Kenneth Branagh live and direct

A special afternoon encore screening of ‪‎’The Winter’s Tale’ starring the wonderful Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh will kick off the season on Saturday, January 9 at 2.30pm.

Shakespeare’s timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption will star a remarkable group of actors, featuring Judi Dench as Paulina, alongside Tom Bateman (Florizel), Jessie Buckley (Perdita), Hadley Fraser (Polixenes), Miranda Raison (Hermione) and Kenneth Branagh as Leontes.

Audiences will then be treated to a new vision of Shakespeare’s heartbreaking tale of forbidden love ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on Thursday, July 7, 2016.

Reuniting the stars of his celebrated film of Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh directs Richard Madden (best known as Robb Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones) and Lily James (Lady Rose in Downton Abbey and Disney’s Cinderella 2015) as Romeo and Juliet and Sir Derek Jacobi as Mercutio.

And finally coming soon is John Osborneʼs modern classic ‘The Entertainer’ featuring Kenneth Branagh in October 2016. Set against the backdrop of post-war Britain, this piece conjures the seedy glamour of the old music halls for an explosive examination of public masks and private torment. Rob Ashford will direct Kenneth Branagh as the unforgettable Archie Rice.

“The announcement of these screenings is of course very close to our heart here as Sir Kenneth Branagh was a great champion of The Playhouse during our BBC Restoration campaign,” Áine McCarron, theatre programmer at The Playhouse said.

“This is the first in a series of exceptional plays from the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company heading to us under the Branagh Theatre Live banner over the next year.

“This very special season will start with Shakespeare’s timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption, ‘The Winter’s Tale’ reimagined in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh, following their triumphant staging of Macbeth in Manchester and Manhattan.”

For more information and to book contact The Playhouse on (028)71268027 or visit www.derryplayhouse.co.uk.