Heiner Goebbels. Copyright Wonge Bergmann

Heiner Goebbels was born in Germany, 1952. He has composed and directed music theatre since the 1990s. Some of his most famous works include Black on White, Max Black, Eraritjaritjaka, Stifters Dinge, and Songs Of Wars I Have Seen, most of which have been produced by Theatre Vidy, Lausanne. Goebbels is professor at the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies of the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, President of the Theatre Academy of Hesse, and artistic director for RUHRTRIENNALE.

In making the award, the Jury said “Heiner Goebbels – creator of works for theatre, theatre director, composer, musician, teacher and festival programmer – is one of the great creative personalities of today.

He is responsible for an astounding body of work in disparate disciplines and has exerted a profound influence on theatre practitioners and musicians.

His theatrical work extends from a large scale work for the opera house to an installation for theatre without actors. Each piece is essentially different in character and form and each is genuinely ground breaking. He is a true innovator and his works defy conventional definition.

He has explored and expanded the relationship between theatre and music and in so doing has developed the elements of theatre in a way that has opened up new insights and possibilities. In this way he fulfills the fundamental purpose of theatre to widen our experience of ourselves and of the world.

His work has been seen in over 50 different countries transforming the experience of audiences and influencing a wide range of performing and creative artists.

The power and significance of his work will in the future increase and will influence theatre and theatre making for the decades and generations to come.”

This particular showcase concerned itself with plays and musicals “derived from Shakespeare’s work” rather than the plays themselves and included a range of styles.

In the first half we had some of Stoppard’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”, a bit of Terry Pratchett’s “Wyrd Sisters” and some pieces based (mostly) on A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Winter’s Tale. The local youth group, Rogues and Vagabonds, musical numbers were particularly enjoyable (did they understand all the lyrics I wonder?!).

The second half, however, was much stronger and was kicked off by the RAF Theatrical Association with an extract from their recent “Return to the Forbidden Planet”. I particularly enjoyed the Standby Theatre’s “Lovers and Mad Men”, this group is made up of RSC front-of-house staff proving that the house talent goes deeper than just the acting company. Tread the Board Theatre Company rounded the evening off with an extract from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) – fabulous fun.

The Open Stages project has involved nearly 7,000 amateur performers across the UK, providing them with guidance, workshops and a platform for their talents … to my mind its been a very successful programme that I hope is repeated often.

Matilda seems to be the star of the nominations with the maximum number available, including a joint one for the actresses who play the title role. One Man, Two Guvonors and The Ladykillers

The full nominations for this year’s Olivier Awards with MasterCard are given below.

MASTERCARD BEST NEW PLAY
COLLABORATORS at the Cottesloe
JUMPY at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court
THE LADYKILLERS at the Gielgud
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS at the Lyttelton
BEST REVIVAL
ANNA CHRISTIE at the Donmar Warehouse
FLARE PATH at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING at the Wyndham’s
NOISES OFF at the Old Vic
BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY
DERREN BROWN – SVENGALI at the Shaftesbury
MIDNIGHT TANGO at the Aldwych
POTTED POTTER at the Garrick
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA at the Vaudeville
BEST ACTRESS
CELIA IMRIE for Noises Off at the Old Vic
LESLEY MANVILLE for Grief at the Cottesloe
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter
MARCIA WARREN for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud
RUTH WILSON for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST ACTOR
JAMES CORDEN for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AND JONNY LEE MILLER for Frankenstein at the Olivier
DAVID HAIG for The Madness of George III at the Apollo
DOUGLAS HODGE for Inadmissable Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse
JUDE LAW for Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
MARK ADDY for Collaborators at the Cottesloe
OLIVER CHRIS for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
JOHNNY FLYNN for Jerusalem at the Apollo
BRYONY HANNAH for The Children’s Hour at the Harold Pinter
SHERIDAN SMITH for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
KATE FLEETWOOD for London Road at the Cottesloe
SARAH LANCASHIRE for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
THE MATILDAS for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
SCARLETT STRALLEN for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
BERTIE CARVEL for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
NIGEL LINDSAY for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
REECE SHEARSMITH for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello
PAULO SZOT for South Pacific at the Barbican
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL
SHARON D CLARKE for Ghost The Musical at the Piccadilly
SOPHIE-LOUISE DANN for Lend Me A Tenor The Musical at the Gielgud
NIGEL HARMAN for Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
PAUL KAYE for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
KATHERINE KINGSLEY for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST NEW MUSICAL
BETTY BLUE EYES at the Novello
GHOST THE MUSICAL at the Piccadilly
LONDON ROAD at the Cottesloe
MATILDA THE MUSICAL at the Cambridge
SHREK THE MUSICAL at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL
CRAZY FOR YOU at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN at the Palace
SOUTH PACIFIC at the Barbican
THE WIZARD OF OZ at the London Palladium
BEST DIRECTOR
SEAN FOLEY for The Ladykillers at the Gielgud
NICHOLAS HYTNER for One Man, Two Guvnors at the Lyttelton
RUFUS NORRIS for London Road at the Cottesloe
MATTHEW WARCHUS for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER
PETER DARLING for Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge
JAVIER DE FRUTOS for London Road at the Cottesloe
STEPHEN MEAR for Crazy For You at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
ANDREW WRIGHT for Singin’ In The Rain at the Palace
BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
ANNA CHRISTIE designed by Howard Harrison at the Donmar Warehouse
FRANKENSTEIN designed by Bruno Poet at the Olivier
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Piccadilly
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Hugh Vanstone at the Cambridge
BEST SET DESIGN
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Rob Howell at the Piccadilly
THE LADYKILLERS designed by Michael Taylor at the Gielgud
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed Rob Howell at the Cambridge
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS designed by Mark Thompson at the Lyttelton
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
CRAZY FOR YOU designed by Peter McKintosh at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Rob Howell at the Cambridge
SHREK THE MUSICAL designed by Tim Hatley at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
SOUTH PACIFIC designed by Catherine Zuber at the Barbican
BEST SOUND DESIGN
GHOST THE MUSICAL designed by Bobby Aitken at the Piccadilly
FRANKENSTEIN designed by Underworld and Ed Clarke at the Olivier
THE LADYKILLERS designed by Ben and Max Ringham at the Gielgud
MATILDA THE MUSICAL designed by Simon Baker at the Cambridge
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester for MOGADISHU at the Lyric Hammersmith
Theatre Royal, Stratford East in association with the Barbican and Traverse Theatre for ROADKILL
The Donmar Warehouse for SALT, ROOT AND ROE at the Trafalgar Studios 2
The Royal Court for THE VILLAGE BIKE at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION
English National Opera’s CASTOR AND POLLUX at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM at the London Coliseum
English National Opera’s THE PASSENGER at the London Coliseum
ROH2′s CLEMENCY (in association with Scottish Opera) at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA
ENO for the breadth and diversity of its artistic programme
AMANDA HOLDEN for her translation of CASTOR AND POLLUX at the London Coliseum
RICHARD JONES for his direction of ANNA NICOLE and IL TRITTICO at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and THE TALES OF HOFFMANN at the London Coliseum
MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE for his composition of ANNA NICOLE at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and TWICE THROUGH THE HEART at Sadler’s Wells.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE
THE DESIGN TEAM for their work on the Royal Ballet’s ALICES ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND at the Royal Opera House.
EDWARD WATSON for his performance in THE METAMORPHOSIS at the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House
SYLVIE GUILLEM for her performance in her production of 6000 MILES AWAY at Sadler’s Wells
TOMMY FRANZEN for his performance in ZooNation’s SOME LIKE IT HIP HOP at the Peacock
BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION
DESH by Akram Khan Company at Sadler’s Wells, choreographed by Akram Khan
GARDENIA by Les Ballets C de la B at Sadler’s Wells, directed by Alain Platel and Frank van Laecke
THE METAMORPHOSIS by ROH2 at the Linbury Studio, choreographed by Arthur Pita
SOME LIKE IT HIP HOP by ZooNation at the Peacock, choreographed by Kate Prince, Tommy Franzen and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille

The popular show opened at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane on 14 June 2011. The original cast boasted television and big screen stars such as Nigel Lindsey (Shrek), Nigel Harman (Lord Farquaad), Richard Blackwood (Donkey) and Amanda Holden (Princess Fiona).

Dean Chisnal has recently taken over the role of ‘Shrek’ and Neil McDermott the role of ‘Lord Farquaad’. Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh will remain in the role of ‘Princess Fiona’ until 21 May this year.

The stage production tells the story of a swamp-dwelling ogre who sets off on a life-changing journey to reclaim the deed to his beloved swamp. Along the way he meets all manner of fairy tale characters, and a talking Donkey with razor sharp wit. On his journey he rescues the beautiful- and feisty- Princess Fiona who identifies with Shrek in more ways than he could ever imagine.

Shrek The Musical has book & lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. The show is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book Shrek! and the smash-hit feature film of the same name.

It is directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, designs & costumes by Tim Hatley, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, choreography by Josh Prince and sound by Peter Hylenski. Shrek The Musical is produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions.

Joining the show from 13 March are Howard Jones (Bob Crewe), Ben Jennings (Swing), Edd Post (Swing), Gemma Whitelam (Swing). Re-joining the show from the original London cast are Nicola Brazil (Mary Delgado), Tee Jaye (Barry Belson), and Dan Burton (Joe Pesci). The leading roles and remaining cast members remain unchanged.

Jersey Boys follows the remarkable story of how four blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks grew up to become one of the biggest American and international bands of all time- Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The show features some of their greatest hits including ‘Walk Like A Man’, ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, ‘Sherry’, ‘Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got) and ‘December, 1963 (Oh What A Night).

The West End production is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team: Directed by Des McAnuff , designed by Klara Zieglerova, lighting by Howell Binkley, choreography by Sergio Trujillo, costumes by Jess Goldstein and sound by Steve Canyon Kennedy. The orchestrations are by Steve Orich and the music direction and vocal arrangements by Ron Melrose.

Jersey Boys opened at the Prince Edward Theatre 18 Mar 2008 and is currently taking bookings to 21 Oct 2012. The Musical is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe.

The Night of 1000 Voices has been entertaining capacity audiences at The Royal Albert Hall since 1999. The performance was originally produced to celebrate the centenary of The National Opera and Dramatic Association with 1000 members of NODA singing songs from the shows. For the last 10 years, the show served to raise money for a number of charities and has celebrated all aspects of musical theatre.

With 2012 being an Olympic and Diamond Jubilee year, The Night of 1000 Voices will be tipping their hat to the ‘Best of British’, including some of the most requested songs from The Lion King, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar and Les Misérables.

Rather than chronicling the story of Queen, We Will Rock You incorporates the music of the band to tell the story of a future cleansed of all individuality and choice, where a group of rebels mount a resistance through the power of rock music.

Sullivan will be joining the current cast which includes Lauren Samuels as Scaramouche, Brenda Edwards as Killer Queen, as Pop, Rachel John as Meat, Alasdair Harvey as Khashoggi, and Wayne Robinson as Britney.

We Will Rock You opened at the Dominion Theatre in London on 14 May 2002, following previews from 26 April 2002. The show features songs by Queen and is written and directed by book Ben Elton. The production is choreographed by Arlene Phillips, designed by Mark Fisher and lighting by Willie Williams.

The musical follows the story of Elle Woods, a popular girl whose boyfriend dumps her for someone more ‘serious’. In an attempt to win him back, she studies hard and gets accepted to Harvard law School where she learns that being true to yourself will never go out of style.

With music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, the show is directed & choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, designed by David Rockwell, costumes by Gregg Barnes, lighting by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, sound by ACME Sound Partners.

Legally Blonde The Musical is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Robert G Bartner, Ambassador Theatre Group and Jamie Hendry Productions.

Legally Blonde, the tour, is still on the road till at least August of this year with visits to Aylesbury, Liverpool, Sheffield, Norwich, Brighton, Belfast, Woking, Aberdeen, Canterbury, Southampton, Bradford, Milton Keynes and Cardiff.

The archive currently includes around; 3,000 venues, 135,000 productions of 95,000 works mentioning 148,000 people, groups and companies in 804,000 listings. And its now searchable via the Android App as well as on-line at UKTW.

So, want to know what productions there have been of “Carousel” or what “Gene David Kirk” has been doing then you can now search directly in the UKTW App. You could already find out all previous shows at a venue but now the Archive Search has been completed you can search for the title of a work/production or the name of a person/group and see what archive entries they have – just like you can on UKTW/Archive itself.

No more scratching your head trying to remember!