Cindy Marcolina - Page 43

It's December 1991 and in a 'special hospital' Ruth (Emily Tucker), Claudia (Evlyne Oyedokun), and Dee (Amy McAllister) are gearing up to celebrate the holidays by demonstrating how well-adjusted they've become. They know that bonding with the rapists and other male convicts at the Christmas disco could be used by the parole board to back their early release.

After a sold-out run at Oxford University, composer Maria Shepard took her musical based on Lev Tolstoy's Anna Karenina for a one-night engagement at The Actors' Church in London as part of Iris Theatre's Workin Process. Considered one of the greatest literary accomplishment of all time, it's certainly an ambitious venture for the young Shepard, who pens a mature revisitation of the material directed by Jasmine White.

After The Murder Express and Journey To The Underworld, Funicular invite their audience to Pedley Street Station to embark on a silly Christmas journey whilst savouring a sublime feast. When the mysterious Ed Snow hops on a train directed to the Birmingham Christmas market, greater forces take over to carry out their secret mission.

Rebecca Frecknall's production of Summer and Smoke lands in the West End after a starry run at Almeida Theatre earlier this year. In its new incarnation, one of Tennessee Williams' undervalued pieces is turned into an aesthetic dream to inspire a broader reflection on how the 1948 play resonates 70 years later.

Directed by Lucy Bailey, the play is set in a remote house in 90s Switzerland where the elderly and mean Patricia Highsmith - eccentric writer of many psychological thrillers and creator of the famous murderous character Tom Ripley - receives a visit from a young man. Sent by her American publisher, Edward Ridgeway has the only goal of convincing her to write one last Ripley novel.

The National Theatre end their series of rehearsed readings with Elizabeth Robins' Votes for Women. Written in 1907, the play dramatises the birth of the suffragette movement and, presented in 2018, shines a light on how slow the progress of equality has been.

The National Theatre marks the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote in the UK with Courage Everywhere, a series of rehearsed readings and events celebrating the milestone. The talented list features Bryna Turner's Bull in a China Shop.

Mitchell Cushman is coming out of directing a secret production of Sweeney Todd in an abandoned building as part of the bigger international immersive project The Curious Voyage. He's also directing Haley McGee's autobiographical play The Ex-Boyfriend Yard Sale, which is running at Camden People's Theatre from the end of November. We met up to discuss site-specific shows, the importance of contemporising older shows, and the cost of love.

In a deserted part of the American south-west, Alex (Joe McGann) is being tended to by his loving fourth wife Lia (Clara Indrani). Once a successful artist, he was rendered speechless and motionless by a stroke. His only son Sean (Jack Wilkinson) and his second spouse Toinette (Josie Lawrence) arrive to convince his new wife to agree to terminate his life.

Gregg and Claire live sheltered, boring, suburban lives. She has a high-end job she hates; he is a teacher. They follow the rules and are everything one could expect from an established couple. Except one day they discover they share an overwhelming desire to kill animals.

Hampstead Theatre hosts Ifeyinwa Frederick's debut play directed by Lakesha Arie-Angelo, The Hoes is a joyous celebration of millennial womanhood and friendship that's unafraid to show the darker side of growing up. Bim (Marieme Diouf), Alex (Aretha Ayeh), and J (Nicola Maisie Taylor) are best friends who have been knowing each other since they were in secondary school. Now that they're older, life is catching up and a holiday to Ibiza is the chance to talk about their fears and hopes.

Years after surviving the Holocaust, Primo Levi (Marco Gambino) is a haunted man who segregates himself in his study to try to come to terms with the terrible events he witnessed. He writes stories to understand them better, conjuring the prophet Elijah (Alex Marchi) to guide him through his recollections. The biblical figure, however, unearths the darker buried memories that prey Levi's persistent nightmares, making them become real once again.

Tormented Casserole's Gilded Butterflies comes back on stage after successful runs around the UK in their first Off-West end production at The Hope Theatre. The two-hander, devised by the company and directed by Kathryn Papworth-Smith, sees young Maggie (Francesca McCrohon) struggling to keep a hand on real life while being convicted.

Amana and Hafizah share a love for life and too many dreams to count. One wants to go to university, the other wants to find someone she's lost. Both of them can't, however, go on with their lives as they're being unjustly detained.

When seventeen-year-old Simona (Flora Spencer-Longhurst) shows up at Ye's (Lucy Sheen) North London flat with an attitude and a talent for the violin, the aging musician is forced to take a hard look at how success and greatness affect the artistic side of life.

Proud Haddock remembers the centenary of the Armistice at Jermyn Street Theatre with the dynamic and heartbreaking tale of Canadian war hero Billy Bishop. Written by John MacLachlan Gray with Eric Peterson, Billy Bishop Goes to War sees an older Bishop (Oliver Beamish) overseeing his younger self (Charles Aitken).

Finborough Theatre end their series dedicated to the Great War by bringing back Irwin Shaw's Bury The Dead. Directed by Rafaella Marcus and the first London production in 80 year, the piece works as a monumental metaphor to stand up for the truth.

Director Tim Baker concludes his national tour of Stephen Macdonald's Not About Heroes at Wilton's Music Hall. The play, which details the strong friendship between Wilfred Owen and Siegfriend Sassoon, has been acclaimed worldwide since its debut in 1982.

Playwright Geoffrey Williams pens a new play about the aftermath of the Holocaust in Primo Levi's life. We sat down to discuss the author and what it means to carry the weight of survival.

Londoners may have seen a resurgence in immersive theatrical experiences recently, but Talk Is Free Theatre brings the concept to a whole new level with The Curious Voyage. The intercontinental three-day journey starts in Barrie, Canada and lands in London, where the audience is taken on a quest to explore their darkest secrets.