Bank of America Merrill Lynch presents
THE BRIDGE PROJECT
Produced by The Old Vic, BAM and Neal Street
RICHARD III
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTED BY SAM MENDES
AND STARRING KEVIN SPACEY
IN THE TITLE ROLE
Co-commissioned by and produced in association with Kay and McLean Productions, Athens & Epidaurus Festival, Centro Niemeyer, Hong Kong Arts Festival and Singapore Repertory Theatre
Australian Producers Andrew Kay and Liza McLean are proud to announce the theatrical event of the year exclusive to Sydney. Kevin Spacey stars in The Bridge Project’s Richard III, Directed by Sam Mendes for 11 performances only at The Lyric Theatre, Star City from December 1, with tickets on sale from July 25.
This announcement comes on the eve of The Bridge Project’s first performance of Richard III at The Old Vic in London. An international tour follows the London season including the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, Spain’s Centro Niemeyer, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Singapore Repertory Theatre and Sydney’s Lyric Theatre before a final season at the joint home of The Bridge Project, BAM’s Harvey Theater in New York in January 2012.
Commenting on this exciting announcement for Sydney Minister Souris said “We are absolutely delighted that the producers have selected Sydney as the host city for this collaboration. The exclusivity of the Sydney season of Richard III will help further position Sydney as the pre-eminent cultural capital of Australia.”
Led by Kevin Spacey in the role of Richard III, the company features a formidable British/American cast that includes Maureen Anderman as the Duchess of York; Haydn Gwynne as Queen Elizabeth; Chuk Iwuji as Buckingham; Gemma Jones as Queen Margaret; and Chandler Williams as George, Duke of Clarence.
The Bridge Project is a unique three-year series of co-productions by The Old Vic, BAM and Neal Street, devoted to producing large-scale, classical theatre for international audiences. Richard III is the project’s final production under the Artistic Direction of Sam Mendes.
On Richard III, Sam Mendes says: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Kevin again for the first time since American Beauty, and I am doubly thrilled that he will be leading year three of The Bridge Project. Richard III is a play I love, and a role I think Kevin is born to play. I’m also thrilled that the partnership between our three entities has strengthened and blossomed over the course of this venture, along with a host of invaluable international partnerships that have enabled us to extend the reach of global touring year after year.”
The Old Vic Artistic Director Kevin Spacey, who will play Richard III, says: “Sam is one of the finest directors I have had the pleasure to work with and to gain this opportunity is beyond my wildest hopes. I love Sam’s perspective on a role, carving and shaping the actor. With such a remarkable character before me I have a feeling this one is going to be a memorable experience. It is also my hope to bring a comprehensive educational programme and opportunities for emerging artists along with our travels, making an argument for the living theatre in all the major cities we will visit throughout 2011. We're delighted that Bank of America Merrill Lynch has come on board for another season as our sponsor and I applaud their continued support for our work.”
BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo says: “The Bridge Project has been a wonderful creative adventure and an unparalleled success; its final instalment is a programmatic highlight of BAM’s upcoming 150th anniversary celebration. I am looking forward to welcoming this immensely talented, trans-Atlantic cast assembled by Sam Mendes to perform alongside Kevin Spacey as Richard III at BAM’s historic Harvey Theater in January, and to tracking the company’s progress across the globe as ambassadors for classical theatre on a grand scale.”
Rena DeSisto, Global Arts and Culture executive, Bank of America Merrill Lynch says “Our partnership with The Bridge Project has been an important part of our global programme of support for the arts. Each stop on the tour results in thousands of people enjoying fine theatre and sharing a cultural experience with theatregoers throughout the world. The arts are unparalleled in their ability to create shared, moving experiences for people of diverse cultures, and Bank of America remains committed to supporting these opportunities.”
Commenting on the season, Andrew Kay & Liza McLean said “We are delighted to be working on The Bridge Project’s Richard III, featuring Kevin Spacey on stage, in a production directed by Sam Mendes exclusively in Sydney. We look forward to continuing to develop our relationship with BAM and The Old Vic providing opportunities to present such unique international theatre experiences to Australian audiences.”
TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 25TH JULY
STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON – 11 PERFORMANCES ONLY!
Thursday 1st December – 8pm
Friday 2nd December – 8pm
Saturday 3rd December – 3pm & 8pm
Sunday 4th December – 3pm
Tuesday 6th December – 8pm
Wednesday 7th December – 8pm
Thursday 8th December – 8pm
Friday 9th December – 8pm
Saturday 10th December – 3pm & 8pm
WAITLIST FOR TICKETS, CORPORATE HOSPITALITY & TRAVEL PACKAGES:
SHOWBIZ.COM.AU OR 1300 4 SHOWS www.showbiz.com.au/Richard-III
GENERAL TICKETS FROM 25TH JULY - TICKETMASTER.COM.AU or 136 100
For all national media enquiries:
JPPR
JP Bolton
T: 0434 600 888
E: jp@jppr.com.au
Kevin Spacey
Theatre includes National Anthems, The Philadelphia Story, Richard II, A Moon for the Misbegotten (also Broadway), Speed-the-Plow, Inherit the Wind (all at The Old Vic); The Iceman Cometh (Almeida/The Old Vic/Broadway), for which he received the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Actor. In addition he won a Tony Award, Best Actor in a Featured Role, for his performance in Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers on Broadway. He starred opposite Jack Lemmon in the Broadway revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, directed by Jonathan Miller, and played Paul in the Off-Broadway production of Barrie Keefe’s Barbarians at SoHo Rep. He has been the Artistic Director of The Old Vic Theatre Company since 2003. Film includes The Usual Suspects (Oscar, Best Supporting Actor), Seven, Swimming with Sharks, American Beauty (Oscar, Best Actor), LA Confidential, Glengarry Glen Ross, Casino Jack, Recount. This summer he will be seen as a horrible boss in Horrible Bosses with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, and in the autumn opposite Jeremy Irons and Paul Bettany in Margin Call, about the collapse of the banking industry. Next year he will star in a US version of British television series House of Cards to be directed by David Fincher.
Sam Mendes
Sam Mendes is the Artistic Director of The Bridge Project. In 1989 he became the first Artistic Director of the Minerva Theatre in Chichester. In 1992 he founded the Donmar Warehouse in London, which he ran as Artistic Director for a decade. During his time there he directed award-winning productions of Assassins, The Glass Menagerie and Company, as well as a double bill of Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night, which transferred to BAM. He has directed many plays for the RSC, National Theatre, West End and on Broadway. He is the recipient of several Tony and Olivier Awards, including an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre. His film credits include Away We Go, Revolutionary Road, Jarhead, Road to Perdition and American Beauty, for which he won Oscar Awards for Best Director and Best Picture. In 2003 he formed Neal Street to produce film, theatre and television, which has since become one of the UK’s most prolific independent production companies. Mendes has been the recipient of the Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2000 was awarded a CBE.
