A Grand-age

This autumn, a new theatre company has joined the ranks of the prestigious London scene: the Michael Grandage Company (MGC). Born from the union of two notorieties of the UK repertoire, artistic director Michael Grandage and executive producer James Bierman, this new troop has only just revealed its first 15-month season of five plays that will be nestled in the heart of the West End at the Noel Coward theatre.

There are a few things here that are worth saying about this new company and why this is an exciting development.

First, Michael Grandage has an award-winning track record from his previous position as artistic director at the Donmar Warehouse. To translate this into a comparable figure, Grandage is the theatre equivalent of, say, Christopher Nolan: he turns almost every production into an acclaimed, fresh, yet tasteful gem. Second, the season will feature a sensational mix of well-established celebrities including Judi Dench, Daniel Radcliffe and Jude Law, as much as new up-and-coming actors like Sam Swainsbury.

Third, in order to appeal to a wide mass of cosmopolites, MGC is offering no less than 100,000 tickets for £10 only across its season. That’s 200 out of the 950 seats of the venue for a tenner for each performance. With such a renowned track record, why would MGC be taking such a cut? Primarily to send a clear message about what it wants to be known for: the new kid on the block whose every play will make it on your must-see list. Aiming to complement the seasons of the likes of the National Theatre, the Almeida and the Old Vic, MGC’s policy opens the door to younger theatregoers and students while still promising high quality productions. Fourth, MGC will be performing for free across London schools and colleges, launching an education programme tagged ‘MGC Future’ to introduce young people to theatre. In the same spirit, for each play the company will seek to hire starting directors and designers as part of a training scheme, giving new stars the chance to shine. If the price tag alone did nothing to convince you, it must surely be good to support a company that does not perpetuate the uptight standards that theatres often seem to uphold.

Oh, and I almost forgot: the set five plays, starting this December, all promise to be captivating! I suggest jumping on one – if not all – of these opportunities within the next year:

Privates on Parade, on first, features Simon Russell Beale as drag-queen army Captain Dennis in Peter Nichols’ comedy, which is set against the murderous backdrop of the Malaysian campaign at the end of the Second World War.

Peter and Alice, starting in March, and starring Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw, hypothesizes on the meeting between Alice Liddell Hargreaves and Peter Llewelyn Davies – the two children who inspired Caroll and Barrie to respectively write Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

The final play of the (school) year, The Cripple Of Inishmaan begins in June. Have you ever wondered how Daniel Radcliffe would fare without a wand and a sizzling scar? Look no further. He will be taking on the lead role for this play: a young disabled man living on a remote island on the West Coast of Ireland set to become a movie star when a Hollywood production comes to shoot on an island nearby.

For more information on how to obtain one of those £10 tickets go to http://www.michaelgrandagecompany.com