BOEING BOEING Revival, THE SHEFFIELD MYSTERIES & More Set for Sheffield Theatres' 2014 Season

Artistic Director Daniel Evans today reveals Sheffield Theatres' spring season for 2014. The spring includes a season of work dedicated to playwright Brian Friel running across all three auditoria, the world première of a new dance-theatre adaptation of Kes, by Barnsley born director Jonathan Watkins; a major revival of fast-paced French farce Boeing Boeing, directed by Jonathan Humphreys, and The Sheffield Mysteries, the new Sheffield People's Theatre production directed by Daniel Evans. The company will also co-produce a brand new production with Third Angel, The Life and Loves of a Nobody.

Following the success of the David Hare and Michael Frayn seasons, the company will dedicate a season of work across all three auditoria to Irish playwright Brian Friel, with new productions of Afterplay, directed by Róisín McBrinn, Translations, directed by James Grieve, and Wonderful Tennessee, directed by Associate Director Paul Miller. Translations will be co-produced with English Touring Theatre and the Rose Theatre Kingston, and will tour following performances at Sheffield Theatres.

Other highlights of the season include the world première of Kes, a new dance-theatre adaptation of Barry Hines' celebrated story, A Kestrel for A Knave, directed and choreographed by Jonathan Watkins, with original music by Alex Baranowski.

Jonathan Humphreys returns to Sheffield Theatres to direct a major new production of Marc Camoletti's classic farce Boeing Boeing; and the company will co-produce with the locally based Third Angel on The Life and Loves of a Nobody.

Artistic Director Daniel Evans will direct this season's Sheffield People's Theatre community project, The Sheffield Mysteries, on the Crucible stage; as well as seeing the company's award-winning production of The Full Monty into the West End.

The Lyceum Theatre plays host to an exciting season of work in the spring. Propeller return to present their A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Comedy of Errors (Thursday 23 January - Saturday 1 February). Blink, a dysfunctional and funny love story by Bruntwood Playwriting Prize winner Phil Porter opens the season in the Studio Theatre (Tuesday 14 - Saturday 18 January), directed by Soho Theatre Artistic Associate and nabokov Artistic Director Joe Murphy.

The world-renowned Moscow City Ballet returns to the Lyceum Theatre with The Nutcracker (Tuesday 7 - Saturday 11 January). Northern Ballet also returns with the unique retelling of Cleopatra (Tuesday 25 - Saturday 29 March).

For musical lovers, the West End smash-hit sensation Dreamboats and Petticoats rock 'n' rolls onto the Lyceum stage from Tuesday 14 - Saturday 18 January, followed by the classic American musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Monday 10 - Saturday 15 February). Garry Marshall's Happy Days - A New Musical, a brand new production based on the hit 1950s TV show, opens at the Lyceum Theatre from Monday 17 - Saturday 22 February, and Fiddler on the Roof, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, takes to the stage from Tuesday 18 - Saturday 22 March, before a brand new production of Fame - The Musical comes to the Lyceum (Monday 31 March - Saturday 5 April). The much-anticipated production of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage arrives at the Lyceum from Tuesday 15 April - Saturday 3 May, followed by Brassed Off, the heart-warming story of a brass band struggling for survival in a Yorkshire mining community (Wednesday 7 - Saturday 10 May) and the National Theatre's award-winning comedy, One Man, Two Guvnors (Wednesday 14 - Saturday 24 May). An all-singing, all-dancing production inspired by the songs of Rod Stewart, Tonight's the Night, lights up the stage from Tuesday 27 - Saturday 31 May.

Opera-goers can enjoy a weekend of dramatic storytelling with the English Touring Opera's presentation of The Magic Flute on Friday 11 April, followed by King Priam, a British opera by Michael Tippett, on Saturday 12 April, both at the Lyceum Theatre. To delight children and families, Tom's Midnight Garden comes to the Lyceum Theatre from Tuesday 4 - Saturday 8 February, followed by Peppa Pig's Big Splash (Tuesday 8 - Wednesday 9 April). Young theatre lovers can also enjoy Horrible Histories Barmy Britain (Tuesday 15 - Saturday 19 July) and National Theatre Connections, which returns for the fourth year running to present exciting new theatre for young audiences (Thursday 27 March - Wednesday 2 April).

Chalk Farm (Thursday 3 - Friday 4 April), an explosive new play exploring love and blame in the aftermath of the 2011 London riots, written by the award-winning Kieran Hurley and AJ Taudevin and ThickSkin (Blackout, The Static), arrives at the Studio Theatre following critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe. Also at the Studio this spring, Never Try This At Home (Tuesday 18 - Saturday 22 March) is an inside-peek at the anarchic and chaotic world of a fictional Saturday morning TV show, produced by Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Told by an Idiot, in association with Soho Theatre.

Comedy fans can enjoy the follow-up to Stewart Lee's sell-out tour Carpet Remnant World, with Much A-Stew About Nothing at the Crucible Theatre (Friday 31 January - Saturday 1 February). The brand new production of Tim Whitnall's Olivier Award-winning play Morecambe comes to the Lyceum Theatre (Tuesday 8 - Wednesday 9 April), with its moving and often hilarious tale about one of Britain's entertainment icons, Eric Morecambe, and Fascinating Aida's Charm Offensive, celebrating 30 years of the outrageous and daft, takes to the stage on Thursday 10 April.

For theatregoers after something a little different, Stuart Maconie (Radcliffe and Maconie- 6 Music, Adventures on the High Teas) presents his book and radio series, The People's Songs, a social history of modern Britain told through pop singles, on Wednesday 12 March, and Snooker Legends returns with two more legends of the game on Thursday 10 April.

Looking further ahead, audiences can also book now for Chariots of Fire (Monday 2 - Saturday 7 June), Buddy- The Buddy Holly Story (Monday 9 - Saturday 14 June), Let It Be (Monday 23 - Saturday 28 June) and the sensational West Side Story (Tuesday 1 - Saturday 12 July).

Artistic Director Daniel Evans said today, 'It's been a thrilling year for Sheffield Theatres - to be named The Stage's Regional Theatre of the Year, and the recent wins at the UK Theatre Awards are testament to the hard work and dedication of the team here, and the breadth and variety of the work we present. I am delighted to announce our spring season, particularly as it contains such a wide range of theatrical forms. We return to our Writer's Season, and Spring 2014 will be dedicated to the work of a true poet of the theatre, Brian Friel. I'm also excited to be collaborating with Jonathan Watkins on a brand new dance-theatre adaptation of Barry Hines' novel, A Kestrel For A Knave. Having been a resident trainee director and directed two plays in our Studio, Jonathan Humphreys will return to the Crucible stage with a major revival of Boeing Boeing. At the heart of the work we do here is our collaboration with the community, and I'm looking forward immensely to directing the next Sheffield People's Theatre production, which will be a modern mystery cycle, called The Sheffield Mysteries, written by local writer Chris Bush. I hope that this new season will continue with the strength and quality of work with which Sheffield Theatres has become synonymous. Alongside our home-grown work, there will also be a tremendously exciting array of touring work visiting the Lyceum, which will ensure that there truly will be something for everyone at some point during next season.'

New shows go on sale to Centre Stage Members on Saturday 9 November and to the public on Saturday 16 November from 10.00am. For more details and to book tickets call the Box Office on 0114 249 6000 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

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