From Shakespeare to Punk Rock

With theatres such as the Royal Court and the RSC commissioning innovative new work for young people, we might be spared death by a thousand Christmas Carols this year. Theatres around the UK seem to be cottoning on to the fact that heritage productions of Shakespeare and Wilde are no longer enough to stimulate the imagination of a generation of students more equipped to deal with new forms and visual languages than their predecessors. This term, adaptations of cult novels, radicalised versions of Shakespeare plays, and productions with an emphasis on design and movement compete for their share of the schools audience. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare Liverpool Playhouse Theatre, Williamson Square, Liverpool Tel 0151-09 4776 www.everymanplayhouse.com 8 Oct to 13 Nov. Tickets £12 to £45 Apples by Richard Milward, adapted by John Retallack Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne Tel 0191-230 5151 www.northernstage.co.uk 8 to 25 Sept. Tickets £6.50 to £8.50 John Retallack's vibrant stage adaptation arrives in Newcastle after its success at the Edinburgh Festival. The Bacchae in a new version by Mike Poulton Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann's Square, Manchester Tel 0161-833 9833 www.royalexchange.co.uk 10 Nov to 4 Dec. Tickets £4.50 to £30 Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery York Hall, 5-15 Old Ford Road, London Tel 020-7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk 16 Sept to 2 Oct. Tickets £5 to £18 Frantic Assembly's new show about boxing also tours to Glenrothes and Sheffield Crucible Theatre. For more details see www.franticassembly.co.uk . Blasted by Sarah Kane Lyric Theatre, King Street, London Tel 0871-22 117 29 www.lyric.co.uk 22 Oct to 20 Nov. Tickets £10 to £25 Fifteen years after it changed the landscape of British theatre, Sarah Kane's play receives a new production at the Lyric Theatre. Suitable only for the most mature and adventurous students. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov Birmingham Rep Theatre, Broad Street, Birmingham Tel 0121-236 4455 www.birmingham-rep.co.uk 15 Oct to 6 Nov. Tickets £10 to £32 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Bryony Lavery West Yorkshire Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds Tel 0113-213 7700 www.wyp.org.uk 20 Nov to 15 Jan. Tickets £8 to £29 A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow www.citz.co.uk Tel 0141-429 0022 13 Oct to 6 Nov. Tickets £7.50 to £17.50 A vibrant new production of the cult novel. Suitable for KS4 and above. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann's Square, Manchester Tel 0161-833 9833 www.royalexchange.co.uk 8 Sept to 9 Oct. Tickets £4.50 to £30 A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Dundee Rep, Tay Square, Dundee Tel 01382-223530 www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk 19 Oct to 6 Nov. Tickets £5 to £17 Get Santa! by Anthony Neilson Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London Tel 020-7565 5000 www.royalcourttheatre.com 1 Dec to 15 Jan. Tickets £8 to £25 London's Royal Court Theatre breaks with years of tradition in presenting a children's Christmas show by Anthony Neilson, one of theatre's most distinct and exciting voices. Should be unmissable. Suitable for KS2 and above. The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Young Vic, 66 The Cut, London Tel 020-7922 2922 www.youngvic.org 11 Nov to 1 Jan. Tickets £10 to £27.50 A collaboration between a director and a choreographer, this production promises to reveal Williams's most fragile play in a breathtaking new light. Hamlet by William Shakespeare Crucible Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield Tel 0114-249 6000 www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk 16 Sept to 23 Oct. Tickets £12 to £20 John Simm stars in Paul Miller's new production, which looks set to bring a fresh modern take to proceedings, creating a Hamlet for our troubled times. Hamlet by William Shakespeare National Theatre, South Bank, London Tel 020-452 3000 www.nationaltheatre.org.uk 30 Sept to 27 Oct. Tickets £10 The brilliant Rory Kinnear heads an impressive cast in a production that promises to plumb the depths of Shakespeare's darkest prince. Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 by William Shakespeare Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, London Tel 020-7401 9919 www.shakespeares-globe.org Until 9 Oct. Tickets £5 to £35 Dominic Dromgoole's spirited and accessible productions of Henry IV have had their run extended by popular demand. Roger Allam's Falstaff alone is worth the ticket price. King Lear by William Shakespeare Donmar Warehouse, Earlham Street, London Tel 0844-871 7624 www.donmarwarehouse.com 3 Dec to 5 Feb. Tickets £13 to £29 Derek Jacobi heads an exceptional cast in a new production of Shakespeare's most heartbreaking play at the Donmar. Matilda by Roald Dahl, adapted by Dennis Kelly Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire Tel 0844-800 1110 www.matildamusical.com 9 Nov to 30 Jan. Tickets £8 to £46 A new musical of Roald Dahl's much-loved children's classic, adapted by award-winning writer Dennis Kelly. Unusual fare, perhaps, for the RSC Christmas show, but the inventiveness and the high production values that are a hallmark of the company are sure to make Matilda a hit. Pocket Dream by William Shakespeare Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London Tel 020-7722 9301 www.hampsteadtheatre.com 21 to 24 Sept. Tickets £10 A scaled-down version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream brought to Hampstead by the brilliantly engaging Propeller company. Prince of Denmark by Michael Lesslie National Theatre, South Bank, London Tel 020-7452 3000 www.nationaltheatre.org.uk 14 to 26 Oct. Tickets at £5 To accompany the National's new production of Hamlet, a fresh, contemporary take on Shakespeare's tale joins the repertoire for a short time only. Performed by members of the National Youth Theatre and commissioned by the theatre's innovative Discover programme, Prince of Denmark might prove an ideal introduction to the story of Shakespeare's play. Punk Rock by Simon Stephens Lyceum Theatre, Tudor Square, Sheffield Tel 0114-249 6000 www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk 21 to 25 Sept. Tickets £10 to £25 Simon Stephens's coruscating examination of a group of articulate teens also tours to King's Theatre Edinburgh, Birmingham Rep, Salisbury Playhouse, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Oxford Playhouse, Curve Theatre and Warwick Arts Centre. RSC London Season Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London Tel 0844-482 8008 www.rsc.org.uk 30 Nov to 5 Feb. Tickets £8 to £40 The RSC ensemble, who have been working together since the beginning of 2009, bring a season of recent work to London's atmospheric Roundhouse, including new productions of Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter's Tale, and versions of Hamlet and The Comedy of Errors developed with young audiences in mind. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, adapted by Helen Edmunson Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol Tel 0117-987 7877 www.bristololdvic.org.uk 1 Dec to 15 Jan. Tickets £5 to £26 This new stage version of a classic tale of childhood promises much, not least because of the pedigree of the director and writer. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham Tel 0115-941 9419 www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk 24 Sept to 16 Oct. Tickets £7.50 to £26.50 War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London Tel 020-7452 3000 www.nationaltheatre.org.uk Until Feb 2011. Tickets £15 to £49.40 The National Theatre's hit show about the impact of the first world war on a young boy and his community continues to run at the New London Theatre. Worth a visit for the puppet horses and atmospheric songs, as well as the huge ambition of the storytelling. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, adapted by Alan Bennett Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne Tel 0191-230 5151 www.northernstage.co.uk 29 Nov to 8 Jan. Tickets £5.50 to £19.50 Next week: museums and galleries