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Kenneth Branagh to bring 'The Winter's Tale' to West End The Award-winning Actor Will Begin a Residency at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End
The Telegraph, 30 January 2015 One of Britain's most revered Shakespeare practitioners, Kenneth Branagh, has revealed plans to complete a season of plays in the West End with his own theatre company. The 54-year-old actor-director is assembling a new ensemble before making a welcome return to the London stage this October for three months. Reported first by MailOnline, the Shakespearean comedy-romance 'The Winter's Tale' is the only play confirmed. It is rumoured that one of the other plays will be an original piece, while the third will be another Renaissance classic. Along with Branagh, who will direct as well as perform during the residency at the Garrick Theatre, the people backstage include Hollywood casting director Lucy Bevan, who is known for her work on 'Maleficent' and 'Snow White and the Huntsman'. Branagh set up the Renaissance Theatre Company in 1986 and was responsible for a number of high-profile Shakespearean productions, including 'Twelfth Night' and 'Hamlet'. His last appearance in the West End was in Chekhov's 'Ivanov' in 2008, directed by Michael Grandage. Recently, Branagh has portrayed the title character in the British television adaptation of 'Wallander', based on Henning Mankell's Swedish detective. Branagh was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours in 2012 for services to drama and to the community in Northern Ireland (where the actor grew up). He has received five Academy Award nominations and holds the title of being the first person with recognition in five different categories. His other accolades include nominations for five Golden Globes and three Baftas, with one win at the Emmy Awards in 2001 for his portrayal of SS leader Reinhard Heydrich in the TV film 'Conspiracy'.
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