Peter Ackroyd News

"Art isn't easy," Stephen Sondheim wrote famously in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Some artists, however, make it look simpler than others--like composer Kevin Puts, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for SILENT NIGHT, with Mark Campbell's libretto, for his first try at the notoriously difficult art form. (The Southeast premiere is opening at Atlanta Opera on November 5.) Easy? Well, looks can be deceiving.

Do you remember that cataclysmal moment in the Stanley Kubrick film of Stephen King's “The Shining,” when Jack Nicholson axes his way through the bathroom door and says, wild-eyed, “Here's Johnny!” Well, you won't find it in King's book--or in Mark Campbell's libretto for THE SHINING, the new opera written with composer Paul Moravec and directed by Eric Simonson, opening May 7 at the Minnesota Opera as part of its New Works Initiative.

As a big fan of Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, I'm eagerly anticipating this Sunday's premiere of the BBC adaptation on PBS Masterpiece.

Ros Povey, Zoe Simpson and Seabright Productions present Simon Callow in the Lyric Theatre Belfast production of The Man Jesus by Matthew Hurt. Directed by Joseph Alford, the upcoming UK tour runs today 10th September - 4th November 2014 with a stop at the West End's Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue on 6th October 2014.

Ros Povey, Zoe Simpson and Seabright Productions present Simon Callow in the Lyric Theatre Belfast production of The Man Jesus by Matthew Hurt. Directed by Joseph Alford, the upcoming UK tour runs 10th September - 4th November 2014 with a stop at the Wset End's Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue on 6th October 2014.

Sir Howard Panter, the co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) attended the investiture ceremony hosted by The Queen at Windsor Castle last Friday (22 November) where he received a Knighthood for Services to Theatre.

Sir Howard Panter, the co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) attended the investiture ceremony hosted by The Queen at Windsor Castle last Friday (22 November) where he received a Knighthood for Services to Theatre.

Jamie Lloyd's third production for Trafalgar Transformed is the multi award-winning The Pride, written by Alexi Kaye Campbell. Starring Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Life of Crime, The Faith Machine, A View from the Bridge) as Sylvia, Harry Hadden-Paton (Posh, She Stoops to Conquer, Flare Path) as Philip, Al Weaver (Inadmissible Evidence, Coram Boy, Hamlet) as Oliver and Mathew Horne (Gavin and Stacey, Bad Education, Charley's Aunt) as The Man/Peter/The Doctor, The Pride follows the critically acclaimed The Hothouse, starring Simon Russell Bealeand John Simm, which continues at the Trafalgar Studios until 3 August 2013 and Macbeth withJames McAvoy.

Creative Entrepreneur, Howard Panter, the co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) has received a Knighthood in The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2013 for services to theatre.

Papatango have teamed up with one of London's leading new writing venues, the Finborough Theatre to present the winning entries in the 2011 Papatango Playwriting Competition 2011, featuring this year's winning play Foxfinder by Dawn King which will play for a four week limited season from 29 November (Press Night: Thursday, 1 December 2011 at 8.30pm) and three runners up who will each receive a one week run - Through The Night by Matt Morrison (Press Night: Wednesday, 7 December 2011 at 6.30pm), Rigor Mortis by Carol Vine (Press Night:Wednesday, 14 December 2011 at 6.30pm) and Crush by Rob Young (Press Night: Tuesday, 20 December 2011 at 6.30pm).

Papatango have teamed up with one of London's leading new writing venues, the Finborough Theatre to present the winning entries in the 2011 Papatango Playwriting Competition 2011, featuring this year's winning play Foxfinder by Dawn King which will play for a four week limited season from 29 November (Press Night: Thursday, 1 December 2011 at 8.30pm) and three runners up who will each receive a one week run - Through The Night by Matt Morrison (Press Night: Wednesday, 7 December 2011 at 6.30pm), Rigor Mortis by Carol Vine (Press Night:Wednesday, 14 December 2011 at 6.30pm) and Crush by Rob Young (Press Night: Tuesday, 20 December 2011 at 6.30pm).

Papatango have teamed up with one of London's leading new writing venues, the Finborough Theatre to present the winning entries in the 2011 Papatango Playwriting Competition 2011, featuring this year's winning play Foxfinder by Dawn King which will play for a four week limited season from 29 November (Press Night: Thursday, 1 December 2011 at 8.30pm).

Papatango have teamed up with one of London's leading new writing venues, the Finborough Theatre to present the winning entries in the 2011 Papatango Playwriting Competition 2011, featuring this year's winning play Foxfinder by Dawn King which will play for a four week limited season from 29 November (Press Night: Thursday, 1 December 2011 at 8.30pm) and three runners up who will each receive a one week run - Through The Night by Matt Morrison (Press Night: Wednesday, 7 December 2011 at 6.30pm), Rigor Mortis by Carol Vine (Press Night:Wednesday, 14 December 2011 at 6.30pm) and Crush by Rob Young (Press Night: Tuesday, 20 December 2011 at 6.30pm).

Papatango have teamed up with one of London's leading new writing venues, the Finborough Theatre to present the winning entries in the 2011 Papatango Playwriting Competition 2011, featuring this year's winning play Foxfinder by Dawn King which will play for a four week limited season from 29 November (Press Night: Thursday, 1 December 2011 at 8.30pm).

Joining Gemma Arterton as Hilde Wangel and Stephen Dillane as Harvard Solness in the Almeida Theatre production of The Master Builder are Patrisk Godfrey as Knut Brovik, Emma Hamilton as Kaja Fosli, Anastasia Hille as Aline Solness, John Light as Ragnar Brovik and Jack Shepherd as Doctor Herdal.