“There’s no place like home” as The Wizard of Oz becomes Leeds Playhouse’s big Christmas show in the newly renovated theatre

We’re so excited to announce that The Wizard of Oz will be coming to Leeds Playhouse as this year’s big Christmas production. Yes, this beloved show which is loved by all generations will grace the stage of the newly redeveloped Quarry Theatre.

It’s the first in-house production in the newly renovated Quarry Hill Theatre. It gives a whole new meaning to “There’s no place like home!”

The show is based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and it features many of the cherished songs from the 1939 movie starring Judy Garland. ‘If I Only Had a Brain’, ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ and Over the Rainbow’ will bring back feelings of pure nostalgia to anybody who’s ever seen the film.

Directed by Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sunshine on Leith), this new production will run from 20th November 2019 until 25th January 2020.

“Christmas at Leeds Playhouse is always a magical experience and 2019 is set to be extra-special. We can’t wait to welcome everyone into our redeveloped building for this enchanting adventure story for the whole family.”

We can’t think of a better production than The Wizard of Oz to introduce (and reintroduce) patrons to the newly renovated Leeds Playhouse.

There’ll also hosting a sing-a-long performance which encourages the audience to dress up and get involved in the fun. There are also Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performances available.

“The Wizard of Oz will be the centrepiece of our reopening season here at Leeds Playhouse. It is a household favourite full of adventure, excitement and magic. I can’t wait to bring the story to life in a fresh, thrilling way for 2019. It’s going to be incredible to see the new Playhouse come alive and to share with audiences the freshly refurbished theatres, restaurants and bars. With the opening of the new public park on our doorstep, there should be a real festive buzz here on Quarry Hill.”

Wizard of Oz

Tickets are now on general sale. So make sure you polish your ruby red slippers in time to see this truly stellar performance. The Wizard of Oz will not be a production to miss!
https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/events/the-wizard-of-oz/#tickets

The show will run from 20th November 2019 – 25th January 2020. The full cast and creative team will be announced later in the year.

Victoria Ballet World Première at Leeds Grand Theatre

Cathy Mason’s phenomenal ballet, Victoria, will be making its World Première at Leeds Grand Theatre!

Queen Victoria is undeniably one of the most iconic and well-known monarchs in British history. So Northern Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada have co-produced this masterpiece to tell the life and legacy of the late Queen of England. 

Queen Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819 which makes this her 200th birthday year. Victoria had a 63-year reign as the Queen of England. She was known for her turbulent life filled with passion, tragedy and fierce devotion.

Photo Guy Farrow

We know a lot about Victoria thanks to her diaries that revealed a fascinating backstory, so intriguing in fact, that her daughter Beatrice tried to rewrite history. 

Victoria found herself in an irrepressible love for Albert which sparked a royal dynasty but the most powerful woman in history crumbled to her knees with grief after his untimely death. 

Her reign was filled with triumphs in technology from the typewriter, sewing machine, tarmac, photography and film (the first moving image ever recorded was in Leeds!).

Victoria will also be a ‘world’s first’

The first Northern Ballet production to be streamed live on the silver screen, in cinemas across the UK, giving access to the whole country.

The show will run from 9th March – 16th March at Leeds Grand Theatre before touring the UK. The evening performance on Saturday 16th March will be a special celebration of Principle Dancer, Pippa Moore.

Pippa Moore (right) will retire at the end of the spring 2019 season. Photo Guy Farrow.

The evening showing on Saturday 16th March will be Pippa’s last performance in our home city of Leeds. 

This is a definite not to miss production, choreographed by Cathy Marston, who also created Northern Ballet’s acclaimed Jane Eyre.

Get your tickets here: https://northernballet.com/victoria

Northern Ballet Has Two Huge Announcements For Ballet Day!

To celebrate Ballet Day, Northern Ballet has some truly brilliant announcements! If you’re a ballet fanatic, we’re certain that we’ve got news that will tickle your fancy. Northern Ballet doesn’t just have one, but two incredible announcements. And both will have you pirouetting out of your seats with glee! And it all begins with Victoria and Dracula.

Northern Ballet is making their live cinema debut this year. Two phenomenal ballets are hitting the silver screen for all to see. It’s the first time one of their fabulous productions will make their live cinema debut. It’s a great opportunity especially for those who can’t make it to the theatre. 

First, Cathy Marston’s Victoria will stream live to cinemas across the UK on 25th June 2019. This will happen following its world première tour. Furthermore, Queen Victoria is undeniably one of the most iconic monarchs in British history and this ballet beautifully tells her life story.

The second is David Nixon OBE’s stellar production, Dracula. It will be streamed direct to cinemas from the newly redeveloped Leeds Playhouse on Halloween! If that doesn’t get you in the spooky spirit, I don’t know what will. It’s Bram Stoker’s legendary brought to life as you’ve never seen it before!

Victoria and Dracula are coming to the silver screens across the UK!

“As the widest touring ballet company in the UK, Northern Ballet goes further to provide world-class ballet on the doorsteps of people throughout the UK. However, it is not possible to reach everybody with our live tour and so I am delighted that we will be offering Victoria and Dracula to cinema audiences throughout the country to enable even more people to access our productions. We pride ourselves on being innovative storytellers, pushing the boundaries of what stories can be told through dance and these two ballets are excellent demonstrations of that. In the hands of one of the most exciting choreographers of today, Cathy Marston’s Victoria takes the life of one of our most iconic monarchs and presents her story in a way never seen before. Whilst Dracula sees Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire brought to the stage in a ballet full of sensuality and darkness; perfect viewing for Halloween.
We hope that through these cinema screenings, not only will ballet fans have more opportunities to see us perform but that others who may have never seen a ballet before will give it a try and discover a new passion for our art form.’ – David Nixon OBE

Both productions will be available in cinemas throughout the UK. It marks the first time one of Northern Ballet’s full-length productions will be shown on the silver screen!

What an amazing opportunity!

‘For over 10 years now, CinemaLive have been providing audiences worldwide with access to incredible events through their local cinema. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Northern Ballet to distribute these two exciting productions to cinemas in 2019. Their innovative approach to storytelling looks beyond traditional ballet titles and we are proud to bring this unique and inventive content to the big screen. We look forward to seeing both Victoria and Dracula connect with cinema audiences across the UK and Ireland this year”.  – John Travers, Head of Distribution for Cinema Live

We cannot wait to see these stellar performances come to cinemas. In fact, it gives those who’ve not been able to see a ballet before a chance to enjoy. 

Tickets for Victoria and Dracula in cinemas are on sale now. To find your closest participating cinemas and to book tickets visit northernballet.com/cinema


Channel 4 will begin relocating to their new home in Leeds this summer!

As we’re sure most of you have already heard, Channel 4 will be heading to Leeds this summer for an exciting new adventure. Channel 4’s Chief Executive Alex Mahon said that Leeds was “a really clear winner” in the bidding process as the city beat Manchester and Birmingham at the final hurdle. 

Alex Mahon told The Yorkshire Post that the move aims to bring a total of 300 new roles created by the broadcaster into the city of Leeds by 2023. 

“We are going to spend an extra quarter of a billion pounds across the UK. So Leeds gave us the reach across the North. But it also has an amazing independent production community already.” 

They’re also opening a new broadcasting studio to allow Channel 4 news to be anchored from both Leeds and the capital.

Channel 4 comes to Leeds

“We want to grow the pipeline of talent into the sector. Leeds and Bradford will allow us to bring really diverse, young and new people into the sector.” 

The Chief Executive also stated that a new digital creative unit would be opened in Leeds and that it would be looking to recruit locally to staff the venture.

“I think actually for people in the area, that is a really exciting thing. There is always with us a particular focus on how we bring new talent into the industry.”

The opportunities for Leeds with Channel 4 moving up north are certainly exciting. It gives people a chance who either don’t want to live or can’t afford to live in London to work for a major broadcasting network. 

“What we are trying to do is make sure that we represent wider views, values, communities, backgrounds, opinions, accents and contributors that are not just London. I think really you have to have part of the team away from London to do that properly.” 

We’re all very excited to see what this will do to the city. And we know that Leeds can influence the creative space of broadcasting from the north.

Phoenix Dance Theatre presents, Wind Rush: Movement of the People

Wind Rush: Movement of the People marks the 70th anniversary of the arrival of SS Empire Windrush. A vibrant, energetic and emotional production, it follows the journey that started in one part of the world and is now here in the UK with us. Fusing music and dance to create an inspiring production that uses a multicultural cast to tell an international story.

The production offers a glimpse of what the first generation of Caribbean immigrants experienced when they came to England 70 years ago, marking the start of the post war immigration boom which was to radically change British society.

“I want to capture both the excitement and the upset of this significant event. Windrush will highlight both the struggles and the good times the Jamaican community experienced during those early years. It is an uplifting dance production but it shines a light on an important era of the history of black people in the UK”.  Sharon Watson, Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance and choreographer of Windrush

The production begins in Jamaica, showing the response to the newspaper adverts for the SS Empire Windrush; busy and excited scenes are contrasted with personal stories – family farewells and people left behind.

Creating unforgettable characters, the dancers take the audience from Jamaica to the UK, celebrating how the Windrush generation began to create their own opportunities, setting up churches, introducing their own music and dance and establishing a ‘black British culture’.

The Windrush: Movement of the People tour dates are:

10 October, The Old Vic, Bristol

1-2 November, York Theatre Royal

16 November, Barnsley Civic

22 November, Laurence Batley Theatre Huddersfield