All Hands On Deck, Captain Corelli, Home I’m Darling, Educating Rita
All Hands On Deck: A Tale Of Two Wrens – tour starts 13 April
Vashti Maclachlan’s All Hands On Deck: A Tale of Two Wrens pays tribute to the wartime women who pushed open the door to opportunity.
Christopher Arkeston, Elizabeth Robin, Joshua Cosidine and Rachel Benson make up the cast and the show is directed by Marianne McNamara. The composer and lyricist is Kieran Buckeridge and the musical director is Rebekah Hughes.
The show is presented by Yorkshire based Mikron Theatre Company which tours on a vintage narrowboat, taking shows to all types of venues.
All Hands On Deck: A Tale of Two Wrens visits Lawrence Batley Theatre Huddersfield, Meltham Carlile Community Hub Holmfirth, Cat Asylum Brewery Newark, Millgate Arts Centre Delph, Winsford Academy Theatre, The Leggers Inn Dewsbury, Our Lady Of Hope (Formally known as St Peter and Paul's Church) Manchester, Wetherby Whaler Guiseley, Stirley Community Farm Huddersfield, The Poppy and Pint Nottingham, Market Harborough Congregational Church Hall, The Amphitheatre Corby, Wharf Inn Welford, Nottingham Road and District Allotment Association Derby, Swan in the Rushes Loughborough, The Admiral Nelson Daventry, The Old Rectory Northampton, Lionhearts Cruising Club Milton Keynes, The Globe Inn Leighton Buzzard, The Waterwitch Odiham, The Rising Sun Berkhamsted, The Three Horseshoes Hemel Hempstead, Horsenden Farm Greenford, Hurley Riverside Park Picnic Grounds, Caversham Court Reading, The Rowbarge Reading, Randwick Village Hall Stroud, Donnington Parish Hall Chichester, Waterfront Cafe Benson, Goring Lock Goring, Alcester War Memorial Town Hall, Foundry Wood Leamington Spa, Eynsham Cricket Club Witney, The Wharf Inn Southam, The Two Boats Inn Southam, The Weighbridge Alvechurch, Tolson Museum Huddersfield, Square Chapel Centre for Arts Halifax, Clements Hall York, Georgian Theatre Royal Richmond, Old Malton War Memorial Hall, The Cluntergate Centre Wakefield, Threlkeld Village Hall Cumbria and Marsden Mechanics Hall Huddersfield with further performances to be confirmed.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – tour starts 13 April
Rona Munro has adapted Louis De Bernières’ best-selling novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin for the stage.
Alex Mugnaioni will play the title role with Madison Clare, Fred Fergus and Joseph Long. Completing the cast are Graeme Dalling, Ryan Donaldson, Ashley Gayle, Eliot Giuralarocca, Luisa Guerreiro, Kezrena James, Eve Polycarpou, John Sandeman, Stewart Scudamore, Kate Spencer and Elizabeth Mary Williams.
This WWII set love story is directed by Melly Still and has music composed by Harry Blake. The producers are Neil Laidlaw, Rose Theatre Kingston and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin previews at Leicester Curve then tours to Rose Theatre Kingston, Theatre Royal Bath, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, King’s Theatre Edinburgh and Glasgow Theatre Royal.
Home, I’m Darling – tour starts 16 April
Home, I’m Darling, which transferred from Theatr Clwyd to the National Theatre to London's West End, will do a short tour when the show closes next month.
This new play by Laura Wade is a co-production between the National Theatre and Theatr Clwyd with Fiery Angel and is directed by Theatre Clwyd's artistic director, Tamara Harvey.
Home, I’m Darling visits Theatre Royal Bath and The Lowry, Salford.
Educating Rita – tour starts 18 April
A new production of Educating Rita tours with Stephen Tompkinson as university tutor Frank, and introducing Jessica Johnson as hairdresser Rita who enrols on an Open University course to expand her horizons.
The play is directed by Max Roberts.
Commissioned in 1980 by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Willy Russell's play became a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning film starring Julie Walters who had played Rita on stage, and Michael Caine taking the role of Frank.
Stephen Tompkinson’s theatre work includes Spamalot, Rattle of a Simple Man and Arsenic and Old Lace, Cloaca, A Christmas Carol, Art and Tartuffe.
Jessica Johnson has previously played Rita in Rebecca Frecknall’s 2017 production of Educating Rita at the Gala Theatre, Durham. Her other theatre credits include Call Me Mary Poppins, Goth Weekend, Kings and Queens, Each Piece and Anti-Gravity.
The play is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers and co-produced by Theatre by the Lake.
Educating Rita opens at Theatre by the Lake Keswick then visits The Lowry Salford, Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Theatre Clwyd in Mold, Bath Theatre Royal, Salisbury Playhouse, Exeter Northcott, Eden Court Theatre Inverness, Wolverhampton Grand, Theatre Royal Wakefield and Sheffield Lyceum, with further venues to be announced.