Selfridges to Open The reFASHIONed Theatre with The Faction's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Prepare to witness a performance like no other as The reFASHIONed Theatre opens at Selfridges with MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING presented by critically-acclaimed theatre company, The Faction.

On the occasion of Shakespeare400, Selfridges are opening a fully-fledged theatre complete with workshops, rare access to rehearsals and a new production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. As the revolutionary store famed for introducing retail theatre to Europe, this is the next logical step for Selfridges - another world first.

To create The reFASHIONed Theatre, Selfridges are joining forces with one of the most exciting emerging young British theatre companies in the UK, The Faction. With a reputation for contemporary Shakespeare productions and innovative collaborations, The Faction are the perfect partner for this unique venture.

Continuing Selfridges ethos of 'all are welcome', The Faction will offer audiences the chance to peer into rehearsals. Like the famous Selfridges window displays give a theatrical glimpse of what lays in store, this window onto the rehearsal process will present audiences with a daily insight into the development of a play from rehearsals to performance as well as offering opportunities to interact with the cast and creatives. Partner such as make-up brand MAC, will offer a workshop allowing visitors the chance to get back-stage and up-close to the creation of on-stage characters.

The reFASHIONed Theatre, an intimate 100-seat auditorium with a traverse, raised catwalk stage, is not just any pop-up. This complete theatre experience also includes a traditional box office, a designer royal box, a furniture designer and bespoke rig from Whitelight.

The production runs Tuesday 23rd August - Saturday 24th September 2016. Press Night: Friday 26th August, 7.30pm.

One of Shakespeare's best, and best-loved, comedies, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING contrasts the classic love story of Claudio and Hero with the 'merry war' of two of his most dazzling and original wits: Beatrice and Benedick. Whilst outside forces attempt to thwart Claudio and Hero's wedding, Beatrice and Benedick's families and friends conspire to bring them into married bliss. The play's society is one where appearance and presentation are everything and rumour and gossip can be lethal. This contemporary production occupies a distinctly 21st century landscape of high style, tabloid journalism, CCTV and iconic events.

Director Mark Leipacher comments, This play offers a world in which fashion, appearance, and social standing are of paramount importance and rumour, gossip and insinuation can be lethal. And, in Beatrice and Benedick, we have two of Shakespeare's wittiest creations to play around with! Everyone at The Faction is delighted to be collaborating with Selfridges to create this new production for the Shakespeare Refashioned project. It's an ambitious, innovative and wild idea - exactly the way we should be celebrating Shakespeare400.

A company of nine actors will perform in this exciting and ambitious production plus five 'digital cameos' will be pre-recorded and appear in projected CCTV footage digitally mapped onto mannequins manipulated by the live company.

The Faction is part of the next generation of classical theatre making for both artists and audiences. While Shakespeare remains the backbone of their work, they also work interpreting other classical texts with a contemporary aesthetic to engage and excite local, national and international audiences. Building a diverse ensemble with a rolling repertoire, The Faction is a sustainable arts organisation for the 21st century.

Shakespeare reFASHIONed is one of Selfridges' most ambitious themed store-wide campaigns with a mix of bespoke window creations by leading fashion designers, special product collaborations and The reFASHIONed Theatre.

Selfridges is bringing modernity and heritage together on the same schedule, by inviting RADA to work alongside The Faction within the reFASHIONed Theatre. From 4th July, RADA will precede The Faction with a two-week residency to teach visitors stagecraft workshops and masterclasses - effectively an actor's training - including audition and feedback workshops, production techniques classes and an introduction to dance and stage combat.

Selfridges has been a top London destination and UK landmark for over a century, challenging the rules of retail from its inception. American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, nicknamed 'the showman of shopping', launched his eponymous store in 1909. From the outset it was a retail revolution. For the first time customers were allowed to browse and touch products on display which in itself was a dramatic change, but Harry Selfridge's own passion for the stage and the art of entertainment drove him to instil every aspect of the retail experience at his store with a sense of theatrical excitement. Retail theatre was born. Theatre and entertainment have been part of Selfridges' DNA ever since.

Unmistakably Shakespeare. Uniquely Selfridges. Let the performance begin.

IF YOU GO:

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Monday 18th July - Monday 22nd August 2016
Monday to Saturday, 10am - 6pm

Tuesday 23rd August - Saturday 24th September
Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

Running time: 90 minutes

At Selfridges & Co, 400 Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB

Selfridges is located in the heart of Oxford Street. The nearest underground stations are Bond Street (on the Central and Jubilee lines), Marble Arch (on the Central line), and Oxford Circus (on the Victoria, Central and Bakerloo lines). The nearest rail station is Marylebone.

Tickets are available from Selfridges on phone number or online at www.selfridges.com.

The Faction is a Peter Brook Award-winning international ensemble producing bold, brave, contemporary interpretations of classic texts for diverse and new audiences. Since 2008, the company have created 28 productions for London, on national tours and international engagements, receiving critical acclaim and 19 awards and nominations for their work. In addition to their work on Shakespeare, they have presented the UK premieres of works by Schiller and Dario Fo, the world premiere of a new version of THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, as well as new adaptations of Aeschylus, Chekhov, Euripides, Goethe, Gorky, Ibsen, Lorca, Pirandello and Strindberg.

The business was founded by American entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1909 and was widely regarded as the first and best example of a modern department store. Harry Gordon Selfridge ran the store himself until he retired in 1940. After several ownerships the company was de-merged from the Sears Group in 1998 and floated on the London Stock Exchange. In 2003 W. Galen Weston purchased Selfridges and under his ownership Selfridges has become an extraordinary global destination for fashion, luxury and retail theatre. In June 2010 Selfridges was named Best Department Store in the World for the first time by the IGDS (Intercontinental Group of Department Stores). The title, which Selfridges held until June 2012, is the industry's highest accolade. Selfridges won the title again in June 2012, and again in 2014 for an unprecedented three times consecutively. Selfridges has four stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester (Trafford Centre, Exchange Square) and our international website now delivers within the UK and to over 130 countries, trading in eight currencies. Selfridges today, continues Harry Gordon Selfridge's legacy - a shopping experience that promises to surprise, amaze and amuse its customers by delivering extraordinary customer experiences.

The Ultralounge is Selfridges 3,500 sqft dedicated special events and experiences space which, for the past nine years has played host to dozens of talked-about initiatives. These include young British artists' shows curated by Kay Saatchi, exhibitions by the best Urban artists including Banksy, Vivienne Westwood's iconic shoe exhibition retrospective, and an exclusive immersive 3D musical experience by iconic musician Brian Eno. The Ultralounge was also transformed into a late night concert venue with a fully licensed bar provided by the illustrious and now defunct Colony Room club where groups including The Slits and The Long Blondes performed during the month-long celebration of 30 years of Punk in 2006.

More recently, in 2013 The Ultralounge welcomed the temporary return of Selfridges' legendary Silence Room, first conceived and opened in 1909 by Harry Gordon Selfridge, in 2014 it was transformed into a 60-seat luxury cinema, and currently, the space is a fully-functioning gym - hosting a residency by cult spin studio Psycle.

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