Regent's Park Open Air Theatre announces 2016 season

A new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar will open at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre next year.

It will be the first time Rice or Lloyd Webber have had their work staged at the theatre and will be directed by artistic director Timothy Sheader, with choreography from Drew McConie. Next year will be 45 years since Jesus Christ Superstar first arrived on stage. It runs from July 15.

Opening the 2016 season is Running Wild (13 May – 12 June), Samuel Adamson's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's book, which is being co-produced by Chichester Festival Theatre. The story tells of Will and his mother who head off to Indonesia. But when the tsunami hits, Will is carried on the back of an elephant called Oona into the rainforest.

To mark 400 years since Shakespeare's death, the Open Air Theatre will stage Henry V from 17 June, directed by Robert Hastie.

Alongside the new shows, the 2013 production of Pride and Prejudice, directed by Deborah Bruce, will return to the Open Air theatre, before heading out on a UK tour.

Sheader said "In a year when the world celebrates the life and work of Shakespeare, our 2016 season champions British writing. Whilst giving classics a new voice through outdoor production, I am delighted to be bringing a new play, Running Wild, to the stage this season."

Tickets for the new season will be available to the public from 11am on 8 December. Priority booking opens 11am 12 November.