The 2016 national tour of William Nicholson's SHADOWLANDS, directed by Alastair Whatley, celebrates its national press night tonight 26 February at Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
SHADOWLANDS will then tour to Salisbury, Eastbourne, Ipswich, Windsor, Croydon, Malvern, Worthing, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Exeter and Richmond, with further dates to be announced.
The cast of SHADOWLANDS will be led by Stephen Boxer (Humans, The Iron Lady, Doctors) as C.S. Lewis, Denis Lill as Major W.H. Lewis 'Warnie' and Amanda Ryan (The Forsyte Saga, Shameless) as Joy Davidman. They will be joined by Simon Shackleton as Professor Christopher Riley, Jeffrey Harmer as Rev 'Harry' Harrington, Ian Marr as Alan Gregg, Richard Holliday as Dr Maurice Oakley and Shannon Rewcroft as Douglas, with Holly Smith and Alistair Higgins playing multiple supporting roles.
SHADOWLANDS, by William Nicholson, tells the love story of C.S. Lewis, Oxford don and author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, and American poet Joy Davidman. What begins as a formal meeting of two very different minds slowly develops into a feeling of connection and love. Lewis finds his quiet life with his brother Warnie disrupted by the outspoken, feisty Davidman, whose uninhibited behaviour offers a sharp contrast to the rigid sensibilities of the male-dominated university. Each provides the other with new ways of viewing the world, but Lewis's Christian faith is tested when Joy is diagnosed with cancer.
SHADOWLANDS won the Evening Standard Drama Award for Best Play in 1990 and Nicholson was nominated for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. The film version, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, won Best British Film at the 1994 BAFTAs and Nicholson was nominated for a Best Screenplay nomination.
This major revival of SHADOWLANDS is produced by Birdsong Productions, the people behind the recent critically-acclaimed and hugely successful touring productions of Birdsong and Flare Path, in association with Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
SHADOWLANDS will have Lighting Design by Alex Wardle and Sound Design by Dominic Bilkey.
For more about the production, visit www.shadowlandstour.com.
2016 TOUR SCHEDULE
18 - 27 February Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford 01483 44 00 00
www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk on sale 11 December
29 February - 5 March Salisbury Playhouse 01722 320 333
7 - 12 March Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne 01323 412 000
14 - 19 March New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich 01473 295900
29 March - 2 April Theatre Royal Windsor 01753 853 888
4 - 9 April Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon 020 8688 9291
11 - 16 April Festival Theatre, Malvern 01684 892277
19 - 23 April Connaught Theatre, Worthing 01903 206 206
26 April - 30 April CAST Theatre, Doncaster 01302 303 959
16 - 21 May Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield 01246 345 222
31 May - 4 June Birmingham Repertory Theatre 0121 236 4455
13 - 18 June New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth 023 9264 9000
21 - 25 June New Theatre, Cardiff 029 2087 8889
www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk on sale 11 January
28 June - 2 July Exeter Northcott Theatre 01392 726363
25 July - 30 July Richmond Theatre 0844 871 7651
www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre on sale 16 December
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