Riverside Studios Announce Full Details of Spring Programme
Booking open for three upcoming productions plus behind the scenes tours
The newly reopened Riverside Studios have announced full details of their programme for spring 2020.
As already announced, tickets are available now for the world premiere of Ingmar Bergman's Persona, opening on 21 January.
A psychological thriller, this new translation of Persona is adapted and directed by Paul Schoolman and stars Olivier award winner Alice Krige and Nobuhle Ketelo, accompanied by renowned US musician William Close playing his signature Earth Harp with an original score. You can find out more and book tickets here and follow the production on Twitter @personaonstage.
Following Persona, from 25 February till 17 May, will be Love, Loss & Chianti starring Cold Feet and Downtown Abbey star Robert Bathurst and Rebecca Johnson, who starred in The Trip and The Flood, in a two-part evening pairing the critically acclaimed A Scattering with The Song of Lunch by Costa Book Prize award-winner Christopher Reid. The production is complemented by celebrated cartoonist Charles Peattie’s striking, beautiful and witty animations. Find out more and book tickets here.
From 18 till 24 May, after her sell-out West End tour de force Liza Pulman Sings Streisand, Studio 3 presents Liza’s brand new show, The Heart Of It. Alongside her band, Liza rediscovers and reimagines timeless classics and lost gems by Randy Newman, Stevie Wonder, Michel Le Grand, Judy Collins and a host of others. An evening designed to both break your heart and make it sing. Find out more and book tickets here.
In January, the studios are also continuing Riverside Returns, inviting local residents to become the first to glimpse the new state-of-the-art facilities, sample the finest beverages from the kitchen and find out more about what's in store.
The next visits are scheduled for Thursday 9 January and Tuesday 14 January, and the free tickets are going fast so book your place here.
A new exhibition by Riverside Artists Group, Riverside@Riverside, celebrating the group's return to the studios, is also open from 8am till 10pm until 12 January.
After being closed for five years, the famous studios, now within a new multi-million pound building with cutting edge facilities, are opening in three phases.
Phase one, Studio 8 Café and Bar saw the opening of Sam’s Riverside, a new high-end brasserie from Sam Harrison, pictured above, alongside Studio 8 Cafe and Bar.
From lunch until late, the open-plan space serves seasonal and continental dishes, with locally sourced, fresh ingredients, including light bites, hearty mains as well as quick pre-show options.
Studio 8 Cafe and Bar is currently offering a special Christmas menu and is offering 10% off all food and hot beverages until 15 January.
Meanwhile the studios' flagship television studio, Studio 1, run by Riverside TV Studios Ltd, is also set to begin producing broadcasts for local and international audiences in the new year.
Phase two of the launch in January will see the theatrical opening of Persona, along with Studio 3, one of the brand new theatres within Riverside Studios.
Also due to open January are Riverside’s state of the art cinemas. The centre boasts two screens and visitors will enjoy a world-class digital cinematic experience, with films selected by renowned curator Jason Wood, Artistic Director of Film and Culture at HOME in Manchester and Rachel Hayward, Head of Film at HOME.
Jason has promised a broad mix of first-run films, mixed with the best in independent cinema and a range of festivals and seasons that will remain true to the much loved film offering and reputation of the old cinema.
Phase three, launching in March 2020 will see the opening of the final public areas. Studio 2 is a flexible performance space with up to 500 seats, and Studio 5 is a rehearsal room that can also host community events and workshops.
The programme for Studio 2 will be announced soon and will feature work selected and produced by Emily Dobbs who, since her early days working behind the bar at the old Riverside, has gone on to become an acclaimed producer, most recently having presented Revolver in the West End. She will work on a year-long season of theatre at Riverside.
The new Riverside Studios boasts multiple performance, rehearsal and broadcast spaces which will each contribute to its ongoing story by presenting exhibitions, independent film and theatre from both established and emerging voices.
The cultural hub continues a proud tradition that started when it first opened as a film studio in the 1930s, then as one of the original BBC TV Studios in the 1950s, where after it developed a worldwide reputation for presenting innovative art and became a home for some of the leading names in the theatre, television and film industries.
For the first time in its 86 year history, the public can now take advantage of its unique position on the Thames beside Hammersmith Bridge, with all the building’s public facilities now enjoying magnificent views of the river. The new public walkway also allows the public to walk beside it from Hammersmith Bridge to Putney.
As well as booking tickets online, Riverside Studios' box office is open on 020 8237 1010.
December 20, 2019