The production shots for The Last Picture are in! Taken by SR Taylor at York Theatre Royal, they really capture the beauty and sensitivity of this incredible production.
See more about The Last Picture here.
The production shots for The Last Picture are in! Taken by SR Taylor at York Theatre Royal, they really capture the beauty and sensitivity of this incredible production.
See more about The Last Picture here.
In 2010, the so-called age of austerity was launched by the Conservative–Lib Dem coalition, amid a wave of striver v skiver rhetoric.
In November 2016, a United Nations inquiry had found that UK welfare reforms had led to “grave and systematic violations” of disabled people’s rights, highlighting concerns around the new personal independence payment (PIP), increase in benefit sanctions, and evidence of “significant hardship, including financial, material and psychological” experienced by disabled people undergoing benefit assessments.
Last year, in April 2024, prior to the general election, UN disability rights experts concluded that the UK government had made “no significant progress” in the more than seven years since its 2016 inquiry, noting that they were “appalled” by reports of deaths linked to benefit claims, which they say have a “disturbingly consistent theme”.
This “disturbingly consistent theme” is the subject of Museum of Austerity, a mixed reality exhibition showing at the Young Vic Theatre, from 5 December 2025. Made in collaboration with John Pring, editor of Disability News Service, Museum of Austerity juxtaposes striking holographic imagery alongside testimony of bereaved families who lost loved ones amid deeply difficult encounters with the benefit system.
Each family’s story told in the Museum is particular and personal: there are stories of brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers from across the country, yet all share the same underlying theme. In each case, the person who died, and the family they left behind, felt grievously let down by the state, when the safety net they expected to catch them was not there.
The stories are hard to listen to. None of us involved in Museum of Austerity can pretend it’s been comfortable to make or that it’s an easy journey for audiences. But as our current government wrestles with itself about further changes to the social security system, the stories in the Museum of Austerity serve as a stark reminder of the human cost of pushing through cost-cutting legislation without proper consultation or impact assessment.
Decisions made in Westminster have consequences that play out slowly in people’s homes over many years. The relationship between a politician’s vote, the decision of a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) assessor and the quiet, invisible death many miles away, some years later can be hard to see clearly. But coroners in multiple individual cases have found that serious failures in disability benefit administration have materially contributed to, precipitated, or were the predominant factor in such deaths.
OPENING @SOHOPLACE FROM 28 FEBRUARY 2026
Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Chichester Festival Theatre in association with Nica Burns today announce the West End premiere of the Rose Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and ETT critically acclaimed production of Marie and Rosetta, written by George Brant, and directed by Monique Touko. Reprising their roles are multi-award winning singer and actress Beverley Knight as Rosetta Tharpe and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu making her West End debut as Marie Knight. Running @sohoplace theatre for a strictly limited run 28 February – 11 April 2026,with press night on Friday 6 March at 7.30pm.
Beverley Knight said, “Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her legacy had long been overlooked in music history. She deserves her place as one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll, a Gospel singing, guitar shredding heroine who helped to shape popular music as we know it today. I’m so proud that we get to tell her story and that of her co collaborator Marie Knight played by the incredibly talented Ntombizodwa Ndlovu who makes her debut in the West End. She is a star in the making!”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the roof-raising ‘godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’, influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. This sparkling, intimate portrait of Rosetta and her beloved singing partner, Marie Knight, restores these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history.
Mississippi, 1946. Sister Rosetta has changed the face of gospel music with her exuberant, electric guitar-playing style. Shunned by straitlaced church folk for performing in nightclubs and glorying in rhythm and blues, she’s persuaded the saintly young singer Marie to join her on a tour of the segregated southern States. But first she has to convert Marie’s pure Sunday sound into something that has just a little more swing…
English Touring Theatre (ETT), York Theatre Royal and An Tobar and Mull Theatre today announce the UK tour of The Last Picture, a brand-new play by Catherine Dyson, known for her evocative storytelling and sharp insight into human connection. Renewing his collaboration with ETT, John R. Wilkinson directs. The production opens at York Theatre Royal on 6 February 2026, with previews from 5 February, and runs until 14 February 2026, before touring to HOME Manchester, Bristol Old Vic, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, before concluding its run at An Tobar and Mull Theatre.
The Last Picture is a thought-provoking exploration of empathy, imagination, and collective memory – a play about what connects us across time, place, and experience. On a school trip in 2026, a group of Year 9 students – with Sam, their emotional support dog – are drawn into the story of 1939 Europe. As past and present blur, the play asks what it means to care, to remember, and connect across time.
Catherine Dyson today said, “At a time when empathy and imagination feel more necessary than ever, The Last Pictureasks us to come together – to witness, to listen, and to reflect. It’s a piece where the audience is at the heart, and I can’t wait to see it come to life across the country.”
Director John R. Wilkinson: “Working once again with ETT, alongside York Theatre Royal and An Tobar and Mull Theatre, is a real privilege. Catherine’s writing has a quiet intensity – precise, poetic, and deeply resonant. The Last Picture leads audiences through time and space, from classrooms to museums, to moments when history shifts. It’s a profoundly human and immersive journey.”
Artistic Director and Joint CEO Richard Twyman and Executive Producer and Joint CEO Sophie Scull:
“The Last Picture is a moving and innovative new work that speaks to the power of witness. Catherine Dyson’s writing invites us to re-examine the past and confront the present with honesty and compassion. We’re thrilled to be working with John R. Wilkinson again, bringing this extraordinary play to audiences across the UK alongside our valued partners: York Theatre Royal and An Tobar and Mull Theatre.”
CEO of York Theatre Royal Paul Crewes: “We’re proud to produce this bold new play with ETT and An Tobar and Mull Theatre. Catherine Dyson’s writing challenges us to think differently about empathy, history, and how we tell stories. We’re excited to present it to our York audiences – and to see it reach communities across the UK.”
Artistic Director and Chief Executive of An Tobar and Mull Theatre Rebecca Atkinson-Lord: “Catherine Dyson’s writing glows with emotional intelligence. The Last Picture is a vital reminder of the need for empathy in a world that often feels fractured. The play becomes something rare – generous, haunting, and full of hope. We’re proud to share this work with audiences nationwide.”
Full tour dates HERE
The Young Vic Theatre has today announced the inaugural season from new Artistic Director and CEO Nadia Fall – a programme of timely reimaginings of classic work, UK, European and World premieres and creatively bold, inventive productions from internationally acclaimed theatre makers and exciting new voices.
Museum of Austerity will run from 5 December – 16 January in The Maria.
Nadia Fall, Artistic Director and CEO of the Young Vic said:
“Museum of Austerity is the creation of master craftswoman Sacha Wares together with John Pring, Founder of Disability News Service. An installation that unlocks real-life testimonials from people who have lost disabled family members due to changes to the benefit system. The multitude of stories appear as audiences move around the space, it’s an emotional and necessary work.”
To mark the 110th anniversary of the birth of American singer and songwriter Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Rose Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and ETT today announce the full cast and creative team for the UK premiere of George Brant’s (Grounded) critically-acclaimed Marie and Rosetta, the roof-raising play with music telling the true story of Tharpe and her protégé Marie Knight. Directed by Monique Touko (The Boy at the Back of the Class; School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), this production featuring gospel and blues hits is an electrifying portrait of the godmother of rock ’n’ roll.
As previously announced, celebrating her professional play debut as Rosetta Tharpe, is multi award-winning singer and actress Beverley Knight, whose many West End performances include Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia (for which she won an Olivier Award) and Sister Act.
Joining Beverley Knight is Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, an up-and-coming talent making her London stage debut as Marie Knight, Rosetta’s protege and musical partner. Her recent theatre credits include, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Space Between Us, Mixtape, Nothing, and The Mountain Top (Royal Exchange Theatre).
The creative team joining Touko includes Lily Arnold (Set Designer), Jodie-Simone Howe (Costume Designer), Kloé Dean (Movement Director), Liam Godwin (Music Supervisor, Arranger & Orchestrator), Matt Haskins (Lighting Designer), Tony Gayle (Sound Designer), Bethan Clark (Intimacy Director), Joel Trill (Voice & Dialect Coach), Jacob Sparrow (Casting Director), Jordi M. Carter (Associate Director), and Teresa Nagel (Associate Lighting Designer).
Marie and Rosetta runs at the Rose Theatre in Kingston 2 – 24 May (Press Performance: Friday 9 May ) before transferring to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre 27 – 31 May and Chichester Festival Theatre 25 June – 26 July (Press Performance: Wednesday 2 July).
ETT today announce full casting for Artistic Director Richard Twyman’s version of Macbeth, which is excitingly reworked for 2025 for a limited run at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Joining the previously announced Alex Austin (Macbeth) and Lois Chimimba (Lady Macbeth) are Gabriel Akuwudike (Banquo), Bella Aubin (Malcolm), David Colvin (Lennox), Ammar Haj Ahmad (Macduff), Daniel Hawksford (Duncan), Bianca Stephens (Lady Macduff) and Sophie Stone (Ross).
Macbeth opens on 5 March, with previews from 28 February and runs until 29 March 2025.
Artistic Director Richard Twyman and Executive Producer Sophie Scull said today, “We feel very lucky to have been able to put together such an extraordinary team for our reworked Macbeth. It’s a real thrill that audiences in London will have a chance to see this production and the work of the brilliantly talented people involved in it. Audiences can expect a Macbeth that’s surprising, exciting, dangerous and playful. We’d like to thank all of the partners, actors, creatives, artists and freelancers involved in making and realising it for audiences across the UK, internationally, digitally and now in London.”
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, added “I am thrilled to be welcoming English Touring Theatre’s production of Macbeth to the Lyric. We are delighted to bring this compelling and thought-provoking production to our stage in West London.”
AN ETT, ROSE THEATRE AND CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE CO-PRODUCTION
ETT, Rose Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre today announce the UK premiere of George Brant’s (Grounded) critically-acclaimed Marie and Rosetta, the roof-raising play with music telling the true story of American singer and songwriter Rosetta Tharpe and her protégé Marie Knight. Directed by Monique Touko (The Boy at the Back of the Class; School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play), this production featuring gospel and blues hits is an electrifying portrait of the godmother of rock ’n’ roll.
Celebrating her professional play debut as Rosetta, is multi award-winning singer and actress Beverley Knight, whose many West End performances include Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia (for which she won an Olivier Award) and Sister Act. Full cast and creative team to be announced.
Marie and Rosetta runs at the Rose Theatre in Kingston 2 – 24 May before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre 25 June – 26 July.
Beverley Knight, said: “It is a great honour to be cast in the role of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the unsung architects of rock ‘n’ roll. I am and have always been a storyteller, whether it be in a purely music form or in a theatrical setting. I’m excited to be able to tell the Sister Rosetta story in this important play about her life, trailblazing career and her relationship with the legendary gospel singer Marie Knight. This will be my first role in a professional play; I have performed many times in plays at an amateur level and I’m so thrilled that I get to tell HERstory as my debut. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with her powerful expressive voice, her electrifying guitar and her Gospel message laid the foundations on which Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley and literally everyone else has walked. The Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll deserves to be celebrated and remembered”.
Monique Touko, Director, said: “It is truly an honour to stage the UK premiere of Marie and Rosetta by George Brant. Returning to both Rose and Chichester with this needed and powerful story feels very timely. This play allows us to not only celebrate the incredible lives of two trailblazing Black female musicians, but to immerse ourselves in their world, blending song and spectacle to bring their legacy to life. We’ll zoom in on the moments of their lives, big and small, and amplify their voices—both literally and metaphorically. It’s a privilege and a responsibility to depict these women in their full glory, ensuring they receive the recognition they so deeply deserve for their monumental contributions to music and culture.”
Following the UK and international tour in 2023 and 2024, ETT today announces Macbeth will return to the stage for a limited run. Artistic Director of ETT, Richard Twyman will direct Alex Austin in the titular role as Macbeth and Lois Chimimba as Lady Macbeth in the 2025 production at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
Macbeth will open on 5 March, with previews from 28 February and runs until 29 March 2025 at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
ETT’s Artistic Director Richard Twyman and Executive Producer Sophie Scull said today, “Following a UK and international tour in 2023/2024, seen by more than 40,000 people, we are delighted to be bringing our production of Macbeth to the Lyric Hammersmith, with the exciting talent of Alex Austin and Lois Chimimba playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. We can’t wait to introduce you to the rest of the cast and hope that audiences in London will find something both familiar and provocative in the story and society that unfolds on stage.”
Full cast to be announced shortly.