Back to News & Press Wolf Hall airing on PBS this April Friday 9 January 2015 Tony® Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night) and Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Damian Lewis (Homeland) star in the six-hour television miniseries adapted from Hilary Mantel’s bestselling Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. The television event presents an intimate and provocative portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII, as he maneuvers the corridors of power at the Tudor court. MASTERPIECE brings both of these works to life in Wolf Hall, airing on Sundays, April 5-May 10, 2015 at the special time of 9:55pm on PBS. BAFTA Award-winner Peter Kosminsky (White Oleander, The Government Inspector) directs this flagship MASTERPIECE production adapted by Oscar® nominee Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). Filmed entirely on location in England at National Trust properties, Wolf Hall is a Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures production for BBC and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience. MASTERPIECE is presented by WGBH Boston. Viking River Cruises is the exclusive corporate funder of Wolf Hall on MASTERPIECE. Mark Rylance is Thomas Cromwell, the son of a brutal blacksmith who rises from the ashes of personal disaster, and deftly picks his way through a court where ‘man is wolf to man.’ Damian Lewis is King Henry VIII, haunted by his brother’s premature death and obsessed with protecting the Tudor dynasty by securing his succession with a male heir to the throne. Told from Cromwell’s perspective, Wolf Hall follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of this pragmatic and accomplished power broker – from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past – who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII’s tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn and the religious upheavals of the Protestant reformation. A historical drama for a modern audience, this unromanticized re-telling lifts the veil on the Tudor middle class and the internal struggles England faced on the brink of Reformation. At the center of it all is Cromwell, navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power, trapped between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. The cast also includes Claire Foy (Little Dorrit) as the future queen Anne Boleyn, Bernard Hill (Five Days) as the king's military commander the Duke of Norfolk, Anton Lesser (Endeavour) as Thomas More, Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) as Cromwell’s rival advisor Stephen Gardiner, Joanne Whalley (The Borgias) as Henry's spurned first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and Jonathan Pryce (Cranford) as Cardinal Wolsey, the powerful Lord Chancellor who recognized Cromwell's potential. Also appearing are Mathieu Amalric (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as the Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys, Charity Wakefield (Sense & Sensibility) as Anne Boleyn's sister Mary, Richard Dillane (The Dark Knight) as the king's brother-in-law the Duke of Suffolk, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) as Cromwell's ward Rafe Sadler, Natasha Little (Breathless) as Cromwell's wife, Liz, and Saskia Reeves (Worricker) as her sister Johane. The novel Wolf Hall was hailed as “dazzling…historical fiction at its finest” (Bloomberg.com), “spellbinding” (The New York Times) and “a brilliant portrait of a society in the throes of disorienting change” (Washington Post). And Bring Up the Bodies inspired the following “(Mantel’s) characters are real and vivid people who bring to life the clash of ideals that gripped England at the time. She makes the past present and vital” (The Economist). Wolf Hall is a Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures production for BBC and MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience. Executive producers are John Yorke for Company Pictures, Polly Hill, BBC Head of Independent Drama, for BBC TWO, Rebecca Eaton for MASTERPIECE, Martin Rakusen and Ben Donald for BBC Worldwide and Tim Smith for Prescience. Associate producer is Sonia Friedman for Sonia Friedman Productions. Executive Producer is Colin Callender. Producer is Mark Pybus. The writer is Peter Straughan. The director is Peter Kosminsky. MASTERPIECE is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is Executive Producer. Viking River Cruises is the exclusive corporate funder of Wolf Hall on MASTERPIECE on PBS, with additional funding provided by The MASTERPIECE Trust. PBS is the home for drama on Sunday nights this winter/spring season. Viewers are transported back to the 1960s for heartwarming tales of the nuns and midwives of Poplar’s neighborhood, when season four of Call the Midwife returns on March 29 at 8:00pm ET. Also premiering that same night at 9:00pm is MASTERPIECE’s Mr. Selfridge, Season 3, starring Jeremy Piven as the flamboyant American entrepreneur of London department store fame. PLAYGROUND is an independent theater and television company founded by Emmy and Tony Award-winning producer Colin Callender in 2012. Last year Playground received five Emmy and six Golden Globes nominations, with Jacqueline Bisset winning Best Supporting Actress for Stephen Poliakoff’s DANCING ON THE EDGE. Productions this year include the critically acclaimed Golden Globe- nominated THE MISSING starring James Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor for BBC and Starz, and the BBC/Masterpiece mini-series WOLF HALL based on Hilary Mantel’s best-selling novels starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Claire Foy. Playground is currently in pre-production on the television adaptation of Ronald Harwood’s THE DRESSER starring Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen directed by Richard Eyre for BBC. On Broadway, Playground produced Nora Ephron’s multiple Tony-nominated LUCKY GUY starring Tom Hanks, this season’s Tony nominated CASA VALENTINA by Harvey Fierstein and Ken Branagh’s New York debut in MACBETH. Currently on Broadway are Jez Butterworth’s THE RIVER starring Hugh Jackman and HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, winning Callender a Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. Up Up

Back to Productions FARINELLI AND THE KING This production began performances on 14th September and closed on 5th December 2015. ★★★★★ Mark Rylance leads a pitch-perfect production The Independent Set in eighteenth-century Spain, Claire van Kampen 's moving and mesmerising new play tells the intriguing true story of Farinelli, once the world’s most famous castrato and one of the greatest celebrities of his time, and his decision to trade fame and fortune in the opera-houses of Europe for a life of servitude at the court of King Philippe V. This enchanting new play explores the dynamics between Farinelli and the royal couple, featuring many of the exquisite arias first sung by Farinelli in the 1730’s. The Duke of York’s Theatre will be transformed for this sumptuous production, lit almost exclusively by the glow of candle-light and with live music played on Baroque instruments. ★★★★★ An evening that no theatre or music lover can afford to miss Sunday Express The Duke of York’s Theatre will be transformed as the magical and intimate atmosphere of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is brought to the West End with onstage seating, candles and live Baroque music played by six onstage musicians, led by Harpsichordist and Musical Director Robert Howarth . Shakespeare's Globe and Sonia Friedman Productions present the West End transfer of Claire van Kampen ’s critically acclaimed new play “FARINELLI AND THE KING ”. ★★★★★ Spellbinding, superbly staged production Mail on Sunday CAST SAM CRANE – Farinelli (Acting Role) IESTYN DAVIES – Farinelli (Singing Role) RUPERT ENTICKNAP – Farinelli (Singing Role) HUSS GARBIYA – Doctor Jose Cervi MELODY GROVE – Isabella Farnese COLIN HURLEY – Metastasio EDWARD PEEL – De la Cuadra MARK RYLANCE – King Philippe V of Spain CREATIVES CLAIRE VAN KAMPEN – Playwright JOHN DOVE – Director JONATHAN FENSOM – Designer

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman Productions named 'Producer of the Year' in The Stage Awards 2019 Friday 25 January 2019 Sonia Friedman Productions have previously won Prodcuer of the Year in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Speaking at The Stage Awards, Sonia Friedman said: “I don’t really know who to thank, as there are so many people. We have produced 14 or 15 shows this year – the point being we do a lot, and work with a lot. I feel so blessed to be able to work with the people I work with, and even more blessed to know I have a lot more to come and to give.” She added: “We are going through tough times, this industry. I hope we can all hold together, particularly in the West End. It feels as though we heading into unknown territory with Brexit. But I believe great art will always thrive and audiences will always follow it.” Read the full article on The Stage here . Up Up

Back to News & Press Statement from J.K. Rowling Friday 20 December 2013 J.K. Rowling is pleased to announce that she is collaborating with the award-winning theatre producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender on a new stage play to be based on the Harry Potter stories. What was it like to be the boy in the cupboard under the stairs? This brand new play, which will be developed for the UK theatre, will explore the previously untold story of Harry's early years as an orphan and outcast. Featuring some of our favourite characters from the Harry Potter books, this new work will offer a unique insight into the heart and mind of the now legendary young wizard. A seemingly ordinary boy, but one for whom Destiny has plans... J.K. Rowling will also be a co-producer on the project, but whilst she will collaborate with a writer on the new play, she will not write the script herself. J.K. Rowling said: 'Over the years I have received countless approaches about turning Harry Potter into a theatrical production, but Sonia and Colin’s vision was the only one that really made sense to me, and which had the sensitivity, intensity and intimacy I thought appropriate for bringing Harry's story to the stage. After a year in gestation it is exciting to see this project moving on to the next phase. I’d like to thank Warner Bros. for their continuing support in this project.’ Writers and directors are now being considered, and the project will move into development in 2014. Up Up

Back to Productions THE CHILDREN'S HOUR This production began performances on 22nd January and closed on 30th April 2011. ★★★★ A powerful night in the West End. Keira Knightley wins her theatrical spurs. She displays confidence throughout to dramatic heights that are shattering in their intensity and deeply affecting. Elisabeth Moss is subtle and strong. Ian Rickson’s enthralling production. Compelling. The Daily Telegraph When a schoolgirl's whisper spreads, it triggers a chain of events with extraordinary consequences. Karen Wright ( Keira Knightley ) and Martha Dobie ( Elisabeth Moss ) run a girls’ boarding school in 1930s New England, where they become entangled in a devastating story of deceit, shame and courage. The stars deliver in Ian Rickson’s assured and beautiful production. A blazingly hot ticket. Evening Standard Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children's Hour received its world premiere on Broadway in 1934. Generations on, its potent exploration of a culture of fear remains startlingly relevant. Sonia Friedman Productions & Scott Landis , Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin , Max Cooper , Scott M Delman , Roy Furman , Jon B Platt in association with Rupert Gavin presents “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR ”. Excellent performances, the acting throughout is a pleasure. Elisabeth Moss is outstanding The Guardian CAST LISA BACKWELL – Evelyn Munn ISABELLA BRAZIER-JONES – Helen Burton ELLEN BURSTYN – Amelia Tilford POPPY CARTER – Janet MARAMA CORLETT – Lois Fisher NANCY CRANE – Agatha AMY DAWSON – Rosalie Wells ISABEL ELLISON – Catherine BRYONY HANNAH – Mary Tilford CAROL KANE – Lily Mortar KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Karen Wright TOBIAS MENZIES – Dr Joseph Cardin ELISABETH MOSS – Martha Dobie NATHAN NOLAN – Grocery Boy EVE PONSONBY – Peggy Rodgers CREATIVES LILLIAN HELLMAN – Playwright IAN RICKSON – Director MARK THOMPSON – Designer NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Designer STEPHEN WARBECK – Music PAUL GROOTHUIS – Sound Designer

Back to News & Press Shakespeares Globe Productions of Richad III & Twelfth Night to Transfer to West End Monday 27 February 2012 Joining Rylance will be Stephen Fry as Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Samuel Barnett and Johnny Flynn. Tickets for the 13 week run at the Apollo Theatre go on sale today (27 February 2012). Further casting will be announced shortly. Designs are by Jenny Tiramani and music is by Claire van Kampen who along with Tim Carroll are the creative team behind the Globe’s original 2002 version of Twelfth Night. The productions, which will be designed using original Shakespearian practices, will run at the Apollo Theatre from 2 November 2012 – 3 February 2013. Press day will be on Saturday 17 November 2012 (Richard III at 1.30pm, Twelfth Night at 7pm). Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Shakespeare Road, 1001 Nights and Tulchin/ Bartner Productions present Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Richard III and Twelfth Night. Up Up

Back to News & Press Harry Potter and the Cursed Child nominated for Best Musical Theater Album at the Grammy Awards Wednesday 20 November 2019 The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been nominated for Best Musical Theater Album alongside Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, Hadestown, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Oklahoma! The Grammy Awards will take place on 26th January at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Up Up

Back to News & Press Kirsten Foster, Mark McKinney, Ben Schnetzer and Susan Kelechi Watson join Helen Hunt in Eureka Day at The Old Vic this September Thursday 28 July 2022 Joining the previously announced Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, The Sessions, Mad About You) are Kirsten Foster (Life of Pi, The Sandman) as May, Mark McKinney (The Kids in the Hall, Superstore) as Don, Ben Schnetzer (The Book Thief, Pr;de) as Eli and Susan Kelechi Watson (This is Us, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood) as Carina. Set against the backdrop of a mumps outbreak at a progressive private elementary school in California in 2017, Eureka Day is a satire on the quest for consensus; the central question of 'to vaccinate' or 'not to vaccinate' taking on a whole new meaning in 2022. The creative team are also announced with Set and Costume by Rob Howell , Lighting by Jon Clark , Sound by Donato Wharton , Video by Andrzej Goulding , Music by Jherek Bischoff , Casting by Jim Carnahan , Voice by Charlie Hughes-D'Aeth and Dialect by Penny Dyer . The Baylis Assistant Director is Aaliyah McKay . Eureka Day will play from 06 September to 31 October 2022 at The Old Vic. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman productions wins BAFTA for Best Single Drama for Together Saturday 7 May 2022 Written by Dennis Kelly and co-directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin , the piece was originally conceived for the stage but adapted for television during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The drama beat stiff competition from Death of England: Face to Face, Help and I Am Victoria. The one-off film from Shoebox Films, Sonia Friedman Productions and BBC Film broadcast on BBC Two in June 2021. It focuses on a family in the midst of the pandemic, like so many, who found a way to survive - together. It’s the hilarious and heartbreaking story of a husband and wife who are forced to re-evaluate themselves and their relationship through the reality of lockdown. Collecting the award on behalf of the producers was scriptwriter and executive producer Dennis Kelly who read a letter from the campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, calling for a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. The letter included: “The government’s response has gone from strange to careless to negligent – our loved ones’ lives treated as expendable, collateral damage. The government was too busy partying to spare us a thought, even daring to tell us they were too busy to meet with us, or to start an inquiry promptly. We may never know how many of our loved ones’ lives could have been saved if things had been done differently, but we will not rest until we know that everything possible has been done to ensure others are spared this heartbreak and pain.” The letter finished with a direct call to action for Boris Johnson: “Prime Minister, if you are listening, start the Covid inquiry now so we can learn lessons and save lives.” Together is a Shoebox Films and Sonia Friedman Productions film for BBC Two and BBC Film. Executive producers are Dennis Kelly; Rose Garnett, director BBC Film; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Deals were negotiated by Clare Hardwick of Grey Seal Media on behalf of production and Geraldine Atlee for the BBC. This was one of two BAFTA nominations Sonia Friedman Productions received this year – the second was for Short Form Programme for its co-produced People You May Know . Up Up

Back to News & Press New York’s Lyric Theatre Marquee Takes Flight Ahead of the Broadway Premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two Wednesday 28 February 2018 With a design by the production’s Set Designer Christine Jones and International Scenic Supervisor Brett J. Banakis , the building now features a 150 foot, 50,000 pound wing spanning from the theatre’s marquee up the side of the building. The iconic nest with child adorns the top of Lyric Theatre , overlooking 43rd Street. “It is a thrill to have the Lyric as a canvas, both inside and out, for our production,” said Christine Jones and Brett J. Banakis . “One of the many gifts the Lyric Theatre provided us is over 200 feet of frontage on 43rd street, which includes the beautiful historic facade of the original 1903 building. The producers tasked us with taking advantage of this expanse of space with a visual gesture that relates to the show and connects the old facade with the rest of the newer (1996) facade. We drew inspiration from the wing artwork from the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child poster art, and tried to translate that imagery into a large, metal installation on the side of the building, to serve as a beacon, a gathering spot, and a piece of public sculpture, here in the heart of Times Square.” Harry Potter and the Cursed Child begins preview performances on March 16, 2018 and the official opening is April 22, 2018 at the fully renovated Lyric Theatre . Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling , Jack Thorne and John Tiffany , Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne , directed by John Tiffany . The production is one play presented in two parts. Both parts are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings, or each part can be seen separately. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman receives OBE for services to theatre Friday 27 January 2017 Recognised in the Queen's 90th birthday honours list in June 2016, Sonia was presented with the award today at Buckingham Palace by HRH Prince Charles. Speaking after she was awarded the accolade by the Prince, Sonia said: "I was all cool about it until I walked down this carpeted corridor surrounded by Rembrandts and the history. "I'm very emotional, I've been crying actually... it's a very strange experience." Asked what the pair had discussed, she said: "He asked me if he could come to see Harry Potter. "He'd heard it was quite long and I said it's fine because you can nip back home for a cup of tea in between parts." Up Up

Back to News & Press Funny Girl Opens to Rave Reviews and extends West End run Friday 4 December 2015 Following a critically acclaimed opening at the Menier Chocolate Factory this week, the smash hit production of Funny Girl extends its booking period at the Savoy Theatre due to popular demand. Michael Mayer’s “exhilarating embrace of a production – Independent” will now run until 10 September 2016 – marking the musical’s 50th anniversary year. Tickets for the extended booking period production starring Olivier and BAFTA award-winning actress and “phenomenal talent – Independent” Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice go on sale today. “Sheridan Smith is one of British Theatre’s truly golden performers – a versatile star who thrills with her ability to be simultaneously touching and hilarious. Here she’s on glorious form.” Evening Standard With music by Jule Styne (whose musical Gypsy recently completed its award-winning run at the Savoy Theatre, starring Imelda Staunton), lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, the Broadway smash which skyrocketed Barbra Streisand to stardom, is revived with book revisions by Harvey Fierstein. Sheridan Smith plays Fanny Brice, who rose from being a Brooklyn music hall singer to become one of Broadway's biggest stars under producer Florenz Ziegfeld. While she was cheered onstage as a great comedienne, offstage she faced a doomed relationship with the man she loved. With a score featuring now-classic songs such as "People", "You Are Woman, I Am Man", “I’m the Greatest Star” and "Don't Rain on My Parade", this brand new production promises to be the must-see musical of 2016. Sheridan Smith plays Fanny Brice. She has previously won two Olivier Awards, the first for her leading role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at the Savoy, and the second for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Other stage work includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Michael Grandage (Noel Coward), Hedda Gabler (Old Vic), Tinderbox (Bush Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Menier Chocolate Factory and Duke of York’s Theatre), and Into the Woods (Donmar Warehouse). For her television work, she won a BAFTA for her performance in ITV’s Mrs Biggs. She has twice been nominated for an International Emmy, for Mrs Biggs and Cilla, for which she won the National TV Award and received a second BAFTA nomination. Other television includes The C Word, Inside Number 9, Black Work, The 7:39, The Scapegoat, Jimmy McGovern’s Accused, Jonathan Creek, Gavin and Stacey, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Love Soup and The Royle Family. Her film work includes The Huntsman (to be released in 2016), Quartet, Powder Room, The Harry Hill Movie, Tower Block, and Hysteria. Michael Mayer directs. His West End credits include Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith and Novello Theatre) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Shaftesbury Theatre). For Broadway his work includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Tony Award nomination for Best Director), On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, American Idiot (Drama Desk Award for Best Director of a Musical), Spring Awakening (Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Drama Desk Award for Best Direction of a Musical) and You're a Good Man Charlie Brown (Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Direction of a Musical). For television, his work includes Smash and Alpha House, and for film his credits include A Home at the End of the World, Flicka and currently in post-production, Chekhov's The Seagull. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a celebrated new production of Rigoletto. Choreography is by Lynne Page, with set design by Michael Pavelka, costume designer by Matthew Wright, lighting design by Mark Henderson and sound designer by Richard Brooker, the musical supervisor is Alan Williams and orchestrations are by Chris Walker. Up Up