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A general view of the Royal Exchange Theatre on 2 July 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Dozens of the biggest theatres across the UK have promised only to cast trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming actors for trans roles.
More than 40 theatres and production companies – including London’s Royal Court, the Oxford Playhouse and the Royal Exchange in Manchester – have signed the trans casting statement. In the statement, the organisations have promised to “actively seek casting opportunities” for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people in “any role regardless of gender”, acknowledging that “they are currently underrepresented on our stages and screens”.
AT the heart of The Love Season when York Theatre Royal reopens from May 17 will be The Greatest Play In The History Of The World, Julie Hesmondhalgh s one-woman show. Produced by Tara Finney Productions in association with Hull Truck Theatre, the debut tour of Ian Kershaw s multi award-winning play will open at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, from May 18 to 22 before History will be made at the Theatre Royal from June 1 to 5 and Hull Truck from June 7 to 12, with all tour performances being socially distanced with Covid-safe measures in place. Winner of The Stage Edinburgh Award in 2018, The Greatest Play In The History Of The World takes a heartfelt journey that starts and ends in a small, unassuming house on a quiet suburban road, as Coronation Street and Broadchurch alumnus Julie Hesmondhalgh narrates the story of two neighbours and the people on their street, navigating her way through the nuances of life, the possibilities of science and the meaning of love.
Last modified on Wed 10 Mar 2021 10.34 EST
Trevor Peacock, the actor and songwriter, who has died aged 89 after suffering from dementia, was best known and much loved for his endearing performance as a bumbling parish councillor, Jim Trott, in The Vicar of Dibley (1994-2007), one of a delightful gallery of village worthies circling, and answering to, Dawn French’s enthusiastic parish priest.
Jim’s particular dimness was manifest in an acute inability to say what he meant, prefacing a “Yes” with a string of stuttering “No’s”. This had landed him in deep trouble. He had, for instance, in a history of two marriages, been spliced, by accident, with another man.