The new season at Sheffield Theatres kicks off this week but this is no ordinary season; it is the first for artistic director, Robert Hastie.
Putting his money where his mouth is, Hastie has abolished booking fees and is offering 10,000 tickets at £15 and free tickets to local performing arts students.
To start the season, Hastie directs Julius Caesar on the Crucible stage, which is followed by the world première of Chris Bush’s new play What We Wished For presented by Sheffield People’s Theatre directed by Emily Hutchinson. In the same space Sam Yates directs Desire Under The Elms by Eugene O’Neill.
Work for the Studio includes the regional première of Nina Raine’s Tribes directed by Kate Hewitt, Sheffield Theatres and Bush Theatre co-production Of Kith And Kin written by Chris Thompson also directed by Robert Hastie and Sheffield Theatres and Theatr Clwyd co-production Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov in a new version by Peter Gill to be directed by Tamara Harvey.
The year closes with The Wizard Of Oz by L Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E Y Harburg.
The show is based on the movie of the same name and has background music by Herbert Stothart, and is adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hastie directs.