London Theatre News Today: Waitress’s cakes, a shiny new Old Vic & more…

Starting off the month in style – we’ve got cake, casting and celebrations going on on and off-West End as well as a big unveiling.

Waitress hosted a West End coffee morning last week in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. They announced today that they’d raised £460.88 as part of the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, which has been running since 1990. All of these funds will go towards supporting patients diagnosed with cancer and their families.

The fundraiser was held at Waitress’s home, the Adelphi Theatre and was attended by friends from The Book Of Mormon and Matilda The Musical among others who baked and shared some delicious treats.

We got a look at the rehearsal images for Translations at the National Theatre today, which is returning after a sell-out run last year. The modern classic by Brian Friel charts the clash of worlds when British soldiers arrive in a rural Donegal to map the area and anglicise the Gaelic place names. The play is a powerful story about history, language and identity.

Dermot Crowley, Ciarán Hinds, Seamus O’Hara, Judith Roddy, and Rufus Wright return to reprise their roles, with Jack Bardoe, Liádan Dunlea, Fra Fee, Amy Molloy and Julian Moore-Cook joining the cast.

Luke Bayer and Millie O’Connell were announced today in the cast of Soho Cinders at Charing Cross Theatre. Take a look at our article from earlier today:

The Old Vic celebrated the re-opening of its front of house today, following its recent major restoration. The project aims to improve accessibility and increase the number of loos, which will have all theatregoers jumping for joy!

The Old Vic describe their project to renovate and transform the 201 year old building as a physical manifestation of their mission to support, educate and welcome more people than ever before. They have produced an accompanying impact report about their impact on communities and plans for the future.

The world première of Olivia Olsen’s Stray Dogs was announced at Park Theatre. The play will open on 15 November and run until 7 December. The story follows Anna Akhmatova – the most celebrated poet of her generation. Her husband has died in the purges and her son languishes in state prison. And now, Stalin, the one responsible for the destruction of everyone around her, wants a favour.

A powerful play about loyalties, struggle and the power of art to move mountains and people alike, Stray Dogs is based on true events, following the story of one of the most exceptional and overlooked women of the 20th Century. Robin Herford will direct Olivia Olsen (Anna Akhmatova), Ben Porter (Isaiah Berlin) and Ian Redford (Joseph Stalin).

The full cast has been announced for the world première of Samuel Bailey’s Shook at the Southwark Playhouse. The play follows three young men in a young offenders’ institution and the woman charged with teaching them how to be fathers to their children who wait on the outside.

Shook won the 2019 Papatango New Writing Prize from a record 1,406 entries, taking an earnest look at the young men that society locks up. The cast is made up of Josef Davies (Hangmen), Josh Finan (Romeo and Juliet), Andrea Hall (Ares, Broadchurch), and Ivan Oyik (Blue Orange).