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Ian McKellen’s Donations to British Theatre Tops a Whopping £5m

Ian McKellen’s Donations to British Theatre Tops a Whopping £5m

Ian McKellen On Stage. Photo: Frederic Aranda


Ian McKellen, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, and Sean Mathias donate profits from the National Theatre and Amazon Prime Video broadcast of his celebrated one-man show, Ian McKellen on Stage which will create a fund for emerging producers to cover actors’ salaries.

Ian McKellen, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Sean Mathias have partnered with the National Theatre and Amazon Prime Video to broadcast and distribute his solo show Ian McKellen on Stage in the UK and Ireland.

The universally acclaimed production was filmed by National Theatre Live in front of an audience at the Harold Pinter Theatre in January 2020. It will launch exclusively on Prime Video for customers across UK and Ireland from 11 June 2021, as part of a season of plays with the National Theatre.

Profits from licensing the broadcast of Ian McKellen on Stage, will combine with remaining profits from the West End run of the show and create a new fund to support emerging producers and artists. Distributed via ATG Productions, multiple funding rounds will offer grants of up to £25,000 to pay actors’ wages for both new plays and revivals across UK Theatres, as long as they employ 6 actors or more and include a recent graduate from a theatre training school. Further information including eligibility and how to apply can be found at https://www.ianonstage.co.uk/.

Ian McKellen devised his solo show to celebrate his 80 Birthday year, earning £3 million for over 80 UK theatres. Through proceeds of its extended run at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre, which went to British theatre charities, further fundraising and the broadcast distribution of the show, the total money raised for the theatre industry is now over £5million.

Ian McKellen says: Performing Ian McKellen on Stage was a joy and I am delighted it can now be viewed on Amazon Prime Video as filmed by National Theatre Live. As our theatres re-open, I’m very pleased to be able to support producers and artists who have really struggled over the last year.

Directed by Sean Mathias, the critically acclaimed Ian McKellen on Stage is an intimate mixture of anecdote and acting including Tolkien, Shakespeare and many others, which the Daily Telegraph positioned as “the Theatre event of the year” (2019).

The charities so far receiving profits from the West End run of Ian McKellen on Stage, include Acting For Others, Half Moon Youth Theatre, IRIS Theatre Project, James Menzie Kitchen Award, Marlowe Society Cambridge, Open Door, Polka Children’s Charity, Riverside Studios, Royal Theatrical Support Trust, The Actors Centre, Theatrical Guild, West Glamorgan Youth Theatre and Women’s Prize for Playwriting. These join the previously announced beneficiaries Denville Hall, English Touring Theatre, Equal People, King’s Head Theatre, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, National Youth Theatre, Ramps on the Moon, Royal Welsh College, Streetwise Opera and U Can Productions.

Ian McKellen received a special Olivier Award in recognition of his fundraising, and was named the #1 most influential person in British theatre as part of ‘The Stage 100’ 2019. He will next be seen on stage in Hamlet, directed by Sean Mathias, at Theatre Royal Windsor from 21 June 2021.

Staff of King’s Theatre Edinburgh return to celebrate the anniversary of its opening on 8 December 1906

Staff of King’s Theatre Edinburgh return to celebrate the anniversary of its opening on 8 December 1906

2020 has been a hard year for all theatres around the country and the King’s has been no different having shut its doors in March. But as 2021 comes into view the staff continue to work on plans for reopening both the King’s and Festival theatres next spring and there is a renewed sense of optimism as they nurture its continuing light.

On this day annually the auditorium would be packed with families enjoying the pantomime, and the staff would be having just as much fun welcoming them and preparing to lift the curtain once the final technical and wardrobe adjustments had been made. Today each member of staff, some who have worked every Christmas pantomime season for the last 25 years, shared their panto memories.

A Crowdfunder this summer saw a huge outpouring of support for Capital Theatres’ Festival Theatre and King’s Theatre. There is still a long way to go to ensure that the King’s is saved for the long-term but the team will put everything into ensuring the lights remain on for years to come.

Linda Hogg. Photo: Greg MacVean

Linda Hogg, Head of Front of House and Customer Services for Capital Theatres.

Worked at Capital Theatres for 26 years including 25 panto seasons.

Favourite Memory: My favourite moment every year is the pantette. We do 82 panto shows each year, and every year one of the staff writes a pantette, which is a spoof panto. After the show one night we’ll have a drink in the bar and head down to the auditorium for the pantette, and it feels like a community. And that for me and most of the staff is their favourite night. Everyone is celebrating together. That is my favourite memory.

Jimmy Beacham, Head of Ticketing and Revenue – Worked at Capital Theatres for 25 years including 25 panto seasons. Favourite Memory: This time of the year, there is such a buzz at box office and putting the shows in and I just love seeing the families coming in. And a lot of the children and adults are so exciting. I’ve been doing it such a long time, I really desperately miss it.

Sulie Wood, Technician – I have worked 6 panto seasons. Favourite Memory: It’s great fun. Excellent camaraderie on stage. We all miss it because of the family feel you get when you are working panto.

Jim Cursiter, Technician – This year was meant to be my 40th panto. I’m the flyman. It’s a very busy season. I love the festival too. Working with companies from all over the world. I’ve worked at the King’s since 1981.

Graham Simpson, Front Of House Usher – The Festival is my favourite time of year with people coming from all around the world. It is the people for me that make the theatre, and hearing their stories and their excitement about what is coming.

 

National Theatre pantomime DICK WHITTINGTON available to watch for free in December on YouTube

National Theatre pantomime DICK WHITTINGTON available to watch for free in December on YouTube

The National Theatre is to stream Dick Whittington, for free via the National Theatre and The Shows Must Go On YouTube channels on the 23 December at 3pm GMT. The stream will then be available on demand until midnight on 27 December. The production will be filmed live during the performance in the Olivier theatre on the 19 December, in front of a socially distanced audience. Following the limited-window YouTube streams, it will then be made available on the newly launched National Theatre at Home platform from the 11 January for six weeks.


Cariad Lloyd

Jude Christian. Photo: Manuel Harlan

The free stream of Jude Christian and Cariad Lloyd’s hilarious version of Dick Whittington, directed by Ned Bennett, promises to provide festive fun to homes across the UK and around the world.

After a year where the UK’s theatre sector has faced unprecedented challenges, viewers will be encouraged to donate to the National Theatre or support their local theatre either with donations or by booking ahead for 2021 pantomimes.

There will also be an interactive ‘Panto Pack’ hosted on the NT website filled with engaging games and crafts for children, available to download for free.  

First staged at Lyric Hammersmith in 2018 and freshly updated for 2020, Ned Bennett directs this wild and inventive production and explores what it is like to come from a small town and arrive in a big city today. With a host of colourful characters, irreverent jokes, talking animals and popular songs this is Dick Whittington as never seen before.

Ned Bennett. Photo: Manuel Harlan

Ned Bennett, Director, says: “We are incredibly excited about presenting a pantomime as it’s such a celebratory, warm and family friendly part of our theatrical history and the broadcast means it will reach an even wider audience. It feels important after everything that’s happened in 2020 to bring some joy, anarchy and silliness! There will be banging pop tunes and sensational choreography from Rhimes!”

The cast includes Melanie La Barrie as Bow Belles, Dickie Beau as Sarah, Amy Booth-Steel as Queen Rat, Laura Checkley as Mayor Pigeon, Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings as Dick Whittington, Georgina Onuorah as Alice and Cleve September as Tom Cat. Beth Hinton-Lever, Travis Kerry, Jaye Marshall, Ken Nguyen, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda and Christopher Tendai also join the company.

Set and costume designs by Georgia Lowe, choreography by Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, compositions, arrangements and music production by DJ Walde, music supervision by Marc Tritschler and music direction and additional composition and arrangements by Benjamin Kwasi Burrell. Lighting designed by Jessica Hung Han Yun and Sound Design by Paul Arditti. Denzel Westley-Sanderson is Associate Director, Debbie Duru is Associate Set Designer, Fiona Parker is Associate Costume Designer and Assistant Choreographer is Jackie Kibuka.

National Lottery Players To Get Free Panto Tickets!

National Lottery Players To Get Free Panto Tickets!

Hundreds of National Lottery players will have the chance to go to their local panto for free this Christmas as a thank you for raising £30 million each week for Good Causes across the UK, helping support projects at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic. 

With 1,200 tickets up for grabs, players will have the chance to take their household or support bubble to a once in a lifetime production of Robinson Crusoe at Theatre Royal Plymouth, helping them enjoy some much-needed magic and festive cheer with their families this Christmas.

Starring Les Dennis, Connor McIntyre, Simon Webbe, Andy Ford and Jennie Dale, and many more, this year’s specially created, one-act production will open on Saturday 12 December.  To take up the offer,  National Lottery players will need to apply for tickets via the Theatre Royal Plymouth Eventbrite page.  Tickets will not be available via the Box Office.

Tickets are available across most performances and have been split into groups varying from 1 to 6 people, in accordance with the current UK legislation regarding single households and support bubbles.

National Lottery players need simply select which performance they would like to attend, and group size they need, and fill in their details prior to submitting their request. They will be contacted by the Box Office with further details nearer the date of the performance. Tickets are subject to availability and on a first-come, first-served basis. National Lottery players are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment And will need to present a valid National Lottery product alongside their pantomime tickets when attending the theatre.  For full terms and conditions, please visit National Lottery Plymouth Ticket Giveaway.

This year, thanks to National Lottery players, up to £800M is being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the communities, the arts, heritage and sport. This includes up to £400M in funding support from the National Lottery Community Fund which is being used to help groups best placed to support people and communities through the crisis – from helping support food banks to causes that combat loneliness and isolation, support for the elderly and projects that aid health in the community.

Thanks to support from The National Lottery, Plymouth audiences will once again enjoy the magic and festive cheer the Theatre Royal Plymouth’s annual pantomime brings to thousands of theatregoers every Christmas. The initiative between The National Lottery and Qdos Entertainment, which is providing financial support for Theatre Royal Plymouth and nine other theatres across the country, will allow them to stage this year’s socially distanced, live production of Robinson Crusoe, and continue the venue’s lengthy pantomime history.

Robinson Crusoe will be packed full of comedy routines, audience-safe participation and all the unmissable magic that Plymouth audiences have come to expect from their annual festive pantomime. The TRP auditorium will be fully-reconfigured to allow for social distancing between audience parties, with staggered entry times and entry checks for all audience members to ensure their safety at all times.

A spokesperson from Theatre Royal Plymouth said: “We’re delighted to join up with The National Lottery to offer their players the chance to see our production of Robinson Crusoe for free this Christmas.  National Lottery players make a huge contribution and this is a thank you for the £30m they raise each week, helping support projects at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“We are thrilled to be able to provide audiences with festive entertainment during what has been a challenging time for the sector and we are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery for their support, without which we would not have been able to proceed.”

For further information, and to secure their tickets, National Lottery players can visit the National Lottery Plymouth Ticket Giveaway.

Craig Revel Horwood Returns to New Victoria Theatre, Woking in ROBIN HOOD From 18 December 2020

Craig Revel Horwood Returns to New Victoria Theatre, Woking in ROBIN HOOD From 18 December 2020

FROM 18 DECEMBER 2020 – 10 JANUARY 2021

SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY


New Victoria Theatre and pantomime producers Qdos Entertainment have today announced that an all-new socially distanced pantomime production of Robin Hood will now be staged at the venue from Friday 18 December 2020 – Sunday 10 January 2021, thanks to support from The National Lottery.

Making a welcome return following his Box Office-breaking appearance in Cinderella in 2018, the Strictly judge the nation loves to hate, the fab-u-lous Craig Revel Horwood will star as The Sheriff of Nottingham, alongside hilarious funny man Matt Slack and the legendary pairing of Richard Cadell & Sooty. Tickets for the Strictly limited run go on sale Friday 4 December and are available in a variety of bubble sizes safely socially distanced from other patrons, so customers can enjoy the show, safely.

As a special thank you to Woking’s wonderful NHS staff, Ambassador Theatre Group are pleased to announce they’ll be gifting all tickets to the evening performance on Tuesday 5 January to the NHS and their families.

Simon Thomsett, Theatre Director at New Victoria Theatre said “We’re thrilled to be working again with Qdos Entertainment and to be able to open our doors and offer some festive fun – oh yes we are!  Huge thanks must also go to The National Lottery for supporting us and making it possible for us to bring some much needed cheer to our lovely audiences who we haven’t seen enough of this year.

We wouldn’t have been able to reach this point without all the selfless work from the NHS over the year, so as a thank you, NHS staff can enter a ballot for free tickets to bring their families to Robin Hood by visiting healthservicediscounts.com

We can’t wait to safely entertain our fabulous audiences at both the New Victoria Theatre and the Nova Cinema this festive season.”

NHS workers just need to head to healthservicediscounts.com and register for the ballot. Full details below.

This new production will be packed full of comedy routines, audience-safe participation and all the unmissable magic that Surrey audiences have come to expect from their annual festive pantomime. The previously advertised production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be staged in 2021 and existing bookers have already been contacted with details of their new tickets.

The support of The National Lottery will ensure that socially distanced panto can take place this year at New Victoria Theatre, and other theatres across the UK. Up to 20,000 free tickets to pantomimes across the country, including in Woking, will be made available to National Lottery players to thank them for making it possible for this Christmas tradition to go ahead. National Lottery players raise on average £30M each week for Good Causes.  This year has seen up to £800M in National Lottery funding being used by charities and organisations affected by the impact of the coronavirus outbreak across the arts, community and charity, heritage, education, environment and sport sectors.

Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is the global leader in live theatre, operating 50 venues across Britain, the US and Germany. They produce shows across the entertainment spectrum and are proud to have won many Olivier and Tony awards with a clear mission to bring the very best in live entertainment to the largest possible number of people.


Friday 18 December 2020 – Sunday 10 January 2021| Tickets from £13 fees apply

You can book tickets by calling the Box Office on 0844 871 7615 (Fees apply. Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge or online at ATGTICKETS.COM/Woking (fees apply).

New Victoria Theatre, Peacocks Centre, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6GQ

 Facebook: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking | Twitter: @WokingTheatre | Instagram: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking

NHS BALLOT

The ballot will be open to NHS workers from Thursday 3 December – Sunday 13 December 2020 to win a maximum of six tickets per household/bubble for the first evening performance at New Victoria Theatre Woking on Tuesday 5 January 2021 at 7pm. To register for the ballot, visit healthservicediscounts.com from Thursday 3 December at 10am. Winners will be notified in the week commencing Monday 14 December 2020.

ALTOGETHER NOW(in big panto stylee)…!!! V A C C I N E !!!

ALTOGETHER NOW
(in big panto stylee)…
!!! V A C C I N E !!!

That’s what the entire world is doing right now as we all hold our breath

Let’s hope so, because we’re all in lockdown once more – and there’s no theatre until 2 December… and that’s presuming we don’t get an extension, which will not only write off Christmas, it would also spell disaster for December’s professional productions that have already been announced.

These include a number of pantomimes taking place up and down the country. Such as the National Theatre which will be producing Dick Whittington from 11 Dec – 23 Jan. As well as a collection of smaller independent panto productions, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, Qdos, has also announced seven (so far) productions taking place around the UK to socially-distanced audiences.

Amateur companies will possibly be green with envy (if only we could enjoy such generosity), but the National Lottery has stepped in and offered to pay for the seats people aren’t allowed to sit on, making the venture viable for Qdos to proceed with… and panto being panto, we’re all very pleased that there will be some productions going ahead. So if you’re in BRISTOL (Robin Hood), LONDON (Pantoland at the Palladium), MANCHESTER (Sleeping Beauty), NEWCASTLE (Robin Hood), NOTTINGHAM (Sleeping Beauty), PLYMOUTH (Robinson Crusoe) or SOUTHAMPTON (Sleeping Beauty) then you may well be going to the ball after all.

The combination of a possible vaccine with the Government’s mass testing in Merseyside (Liverpool) provides real cause for hopeful celebration. This is especially the case when you glance at the results of our recent survey. A whopping 72% of respondents think that it will indeed be a vaccine that will mark the return of public confidence enabling us (theatre) to get back to normal.

READ ALL THE SURVEY RESULTS HERE

NEW (ONLINE) ISSUE OF SARDINES…

On 1 December, a new edition of Sardines will be published – online only – covering Dec – Jan.
You will need a digital subscription to read this issue but we are offering some very cheap rates to do this:
£7.50 gets you 6 months of digital access
£12 gets you a whole year – equivalent to just £1 per month!

CLICK HERE SEE OUR SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS

Lastly, if you read The Stage, the performing arts newspaper, you may have seen the brand-new article inside from Dave Hollander titled: Amateur dramatics and Covid: ‘We keep going against the odds’ In the article you can read comments from Sardines, The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain, NODA and Nick Hern Books… among others.

There is also a myriad of mentions of societies from all over the country, including: People’s Theatre Newcastle, Abbey Theatre St Albans, South London Theatre, Southport Dramatic Club, Titchfield Festival Theatre and Ilkley Playhouse… again among others.

Click the image below to read the article…

So, while on one hand it might feel like we’re all back to square one (and Zoom!), and the irony certainly isn’t lost on a second lockdown coming with Rishi Sunak announcing higher levels of payments to furloughed and self-employed workers… there just might be a light appearing on the horizon.

Stay safe… stay well… we will be back…

Paul Johnson,
Editor Sardines

Back to Square One for Theatres as Government Announces New Lockdown in England

Back to Square One for Theatres as Government Announces New Lockdown in England

Image (l-r): Sir Patrick Vallance, Boris Johnson and Professor Chris Whitty speaking live from Downing Street yesterday evening.


Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, flanked by the UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and the Government’s Chief Medical Adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, announced a further tightening of England’s restrictions to prevent the growing second wave of Coronavirus infections.

The tightening of restrictions – which applies to England and will see it fall in line with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – is akin to returning the entire country into a national state of lockdown… with several exemptions.

While the full list of exemptions are to be published in law over the coming days, it has already been announced that “entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens” must all close for at least the next four weeks from Thursday, 5th November until Wednesday, 2 December – or throughout November.

The list of exemptions – making the new lockdown different to the original action back in the spring – include:

  • childcare or education, where this is not provided online;
  • work purposes, where your place of work remains open and where you cannot work from home (including if your job involves working in other people’s homes);
  • to exercise outdoors or visit an outdoor public place – with the people you live with, with your support bubble or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household;
  • for any medical concerns, reasons, appointments and emergencies, or to avoid or escape risk of injury or harm – such as domestic abuse;
  • shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which should be as infrequent as possible;
  • to visit members of your support bubble or provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer;

Once again, outside of the exemptions listed above, people are not allowed to mix with anybody (outdoors or indoors) outside of their households.

“Food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open.

“Hotels, hostels and other accommodation should only open for those who have to travel for work purposes and for a limited number of other exemptions which will be set out in law.

“A full list of the business closures will be published and set out in law.”

Bizarrely, ‘Elite Sport’ such as professional football WILL be permitted to continue albeit behind closed doors… but theatres must all close.

We will have to see how this affects recent announcements such as the handful of Qdos pantomime productions opening around the country, including the London Palladium. But one thing is for sure… it may harm ticket sales for the December productions. The National Theatre has also recently announced its own pantomime, Dick Whittington, will be opening in its Olivier Theatre in December, but has had to cancel all of its November socially-distanced schedule (including Death of England: Delroy).

How any of these shows are expected to rehearse properly is obviously also a big issue. Plus, it’s important to keep in mind that the new 4-week restrictions are set out as a minimal amount of time. This means that while it is hoped a return to the previous tiered levels will come into place after the four weeks are up, it is entirely possible that the four weeks will be extended – scuppering any plans for December’s theatre programmes, or indeed any family plans for Christmas that people dare put in place (“The new measures will apply nationally for four weeks up to Wednesday 2 December. At the end of the period, we will look to return to a regional approach, based on the latest data.”)

Amateur theatre societies, companies and charities – while being viewed as outlets for hobbyists – haven’t any realistic chance of skirting around the new rules, so it will need to be a return to Zoom for most it seems.

 

FULL UK GOVERNMENT INFORMATION HERE

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