connections aims to inspire 13-19 year olds with high quality new playwriting, give companies the knowledge, skills and confidence to bring the plays to life, encourage young people to get involved in all aspects of theatre-making and celebrate young people’s talent.  

2016 will mark the National Theatre’s biggest ever Connections Festival – don’t miss out. Confirmation of the play the youth theatre or school will be producing will take place in early September, and 2-4 October marks the Directors Weekend at the National Theatre. In February and March next year the Home Performances will take place, and from mid March to mid May will see the Partner Theatre Festivals. Early July will welcome the National Theatre Festival!

Two recent announcements from the Young Vic theatre in the capital hold exciting future prospects: director and playwright Gbolahan Obisesan has been named the Young Vic’s new Genesis Fellow and the acclaimed dance commonly BirdGang Dance Company are the Young Vic’s new Associate Company. These new creative voices will contribute fresh ideas and new energy, as well as helping other younger artists find their voice.

Obisesan began his relationship with the theatre when he directed Sus in 2009, followed by his plays Mad About the Boy and Feast. The Genesis Fellowship, a two year grant supported by the Genesis Foundation, enables the recipient to develop their craft as a theatre director whilst working closely with Young Vic Artistic Director David Lan. Opportunities whilst in post include directing a show at the Young Vic, supporting the theatre’s programming and artistic planning, contributing to the work of the Young Vic’s Directors Program and mentoring Genesis Future Directors Award-recipients.

BirdGang is the first dance company to be an associate of the Young Vic, now based in offices at the theatre. Led by artistic directors Ivan Blackstock, Simeon Qsyea, Quails (Ukweli Roach) and Kendra J Horsburgh, the company was established in 2005. It will have the opportunity to collaborate with and be supported by the theatre’s team whilst pursuing future projects. BirdGang and the Young Vic developed a relationship on A Harlem Dream, which debuted as part of Dance Umbrella 2014.

BirdGang has roots in hip hop culture, with the company interested in stimulating audiences through a combination of movement, music, film and striking lighting design, and their unique style of movement that draws on influences including hip hop, jazz, contemporary, physical theatre, spoken word, illusion, and film. The company produces performances for a variety of spaces across the UK and internationally, telling powerful stories and painting vivid pictures.

Misty Copeland recently made history in becoming the first African-American female principal at New York’s American Ballet Theatre, having been promoted from the rank of soloist. This promotion significantly expands racial diversity within the elite ranks of ballet, an issue – one would argue – which should not exist at all.

Copeland’s promotion ends months of speculation, with a positive and celebratory outcome. At 32, she recently danced the dual role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, making her New York debut, as well as a career debut in Romeo and Juliet. Copeland’s presence on stage is like no other; she shines in both classical and contemporary ballets. With extraordinary facility and the ability to make any role her own with drama and sensitivity, it is no wonder Copeland has achieved such success.

Her rags to riches story has captivated audiences far wider than those in the arts. Copeland found her way to ballet through a Boys & Girls Club in the United States, as one of a large family. At 13, a late starting age for dancers, she began studying at the San Pedro City Ballet in California, later attending American Ballet Theatre’s summer classes. She then joined American Ballet Theatre’s junior company in 2000, and then the main company’s corps de ballet in 2001. In 2007, she was promoted to soloist and her promotion to principal has been anticipated ever since.

Rising from poverty to ballet’s highest rank has consequently captivated a wide audience in demonstrating ballet’s previous resistance to change and modernisation. Copeland now has a large, supportive audience, encountering her on stage and also on social media, a 2014 advertisement for the Under Armour sportswear brand and also via her best-selling memoir. It is clear there is a direct link between breaking social barriers onstage and drawing a broad audience from all walks of life.

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is due to expand its musical theatre offering with the launch of a new course under its dramatic umbrella, intended to nurture and develop “the complete musical theatre performer”, it has been announced. Whilst the institution’s dramatic courses are already held in high regard, it is assumed that the musical theatre courses to be offered will also be of prestigious nature.

The five week musical theatre course will begin in September this year, and will be aimed at performers who already have some training in acting, singing or dance, but who want to build on their skills. The course will be taught by experienced industry professionals including choreographers, directors and musical directors, much like other musical theatre courses in the capital and around the country. Currently, singing is at the core of RADA training, and is regarded as integral to actors’ training; the short course will cover all musical theatre skills with an emphasis on acting.

The course has been developed to offer performers the opportunity to “complete” their training, building on RADA’s current week long summer course in musical theatre, which will continue alongside the new offering. The first part of the course will be spent developing musical theatre skills but will also include training in stage combat and clowning, as well as offering guidance on audition technique. In the final two weeks, students will work towards the performance of an abridged musical, performed for an invited audience.

RADA makes a meaningful point in maintaining that it would be difficult to secure the best teachers throughout the whole year for the course, however it’s musical theatre faculty will take a five week block off working in the West End or on productions in order to teach for RADA. This then implicitly implies its teachers are top of their league, still working and keeping up with the industry, perhaps unlike full time staff of other institutions.

October half term will see Estela Merlos and Mbulelo Ndabeni deliver two unique masterclasses, one for young people aged 14-18 and one for adults aged 19-24. The sessions are suitable for all levels of experience and will focus on technique and choreography,as well as a Q&A session with the artists. DanceWest is a brand new dance development organisation for West London, based at the Lyric Hammersmith.

The exclusive opportunity to train with these dancers – both including Rambert dance company on their CVs – will take place on Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 October respectively. The experienced choreographers will solely lead the fun and practical sessions in order for participants to develop their technique and create choreography.

Melos will lead the younger age group: she is an independent dance artist based in London. Born in Barcelona she trained at Escola de Dansa Madó and at Central School of Ballet, obtaining the Solo Seal Award and touring with Ballet Central. Estela toured both nationally and internationally with Rambert from 2008 to 2014 and has worked with companies including New Movement Collective, AVA Dance Company and Goddard Nixon. Her own work has been presented in Spain and the UK.

Ndabeni is originally from South Africa and is now a London-based choreographer and teacher. After training in dance at All School in Cape Town, Khayelitsha, Mbulelo worked for Cape Town City Ballet. Ndabeni performed in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake for two years. In 2007 he joined Rambert, where he performed in works by many national and international choreographers like Merce Cunningham, Christopher Bruce, Javier du Frutos, Henri Oguike, Siobhan Davies, Henrietta Horn, Tim Rushton and Ashley Page. Mbulelo has been awarded a place in Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Choreographers and Composer’s Lab July 2015.

For further information and to book please email: [email protected]

An evening with Leanne Benjamin – in conversation with Ross Alley – took place on 2 July at English National Ballet. The former Royal Ballet Principal only recently retired after a 21 year career, and had much to tell about her career, life and experiences. Leanne discussed her illustrious career in conversation with Ross Alley incorporating selected film footage of highlights of her dancing and the important roles which she interpreted.

http://youtu.be/uea3gS2gyHw

In addition, a Leanne Benjamin scholarship scheme for young Australian dancers was also launched, in collaboration with the Tait Memorial Trust. The awards were created to recognise Leanne Benjamin as arguably the most successful ballerina ever to have come from Australia. Leanne danced with four of the world’s leading companies (Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Deutsche Oper Ballet and The Royal Ballet) and worked directly with many of the legends of 20th and 21st century ballet, in a career that spanned 30 years.

The Tait Memorial Trust new ballet awards will use Leanne’s name for The Leanne Benjamin Awards. The Awards have proved to be a turning point for the Tait Memorial Trust and are a testament to its intention to increase funding for young Australian dancers who wish to study in the UK, an art form where so many have gone on to an international career. The first recipient, Josephine Frick, a graduate of the Royal Ballet School, is now under contract with English National Ballet.

As a testament to the talent and career of Leanne, the evening was a unique opportunity, not only to hear a first-hand account of a first class ballet career, but also to help promising Australian ballet students who come to London to study at the world’s best ballet schools.

Downton Abbey is seemingly set to become a musical after series 6 (the last) ends, full of tap dancing in the pantry and jazz hands in the drawing room! As a stiff British television drama, a Downton Abbey stage show would be met with delight by its fans. The blueprint for a global theatrical tour starring the cast – and which is predicted to rake in millions at the box office – has since been unveiled by the series’ composer John Lunn.

Lunn and creator Julian Fellowes have been working on a ‘live event’ which is hoped to feature the Oscar-winning writer as host and include compositions from the period drama. The iconic soundtrack and set are instantly recognisable; including the cast in the future blueprint is ambitious yet a hopeful move. The project would take place after the much-loved ITV drama finishes following its sixth series this autumn, and the final episode will be 2015 Christmas Special.

Talks currently involve plans of a live tour, with lots of music from the show. It is likely the actions will retire against a screen and the soundtrack may even be live in places. The show has already spawned a series of successful business opportunities including a crockery line, clothes, linens and books. There is also talk that a spin-off movie may be in the works with Lord Grantham actor Huge Bonneville already having said he would want to be involved if the opportunity arose.

The programme is shown in more than 100 countries worldwide, and is an especially big hit in America. It is the highest-rating British period drama of the past decade, with an average of 11 million viewers over the course of its five series and Christmas specials.

Actor and filmmaker Ralph Fiennes will step behind the camera once again to direct a film about Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, according to Screen Daily. Whilst it is yet unknown who will play Nureyev in Fiennes’ film, this looks set to tell an engaging story of the iconic dancer for fans and dance audiences alike.

The film will be Fiennes’ third feature as a director, after directing 2011’s Coriolanus and 2013’s The Invisible Woman, in which he played Charles Dickens. Despite this, the biographical drama which will unfold for Nureyev will not see Fiennes play the lead. Gabrielle Tana will produce the film (who also produced the hit film Philomena staring Dame Judi Dench), which is set to shoot in late 2016, with script by Sir David Hare.

The film will be based on Julie Kavanagh’s celebrated biography of the Soviet-born dancer, who defected to the west in 1961 – a bold move at the time. He went on to dance with the Royal Ballet, and famously partnered the iconic Dame Margot Fonteyn; their partnership was undoubtably celebrated as one of the greatest dance partnerships in history. Nureyev also acted in films – among them a biopic of silent star Rudolph Valentino – before dying in 1993 at the age of 54.

Fiennes recently appeared in Man and Superman at the National Theatre and will be seen later this year as M in the next James Bond film Spectre. He is perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated roles in Schindler’s List and The English Patient, and for playing Voldemort in the Harry Potter series of films. Fiennes has also written a new version of Ibsen’s play The Master Builder, in which Fiennes will star at the Old Vic in London next year.