Meera Syal News

On what would have been Comedy legend Victoria Wood's 70th Birthday, Sean Foley, the double Olivier Award-winning Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre has announced the creation of the first ever major playwriting prize dedicated to the art of Comedy.

Ahead of the ceremony this Sunday (2 April), the Olivier Awards 2023 with Mastercard has announced its line-up of presenters for the event taking place at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Hannah Waddingham.

BBC Sounds' Brown Girls Do It Too the award-winning podcast from Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani explores the messy realities, fantasies and sexpectations of British Asian women, navigating life and relationships along the way.  

Tall Stories presents their newest production, The Smeds and The Smoos, based on the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, which flies into the West End this summer, following a UK tour.

The National Campaign for the Arts and the Public Campaign for the Arts have joined forces to create one organisation, Campaign for the Arts, with a combined supporter-base of over a quarter of a million people.

In the works to celebrate writers from communities that have traditionally been under-represented in the Arts.

Sean Foley, the Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep announced two new comedies to start the New Year '23, including the world premiere of Spitting Image Live: Featuring the Liar King, as well as the completion of the Autumn '22 Season. 

The Bush Theatre continues its 50th Anniversary season with Ambreen Razia's Favour a world premiere co-produced with Clean Break. Co-directed by Clean Break's Joint Artistic director Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram, the cast is today announced as Avita Jay, Renu Brindle, Rina Fatania, and Ashna Rabheru.

Based on a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, the series is the first to be released under “Roar” creators and co-showrunners Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive’s (“GLOW”) overall deal with Apple TV+. The series includes Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart, and Kara Hayward.

The Rep's ground-breaking collaboration with Sky Studios comes to fruition this March as audiences are invited to be amongst the first to enjoy the work of the comedy writing stars of the future. Sky Comedy Rep will host its first-ever festival of new comedic short plays at Birmingham Rep from 3-5 March 2022.

By popular demand an extra date has been added to the run of Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 2 at Park Theatre. A 3pm matinee on Tuesday 8th March was put on sale this morning and is the only date now available in the otherwise sold out run (except for £10 day seats released at 10am on show days).

In a new translation by the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, this witty and enchanting edition of the medieval debate poem will be directed by John Tiffany and read by Maxine Peake and Meera Syal with Simon Armitage. 

Based on a book of short stories by Cecelia Ahern, the series is the first to be released under “Roar” and features an all-star cast including Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”), who also executive produces; Cynthia Erivo; Issa Rae; Merritt Wever; Alison Brie; Betty Gilpin; and Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart and Kara Hayward.  

Park Theatre has today announced the full line up of almost 40 celebrities who will take to the Park200 stage this February and March – completely unrehearsed – to play the Inspector in a farcical whodunnit.

Following the celebratory reopening of Birmingham Rep this autumn with critically acclaimed productions of East is East, the brand new musical What’s New Pussycat? and the presentation of Grenfell: Value Engineering, Artistic Director Sean Foley announces a new collection of work to follow his own production of the classic comedy The Play What I Wrote.

Almost 40 celebrities will take to the Park200 stage completely unrehearsed to play the Inspector in a brand new farcical whodunnit as part of a vital fundraiser for Park Theatre in February and March 2022.

After months of refurbishments and closure due to coronavirus, the Royal Albert Hall is back open and ready to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Part of its full re-opening programme was the return of Letters Live, an event which has taken place at various venues across the world (from the Union Chapel in Islington to the Calais refugee camp to Los Angeles), and made its debut at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2019.

An exclusive live theatre event to celebrate the publication of 50 Women In Theatre at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe will be presented on Sunday 3 October 2021 at 6pm.

Alan Stacey has today announced that he will be stepping down as Executive Director of Headlong in March 2022 after six years with the company. During his tenure Stacey has helped bring some of Headlong's most critically acclaimed work to over 900,000 people in theatres across the UK.

Sky Studios and Birmingham Repertory Theatre today announce the launch of 'Sky Comedy REP', a new partnership that aims to discover and develop new regional comedy writing talent from across the UK, particularly from communities that have traditionally been under-represented in the Arts.