Samuel West - Present Laughter, Cancer Research UK Christmas Concert, BAFA Award

Sam will star as Garry Essendine in Present Laughter at the Theatre Royal Bath next year. It will run in the theatre's main house from June 22 to July 9; press night will be on June 29 (The Stage).
The play will be directed by Stephen Unwin, who collaborated with Sam on Henry IV Parts I and II (English Touring Theatre, 1996-1997). This is the second time Sam has played Garry Essendine - in 2013, he played the character in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Noel Coward's play.


Tom Hollander, Hugh Bonneville, Penelope Wilton and Sam will read at the Cancer Research UK Christmas Concert, 15 December at St Paul's Cathedral (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming).

He received the BAFA (British Arts Festivals Association) award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts 2015 (National Campaign for the Arts Twitter, @artscampaign).

Samuel West. Radio - Lost Voices. Scene & Heard. Arts funding. Berry Theatre opening gala.

(My screencap; video source - Sky News)
Sam is the reader for an episode of Lost Voices about Herbert Read - it will be broadcast next Sunday on BBC Radio 4 at 4.30pm.

Scene & Heard has shared pictures of Sam, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hugh Bonneville and other patrons attending a performance of Twist and Turn.

On Friday morning, Sam appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about cuts to arts funding (his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Afterwards, he went to Downing St to deliver an anti-cuts letter, with Patrick Stewart, Penelope Wilton, Malcolm Sinclair, Maxine Peake and Christine Payne (video from BBC News, the Press Association, Sam's live tweeting 1|2|3).

The previous evening, Sam gave a speech at the Berry Theatre opening gala (pre event tweets from @HiccupTheatre, @exitthelemming). Security guards danced during the gala! (live tweeted by Sam). @PointEastleigh and @HiccupTheatre complimented him on his "inspirational" and "inspiring" speech, which was about the importance of theatres in people's lives (@TheatresTrust). @theberrytheatre reflected on the event as "a night we won't forget"; Sam has described the theatre as "a ray of hope in dark times."

Harold Pinter celebration at Lord's

[updated 3 October]


Artist: Joe Hill. Source: lordstaverners.org

A Harold Pinter celebration took place at Lord's Cricket Ground yesterday - a celebrity cricket match at Lord's Nursery Ground was followed by a tribute in the Long Room. A portrait of Pinter by Joe Hill was auctioned as well. Proceeds from the celebration will go towards purchasing a minibus for the cricket-loving kids in Hackney.
People who attended include Lady Antonia Fraser, Janie Dee, Peter Hall, Bill Nighy, Jeremy Irons, Jason Isaacs, Roger Lloyd Pack, Samuel West, Timothy West, Penelope Wilton, Harry Burton, Fintan McKeown, Dickie Wyse, Roger Davidson, Ian MaKinnon, Ben Nealon, Robert Powell, Paul Smith, Michael Billington, Somit Dutta, Mike Brearley, Mike Atherton, Mike Gatting, Jeremy Coney, Ian Smith and Chris Tarrant.

Bill Nighy was interviewed on Today last Saturday and he mentioned there would be "songs from Janie Dee" at the tribute. His interview is on this page (scroll down to 0851).
An excerpt from the Guardian:

"...Theatrical readings in the evening will see [Jeremy] Irons take to the stage with Tim West to perform an excerpt from No Man's Land, and [Mike] Brearley reading from The Caretaker..."

A tweet from Sam West about the game:

At Lords playing for Taverners vs Gaieties for Pinter celebration. Our opening pair Atherton and Gatting. I'm in at number eight. Oo-er.

I tweeted Sam about the celebration (and thanks to him for replying!):


A recap of the celebration is here at Cricket Family.


Links

The Lord's Taverners 1|2
The Independent [link]
Guardian [link]
Telegraph [link]
The Arts Desk [link]
whatsonstage.com [link]

Film - Frost/Nixon. Rebecca Hall - Theatre - The Bridge Project. Theatre - Pinter celebration. Kelly Macdonald - Film - The Merry Gentleman.

• Interview with Michael Sheen about Frost/Nixon that includes this nice quote about the rest of the cast:
  

  "...The brilliance of Frank Langella, and all the other actors who were completely fresh to the film - actors like Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen and Rebecca Hall are all wonderful actors - and their fresh take on everything meant that all I had to do was listen to them and react to them..."

• Article about the Bridge Project from the Telegraph [link]
• Michael Sheen, Samuel West and Penelope Wilton will take part in a celebration of Harold Pinter's work, which will be held on Sunday 7 June in the National's Olivier Theatre at 7.00pm.
  According to Michael's Twitter, he will be playing Robert in the Venice scene from Betrayal. [link]
• Kelly Macdonald interview about The Merry Gentleman from sfgate [link]
  

Entertainment news

• John Orloff (A Mighty Heart) will write the screenplay for an Ian Fleming biopic produced by Leonardo DiCaprio [link]
• Rupert Penry-Jones interview about Whitechapel [link]
  
• 20th Century Fox will co-finance the third Narnia film with Walden Media 1|2
• An adaptation of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is being written and directed by Neil Jordan [link]
• Armando Iannucci's Sundance diary [link]
  
• Michael Gambon, Stephen Fry and Penelope Wilton will star in The Inn at the Edge of the World, an adaptation of Alice Thomas-Ellis' novel written and directed by Charles Dance [link]
• British television viewing has increased [link]
• Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities premieres 9 February on Nine [link]
  
• The U.K. Film Council is launching a movie search engine, FindAnyFilm.com, designed to enable consumers to find out when, where and how a film is available legally in the U.K. [link]
• List of films being shown at the Berlinale [link]
• Noel Clarke interview from Radio 1 [link]
  
• Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig will star in Tintin directed by Steven Spielberg [link]
• Transcript of an interview with Werner Herzog [link]
• Article about Stanley Kubrick's unmade film The Aryan Papers [link]
• Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards nominations [link]
  

Samuel West - Theatre - The Family Reunion

From The London Theatre Guide:

"...Joining Samuel West and Penelope Wilton in The Family Reunion are Hattie Morahan, Anna Carteret, Una Stubbs, Gemma Jones, Paul Shelley, William Gaunt, Kevin McMonagle, Ann Marcuson and Christopher Benjamin. They are directed by Jeremy Herrin (That Face, The Vertical Hour)..."

Links
Donmar Warehouse 1|2

Tags: Samuel West, Sam West, Penelope Wilton, Hattie Morahan, Anna Carteret, Una Stubbs, Gemma Jones, Paul Shelley, William Gaunt, Kevin McMonagle, Ann Marcuson, Christopher Benjamin, Jeremy Herrin

Samuel West - Theatre - The Family Reunion

From whatsonstage.com:

Samuel West (pictured) and Penelope Wilton will return to the Donmar Warehouse later this year to star in Jeremy Herrin’s revival of TS Eliot’s rarely seen 1939 verse drama The Family Reunion (See News, 18 Apr 2008). The centrepiece of the Donmar’s upcoming festival celebrating the work of the 20th-century writer, the new production runs at the Donmar’s Covent Garden home from 25 November 2008 (previews from 20 November) to 10 January 2009.

After eight years absence, Harry (West) returns to the ancestral home to celebrate his mother's birthday. Tormented by a dark secret, he confides in Aunt Agatha (Wilton) only to discover that the family too have its own hidden demons...

Herrin commented: 'It’s a play for really intelligent actors. The material is very rich and intellectually demanding but also very satisfying - the actors have to have a hunger for that.' West and Wilton, said Herrin, are 'two of the smartest actors around'...

Tags: Samuel West, Sam West, Penelope Wilton, Donmar Warehouse, Jeremy Herrin, TS Eliot, The Family Reunion, Covent Garden, theatre, theater, Harry, Aunt Agatha, Agatha

Samuel West - Theatre - Evening Standard Theatre Awards

* updated 27 November

Excerpts from articles:

"...Actor/director Samuel West, whose Menier Chocolate Factory production of Dealer's Choice is about to transfer to the West End, will announce best actress. Nominees are Anne-Marie Duff, Billie Piper, Penelope Wilton and the actress known only as Portia from the Young Vic's The Member Of The Wedding..."

...The awards will be presented at a lunchtime ceremony compered by Richard Wilson at the Savoy Hotel on Tuesday [27 November].

Guests will include Mackenzie Crook, Charles Dance, Anne-Marie Duff, Iain Glen, Patrick Stewart, Tom Stoppard, Samuel West and Olivia Williams.

Dealer's Choice has been nominated for one award - Stephen Wight has been nominated for the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer for both Dealer's Choice and Don Juan in Soho.

Links:
An earlier blog entry about the Awards longlist [link]
Stephen Wight 1|2|3
Dealer's Choice official site [link]

Tags: Samuel West, Sam West, awards, links, Stephen Wight, Dealer's Choice, Don Juan in Soho, theatre, thater, London, West End