Back to News & Press King Charles III nominated for five Tony Awards Monday 2 May 2016 The show received the following nominations: Best Play – King Charles III by Mike Bartlett Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play– Tim Pigott-Smith Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play - Richard Goulding Best Direction of a Play – Rupert Goold Best Costume Design of a Play – Tom Scutt The 70th Annual Tony Awards® will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre in New York City, Sunday, June 12 on the CBS Television Network. For a full list of nominees, visit www.tonyawards.com Up Up

Back to News & Press Hamlet to transfer to Harold Pinter Theatre in June Monday 27 March 2017 Olivier Award-winning director, Robert Icke ’s (Mary Stuart , The Red Barn , Uncle Vanya , Oresteia , Mr Burns and 1984 ), ground-breaking and electrifying production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , starring BAFTA award-winner Andrew Scott (Moriarty in BBC’s Sherlock, Denial, Spectre, Design For Living and Cock) in the title role, will transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre, following a critically acclaimed and sell out run at the Almeida Theatre. Hamlet will run for a limited season only from 9 June to 2 September 2017 with press night on Thursday 15 June. Hamlet is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group (Sunday In The Park With George , Buried Child , Oresteia ), Sonia Friedman Productions and the Almeida Theatre (Chimerica , Ghosts , King Charles III , 1984 , Oresteia ), who are renowned for introducing groundbreaking, critically acclaimed transfers to the West End. Rupert Goold , Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre said "We’re delighted that with this transfer more people will be able to experience our production of Hamlet . Robert, Andrew, and the entire Hamlet company have created an unforgettable Shakespeare which we’re looking forward to sharing even more widely over the summer in partnership with Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG.” Robert Icke , Director (and Almeida Theatre Associate Director) said “It has been such a thrill to work with Andrew and the extraordinary company of Hamlet on this play so far, and I'm delighted we're going to continue our work on this play in the West End this summer. I'm also extremely proud to be working with the Almeida and our producers, Adam Speers from ATG and Sonia Friedman, to be able to present this play in a way that genuinely throws the doors open to a bigger range of audience members. In an increasingly expensive industry, I can't tell you how brilliant it is for them to commit to having 300 tickets priced at under £30 at every single show." Andrew Scott , playing Hamlet, "I'm so thrilled and honoured to be playing this extraordinary role with these brilliant actors in Rob's stunning production. We have been overwhelmed with the reaction to our interpretation of Hamlet and I'm so happy that we can share it with a larger audience. This is a play full of heart, compassion and humanity. I'm so happy that we are able to offer 300 tickets for under £30 to every performance in the West End run to allow everybody a chance to see the play." The confirmed cast for the transfer of Robert Icke ’s production includes Marty Cruickshank (Player Queen), Jessica Brown Findlay (Ophelia), Calum Finlay (Rosencrantz), Joshua Higgott (Horatio), Daniel Rabin (Reynaldo), David Rintoul (Ghost/Player King), Andrew Scott (Hamlet), Juliet Stevenson (Gertrude), Luke Thompson (Laertes), Peter Wight (Polonius), Angus Wright (Claudius) and Matthew Wynn (Bernardo/Player 3/Priest). Further cast will be announced in due course. Hamlet was design by Hildegard Bechtler , with lighting by Natasha Chivers , sound by Tom Gibbons , and video design by Tal Yarden . The Associate Director is Daniel Raggett . Casting is by Julia Horan . Multi award-winning Director, Robert Icke , has adapted/directed at the Almeida Theatre Mary Stuart , Uncle Vanya , Oresteia (also West End, and for which Icke won the Critics' Circle, Evening Standard and Olivier Award for Best Director) and the multi-award-winning 1984 with Duncan Macmillan (also West End as well as playing several UK and international tours, and a forthcoming Broadway run at the newly opened Hudson Theater). His work as a director includes The Fever at The May Fair Hotel, Mr Burns at the Almeida, Boys and Romeo and Juliet for Headlong. He made his National Theatre debut directing The Red Barn , at the Lyttelton Theatre in October 2016 starring Mark Strong and Elizabeth Debicki. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman Productions nominated for this years BAFTA’s Tuesday 29 March 2022 ‘Together’ starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan, written by Dennis Kelly, directed by Stephen Daldry and produced by Shoebox Films, Sonia Friedman Productions, BBC Film/BBC Two has been nominated in the single drama category. Together is available to watch on BBC iPlayer ‘People You May Know’, starring Lydia West and Arthur Darvill, written by James Graham, directed by Juliet Riddell and produced by FT film, Sonia Friedman Productions and supported by Luminate, has been nominated in the short form category. To watch the film click here A full list of nominations can be found here Up Up

Back to News & Press The Inheritance wins South Bank Sky Arts Award Sunday 7 July 2019 This latest win adds to The Inheritance ’s accolades having already picked up Best Play at the 2019 Olivier Awards, Critics’ Circle Awards, Evening Standard Theatre Awards and WhatsOnStage Awards. Matthew Lopez ’s The Inheritance , directed by Stephen Daldry , transfers to Broadway this autumn where it begins previews on 27th September. As part of his acceptance speech, Matthew Lopez commented, ‘Thank you for this. I’m incredibly proud to win this award the same weekend that London (the hometown of my heart) is celebrating Pride. My play is about the legacy of AIDS and its effects on the lives of gay men. But this weekend most especially I pray for a cornucopia of new queer theatre in the coming seasons to challenge us, delight us, to uplift and amplify the voices of everyone in our community. The Inheritance is just one chapter in a bigger saga that is still being written. We must support more queer writers of color. We must support trans writers and theatre artists, we must seek out the 7-hour play about lesbian history and the lives of queer woman. Until all our voices are heard, the success of The Inheritance will have been pointless. Please seek out our stories. We are desperate to tell them. Thank you for this award. Thank you London for embracing our play with such ferocious love. Happy Pride!’ Up Up

Back to News & Press Further casting announced for Shakespeare in Love Tuesday 22 April 2014 Ian Bartholomew will play Tilney, Tony Bell will play Ralph, Anna Carteret will play Queen Elizabeth, Paul Chahidi will play Henslowe, David Ganley will play Burbage, Richard Howard will play Sir Robert De Lesseps, Harry Jardine will play Sam, Abigail McKern will play Nurse, David Oakes will play Marlowe, Patrick Osborne will play Mr Wabash, Alistair Petrie will play Wessex,Doug Rao will play Ned Alleyn, Ferdy Roberts will play Fennyman and Colin Ryan will play John Webster. They are joined by an ensemble including Daisy Boulton, Ryan Donaldson, Janet Fullerlove, Sandy Murray, Timothy O’Hara, Thomas Padden, Elliott Rennie, Charlie Tighe andTim Van Eyken who will also be musical director. Gaiety will play Crab the dog. Further casting is still to be announced. They join the previously announced Tom Bateman who will play Will Shakespeare and Lucy Briggs-Owen who will play Viola De Lesseps. Based on the Academy Award®-winning screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard,Shakespeare in Love has been adapted for the stage by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot). Featuring a company of 30 actors and musicians, this new play will be directed by Declan Donnellan and designed by Nick Ormerod, the driving force behind the world-renowned theatre company, Cheek by Jowl. Shakespeare in Love will be produced by Disney and Sonia Friedman Productions. Shakespeare in Love has its world premiere at the Noël Coward Theatre on Wednesday 23 July 2014, with previews from 2 July. Promising young playwright Will Shakespeare is tormented by writer’s block until he finds his muse in the form of passionate noblewoman, Viola De Lesseps. Their forbidden love draws many others, including Queen Elizabeth, into the drama and inspires Will to write the greatest love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet. This sweeping romantic comedy will transport you back to Shakespeare’s London, teeming with vibrant colours, characters, music and life. Oh, and there’s a bit with a dog! Up Up

Back to News & Press Final Weeks of Twelfth Night & Richard III at The Apollo Theatre Friday 18 January 2013 Following a sold-out run at Shakespeare’s Globe, the all-male productions transferred to the West End in November. The productions use original Shakespearean practices with on-stage seating, and are lit by over 100 candles. An additional week of performances was announced in September last year and a number of Day Seats at £10 each go on sale from the Box Office, in person, from 10am on the day of each performance. Designs are by Jenny Tiramani and music is by Claire van Kampen, who along with Director Tim Carroll, were the creative team behind the Globe’s original 2002 version of Twelfth Night. David Plater designed the lighting for the transfer. The Shakespeare’s Globe productions are produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Shakespeare Road, 1001 Nights, Bob Bartner & Norman Tulchin, Rupert Gavin and Adam Blanshay. Twelfth Night The full cast for Twelfth Night is Samuel Barnett (Sebastian), Liam Brennan (Orsino), Paul Chahidi, (Maria), John Paul Connolly (Antonio), Ian Drysdale (Priest and Valentine), Peter Hamilton Dyer (Feste), Johnny Flynn (Viola), Stephen Fry (Malvolio), James Garnon (Fabian), Colin Hurley (Sir Toby Belch), Roger Lloyd Pack (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Mark Rylance (Olivia), Jethro Skinner (Captain and Officer) and Ben Thompson (Curio). In the household of Olivia, two campaigns are being quietly waged – one by the lovelorn Duke Orsino against the heart of the indifferent Olivia; the other by an alliance of servants and hangers-on against the high-handedness of her steward, the pompous Malvolio. When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a bittersweet chain of events follows. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, Twelfth Night combines cruelty with high comedy and the pangs of unrequited love with some of the subtlest poetry and most exquisite songs Shakespeare ever wrote. Richard III The full cast for Richard III is Samuel Barnett (Queen Elizabeth), Liam Brennan (Clarence and the Lord Mayor), Paul Chahidi (Hastings and Tyrrell), John Paul Connolly (First Murderer and Ratcliff), Ian Drysdale (Scrivener/Rivers/Blunt), Peter Hamilton Dyer (Brakenbury and Catesby), Johnny Flynn (Lady Anne and Grey), James Garnon (Richmond and Duchess of York), Colin Hurley (King Edward IV and Stanley) and Roger Lloyd Pack (Duke of Buckingham), Mark Rylance (Richard III), Jethro Skinner (Second Murderer and Messenger) and Ben Thompson (Dorset and Bishop of Ely). Richard Duke of Gloucester is determined that he should wear the crown of England. He has already despatched one king and that king’s son; now all that stand in his way are two credulous brothers and two helpless nephews – the Princes in the Tower. And woe betide those – the women he wrongs, the henchmen he betrays – who dare to raise a voice against him. Monstrous, but theatrically electric, Richard is Shakespeare’s most charismatic, self-delighting villain, revelling at every moment in his homicidal, hypocritical journey to absolute power. Up Up

Back to News & Press Casting update for West End transfer of Lucy Kirkwood's five star Chimerica Monday 1 July 2013 The cast comprises Stephen Campbell Moore, Benedict Wong, Claudie Blakley, Elizabeth Chan, Vera Chok, Karl Collins, Trevor Cooper, Nancy Crane, Sean Gilder, Sarah Lam, Andrew Leung and David K. S. Tse, all of whom will reprise their roles in the West End. Set designs are by Es Devlin with costumes by Christina Cunningham, lighting by Tim Lutkin, sound by Carolyn Downing and video design by Finn Ross. Tiananmen Square, 1989. As tanks roll through Beijing and soldiers hammer on his hotel door, Joe – a young American photojournalist – captures a piece of history. When a cryptic message is left in a Beijing newspaper more than 20 years later, Joe is driven to discover the truth behind the unknown hero he captured on film. Who was he? What happened to him? And could he still be alive? Chimerica is a Headlong and Almeida Theatre co-production produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Bartner & Norman Tulchin, Jean Doumanian and the Almeida Theatre. Up Up

Back to News & Press Louis McCartney to reprise his award-winning performance as 'Henry Creel' on Broadway in the Olivier Award-winning theatrical event Stranger Things: The First Shadow Thursday 24 October 2024 Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions are thrilled to announce that Louis McCartney will reprise his award-winning, universally acclaimed performance as ‘Henry Creel’ in the Olivier Award-winning, “mega five-star hit” (Sunday Times) theatrical event STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW , which will mark his Broadway debut. Louis McCartney made his professional stage debut originating the role of ‘Henry Creel’ in the West End production of STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW , which earned him The Stage 2024 Debut Award for Best Performer in a Play and the Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer. His titanic performance was heralded as “excellent” by Time Out, “spellbinding” by the Daily Telegraph and “one of the most breathtaking debut performances in the West End” by Deadline. Louis McCartney will play his final performance in the West End production of STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW on Sunday, November 10, 2024. Director Stephen Daldry and Co-Director Justin Martin said, “Louis is an astonishing actor, and we are unbelievably proud of the incredible life he has breathed into the role of Henry Creel onstage in the West End. From the moment we first met him, we knew he was special, and we are thrilled that Broadway audiences will have the opportunity to witness his extraordinary performance.” Additional casting will be announced at a later date. STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW will begin performances Friday, March 28, 2025 and officially open Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre (210 West 46th Street). Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers , Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry , and rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon, STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW is a new play written by Kate Trefry , directed by Stephen Daldry and co-directed by Justin Martin . Before the world turned upside down. Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy…and the shadows of the past have a very long reach. From Netflix and the multi-award-winning Broadway producer Sonia Friedman Productions comes STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW. Winner of two Olivier Awards including Best Entertainment, this landmark production is brought to life by an award-winning creative team including director Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Inheritance, The Hours, The Reader) and co-director Justin Martin (Prima Facie, The Inheritance). With stunning special effects, extraordinary performances, and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this gripping, stand-alone adventure will take you right back to the beginnings of the Stranger Things story. Tickets are now on sale at www.StrangerThingsBroadway.com and start at $86. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman on juggling Mean Girls and Dreamgirls Thursday 6 December 2018 Throw a stone in the West End and you'll probably hit a Sonia Friedman production. With Dreamgirls , The Book of Mormon and Harry Potter and The Cursed Child among her current credits (and that really is naming just a few), the producer has a CV that speaks for itself. The 53-year-old has been described as the most powerful person in theatre by The Stage and named as one of Time's 100 most influential people. "She knows what audiences want to see, even before they do," said James Corden earlier this year. "As we spend more time on great digital experiences... we will start to crave great live experiences too. There is no one better to deliver them than Sonia Friedman." But, when speaking to BBC News, the producer plays down her own success. "These lists are great, I love it, and it's fun - for a moment. Literally a moment. And then you're back to the hard work," she says. "You're looking at me now, I've still got puffy eyes, I'm still exhausted, I'm still insecure, I'm still really worrying about what next, I still don't believe any of [the success] is real, because the thing that keeps me going is that this could end at any point. "I work on the basis that everything is going to go wrong. So that means most things don't go wrong because I'm always trying to circumvent it." The hard work Friedman refers to involves countless transatlantic trips, in order to keep her finger on the pulse of the theatre industry both on Broadway and in the West End. Indeed, one such flying visit to London early this year resulted in her seeing a show she would go on to transfer to the West End - Summer and Smoke . The play was on at the Almeida at the time, and after receiving a tip-off from her staff, Friedman used her only night off during her trip to see it. Relative to A Streetcar Named Desire or The Glass Menagerie , Summer and Smoke is one of Tennessee Williams's lesser known and more experimental plays. Set in Mississippi in summer, it tells the story of Alma, a nervy preacher's daughter, and her relationship with John - a young and angry neighbour whose scene is more sex and alcohol. "Summer and Smoke certainly doesn't belong in the top drawer of Tennessee Williams's plays," said Charles Spencer in The Telegraph when it was last performed in the West End in 2006. While critics generally praised the production itself, Michael Billington also noted in The Guardian the play was "not vintage Tennessee". Which perhaps raises the question of why it's been revived now, and indeed why Friedman earmarked it as having West End potential. "I think there's an assumption that if a Tennessee Williams play is not known, it means it's not good enough, or as good as his other works," Friedman says. "And I think what [director] Rebecca Frecknall has done is released the play through her expressionistic production. She's freed the play. "And I found it very inspiring, very moving, this play about body vs. soul, and how two people who have this incredible connection, can't come together." The latest production of the play has received a warm response from critics, with five star reviews from Time Out, The Telegraph and WhatsOnStage. So - let's get down to what a producer actually does. "I have two main roles," explains Friedman. "One is to have an idea, and to put together the creative team with the play, which might be a new play, a commission, an option, an adaptation or a revival. "The other side is the business model. The scale, the budget, the finance, the positioning, the marketing, the theatre, the timing, the scheduling, the staffing, the contracting, the negotiating." In the case of transfers, as opposed to works her company originates, Friedman says she tries not to interfere too much with the heart and soul of the original production. "I don't want to change what I've seen, because that's what I've seen and that's what I love. "My objective is for it to be even better than, more superlative, to move into the space, and for that new space to feel as natural as the original space." When she topped The Stage's power list in 2017, the newspaper's print editor Alistair Smith said the previous year's launch of Harry Potter had seen her career reach a different level. "Sonia Friedman has enjoyed a number of notable hits in recent years... but in 2016, she went stratospheric," he said. "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was always likely to be a licence to print money. What has made it really special was that Friedman and her fellow creatives resisted the temptation to treat the production as a cash cow and created something truly magical, original and - above all - theatrical." In the US, one of Sonia's recent Broadway projects involved bringing Mean Girls to the stage - a 2004 movie starring Lindsay Lohan, which was partly based on Rosalind Wiseman's Queen Bees and Wannabes, a self-help book published in 2002. "That was really interesting to me because of the world we now live in, and social media. And how young girls are coping with the pressure to be perfect and the trolling and the bullying, even though it was set a long time before all of that," she says. "We worked with Tina Fey to update the book and that was what really excited me about the project; can a story that was so powerful to a generation before social media, still be relevant, and have the same poignancy? And it does." With so many shows to oversee, there's arguably a risk that quality is compromised. But, Friedman says: "I don't worry about quality control because that's the bit I'm involved in. "The area I miss having is that I'm less available to enjoy the good times. "I'm less available to pop in and out of the dressing rooms. To watch the shows multiple times. To go to cast drinks and parties. "And actually that's the great challenge of this phase of my career. I went into theatre to create families, to create companies, to immerse myself in other stories, and now I can't." Up Up

Back to News & Press Finalist scripts announced for the Women's Prize for Playwriting 2021 Wednesday 19 January 2022 The Prize is designed to celebrate and support exceptional playwrights who identify as female by providing them with a national platform. The Prize is awarded to a full-length play (defined as over 60 minutes in length), written in English, and the winning playwright wins £12,000. The Prize is sponsored by Samuel French Ltd , a Concord Theatricals company, who are the official publishing partner of the prize. The founding sponsor of the Prize was PER People . In its inaugural year two First Prizes of £12,000 were awarded. Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg premiered at Kiln Theatre to critical acclaim in May 2021, directed by Charlotte Bennett. An audio version was produced by Audible the following month. You Bury Me by Ahlam, directed by Katie Posner, had a staged reading at the Lyceum Theatre in August as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Ellie Keel , Founder Director of The Women’s Prize for Playwriting, today said, “'I couldn't be more proud of this list and the writers on it. The Women's Prize for Playwriting is above all an adventure, and these plays embody that spirit of adventure, challenge, and artistry in a glorious and exciting way. Here we are, hopefully coming to the end of the pandemic and easing into a period of recovery, and I know that all of these plays are worthy of enriching this new phase and being amazing pieces of theatre for audiences in the UK and Ireland .” Katie Posner and Charlotte Bennett , joint Artistic Directors of Paines Plough, added, “From 850 to 8 plays, we are so excited to share the finalists for this year’s Women’s Prize for Playwriting. The plays couldn’t be more different - each transport you to another world full of characters you can love and loathe, ideas that push the boundaries of your imagination and stories that stay with you for a long time afterwards. We can’t wait to celebrate these incredible women with our phenomenal judging panel” Jessica McVay , Emily Carewe and Charlie Lees-Massey from 45North said, “We are thrilled to platform this incredible selection of finalist scripts for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2021. They are representative of the unique, electrifying, and diverse voices of female writers in our industry, and we cannot wait to see them all on large stages across the UK. ” The judges for this year’s Prize are Arifa Akbar , Mel Kenyon (Chair), Lucy Kirkwood , Jasmine Lee-Jones , Winsome Pinnock , Indhu Rubasingham , Jenny Sealey , Nina Steiger , Nicola Walker and Jodie Whittaker . The list of finalist are: MOUNTAIN WARFARE by Abi Zakarian Birdie by Alison Carr A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong by Isabella Leung FURIES by Isley Lynn Consumed by Karis Kelly upright enuf by lydia luke 4 Decades by Paula B Stanic HOW I LEARNED TO SWIM by Somebody Jones The winner(s) will be announced at a ceremony in London in early March. More details about each of the writers can be found on www.womensprizeforplaywriting.co.uk Twitter: @WomensPlayPrize Up Up

Back to Productions CONSENT This production first began performances on 18th May and closed on 11th August 2018. ★★★★★ A Modern Classic… a hotly topical play with as much human life as we’ve seen on the West End stage for a long time The Times Why is Justice blind? Is she impartial? Or is she blinkered? Friends take opposing briefs in a contentious legal case. The key witness is a woman whose life seems a world away from theirs. At home, their own lives begin to unravel as every version of the truth is challenged. ★★★★★ Sharp. Heartfelt. Multi-layered. Observer Nina Raine ’s ‘blistering new play’ (New York Times ), directed by Roger Michell , makes a triumphant and timely transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre this May, following a sold-out season at the National Theatre. This ‘tense, entertaining modern-day tragi-comedy’ (Daily Telegraph ) takes a searing look at the law whilst putting modern relationships into the dock. ★★★★★ Powerful. One of Nina Raine's most enjoyable and intelligent plays. Unreservedly recommended Independent CAST CLAUDIE BLACKLEY SIAN CLIFFORD STEPHEN CAMPBELL MOORE HEATHER CRANEY CLAIRE FOSTER LEE INGLEBY ADAM JAMES CREATIVES NINA RAINE – Playwright ROGER MICHELL – Director HILDEGARD BECHTLER – Set Designer DINAH COLLIN – Costume Designer RICK FISHER – Lighting Designer KATE WHITLEY – Music Designer JOHN LEONARD – Sound Designer AMY BALL CDG – Casting

Back to News & Press GQ and Editorial Intelligence's 100 Most Connected Women 2014 Thursday 10 April 2014 Having led more than 130 new productions, and with Tony and Olivier Awards to her name, Friedman has been described as a "peerless powerhouse" of the theatre. Read the full article here . Up Up