Could you be the new Jerwood Resident Designer at Leeds Playhouse? This year-long paid placement, supported by the Jerwood Foundation and run with Leeds-based theatre company Tutti Frutti Productions, is a chance for an early-career, Yorkshire-based theatre designer to take their creativity to the next level. The ideal candidate will be a set and costume designer in the early stages of their career, aged 18 or over and based in West Yorkshire. This is an opportunity for a local artist to be surrounded by expertise; to build relationships, develop skills and create work on a larger scale – and to learn from highly-experienced designers and technicians. This is the third career-changing residency offered by the arts trio: in 2020-21 the resident-designer role was awarded to Bradford-based Warda Abbasi, and last year to West Yorkshire designer Delicia Sorhaindo. The placement begins in July, and the deadline for applications is May 13. Playhouse deputy artistic director Amy Leach said: “We feel blessed to have worked with Delicia and Warda, both brilliant designers who, I have no doubt, will have stellar careers. “We’re thrilled to be working with Jerwood and Tutti Frutti again to support local theatre designers. I'm constantly amazed by the depth and breadth of talent we have in our region.” More info here

Howard Ashman, Alan Menken Bolton Octagon, New Wolsey Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, Hull Truck Theatre co-production Bolton Octagon April 24-May 18, 2024 (also Hull Truck, May 22-June 8) One of the advantages of being a reviewer is that you get to see plays you missed. Menken and Ashman's 1982 Little Shop of Horrors had passed me by until this production. And it's a great surprise: funny, with wonderful lyrics and an exuberant cast, led by Oliver Mawdsley as a nerdy flower shop assistant who discovers a talent for growing people-eating, alien plants. Which, as this is set in capitalist, sensation-seeking America, inevitably leads to a massive expansion of the shop's clientele... In line with the tradition (eg Guys and Dolls) the other assistant, Audrey (Laura Jane Mathewson), realises her passion for sadistic dentist Orin (Mathew Ganley), is wrong-headed, and the only way to achieve her suburban nirvana is to embrace a man who can manage to calm Audrey II, the flesh-eating plant. As it's a US-set musical, the dentist is an arrogant, rich misogynist with a talent for embellishing his girl friend's face – and not with better teeth. Those who remember the dentist in the movie Marathon Man will recognise the rusty drill that is almost used to good/bad effect. And for those who remember the music of the 1950/60s, it leads to one of the funniest lines: "I'm the leader of the plaque" (note for younger readers - look up the Shangri-Las). The music is led by a trio with appropriate names – Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette (all names of US girl groups of the past). They are talented, if a little overpowering in the intimate setting of the renovated Octagon. As the audience is close to the action, with every seat having a great view, director Lotte Wakeham needs to sometimes moderate their enthusiasm. But that’s a small fault in a great bit of ensemble playing, with drumming and singing of a very high order. In the puppet plant – the star of the show – it's difficult to differentiate the puppeteer (Mathew Heywood) and the voice (Anton Stephans). The voice is wonderful, dark and earthy, as befits a plant, but the puppet itself is wonderful as it grows on its varied diet of nerdy blood and, even better, bits of dentist. I will look at my unnamed fern in our smallest room with new respect... This is great fun, and the audience responded with not-unwarranted shouts for more. Go and have a great time. More info and tickets here

Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre has appointed award-winning theatre maker Selina Cartmell as its first creative director. The new role is part of an extensive reorganisation of the theatre's management structure, part of which has involved the scrapping of artistic directors. Cartmell will take up her role in August, with her first programme beginning in 2026 for the theatre’s 50th anniversary year. Selina Cartmell grew up in Cumbria. She studied drama and history of art at Trinity College in Dublin and Glasgow University and graduated with an MA from Central School of Speech and Drama in advanced theatre directing. From 2016-2022 she was artistic director of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where she programmed and commissioned productions with leading Irish and International talent and grew audiences. As a freelance director her work has included Shakespeare, classic revivals, new writing, musical theatre and opera for venues including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court in London, the Unicorn, Curve Theatre in Leicester, the Lyric Belfast and the Abbey Theatre. She said: "I am thrilled to be joining the Royal Exchange at such an important and exciting time. As a teenager, I vividly remember the first time I sat in its unique and immersive auditorium and experienced the power of its artist-audience relationship. "My ambition for the Royal Exchange is for it to be an inclusive home that attracts the best of emerging and established talent to connect and inspire audiences and communities old and new." Royal Exchange Theatre chief executive Steve Freeman said: "I am excited about Selina’s appointment. She brings a wealth of experience and her inspiring vision excited us. She demonstrated a deep understanding and respect for the extraordinary artistic legacy of the Royal Exchange Theatre and is passionate about the theatre’s relationship with audiences." More info here

The Dukes award-winning outdoor walkabout theatre show returns to Lancaster’s Williamson Park (July 19-August 25), with a new version of Alice In Wonderland. Set against the backdrop of the spectacular park, which has views out across Morecambe Bay, the annual summer show is for audiences of all ages, and follows Alice through the park landscape, through a topsy-turvy wonderland featuring the mischievous Cheshire Cat, tyrannical Queen of Hearts and the rest of the Wonderland characters. The Dukes' new CEO, Chris Lawson (formerly artistic director and CEO of Oldham Coliseum), said: “We have a fantastic creative team working on this production and we're excited to present what will be a show full of fantastic family fun. "This will be my first time working with the Dukes team on the Play in the Park, but I'm excited to see what we create. These shows always sell fast!" More info and tickets here

Opera North and Leeds Playhouse's "loverly" cast for their production of classic musical My Fair Lady will be headed by John Hopkins (Masters Of The Air, Poldark, Midsummer Murders) as Professor Henry Higgins and soprano Katie Bird as Eliza Dolittle. Katie steps up from Opera North’s acclaimed chorus to sing some of the most popular songs in musical theatre, including Wouldn’t It Be Loverly? and I Could Have Danced All Night. The much-anticipated revival is at the Playhouse from May 31-June 29. James Brining, Playhouse artistic director and director of My Fair Lady, said: "I'm delighted with the talent we have brought together to retell this well-loved story. Our collaboration with Opera North should be a sumptuous feast for the senses." The musical follows Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform Eliza into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed? The production features the chorus and orchestra of Opera North, with additional guest artists performing classic songs including Get Me to the Church on Time, On the Street Where You Live and I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face. Recent musical theatre collaborations between Leeds Playhouse and Opera North include critically-acclaimed revivals of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods (2016) and A Little Night Music (2021/22).

While the future of a permanent theatre building for Oldham continues to be debated - will it be a new building, or will the original historic Oldham Coliseum in Fairbottom Street be rescued? - the team keeping the flame alive is bringing a 160-seat, pop-up theatre to the town centre this summer with a free welcome weekend this Saturday /Sunday, April 27-28 (10am-4pm, both days). Coliseum at the Roundabout, in the car park of the town centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall, will be home to a variety of live events and an artistic programme focusing on work made in Oldham. Free events this weekend include a drumming workshop, Mr Bubbles and a beatbox workshop. Over the coming months there will be opportunities for local community groups to use the space. Exisiting Coliseum groups, including Full Circle for the over 50s, Culture and Chips (an open group for discussions about arts and culture), and Roma Connections Ia project for Roma women), will also meet there. Cultivate, the Coliseum's week-long festival for anyone keen to get into the different areas of theatre, will be held and local theatremakers will be given a small budget to develop and showcase their work through Crafted at the Coliseum. August will see the return of the Khushi Festival. Named after the Urdu word for happiness, Khushi is an annual festival showcasing work by Oldham’s South Asian communities. More info here

Joan Littlewood Blackeyed Theatre Company Theatr Clwyd, The Mix April 23-27, 2024, 2 hrs This production is a timely revival to mark 60 years since Joan Littlewood's iconic production, which actually celebrated its 60th anniversary last year - the show has been touring since last September. The original Oh What a Lovely War aimed to capture the futility of warfare in World War I - waged by generals with little clue what they wanted to achieve and how it would affect the millions of volunteer and conscripted soldiers being manipulated by them. "Lions led by donkeys" was the famous phrase. This production did this admirably, yet was less successful in capturing the blind devotion to King and country that saw millions take the King's shilling merely because everyone else was doing so. The cast - Tom Benjamin, Tom Crabtree, Harry Curley, Alice E Mayer, Ghioma Uma and Euan Wilson, each playing multiple roles - is excellent. They are full of energy and enthusiasm and demonstrate copious talent, moving seamlessly from acting to playing various instruments. The team shows great imagination and sensitivity, interacting strongly with the audience. Stand out moments include the rendition of Keep the Home Fires Burning by Gioma Uma, and the ramping-up of tension as the show tells the events of the famed football match in the trenches between opposing forces in 1914. It helps if you have a working knowledge of the events of World War 1. The action is so fast-paced at times that some of it is hard to follow, and while the statistics, cleverly displayed at the entrance to a trench, are shocking, sometimes they are hard to read. The roots of this production lie in the original production, improvised by Littlewood and her famous company Theatre Workshop. The action here captures the not-terribly-subtle satire of the original, with the same clown costumes, make-up and end-of-the-pier-show style that was still popular in the 1960s, and the same nostalgic songs - It’s a Long Way to Tipperary and I Don’t Want to be a Soldier among them - to increase the pathos. Even if you don't pick up every last nuance, this play is an excellent watch, no less effective at highlighting the savagery of war and the seemingly inconsiderate attitudes of the powers that be than it was 60 years ago. It leaves the audience in no doubt about its intentions. More info and tickets here

A new UK tour of musical Judy & Liza opens for a week-long run at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre (May 28-June 2), ahead of visits to Wales, Runcorn, the North East, New Brighton, Leeds and venues wider afield. Charting the careers and relationship between Hollywood mother and daughter Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, the production tells the turbulent tale of the stars against the backdrop of their infamous 1964 London Palladium concert, an emotional rollercoaster as they reveal the uncanny parallels between some of their most iconic songs and their personal lives. The show is created and written by Emma Dears, who also plays Liza. Liverpool-born Emma’s acting career began when she was nine, touring the UK in the title role of Annie. Her West End roles have included Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Oliver. Helen Sheals - widely known for her roles in Coronation Street and Downton Abbey - is no stranger to portraying Judy Garland, having previously played the title role in the West End musical Judy!. Her extensive theatre includes Merry Wives and King Lear for Northern Broadsides; The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Shirley Valentine, as well as many TV roles. Producer Bill Elms said: “It’s a show very close to my heart; I worked on the first run 12 years ago. We can promise audiences an entertaining and memorable experience with some fantastic music." “The show is full of love, heartache and passion," said Emma. "Helen and I have worked to make sure we get every tiny detail right." More info and tickets here

Liverpool's Everyman Theatre will celebrate its birthday year with a revival of Willy Russell’s mega-hit Shirley Valentine (March 1-29, 2025), featuring Liverpool actress Helen Carter as Shirley. At 42, Shirley's zest for life is missing; she has an empty nest, an emotionally-distant husband and only "the wall" for company. When her best friend offers the trip of a lifetime to Greece, Shirley jumps at the chance to go... Originally commissioned and staged by the theatre in 1986, the play is now one of the most successful one-woman plays and films ever staged. Announcing the news, Willy Russell said: “I’m delighted to be back at the Everyman, a theatre that holds a special place in my heart. As it has done for so many writers, actors and directors in its 60-year history, the Everyman gave me my first opportunities as a writer. "I can’t wait to work on bringing the play back home and seeing Shirley on the boards on which she was born”. Willy Russell is one of the most celebrated and widely-produced writers of his generation, with works regularly seen across the globe. He has had a long association with the Everyman, which staged his breakthrough play John Paul George Ringo… & Bert in 1974, which transferred to the West End and won several awards. Further stage plays at the Everyman have included Breezeblock Park (1975) and Stags and Hens (1978). After huge international success with Blood Brothers and Educating Rita, Russell returned to the Everyman in 1986 to write Shirley Valentine. Originally commissioned by the Everyman for the theatre’s 21st birthday by artistic director Glen Walford, Shirley Valentine opened with Noreen Kershaw in the title role and Glen directing. The show enjoyed huge success and an extended run. Playing Shirley for the celebratory production, Helen Carter has several stage credits at the Everyman and Playhouse, including The Flint Street Nativity, Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi, No Wise Men, The Star, A Christmas Carol and Dead Heavy Fantastic. She most recently appeared at Liverpool’s Royal Court in Boys from the Blackstuff, soon to be seen at the National Theatre. Director Stephen Fletcher has also worked extensively at the Royal Court as a writer and director. He has performed in three of Willy Russell's plays, Breezeblock Park, Our Day Out and Stags and Hens and alongside Helen in The Last 5 Years and Dead Heavy Fantastic. Theatre CEEO Mark Da Vanzo said: “Bringing Willy’s celebrated Shirley home is the perfect end to our 60th birthday year. It’s a huge honour for us all to be working again with Willy and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not just the Everyman’s past but look confidently to its future as well”. Tickets for the show go on general sale from noon on May 1, priority booking from April 26. More info here

A show filled with original stories from the lives of older people returns to Leeds Playhouse this week. The Performance Ensemble developed Sinfonia as part of 1001 Stories, a festival that celebrated age and ageing at the Playhouse for LEEDS 2023, the Year of Culture. Directed by Alan Lyddiard, the 2024 production, at Leeds Playhouse's Courtyard Theatre on April 26-27, features new stories and performers in a more intimate show that will be performed in Leeds, Doncaster and Barrow. Local performers will share tales of activism and politics, love and family, told by the generation that pioneered punk, fronted marches and invented the internet. Alan Lyddiard, who is the company's artistic director, said: “We’ve been creating high quality performances with people aged over 60 for years now, giving a voice to generations that have been forgotten. These people have full lives and experiences worth sharing and we are revealing and celebrating them in new, beautiful and emotive ways.” The ensemble has just become an Arts council England National Portfolio Organisation, which neans it is guaranteed national funding. "We want to say life doesn’t stop as you get older," said Alan, who himself is 73. "In becoming an NPO we have been able to offer 12 new roles in the company to people usually closer to considering retirement; each of them bringing a lifetime of expertise and enthusiasm.” More info here

Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot will celebrate the Bard’s birthday on April 27 with a packed open day of workshops and drop-in sessions for all ages, from masterclasses with renowned Shakespearean practitioner Ben Crystal to poetry workshops and storytelling. Crystal will be offering actors across the Liverpool region a workshop of text exploration, while director Chris Tomlinson will host workshops for 14 to 18-year-olds, exploring some of Shakespeare's most famous characters and scenes. TV writer Mandy Redvers Rowe will host Writing With Shakespeare’s Words for 11 to 14-year-olds, in which participants will use some of the many words that Shakespeare invented to create new pieces of writing. For visitors aged 4-8, Story Telling with OG the Giant will be running throughout the day, as will children’s drama sessions for 8 to 11-year-olds. In the evening, Becoming Othello by Debra Ann Byrd is an autobiographical solo show that chronicles the trials and triumphs of her life, including her encounter with a troupe of Shakespearean actors and her journey to playing Othello. This year’s open day progamme has been aided by the Our Town’s Sound project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This year-long project focuses on the way language has developed in the local areas of Prescot, Knowsley and Merseyside, and is inspired by the idea that Shakespeare is credited with creating or adding 750 new words or phrases to our language. The project is uncovering how language has changed in the area, and the open day will offer a selection of workshops and drop-in sessions focused on the theme. One is a telephone box installation in the theatre cafe, in which visitors will be able to record messages about language unique to the local area. More information, including timings and tickets, here

Ben Duke Rambert The Lowry April 18-20, 2024; 1hr 40mins (also Newcastle Theatre Royal, April 25-26) This Lowry double-bill lasts 100 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. Of this time there is about 50% dancing, with the rest an ironic take on the idiotic questions asked by interviewers... ("And how did you feel when Eurydice died?"), or rather good music, sung by Sheree Dubois. In fact to my eyes the second piece should really have been billed as a Nina Simone concert, with the odd bit of dance to accompany it. Rambert changed its name from Ballet Rambert some years ago, and this piece seems to sum up the change. When you have some of the best contemporary dancers in Britain, who possess an ability to express all kinds of deep emotions, it seems a shame to under-use them. Director Ben Duke has built a reputation for incorporating all aspects of musical and dance theatre into his work, but in these two pieces he appears to have forgotten that dance audiences come to see great dancers using their skills. We may wish to be amused, but not at the expense of the creativity of the dance. But amid the dross there are moments of wonder. Again the dancers seem able to overcome the restraints of the production to show what they could have done for the audience. In the first half there is a wonderful piece of movement as the troupe show how to fly through the auditorium without artificial aids but using their whole body to produce a moment of magic. It's invidious to pick out individuals, but any dancer who can entrance while using a stick to balance takes your breath away. Some of the ideas - such as the use of a dancer attached to a rope, moving across the stage to the sound of a drummer (Romana Campbell) to illustrate the process of the inevitable transition of life to death, play well. But that’s because they use the skills of the dancers to good effect. If only the lesson had been followed through. So, if you like music by Nina Simone, the second half is great. If you don’t mind watching an interviewer asking strange questions and getting strange answers then the two wonderful small pieces of dance in each half could be sufficient. But if you want the experience of creative expression through physical movement, this may not be your best choice. More info and tickets here

Bolton's Octagon Theatre is making attending the theatre more accessible for more people by offering hundreds of £4 tickets a year to Bolton residents on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, or living in low-income households. Working with local partner organisations, the scheme will take price out of the equation for many people who like theatre but can't afford to go. Any Bolton resident on Universal Credit or Pension Credit or referred by one of the Octagon’s ticket access partners will be able to buy £4 tickets for any of the Octagon's home-produced shows. Bolton is currently the 34th most-deprived local authority in the country, with 37 per cent of local young people living in poverty. The scheme will offer over 1,000 £4 tickets every year, and follws the declaration of Bolton as Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture. The £4 offer is in addition to thousands of £15 tickets available throughout the year, giving the Octagon some of the lowest theatre prices in the UK. Chief Executive Roddy Gauld commented: “Our audiences tell us what fantastic value the Octagon is, but the price can still be a barrier for some, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. We are proud to offer some of the most affordable theatre tickets in the country. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the magic of live theatre.” More info here

One of the newly-resurrected London City Ballet's inaugural tour stops will be at York Theatre Royal, (September 6-7). After a 30-year gap, the company was revived last year and the new company's first UK tour features a revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972, one-act ballet Ballade, not seen in Europe for over 50 years, and a new commission by Olivier-award winner Arielle Smith. The original company closed in 1996, having been based at Sadler’s Wells, London and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives – Diana, Princess of Wales was its Royal patron. Meanwhile, Ockham’s Razor, the UK’s foremost circus theatre company, brings Tess, a new vision of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles (May 8-11). The show uses the original text, combined with the physical language of circus as the performers wield wooden planks, shift walls, ropes and swathes of linen to make sets that unfold and which the cast balance upon, climb, carry and construct. Also coming this autumn is the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) from November 4-9. The show won the Best Comedy Olivier Award in 2022 and is an audacious retelling of Austen’s iconic love story. New play Wonder Boy (October 29-November 2) by Ross Willis is on its first tour after receiving acclaim when it premiered at Bristol Old Vic in 2022. Directed by Olivier sward-winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls), it tells the story of 12-year-old Sonny, who creates a superhero to help him with his stammer. More info and tickets here