Winner of Best Fringe Theatre in the 2019 Stage Awards, The Barn Theatre has announced its line-up of five in-house productions for the upcoming 2019 season, including Michael Morpurgo’s The Butterfly Lion, Shakespeare’s Henry V, a brand new production of the comic thriller The 39 Steps, the award-winning musical Daddy Long Legs and a reimagining of Charles Dickens’ festive masterpiece A Christmas Carol.
Following a successful inaugural year when artistic director Iwan Lewis was nominated for the 2018 Stage Debut Award before the theatre’s win for Best Fringe Theatre Award, The Barn is looking to build on that success by once again providing its audience with a mix of challenging, entertaining and topical themes.
Artistic director Iwan Lewis said: “We have been absolutely thrilled by the audience response to our inaugural year and our Built By Barn productions. We did not expect to have had such positive industry recognition so soon after opening our doors to the public.
“It was humbling to have been nominated as Best Director at the Stage Debut Awards but winning The Stage Award for Best Fringe Theatre is truly unbelievable and has made all the hard work worthwhile. This is still the start of our journey and we are determined to use these achievements to catapult us into our 2019 season.
“Our mission to produce challenging and inspiring professional theatre of the highest standards has been clear from the start and our 2019 programme will again reflect that commitment and provide a theatre that sits at the heart of our community sharing all the thrills and gifts that live entertainment can bring. Our new ticketing strategy mirrors this desire for inclusion and with prices starting from as little as £8 per ticket, The Barn really is a Theatre For All.”
Opening the new season in April is The Butterfly Lion by the acclaimed writer and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, Private Peaceful, Running Wild). In May, The Barn Theatre takes on a Shakespeare classic, Henry V. Set in modern surroundings, this timeless tale is brought up to date and explores the conflict between tradition and modernity in Britain through the lens of a nation at war.
A cast of four deftly take on a Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps, in an inventive comic thriller parody adaptation of John Buchan’s 1915 novel for the summer production in July. One hundred and 39 roles are played out in “a fast-paced, fun and thrilling action hitting show full of British gung-ho characters and dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women”.
The autumn season opens with the theatre’s first stage musical for 2019, the award-winning Daddy Long Legs. The show is based on the classic novel by Jean Webster that inspired the 1955 movie starring Fred Astaire. The musical, with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon and a book by John Caird, is set in turn-of-the-century New England. A Christmas Carol closes the year with a new interpretation of Dickens’ timeless classic by Alan Pollock.
In summary
The Butterfly Lion
Written by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Daniel Buckroyd
2 April to 4 May 2019 (press night is 4 April)
Henry V
By William Shakespeare
22 May to 22 June 2019 (press night is 24 May)
The 39 Steps
Written by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow
10 July to 10 August 2019 (press night is 12 July)
Daddy Long Legs – The Musical
Book by John Caird, music and lyrics by Paul Gordon, directed by Kirstie Davies
2 October to 2 November 2019 (press night is 4 October)
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens, adapted by Alan Pollock, directed by Iwan Lewis
27 November 2019 to 4 January 2020 (press night is 29 November)
