Lyric Hammersmith Announces its Spring 2019 Season - LEAVE TO REMAIN, GHOST STORIES, and More

Today the Lyric Hammersmith announces its Spring 2019 season, the final productions programmed by outgoing Artistic Director Sean Holmes. The season celebrates Holmes' tenure - bringing back one of his most successful shows, reflecting the Lyric's partnerships with the UK's leading theatre companies, and embodying a reputation for daring new work alongside a commitment to nurturing the creativity of young people.

• Leave to Remain - the world premiere of a new play with songs by Matt Jones and Kele Okereke opens the season. Commissioned by the Lyric, directed by Robby Graham and designed by Rebecca Brower, with Olivier Award nominated actor Tyrone Huntley in the lead role.

• The first song from Leave to Remain, 'Not The Drugs Talking' written and performed by Bloc Party's Kele Okereke is released today, available on iTunes and Spotify.

• The Lyric welcomes the highly acclaimed 1927 Theatre Company with The Animals and Children Took to the Streets and Kneehigh's Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs).

• Ghost Stories - following worldwide success and the smash hit movie, the original terrifying hit is back. Written by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson and directed by Andy Nyman, Jeremy Dyson and Sean Holmes.

• Continuing the theatre's commitment to providing opportunities for young creative talent, Holly Race Roughan is announced as the Director for the Lyric Ensemble for 2019 and TD Moyo as the director for the lead show of the Evolution Festival.

• A new season of Little Lyric shows is announced for families and children under 11, presented in the newly refurbished Studio Theatre.

The Lyric continues its commitment to accessible pricing with over 6,700 tickets released for sale at £15 or under and its Free First Night programme, which will see more than 2000 free tickets given to people who live or work in Hammersmith and Fulham. Priority booking for Lyric Friends and Supporters opens today, with public booking opening at 9.30am on Wednesday 5 September.

Sean Holmes said, "This new season follows an exciting autumn with Jude Christian taking over the Main House; first with othellomacbeth her innovative synthesis of two of Shakespeare's most iconic plays. Then Cariad Lloyd joins Jude to give Dick Whittington the full Lyric treatment, celebrating 10 years of the Lyric Pantomime, first introduced during my initial season as Artistic Director.

Our new spring season is everything I've always strived for the Lyric to be - provocative, entertaining and eclectic bringing the best theatre artists to our beautiful Hammersmith home.

I'm especially excited by the potential of our first show of the season, Leave to Remain, a new play with songs. We have brought leading artists from different fields together - Matt is one of the UK's

leading television writers, Kele is an astonishing musical talent, both as a solo artist and with his band Bloc Party, Robby has a beautifully physical choreographic style and Rebecca is an exciting award-winning designer. They are creating something unique for us and I can't wait to experience this truly special piece of work.

One of the joys of being Artistic Director of the Lyric has been bringing theatre companies from across the world to visit us. This season sees two genre defying companies make us their home. I'm a huge fan of the work of 1927. The Animals and Children took to the Streets, will introduce their form defining work to a Hammersmith audience. I am also delighted to welcome back Kneehigh with their ground-breaking show Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs), it has toured nationally and internationally and now finds a new London home here at the Lyric.

Nurturing young people and providing space for them to develop as artists is a fundamental part of what the Lyric is. It is an absolute honour to watch young people from all backgrounds explore their talents and become the next generation of theatre makers under our roof. I am delighted that Holly Race Roughan is joining us as the Director of the Lyric Ensemble for 2019. This year's Evolution Festival was a brilliant success with young artists from across London showcasing their work. Next year the lead show for the festival is 'Feels' directed by TD Moyo.

The opening of Ghost Stories was a monumental moment when it first landed on our stage in 2010. It has since gone on to achieve worldwide cult status, most recently as a hit movie. Now horror is coming home to Hammersmith."

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