Back to News & Press Nice Fish, starring Mark Rylance, to transfer to the West End from New York Thursday 7 July 2016 Sonia Friedman Productions is delighted to announce the West End transfer of Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins ’ critically-acclaimed new comic play Nice Fish . Direct from sold out seasons at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University in Cambridge and St Ann’s Warehouse in New York, Academy and Bafta Award-winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies , The BFG , Jerusalem , Farinelli and the King ) will return to the West End to perform in the production, directed by Claire van Kampen (Farinelli and the King ). The West End production will open in November 2016 for a strictly limited season at the Harold Pinter Theatre, with a press night on Friday 25 November. Tickets go on sale to priority bookers today and the Box Office opens for general on-sale on Sunday 10 July at 10am. In a unique collaboration with critically-acclaimed Minnesotan contemporary prose poet Louis Jenkins , Mark Rylance draws on his teenage years in the frozen winters and culture of the American Midwest. This beguiling new play follows an ice fishing expedition where the ordinary and extraordinary collide in a sublimely playful and profound way. On a frozen Minnesota lake, the ice is beginning to creak and groan. It’s the end of the fishing season and on the frostbitten, unforgiving landscape, two old friends are out on the ice and they are angling for something big, something down there that is pure need, something that, had it the wherewithal, would swallow them whole. Keen to hook a ticket? Then come dressed as a fish or fisherman (with your fishing rod), and get yourself a complimentary ticket in a private box. Available on a first come first served basis from 6pm on the night of the performance (1.30pm for matinees). One ticket available per person. Don’t be shellfish, bring a friend!The full New York cast will transfer to London for the limited season. Ron (Mark Rylance ) and Erik (Jim Lichtscheidl ) play old friends whose ordinary lives are comically exposed during the trip. They are joined by Kayli Carter , Bob Davis and Raye Birk . Mark Rylance last appeared in the West End in Claire van Kampen ’s Olivier Award-winning Farinelli and the King (Shakespeare’s Globe, West End). Prior to that he appeared in Tim Carroll's hugely lauded sell-out productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III (Shakespeare’s Globe, West End, Broadway). All three productions were produced by Sonia Friedman Productions. Mark’s other recent theatre credits include Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem , (Royal Court, West End, Broadway). In 2015 he starred as Thomas Cromwell in the BAFTA-winning BBC2 adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning novel Wolf Hall and gave an Academy Award-winning performance in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies . Later this year Mark will play the title role in Steven Spielberg’s new feature film of Roald Dahl’s The BFG . Louis Jenkins has 17 collections of poetry and has been published in a number of literary magazines and anthologies. His work has won him multiple awards, including two Bush Foundation Fellowships for poetry, a Loft-McKnight fellowship, and the George Morrison Award. In 2008 Louis started working with Mark Rylance on the stage production of Nice Fish , based on Louis’ poetry. Later this year he will be publishing a new collection of poems. Claire van Kampen ’s critically-acclaimed Farinelli and the King was a sell-out success in the West End in 2015 after transferring from Shakespeare’s Globe. Claire began her theatre career with the RSC and the National Theatre, becoming the first female musical director with either company. She was Associate Artistic Director at Shakespeare's Globe as well as the founding Director of Theatre Music, and created music for more than 45 of the Globe's productions. Other theatre work incudes Twelfth Night and Richard III (Shakespeare's Globe, West End Broadway) and original scores for Matthew Warchus’ productions of Boeing-Boeing (West End and Broadway) and La Bête (Broadway and West End). Claire’s television and film credits include Peter Kosminsky’s Wolf Hall , Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous and Christian Camargo's Days and Nights . Jim Lichtscheidl ’s recent UK theatre credits include Tiny Kushner (Tricycle Theatre). His recent US theatre credits include Mr. Burns , A Post Electric Play (American Conservatory Theater), The Miser (Berkeley Rep, Alley Theater, LaJolla Playhouse and Theatre De La Jeune Lune) and Santaland Diaries , (Portland Center Stage). He has also appeared in over 30 productions with the Guthrie Theater. His film work includes A Serious Man , Best Man Down and Factotum . The production has set by Todd Rosenthal , costumes by Ilona Somogyi , lighting by Japhy Weideman , sound by Scott W. Edwards and music by Claire van Kampen . Up Up

Back to News & Press Booking opens today for The Children's Hour Friday 5 November 2010 The Children’s Hour will have its first preview at the Comedy Theatre on 22 January 2011 with press night on 9 February and is booking until 2 April 2011. Further casting will be announced shortly. Dates: 22 January - 2 April 2011 Press Night: 9 February at 7.00pm Address: Comedy Theatre, Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN Performances: Monday - Saturday at 7.30pm Wednesday and Saturdays at 2.30pm No matinee on Wednesday 9 February at 2.30pm Replacement matinee on Tuesday 8 February at 2.30pm Website: ambassadortickets.com/comedytheatre Ticket prices: £60 - £25 Box Office: 0844 871 7622 Up Up

Back to News & Press Tony Awards 2014: British women turn the Tonys into the Antonias Saturday 7 June 2014 If all the world is a stage, there is only one that really matters to players tonight. At the Radio City Music Hall in New York, British theatre's leading ladies will spearhead an unprecedented assault on this year's Tony Awards – its 68th instalment. Leading the pack will be Sonia Friedman, whose productions ofTwelfth Night and Richard III are up for a total of eight nominations across five categories. Read the full article here . Up Up

Back to News & Press Gala charity performance of Shakespeare in Love will benefit two theatrical charities Wednesday 11 June 2014 These extraordinary theatre charities will share a gift of at least £35,000 from the performance and, additionally, theatregoers who book tickets for the world premiere production at the Noël Coward Theatre until September 2014 will be invited to donate £2 per ticket to be shared evenly between the charities.The two charities were chosen to reflect both the history of the production and to celebrate a bright theatrical future. The Rose Theatre Trust is a charity set up to protect, investigate and make publically available the site of the Rose Theatre on Bankside. The Rose is the setting for Shakespeare in Love. Built in 1587, this theatre was the first purpose-built playhouse on bank-side to stage a production of any of Shakespeare’s plays. When the Rose was discovered in 1989, The Trust successfully delayed construction and negotiated a re-design of the proposed new building and is now largely devoted to preparing to excavate the complete site and ensure the remains are put on display as a permanent resource for the public. ‘All monies will go to the Rose Theatre Trust to ensure that our ’Rose Revealed’ project can be undertaken on the site. This project will include the excavation of the as yet un-explored eastern third of the playhouse, the installation of a long term conservation regime to protect the fragile remains and a programme of architecture and design which will return the Elizabethan Rose to the public, both as a cultural monument open and explicable to all and as a place of entertainment, thus becoming a vital component of the newly renovated Bankside of the Second Elizabethan Age.’ Harvey Sheldon, Chair, Rose Theatre Trust Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that marks its 40th anniversary in 2014. Its mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change. Primarily based at its purpose-built venue in North London, the company creates theatre for all ages and runs successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. "The Gala performance of Shakespeare in Love is an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of the last 40 years, while marking our significant Birthday in style. The donations from this extraordinary opportunity will be invested carefully and wisely - and for the benefit of those who need Chickenshed most - to help us to continue to provide inclusive opportunities for young people in London, the regions and, increasingly, around the world.” Jo Collins MBE, Co-Founder of Chickenshed Rehearsals are currently underway for the World Premiere stage adaptation of Shakespeare in Love, bringing together one of the largest companies ever assembled for a play in the West End. The 28-strong cast includes a number of young actors and actor-musicians who will be making their professional debuts. The full cast are: Ian Bartholomew (Tilney), Tom Bateman (Will Shakespeare), Tony Bell (Ralph), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Viola De Lesseps), Anna Carteret (Queen Elizabeth), Paul Chahidi (Henslowe), David Ganly (Burbage), Richard Howard (Sir Robert De Lesseps), Harry Jardine (Sam), Abigail McKern (Nurse), David Oakes (Marlowe), Patrick Osborne (Mr Wabash), Alistair Petrie (Wessex), Doug Rao (Ned Alleyn), Ferdy Roberts (Fennyman) and Colin Ryan (John Webster). They are joined by an ensemble including Daisy Boulton, Michael Chadwick, Tom Clegg, Ryan Donaldson, Janet Fullerlove, Amy Marchant, Sandy Murray, Timothy O’Hara, Thomas Padden, Elliott Rennie, Charlie Tighe and Tim Van Eyken who will also be musical director. Gaiety will play Crab the dog, understudied by Barney. Up Up

Back to News & Press The Inheritance nominated for three The Stage Debut Awards Wednesday 7 August 2019 The Stage Debut Awards nominees have been announced today. Matthew Lopez has been nominated for Best Creative West End Debut for The Inheritance . Also nominated are The Inheritance cast members Andrew Burnap & Samuel H. Levine in the Best West End Debut category. The Stage Debut Awards 2019, in association with Access Entertainment, will take place at the Brewery in London on 15 September. Sonia Friedman Productions are sponsoring the award for Best Writer. Click here to read the full list of nomineees. Up Up

Back to News & Press Hamlet wins four WhatsOnStage Awards Monday 22 February 2016 Winners of the 16th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced in a live ceremony on Sunday 21 February at the Prince of Wales theatre in London. Hamlet and Gypsy both lead the awards wins, with four victories each. Hamlet won for: - Best Play Revival - Best Actor in a Play, Benedict Cumberbatch - Best Set Design, Es Devlin - Best Lighting Design, Jane Cox Up Up

Back to News & Press Tickets go on sale for Dreamgirls Monday 28 March 2016 At every performance there will be 100 accessibly priced seats, including £20 seats available in advance and £15 day seats available on the day of the performance. Savoy Theatre, London with reduced ticket price preview performances from 19 November 2016 and Opening Night on 14 December 2016. The UK stage premiere will star Amber Riley as ‘Effie White’ and will be Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw , as previously confirmed. Further casting for the production is still to be announced. Sonia Friedman Productions announces today that tickets for the long awaited UK premiere of Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls go on sale this week. The brand new production begins preview performances at the Savoy Theatre from 19 November with Opening Night on Wednesday 14 December 2016. As previously confirmed, American actress and singer Amber Riley will make her West End debut playing soulful singer ‘Effie White’ in the production, which will be Directed and Choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon , Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten! ). Dreamgirls will have Set Design by Tim Hatley , Costume Design by Gregg Barnes , Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone , Sound Design by Richard Brooker and Hair Design by Josh Marquette . The Musical Supervisor will be Nick Finlow , the Orchestrator will be Harold Wheeler , with Additional Material by Willie Reale . Inspired by R&B music acts in 1960s America, Dreamgirls transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio, from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’, as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous, and features the classic songs ‘And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’, ‘Listen’ and ‘One Night Only’. With Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen and Music by Henry Krieger , the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls , Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett opened in 1981 and subsequently won six Tony Awards®. The original cast recording won two Grammy awards for Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday’s ‘And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.’ In 2006 it was adapted into an Oscar winning motion picture starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. Up Up

Back to News & Press Rosmersholm, All About Eve and The Doctor are nominated for WhatsOnStage Awards Thursday 5 December 2019 Rosmersholm Best Actress in a Play – Hayley Atwell Best Supporting Actor in a Play – Giles Terera Best Graphic Direction – Bob King Creative All About Eve Best Supporting Actress in a Play – Monica Dolan The Doctor Best Actress in a Play – Juliet Stevenson Best Supporting Actress in a Play - Ria Zmitrowicz Best New Play – Robert Icke Best Direction – Robert Icke Voting is now open and will close on 27 January: https://awards.whatsonstage.com/index.php/voting-2/ Up Up

Back to News & Press National Theatre Live to Broadcast Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstadt Wednesday 11 March 2020 Regarded as ‘Britain’s greatest living playwright’ (The Times), Tom Stoppard’s new play, directed by Patrick Marber (Closer, Notes on a Scandal), is an intimate drama with an epic sweep; the story of a family who made good. A passionate drama of love, family and endurance, it’s Tom Stoppard’s most humane and heart-breaking play. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna. But Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptised Jew married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. Gathered in the Merz apartment in a fashionable part of the city, Hermann’s extended family are at the heart of Tom Stoppard’s epic yet intimate drama. By the time we have taken leave of them, Austria has passed through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and – for Austrian Jews – the Holocaust in which 65,000 of them were murdered. It is for the survivors to pass on a story which hasn’t ended yet. Leopoldstadt is the sixth collaboration between Sonia Friedman Productions and Tom Stoppard and reunites Stoppard, director Patrick Marber (Closer, Notes on a Scandal) and Friedman who last collaborated on Travesties in 2017. The show is currently playing to critical acclaim in Wyndham Theatre in London’s West End where it runs until June 13th. To find your nearest cinema go to http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk Up Up

Back to News & Press King Charles III to be broadcast on Radio 3 Thursday 2 July 2015 After a lifetime of waiting, Charles ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule? Mike Bartlett's 'future history' play won the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Play. The production, directed byRupert Goold, premiered at the Almeida Theatre before moving to the West End in a co-production with Sonia Friedman Productions and Stuart Thompson Productions. This "bracingly provocative and outrageously entertaining new play" (The Independent) explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain's most famous family. KING CHARLES III was first produced by the Almeida Theatre and subsequently co-produced at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End of London by Sonia Friedman Productions and Stuart Thompson Productions in association with Lee Dean & Charles Diamond and Tulchin Bartner Productions. Mike Bartlett's radio play NOT TALKING won both the Imison and Tinniswood Awards in 2007. He has been Writer-In-Residence at the both the National Theatre and The Royal Court Theatre. His play LOVE, LOVE, LOVE won Best New Play in the 2011 Theatre Awards UK; COCK won an Olivier Award in 2010 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, as did BULL in 2015. As well as winning the Olivier Award for Best New Play, KING CHARLES III won the Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of 2014. KING CHARLES III will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 10pm Sunday 12 July 2015. For more information click here . Up Up

Back to News & Press 24 Olivier Award Nominations for Sonia Friedman Productions Monday 10 March 2014 The nominations for The Olivier Awards 2014 with MasterCard – the most prestigious event in the UK’s theatrical calendar – were announced today (Monday 10 March) by Nigel Harman and Leigh Zimmerman with the full list of nominations available below and online at www.olivierawards.com . New musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along lead the list with seven nominations, followed by the Best New Musical nominees Once, The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys each receiving six nominations. A good year for the Almeida is marked with ten nominations including two in the Best New Play category for Chimerica and 1984, and a Best Revival nomination for Ghosts. In the coveted categories of Best Actor and Best Actress, Jude Law and Judi Dench receive nominations for their performances in Henry V and Peter and Alice respectively, both part of the successful Michael Grandage Season at the Noël Coward Theatre, which receives four acting nominations in total. They compete with Tom Hiddleston, Henry Goodman and Rory Kinnear for Best Actor, and Anna Chancellor, Lesley Manville and Hayley Atwell for Best Actress. The Best New Comedy category makes a welcome return with original productions The Duck House, The Full Monty, Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense and The Same Deep Water As Me all vying for the award. Women dominate the Best Director category with Maria Friedman (Merrily We Roll Along), Susan Stroman (The Scottsboro Boys) and Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica) up against Richard Eyre for his staging of Ghosts. The highly anticipated shortlist for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award – the only Olivier Award voted for by the public – is Matilda The Musical, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. Contemporary dance is strongly represented with nominations split between the Royal Opera House, the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells. Notable opera nominations include Les Vĕpres Siciliennes at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera’s new staging of Berg’s Wozzeck up for Best New Opera Production. English Touring Opera and the Royal Opera House are both nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. Nominations for the Affiliate category cover the breadth of London with Theatre Royal Stratford East and the Bush Theatre competing against the Soho Theatre and the Tricycle Theatre for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. The star-studded 2014 Olivier Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 13 April with a full television highlights package broadcast on ITV later that evening. MasterCard will make tickets for the 2014 ceremony available to the public on Monday 10 March at www.pricelesslondon.co.uk . Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, said: “Congratulations to all of this year’s Olivier Award nominees whose incredible talents lit up the West End and contributed to another record-breaking year. Thank you to MasterCard and all of our sponsors for ensuring the Olivier Awards are such a tremendous celebration of London theatre.” Paul Trueman, Head of Marketing, MasterCard UK & Ireland, commented: “We are delighted once again to be supporting the Oliver Awards. Through this partnership we will be surprising and delighting theatre fans with Priceless experiences that bring them closer to their passion and the 2014 Olivier Awards and from today, tickets for the night are available on www.pricelesslondon.co.uk . Our support of London theatre continues after the Oliver Awards with the West End Live weekend in June and our work with independent theatre shows through the year. For more information on how to be part of our Priceless experiences, please follow @MasterCardUK.” To keep up with the latest Olivier Awards news and engage with the Awards online visit Facebook.com/olivierawards, Twitter and Instagram @OlivierAwards #oliviers. Up Up

Back to News & Press New Image Released for Uncle Vanya Monday 18 November 2019 Uncle Vanya will run for sixteen weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 14th January 2020 with Opening Night on Thursday 23rd January 2020. Tickets are on sale now. Toby Jones will star in the title role of Uncle Vanya alongside Richard Armitage as Astrov. Rosalind Eleazar (The Personal History of David Copperfield, Deep Water, The Starry Messenger ) will play Yelena, with Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education, Downstate ) as Sonya, the Emmy Award-winning Anna Calder-Marshall (LOVE, Evening at the Talk House, Male of the Species ) as Nana, the Olivier and Tony-award nominated Dearbhla Molloy (The Ferryman, Dancing at Lughnasa, Juno and the Paycock ) as Grandmaman, Peter Wight (The Birthday Party, Hamlet, The Red Lion ) as Telegin and Olivier Award-nominated Ciarán Hinds (Translations, Game of Thrones, Girl from the North Country ) as Professor Serebryakov. In the heat of summer, Sonya (Aimee Lou Wood ) and her Uncle Vanya (Toby Jones ) while away their days on a crumbling estate deep in the countryside, visited occasionally only by the local doctor Astrov (Richard Armitage ). However, when Sonya’s father Professor Serebryakov (Ciarán Hinds ) suddenly returns with his restless, alluring, new wife Yelena (Rosalind Eleazar ) declaring his intention to sell the house, the polite facades crumble and long repressed feelings start to emerge with devastating consequences. Olivier Award-winner Conor McPherson ’s stunning new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece, Uncle Vanya, is a portrayal of life at the turn of the 20th century, full of tumultuous frustration, dark humour and hidden passions. Critically acclaimed director Ian Rickson returns to Chekhov for the first time since his landmark production of The Seagull in 2007, reuniting with BAFTA and Olivier Award-winner Toby Jones (The Birthday Party ) alongside Richard Armitage , who returns to the UK stage six years after his Olivier Award-nominated performance in The Crucible . Uncle Vanya is the eleventh collaboration between Ian Rickson and Sonia Friedman Productions , with previous productions including Rosmersholm, Jerusalem, The River, Betrayal and The Children’s Hour . Uncle Vanya is designed by Rae Smith , with lighting by Bruno Poet , music by Stephen Warbeck , sound by Ian Dickinson and casting by Amy Ball CDG . Up Up