Theatr Clwyd Artistic Director Tamara Harvey has unveiled the new season which will include four new productions and Aladdin – The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto.
Tamara Harvey said “I’m delighted that Theatr Clwyd is continuing our tradition of excellence while stretching the boundaries of what’s on offer. This season we’ve got new writing, modern classics, a cult musical and as ever, our much-loved pantomime. As we approach our 40th birthday, Theatr Clwyd is growing up to be a dynamic 21st century centre for the arts; serving local and national audiences and ensuring that Flintshire becomes an increasingly significant destination on the cultural map.
“Our autumn season is a celebration of old and new, a richly varied programme that reaches out to all those who have been part of the past forty years, and welcomes those who haven’t.
“We’ve got biting contemporary comedy with Terry Johnson’s Insignificance, the twenty-year musical phenomenon that is Rent, and Aladdin, our nineteenth rock and roll panto. Perhaps most exciting of all, we mark our new commitment to bringing the best of British playwriting to Clwyd with two world premieres: Alan Harris’ Love, Lies and Taxidermy and Elinor Cook’s Pilgrims. We’re also collaborating with theatre companies across Britain, from the Sherman and WMC in Cardiff to High Tide in Suffolk, the St James Theatre in London and new writing company Paines Plough. As we embark on another forty years as home to the best of the arts, there are exciting times ahead at Theatr Clwyd.”
Theatr Clwyd is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016. Four decades of making world-class theatre in Mold for Wales, the UK and the wider world.
Two special weekends of celebration begin the season: from Friday 19 – Sunday 21 August Theatr Clwyd presents a Family Arts Festival, with three days of events and performances, many of which are free, for younger children and their families. The weekend features a host of fun activities, including theatrical adventures, music, comedy, poetry, dance, family films, workshops, face painting and a Birthday Party Disco.
The theatre throws open its doors with an Open Day Saturday 10 September. This access-all-areas event is a chance to explore behind the scenes at Wales’ largest producing theatre, with workshops, activities, theatre tours and much more. The following day the corks pop for 40 Years On Stage, a special celebration of the greatest hits seen on our stages, performed by our favourite actors.
The season opens with a new production of Insignificance by Terry Johnson. In a hotel room Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe talk about fame, her marriage to baseball player Joe DiMaggio and relativity. But is the professor the smartest man in the room?
Insignificance, a darkly funny play about fame, the universe and looking to the stars, is directed by Kate Wasserberg who returns to Mold following her highly acclaimed production ofAll My Sons last season.
Performed in the round, Insignificance is on from Thursday 22 September – Saturday 15 October in the Emlyn Williams Theatre.
The powerful, life-affirming rock musical RENT will open in a new 20th anniversary production at Theatr Clwyd, prior to a UK tour and West End season at the St James Theatre. Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize & Tony Award Winning Musical is an exhilarating rock opera based on Puccini’s La Bohème.
Larson’s world is inhabited by a group of bohemian artists who struggle to maintain their friendships and their non-conformist ideals in New York’s East Village. Facing their problems head on, they make personal self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life. The much-loved score features songs such as Seasons of Love, Take Me or Leave Mand La Vie Bohème.
A West End cast features Lucie Jones, the Welsh actress and X Factor finalist whose theatre credits include Legally Blondeat Leicester Curve and Cosette in the London production of Les Misérables.
Early booking is recommended for RENT – The Musical which is presented by Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatricals Limited, in association with Theatr Clwyd and the Wales Millennium Centre and directed by Bruce Guthrie.
RENT – The Musical is in the Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Friday 21 October – Saturday 12 November.
The autumn season also includes the world premiere productions of two brand new plays staged in the round in the Emlyn Williams Theatre.
Theatr Clwyd’s Artistic Director Tamara Harvey will directPilgrims by Elinor Cook. Dan and Will climb mountains. From Snowdon to Everest they love the rush of discovering something new. Rachel studies folklore and prefers people to adventures. She thinks the world can be ruined by discovery and people are always lost in the process. Pilgrims is a funny play about adventure and our impulse to conquer the world.
Elinor Cook was the winner of the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2013.
Pilgrims, Tuesday 18 – Saturday 29 October, is a Theatr Clwyd, High Tide and Vicky Graham co-production which will also play at the High Tide Festival in Suffolk and The Yard Theatre, London.
Love, Lies and Taxidermy, Wednesday 2 – Saturday 12 November, is a new off-beat comedy by Alan Harris, directed by George Perrin and produced by Theatr Clwyd, Paines Plough and Sherman Cymru. The son of Polish taxidermist meets the daughter of a failing ice cream salesman. It’s their first date and things are going well. But love’s difficult when your parents need saving from themselves, their weird hobbies and the threat of a prison sentence.
Writer Alan Harris’ work includes A Good Night Out in the Valleys, the debut play by the National Theatre of Wales in 2010.
The Christmas panto, a highlight of the calendar and a favourite for ages 5 – 95, is Aladdin – The Wok ‘n’ Roll Pantoby Peter Rowe and tickets are already selling fast.
It’s party time at the palace as the Emperor announces the engagement of the beautiful Princess to the rich but mysterious Abanazer. Widow Twankey’s woks are hot and Wishee Washee’s in a spin but when Aladdin and the Princess meet, sparks begin to fly!
Aladdin, Friday 25 November – Saturday 21 January, features over twenty classic rock and soul songs played live by actor musicians with mad gags, shock frocks and slapstick. It’s a sizzling festive feast!
Visiting highlights include Show Stopper! The Improvised Musical, Tuesday 20 – Thursday 22 September, in which audience suggestions are transformed into brand new all-singing, all-dancing shows with unpredictable and hilarious results. Be My Baby, Wednesday 14 – Saturday 17 September, is a poignant comedy about friendship and the naivety of the 1960s, featuring the music of The Ronettes, The Shangri-Lasand Dusty Springfield, and stars Brooke Vincent (Coronation St) and Ruth Madoc
(Hi-De-Hi). The legendary gags, magic and story of Welsh comedian Tommy Cooper is celebrated in The Tommy Cooper Show, Tuesday 20 – Saturday 31 December.
Tamara Harvey directs Kreutzer vs Kreutzer, Monday 3 October, inspired by Tolstoy’s great tale of sexual jealousy and featuring Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata and Janacek’s String Quartet. BAFTA award-winner Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd) and Samuel West (Mr Selfridge) star in this extraordinary new piece of ‘orchestral theatre’.
The Celebrity Classical Concert Season features the finest classical music played by internationally renowned performers in a high-quality season. It begins with the Endellion String Quartet on Sunday 30 October, followed by the Russian-born violin virtuoso Alina Ibragimova on Sunday 18th December.The series continues in the New Year with highlights includingSinfonia Cymru on Sunday 19 March and Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams on Sunday 23 April. The classical music season is available on subscription with savings of 20% on ticket prices.
The new season also features a range of exciting work for young families including Underneath a Magical Moon, Tuesday 6 – Wednesday 7 December, a sparkling show for children aged 3 and upwards and their families, based on Peter Pan and In A Pickle, Tuesday 10 – Saturday 21 January, a delightful new show by Tim Webb presented by Oily Cart and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Kill for a Seat Comedy features the best live stand-up comedy on the first Thursday of every month, with headline acts mixed with up-and-coming local talent, all held together by resident compere Silky! Paul Sinha, from TV’s The Chase, and the acclaimed circuit headliner Nick Page promise a fun filled evening on Thursday 1 September.
On the big screen, Theatr Clwyd offers a more relaxed, intimate cinema experience, with a wide-ranging programme featuring the best in new, alternative, family and arthouse films, as well as special satellite screenings from, amongst others, the National Theatre, RSC and Glyndebourne.
Full Details of the film programme and all events in the autumn season, together with online booking and up-to-the-minute programme and casting updates, are available fromwww.theatrclwyd.com.
The new autumn brochure is available from the end of this month from the theatre, libraries, ticket agents and other outlets throughout the region.