Theatre News

Southbank Centre announces pieces from Isabella Rossellini and Isabelle Huppert in new 2018 season

The venue has unveiled its plans for the coming 12 months

Trojan Women, Circus 1903, Hot Brown Honey
Trojan Women, Circus 1903, Hot Brown Honey
© National Theatre of Korea / Circus 1903 / Dylan Evans

The Southbank Centre has announced its performance lineup for the next year, with shows from performers including Italian actress Isabella Rossellini and Isabelle Huppert, as well as productions from companies including Forced Entertainment and Briefs Factory.

The news comes alongside the reopening of the 1000-seater Queen Elizabeth Hall following extensive refurbishments. The South Bank venue, which sits next to the Southbank Centre, will host a variety of new shows from across different disciplines.

Rossellini will perform her one-woman show in the newly opened space from 23 to 24 October. Entitled Link Link Circus, the Italian actor presents the piece alongside her dog Pan, and explores the difference between human and animal minds.

Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths will present their show Backbone from 14 to 19 August, while from 18 December to 5 January, the puppeteers behind War Horse will present Circus 1903, a production with a collection of puppet elephants appearing alongside circus acts. It runs in the Royal Festival Hall.

Also part of their Christmas lineup, the Southbank Centre will present the UK premiere of Rumpelstiltskin, a unique spin on the classic fairytale by award-winning Australian theatre companies Windmill Theatre Company and State Theatre Company South Australia. The family-friendly show runs from 13 December to 6 January.

On 9 June, Huppert will act in the UK premiere of her one-woman play titled Isabelle Huppert reads Sade. Based on the female characters in Marat Sade, the show runs in Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Forced Entertainment, a newly announced associate company of the Southbank Centre, will present a new version of Tim Etchells' That Night Follows Day, with a chorus of children used to show ways in which the adult world appears to a young mind. The show runs from 11 to 15 December in the Purcell Room, and marks the first time in a decade that Forced Entertainment has performed at the venue.

The National Company of Korea will present the European premiere of their production Trojan Women, fusing music and pansori to tell Euripides' classic tale. It runs as part of LIFT 2018 from 2 to 3 June.

Also part of LIFT 2018, Gob Squad will present the London premiere of Creation (Pictures for Dorian), a new project inspired by Oscar Wilde’s iconic character Dorian Gray. It runs from 4 to 7 June in the Purcell Room.

Award-winning company Briefs Factory will present their stereotype-busting piece Hot Brown Honey, which runs from 24 to 28 July in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

From 26 to 28 May, Dead Centre will present a solo show entitled Hamnet, about the tragic life of Shakespeare's son. Neoarctic, a choral exploration of the impacts of climate change, will make its UK premiere from 24 to 25 May. It is created by Hotel Pro Forma and the Latvian Radio Choir.

Dance acts in the lineup include a collaboration between choreographer Rosie Kay and filmmaker Adam Curtis entitled MK ULTRA, an explorative piece examining the Illuminati. It runs on 8 November with a post-show discussion. Choreographer Holly Blakey and composer Mica Levi will present the world premiere of Cowpuncher, a Western-inspired piece that runs on 13 April.

On 31 August and 1 September, there will be the London premiere of Scottish Dance Theatre’s dance work Velvet Petal, with a live performance by musical artist Abul Mogard. ZooNation Youth Company will return to the Queen Elizabeth Hall for a hip-hop workshop and celebration of dance on 28 and 29 April, as well as a youth showcase in July.

BBC Young Dancer of the Year 2015 finalist Vidya Patel will join Shobana Jeyasingh dance company for a development project over the summer, with the dance company also aiding ZooNation with the weekend of dance on 28 and 29 April.

Beijing-based choreographer Wen Hui will return to the country for her first performance in ten years with the UK premiere of Red, a dance docu-drama. The piece runs from 4 to 5 October, as part of Dance Umbrella celebrating its 40th year.

Olivier Award-winning Belgian dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Indian Kuchipudi dancer Shantala Shivalingappa will collaborate on a dance piece entitled Play, about life and love. It will be performed on 24 September. Indian classical dancer and choreographer Malavika Sarukkai will present Thari – The Loom in its UK premiere, an innovative dance production inspired by the sari. It runs on 24 April in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

From 1 to 2 March 2019, dance theatre company Ultima Vez and Wim Vandekeybus will present a dystopian surreal thriller with Mockumentary of a Contemporary Saviour in its UK premiere.

Comedy shows include an appearance from US comic Iliza Shlesinger on 17 April, while comedian and podcaster Marc Maron will return to London on 16 April. Both shows run at the Royal Festival Hall. Musical trio The Tiger Lillies will showcase the UK premiere of Edgar Allen Poe's Haunted Palace, a comic musical piece, which runs from 28 to 30 August in Queen Elizabeth Hall.