Imelda Staunton-Led WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? to Hit Cinemas This Spring

The broadcast will take place on 18th May at 7.30pm and tickets go on sale at the beginning of April. Visit your local cinema website for details.

The run of the critically acclaimed production continues at the Harold Pinter Theatre, with tickets available through the Box Office until 27th May.

In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George's displeasure, has invited the new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple are drawn into George and Martha's toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.

For more about the show, visit www.whosafraidofvirginiawoolf.co.uk.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Imelda Staunton (Martha) returns to the West End after her triumphant and Olivier Award-winning performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy. Amongst her many other theatre credits, notable performances include Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, for which she won an Olivier Award, Circle, Mirror, Transformation for the Royal Court and the role of Claire in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance at The Almeida Theatre. In total, Staunton has been nominated for eleven Olivier Awards, winning four. On film Staunton is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Vera Drake, for which she received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and for the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.

Conleth Hill (George) is perhaps best known for his role as Lord Varys in the HBO television production Game of Thrones. A multi award-winning theatre actor, amongst his extensive theatre credits, recent productions include Quartermaine's Terms at the Wyndham's Theatre and The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre. Hill won Olivier Awards for his performances in The Producers, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Stones In His Pockets in the West End. He also received Tony Award nominations for his role in Stones In His Pockets on its transfer to Broadway and The Seafarer, which transferred from the National Theatre to Broadway. Hill's film credits include Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Whatever Works, directed by Woody Allen.

Imogen Poots (Honey) makes her West End debut with Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Poots made her breakthrough performance as Tammy in the film 28 Weeks Later. She won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Look of Love in 2013 and was nominated for Best Actress at the 2015 Evening Standard British Film Awards for her role in Peter Bogdanovich's She's Funny That Way. Other film credits include Terrence Mallick's The Knight of Cups, Green Room, Filth, Jimi: All Is By My Side, A Late Quartet and Jane Eyre. Poots will next be seen starring opposite Michael Shannon in Frank and Lola, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim. On television, she recently played the female lead in Cameron Crowe's debut television series Roadies (Showtime).

Luke Treadaway (Nick) won an Olivier Award for his performance as Christopher in the internationally acclaimed hit The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre/ West End) and also originated the role of Albert in the earliest production of War Horse, again at the National. Further theatre credits include Over There (Royal Court), Piranha Heights (Soho Theatre) and Saint Joan (National Theatre). For film, Treadaway played the lead in the recent Sony Pictures release A Street Cat Named Bob, adapted from the New York Times bestselling novel. Treadaway's further film credits include Unbroken, Attack the Block, The Whistleblower, Clash of the Titans, Tonight You're Mine, Heartless, The Rise and Brothers of the Head. For television, he returns to his role of scientist Vincent Rattrey for the second season of Sky Atlantic's critically acclaimed Fortitude. His further credits include the lead character of Alex Higgins in BBC's The Rack Pack, the Duke of Richmond in the second series of The Hollow Crown (BBC/NBC/Neal Street Productions), as well as Sky Arts mini-series The Nightmare World of H.G. Wells with Michael Gambon.

James MacDonald is highly regarded for his work with Caryl Churchill and Sarah Kane, recently directing Churchill's play Escaped Alone at the Royal Court. Most recently Macdonald directed The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, also at the Royal Court. Other recent work includes the award-winning production of Florian Zeller's The Father and Roots at the Donmar Warehouse. Macdonald has previously directed Staunton in the Royal Court's production of Circle, Mirror, Transformation by Annie Baker and in the critically-acclaimed production of Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance at The Almeida Theatre.

Edward Albee was born on March 12th 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Death of Bessie Smith (1959), The Sandbox (1959), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), Listening (1975), Counting the Ways (1975), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play about the Baby (1997), The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), Occupant (2001), At Home at the Zoo: Act 1, Homelife. Act 2, The Zoo Story. (2004), and Me, Myself & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980. In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. In 2005 he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Sonia Friedman Productions (SFP) is a West End and Broadway Production Company responsible for some of the most successful theatre productions in London and New York.

This year Sonia Friedman OBE was awarded 'Producer of the year' at the Stage Awards for the third year in a row as well as taking the number one spot in 'The Stage 100', becoming the first number one in the history of the compilation not to own or operate West End theatres and the first solo woman for almost 20 years.

Since 1990, SFP has developed, initiated and produced over 160 new productions and has won numerous Olivier and Tony awards, winning a record-breaking 14 at the 2014 Olivier Awards, including the quartet of Best New Musical, Best New Play, Best Revival of a Musical and Best Revival of a Play.

West End and Broadway productions include: the UK premiere of The Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the UK premiere of Dreamgirls, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Travesties, The Glass Menagerie, Nice Fish, A Christmas Carol, Funny Girl West End and UK tour, Farinelli and The King, Hamlet, 1984, Sunny Afternoon West End and UK tour, Bend It Like Beckham, The Nether, The River, Electra, King Charles III, Shakespeare in Love, Ghosts, Mojo, Chimerica, Merrily We Roll Along, Old Times, Twelfth Night and Richard III, A Chorus of Disapproval, The Sunshine Boys, Hay Fever, Absent Friends, Top Girls, Betrayal, Much Ado About Nothing, Clybourne Park, The Children's Hour, A Flea in Her Ear, La Bête, All My Sons, Private Lives, Jerusalem, A Little Night Music, Legally Blonde, Othello, Arcadia, The Mountaintop, The Norman Conquests, A View From the Bridge, Dancing at Lughnasa, Maria Friedman: Re-Arranged, La Cage aux Folles, No Man's Land, The Seagull, Under the Blue Sky, That Face, Dealer's Choice, Hergés Adventures of Tintin, In Celebration, Boeing-Boeing, The Dumb Waiter, Rock 'n' Roll, Love Song, Faith Healer, Bent, Eh Joe, Donkeys' Years, Otherwise Engaged, Celebration, Shoot the Crow, As You Like It, The Home Place, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, By the Bog of Cats, The Woman in White, Guantanamo: 'Honor Bound to Defend Freedom', Endgame, Jumpers, See You Next Tuesday, Hitchcock Blonde, Absolutely! {Perhaps}, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Ragtime, Macbeth, What the Night Is For, Afterplay, Up for Grabs, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Noises Off, On an Average Day, A Servant to Two Masters, Port Authority, Spoonface Steinberg and Speed-The-Plow.

Forthcoming productions include: The Ferryman at the Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs) and the Gielgud Theatre, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the Duke of York's Theatre and 1984 at the Hudson Theatre, New York.

Sonia Friedman Productions' involvement as co-producer or associate producer with other notable projects includes David Tennant's return to the London stage in Don Juan in Soho (opening in March 2017).

Sonia is now also producing in television, working with Colin Callender on a variety of projects. She has acted as Executive Producer on the recently Golden Globe Nominated The Dresser starring Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins, co-producer on the multi award-winning Wolf Hall (with Mark Rylance) and a forthcoming BBC production of King Lear starring Anthony Hopkins.

Launched in 2009, NT Live broadcasts have been seen by an audience of over 6.5 million people at 2500 venues in 60 countries. The first season began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phédre starring Helen Mirren. Recent broadcasts include Hedda Gabler with Ruth Wilson, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart in No Man's Land, Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet, Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus, Gillian Anderson in A Streetcar Named Desire, James Corden in One Man, Two Guvnors, Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein and War Horse. Sky Arts is the sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK.