News: Almeida and Turbine reopen, Oleanna cast

The Almeida has announce their new programme of socially-distanced theatre for Christmas 2020 and into 2021:

Nine Lessons And Carols: stories for a long winter, a new production created by Associate Director Rebecca Frecknall, Chris Bush and a company of six actors – Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Katie Brayben, Toheeb Jimoh, Elliot Levey, Maimuna Memon and Luke Thallon.

The Maladies, performed by the Almeida Young Company (18-25), written by Carmen Nasr.

Hymn, a new play by Lolita Chakrabarti, featuring Adrian Lester and Danny Sapani.


On Thursday 5 November, Headlong in association with Coney will present the world premiere of The Ghost Caller a new short work by actor and playwright Luke Barnes (Bottleneck, No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution), recorded by David Morrissey (The Walking Dead, Singapore GripLeanne Best (Young Wallander, Line of Duty) and Jamal Ajala (ear for eye), directed by Headlong’s Associate Artistic Director, Holly Race Roughan.

An exploration of grief and loss in 2020, The Ghost Caller, will invite members of the public to text a number which will appear at sundown, projected onto the side of St Luke’s Bombed Out Church. Upon texting the number, audience members will receive a call and become part of an intimate theatrical experience.


Casting has been announced for David Mamet’s Oleanna, the final play in Theatre Royal Bath’s Welcome Back Season this Autumn. The provocative drama will play in the theatre’s main house from Wednesday 25 November to Saturday 12 December.

John Heffernan will play John and Rosie Sheehy will play Carol in the highly anticipated production which, in a change to original billing, will be directed by Lucy Bailey.

When David Mamet’s Oleanna opened nearly thirty years ago, it caused uproar amongst audiences from New York to London. Set on an American campus, a seemingly innocuous conversation between a college professor and his female student warps into a nightmare which threatens to destroy them both, when she files a claim of sexual harassment against him. With its take on the corrosive excesses of political correctness and exploration of the use and abuse of language, this is the ultimate drama of pupil power and student revenge.

Addressing issues which are strikingly current, this will be a fascinating opportunity to see this landmark play from the perspective of our #MeToo era.


Another theatre going for a reopening is Battersea’s Turbine Theatre which is plumping for adult panto to get people (over 18) through the doors. This version of Cinderella has quite the stagey pedigree being written by Jodie Prenger and Neil Hurst and directed by Lizzy Connolly.

Running from 26th November to 23rd December, the cast features Oscar Conlon-Morrey (an Ugly Sister), Rufus Hound (Buttons), Debbie Kurup (Prince Charming), Scott Paige (another Ugly Sister), Sean Parkins (a Fairy) and Daisy Wood-Davis (Cinderella).

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