News & press | Scenario Two

Press Releases

12 November 2024

The Parent Agency

Monday 28 October: Producers John Berry and Anthony Lilley of Scenario Two today announce that the best-selling book The Parent Agency, by comedian and author, David Baddiel, will be brought to the stage next year in a brand-new musical with music and additional lyrics by Dan Gillespie Sells (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), directed by Tim Jackson (Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)).

The Parent Agency – The Musical will begin performances at Storyhouse Chester on Saturday 15 February 2025 and will play for two weeks until Sunday 2 March 2025.

Gala Night will be on Wednesday 19 February 2025.

Tickets will go on sale Friday 1 November 2024 at www.storyhouse.com.

With a presale for Storyhouse members from Monday 28 October.

The Parent Agency – The Musical will appeal to anyone who is, or has been, a child.
And also, to anyone who is, or has had, at least one parent.
And definitely, to anyone who wishes they weren’t called Barry.

Eleven-year-old Barry Bennett hates his name. In fact, it’s number one on the list of things he blames his parents (Susan and Geoff) for along with “being boring, never buying him cool stuff, being tired all the time and being too strict”. So, he makes a wish for a better mum and dad and finds himself whisked away to Youngdon in the ‘United Kid-dom’, an alternate universe where kids get to pick out their perfect parents with the assistance of the staff of the eponymous Parent Agency.

For Barry, this seems like a dream come true, although he soon learns that choosing a new mum and dad isn’t as simple as it sounds…

2024 marks the 10th anniversary of David Baddiel’s much-loved, the-grass-is-always-greener, debut adventure, which has sold over 355,000 copies worldwide. Celebrations began early this year with the publication of The Parent Agency: 10th Anniversary edition including bonus chapters.

David Baddiel’s books have achieved exceptional success and been translated into 30 languages. His children’s books have received huge critical acclaim and won some of children’s literature’s highest accolades including the inaugural Laugh Out Loud Award, for The Parent Agency.

David Baddiel

Dan Gillespie-Sells, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of The Feeling, has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim for his work in musical theatre. He composed the music for the hit West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which received multiple Olivier Award nominations, toured internationally and was adapted in to an Amazon Original Film. Dan’s work has earned him an Ivor Novello Award, Olivier, BAFTA and BRIT nominations, and he was named Stonewall’s Entertainer of the Decade in 2015 for his contributions to the LGBT community.

Joining David and Dan on the creative team are director Tim Jackson (Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), Merrily We Roll Along), choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (SIX, Dear Evan Hansen), costume designer Sarah Mercadé (Jesus Christ Superstar, 101 Dalmatians, The Spongebob Musical), lighting designer Zoe Spurr (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World, Bonnie & Clyde) and Assistant Director Francesca Hsieh (VANYA), with Casting Director Olivia Laydon CDG for Jill Green Casting and Children’s Casting by Amy Beadel CDG.

David Baddiel said: “I’m so happy that my first children’s book The Parent Agency is going to be made into a musical. It’s a book that kids tell me they love, including now young adults who first read it years ago. It takes a very real child on a very magical journey that seems to really suit big musical moments – and these have been brilliantly provided by the genius that is Dan Gillespie-Sells, who’s been a total joy to work with.”

Dan Gillespie-Sells continued: “I’m so excited to be working with David Baddiel on this brand new musical, I’ve always been a fan of his and I can’t wait to get in to the rehearsal room alongside a wonderful creative team to help bring this story to life”

Tim Jackson added: “There’s something magical about taking a story that kids and families already love and finding new ways to tell it on stage. I’m looking forward to working alongside David and Dan to turn this wonderful world into a theatrical experience that feels fresh and playful for audiences in Chester and beyond”

News, Tech

3 April 2023

HIGH TECH TROUPE

Madeline, the muse at the heart of Cages, looks like an actor on the stage but is actually a pin-sharp projection.

Few forms of entertainment are as old as theatre. Thought to have originated in ancient Greece, theatre is still going strong today in largely the same format. Maybe not for much longer. Theatre is transforming and AV is the star of its latest act.

By Caroline Reid and Christian Sylte.

Read the full article here

News

24 March 2023

David Baddiel’s The Parent Agency to be big-budget family musical

Barry Bennett is ready to take to the stage next to Matilda and Annie as the producers of a new musical say it is time for a pre-teen boy to take the spotlight.

David Baddiel has teamed up with one of the country’s greatest singer-songwriters to bring the protagonist of his debut children’s novel, The Parent Agency, to the stage as a big-budget family musical.

View Full Article Here

News

27 April 2022

Outstanding Cast Announced for Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into The Woods at Theatre Royal Bath

Scenario Two and Theatre Royal Bath Productions are thrilled to announce the cast of INTO THE WOODS, the legendary Stephen Sondheim musical, with book by James Lapine, as it prepares to bring the fantastical story to life in a brand-new production which opens from 19 August 2022.

Tickets on sale now at theatreroyal.org.uk

Read the full update here

Press Releases

7 January 2022

Into The Woods: Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical to open at Theatre Royal Bath

Stephen Sondheim’s beloved musical: Into The Woods, to open at Theatre Royal Bath from August 2022

Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by JAMES LAPINE
Co-Directed by TERRY GILLIAM and LEAH HAUSMAN

Tickets on sale to priority bookers from 11am on Monday 13 December 2021 and on general sale from 10am on Monday 20 December 2021 via theatreroyal.org.uk

INTO THE WOODS, the legendary Stephen Sondheim musical, with book by James Lapine, is brought to life in a startling new production which opens at Theatre Royal Bath from 19 August 2022.

Presented by Scenario Two and Theatre Royal Bath Productions, this eagerly anticipated production of INTO THE WOODS brings together a world-class, multi award-winning creative team including iconic stage and film director Terry Gilliam, co-director and choreographer Leah Hausman, designer Jon Bausor, costume designer Antony McDonald, video designer Will Duke, sound designer Paul Groothuis, and casting director David Grindrod.

Weaving together many of the Grimm Brothers much-loved tales, INTO THE WOODS takes you deep inside the pages of Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and other stories to see what really happens when we achieve our ‘happy ever after’?

A baker and his wife desperately yearn to have a child but have been cursed by the Witch who lives next door, thanks to the actions of the baker’s father. The only way to lift the curse is to find four obscures yet strangely familiar items – a cow as white as milk, a slipper as pure as gold, a cape as red as blood and a hair as yellow as corn. With only three nights to find them before the curse becomes irreversible, the couple head deep into the mysterious nearby woods only to discover more about themselves than they might ever have expected…

One of the most famous musicals of the modern era, winner of the Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book, a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2002, an Olivier Award for the best musical revival in the 2011 and in recent years made into a Hollywood movie starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp, INTO THE WOODS is a captivating, witty and entertaining musical adventure for audiences of all ages.

Terry Gilliam came to fame as the surreal artist behind many of the Monty Python Flying Circus images of the late sixties and early seventies. In 2009, he was presented with the BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award for a film career which has included the visually stunning Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, Time Bandits, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the Oscar-winning The Fisher King. He has also directed to critical acclaim The Damnation of Faust and Benvenuto Cellini for English National Opera, productions which travelled across Europe.

Scenario Two co-director John Berry said: “Stephen Sondheim‘s recent death has led to a worldwide outpouring of love and appreciation for his unique genius. We feel privileged to be working on this wonderful work and we are extremely grateful to Steve and James Lapine for their support as we searched for a new home for this production.

Scenario Two co-director Anthony Lilley said:

“We are thrilled that this collaboration with our new partners Theatre Royal Bath will mean that this production of Into the Woods can now finally be seen by Stephen Sondheim‘s huge UK fan base”.

Articles

26 June 2020

A life-changing voice: John Berry on bringing Pavarotti back to the stage

Leaving the h Club in Los Angeles in February with Anthony Lilley, my business partner in my production company Scenario Two, I was looking forward to spending the day in a recording studio listening to some initial musical ideas for an ambitious project. Our music director—an award-winning, innovative musician whose work fuses elements of classical, jazz and popular music (his name is under wraps until the autumn)—had three demos waiting for us, and they were hugely encouraging: looking back, the day seems a turning point. The challenge we had set ourselves? To bring the story of Luciano Pavarotti to the stage in the form of an ambitious commercial musical.

Arias by great Italian composers including Donizetti and Puccini were immediately reinterpreted in different guises all over the world within weeks of their first performances. Pavarotti, like Caruso before him, used these arias, together with the great Neapolitan songs, in ways that reached out beyond the opera audience. We hope our Pavarotti musical will do the same. To do this, we need to find the balance between preserving the authenticity of the Pavarotti material and ensuring the production attracts a West End musicals audience.

The choice of director, for a start, was crucial. Given this project is not an opera and neither is it for a niche audience, we needed someone with a commercial and creative hand who didn’t necessarily come from within the opera world. Michael Gracey, our director, was already known in Hollywood for his work making music videos and as a visual-effects artist when in 2017 he made his feature film directing debut with no less a movie than The Greatest Showman, starring Hugh Jackman, which grossed more than $430m at the box office. He was also an executive producer on the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman.

The success of our project will depend on our working closely with many collaborators. Co-productions and international partnerships have become a necessity across every genre of the arts, from TV and film to opera and commercial theatre. In opera, the co-producing model is not new, but over the last decade it has become much more popular. Reaching out internationally means that opera houses can share artistic ideas and gain joint access to busy creative teams. In particular, one can forge a new relationship swiftly through a trusted colleague. While I was artistic director at English National Opera I remember Peter de Caluwe, the Intendant of La Monnaie, Brussels, introducing me to the La Fura dels Baus team—which consequently resulted in our production of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre. My relationship with Dmitri Tcherniakov started with an introduction from Nikolaus Bachler, the Intendant of the Bayerische Staatsoper. Dmitri was in great demand, but the prospect of working jointly with Munich and the ENO, with the particularly long rehearsal period that ENO was able to offer, resulted in Dmitri making his London debut with his production of Simon Boccanegra, after which he directed ENO’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Strong relationships built on respect, trust and knowledge are crucial to bringing the many facets of this art form together.

There are many ways of sharing responsibility for creating a production. Splitting the costs of creating the set, props and costumes is the most common. However, many European opera houses have well-resourced workshops and they may agree to make the sets there themselves, at their own cost. For example, ENO’s relationship with Oper Bonn resulted in two projects, Julian Anderson’s Thebans and John Adams’s The Gospel According to the Other Mary, that would certainly not have happened without Bonn agreeing to build and pay for the set, costumes and props. It saved ENO many thousands of pounds per production and gave Bonn’s adventurous young Intendant, Bernhard Helmich, an opportunity to work with two great directors, Peter Sellars and Pierre Audi. Everyone was happy.

In fact, over the ten seasons from 2005 (when I became ENO’s artistic director) the company was involved in around 80 co-productions. Our productions of Madam Butterfly, Satyagraha, Porgy and Bess, Peter Grimes, Death in Venice, The Makropoulos Case, Katya Kabanova and many others were made possible only through our collaborations with multiple partners and international investment. ENO’s first Rameau opera—Castor and Pollux, directed by Barrie Kosky, his first new production in the UK—won an Olivier Award in 2011; it wouldn’t have been achievable without us teaming up with the Komische Oper Berlin. Multiple relationships with international houses enabled the company to present work to London audiences that otherwise would not have been possible. It also brought in many millions of pounds in international investment. ENO became one of the biggest exporters of artistic content in the UK, much of it led by British creative teams. Yet the importance of ENO’s international activity was rarely acknowledged by Arts Council England. It took Nicholas Serota’s arrival at ACE in 2017 to kick-start and promote the importance of international collaboration in the arts. As he said in one of his first public speeches, ‘International collaborations between artists improve the cultural offering available to us in England. They give audiences the chance to experience the finest artistic talent from across the world, while enriching the practice of artists and organizations here at home.’

Post-coronavirus, opera houses will be reassessing their futures and this model may well become even more crucial moving forward. Equally, in the world of high-risk commercial theatre, finding new ways to share the financial risk at the inception of a new project will become a priority if investors demand reduced financial exposure. I wonder, therefore, if opera and commercial theatre might develop ways of working more closely in the future?

Scenario Two’s strategy with last year’s new production of Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza, starring Renée Fleming, took its lead from the opera model. A number of organizations, including Los Angeles Opera and Opera Australia , signed up to the production before the premiere. We have also been developing a musical with Terry Gilliam, with whom I had a successful collaboration at ENO leading to his stagings of
The Damnation of Faust and Benvenuto Cellini (both of them major international co-productions). This will be coproduced with a London theatre to be announced later this year.

Outside the opera world, the models for creating new work are numerous. Non-profit organizations such as the Young Vic and the National Theatre have transported their own productions to the West End, including War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, with commercial investment from individual producers and theatre owners. London’s innovative Almeida Theatre demonstrated, with such shows as 1984 and Ink, that it can create something small of the highest quality, build the scale and develop it for transfer to the West End and then Broadway. Partnerships involving regional UK theatres have resulted in projects such as Six—a musical picked up directly from the Edinburgh Fringe which has now become a global phenomenon. As Anthony Lilley says, ‘Every commercial theatre production is like a prototype product—but you have to test it with a full audience. While the returns can be very high, the risk is impossible to calculate and yet, every year, new and untried projects become global hits.’

Back to the Pavarotti musical. For a number of years, commercial producers have been seeking the stage rights from Nicoletta Pavarotti (Luciano’s second wife), the Pavarotti Foundation and Universal Music Group, where he was a long-standing Decca artist. When we met Nicoletta two years ago to discuss our plans for a staged musical there were several producers in London and New York pitching for the rights. However, we had made several creative decisions at the outset which resonated with Nicoletta and which tipped things in our favour. Most importantly, the musical would not be a straight biographical piece but would be inspired by the voice of Luciano Pavarotti, bringing his story to life through original recordings, focusing on the impact of his unique voice and the effect it had on people’s lives around the world. It would therefore be both impossible and unnecessary to cast an actor in the role of Pavarotti.

As we build the creative team, we continue to delve into the phenomenal Pavarotti archives, housed in Modena, and to discover stories from around the world about this extraordinary man. We hope to share updates with opera’s readers as the project develops. In the meantime, we are hoping the magazine’s wide and knowledgeable readership will help us with our research. And so, we want to ask: has your life been profoundly changed through encounters with Pavarotti’s voice, either through recordings or through a live performance? If so, please email us. We will be delighted to hear from you. We want to make sure that no stone is left unturned in our search for unheard stories about this great artist and man.

If you have a personal memory of a life-changing encounter with Luciano Pavarotti’s singing, or know of someone who does, please share it with the producers at Scenario Two by emailing [email protected]

News

4 August 2019

Pavarotti

Scenario Two is delighted to announce that we are working with director. Michael Gracey, on a large-scale musical inspired by the life and music of Luciano Pavarotti to premiere in 2021.

For more details, take a look at this feature in The Observer.

Press Releases

18 February 2019

The Light In The Piazza: Further casting announced for six-time Tony award-winning musical

World-Renowned Soprano, Renée Fleming, and star of Disney’s The Descendants, Dove Cameron, already announced in lead roles
Cast includes London stage favourites from musicals, opera and theatre, Rob Houchen, Celinde Schoenmaker, Liam Tamne, Marie McLaughlin and Malcolm Sinclair part of an all-star company
Daniel Evans leads world class creative team for London premiere of Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel masterpiece
Coming to the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, 14 June – 5 July 2019 for twenty performances only with 35 piece orchestra of Opera North

Scenario Two are delighted to announce further casting for the London debut of the acclaimed Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza. The Light in the Piazza will be performed in a full staging at the Royal Festival Hall in a limited run of only twenty performances directed by Olivier award-winner, Daniel Evans, designed by Robert Jones with costumes by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Mick Potter. The ravishing score will be played by the 35 piece orchestra of Opera North under the baton of Kimberly Grigsby, conductor of the original Lincoln Center production.

Joining Renée Fleming and Dove Cameron as (Margaret and Clara Johnson respectively) will be acclaimed West End star and 2019 Off West End award-winner, Rob Houchen, as Clara’s suitor, Fabrizio Naccarelli. Rob’s previous credits include West End productions of Les Misérables and Titanic and he was most recently seen in his Offie winning performance in Eugenius!

Celinde Schoenmaker will play the role of Franca Naccarelli. Previously Celinda has starred as Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, and played the role of Fantine in the West End production of Les Misérables. She is well-known for her YouTube and podcast collaborations with Carrie Hope-Fletcher.

Liam Tamne will play Guiseppe Naccarelli. Previously Liam has taken the roles of Raoul in Phantom of the Opera, Enjolras in Les Misérables and Fiyero in Wicked as well as being a member of Will.i.am’s team on The Voice Season 2.

Fabrizio’s mother Signora Naccarelli will be played by Olivier-nominated international soprano, Marie McLaughlin, who has performed at many of the world’s leading opera houses including Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, New York and Munich Opera.

Malcolm Sinclair will make a welcome return to the London stage as Margaret’s husband and Clara’s father, Roy Johnson. Malcolm’s career spans more than three decades and encompasses a vast array of West End, National Theatre and RSC productions alongside roles in films such as Casino Royale and V for Vendetta.

The rich singing talent in the company includes Matthew Woodyatt, Rhona McGregor, Tom Partridge, Molly Lynch, Nicholas Duncan, Chlöe Hart, Danny Becker, Monica Swayne and Simbi Akande.

Already announced are four-time Grammy winner and Tony nominee Renée Fleming who will be making her long-awaited London musical theatre debut as American Margaret Johnson, and Dove Cameron – who also makes her UK debut as Margaret’s troubled daughter Clara. Dove is best known for her role in Disney’s The Descendants trilogy. She recently played the role of Amber von Tussle in NBC’s Hairspray Live! and starred as Cher in the Off-Broadway production of Clueless: The Musical.

Final casting is currently taking place for the featured role of Signor Naccarelli, Fabrizio’s father. Scenario Two expects to make a major announcement within the next month regarding this role.

The Light in the Piazza
On its Broadway debut, The Light in the Piazza was described by the New York Times as having “the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story”.

Based on the novel by Elizabeth Spencer, The Light in the Piazza book is by Craig Lucas, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Set in Florence during the summer of 1953, it’s a touching and heart-wrenching love story. A fateful gust of wind whisks Clara’s hat into the hands of local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli and It’s love at first sight. However, Clara isn’t quite what she appears and soon they must all confront a secret that’s been kept in the shadows for far too long.

The Light in the Piazza’s rich, emotional score is a totally unique genre amongst Broadway musicals. Unapologetically lyrical and romantic, it transports us to 1950s Florence in the period made famous by films such as La Dolce Vita for a romantic evening of love and light.

For media enquiries please contact Dee McCourt at Borkowski:
[email protected] | 0203 176 2700

Press Releases

9 November 2018

The Light In The Piazza

All-star cast and creative team set for London premiere of 6-time Tony Award-winning musical by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel
World Renowned Soprano Renée Fleming and star of Disney’s The Descendants Dove Cameron in lead roles
Debut production from John Berry & Anthony Lilley’s new company Scenario Two in collaboration with Opera North
To be performed at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, 14 June – 5 July 2019 for twenty performances only
Press performance Tuesday 18 June 2019, 8pm

Scenario Two are proud to announce that their debut production will be the London Premiere of the dazzling musical The Light in the Piazza. With a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, The Light in the Piazza is a touching and heartwrenching love story set in Florence during the summer of 1953. It has been described by the New York Times as having “the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story”.

It will be performed on the stage of the Royal Festival Hall for twenty performances only in the summer of 2019, with a 40-piece symphony orchestra and an all-star cast.

This new production will be directed by multiple Olivier Award-winner Daniel Evans and performed by opera superstar Renée Fleming and film and television star Dove Cameron – both making their London stage debuts in a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event with the Orchestra of Opera North performing on-stage conducted by Kimberley Grigsby.

Four-time Grammy winner and Tony nominee Renée Fleming makes her long awaited London music theatre debut as American Margaret Johnson. Dove Cameron makes her UK debut as Margaret’s troubled daughter Clara; she is best known for her role in Disney’s The Descendants trilogy, recently starred as Amber von Tussle in NBC’s Hairspray Live! and is currently starring as Cher in the Off Broadway production of Clueless: The Musical.

Director Daniel Evans, Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, is a star of British Theatre with recently acclaimed productions of Showboat and Fiddler on The Roof. His award-winning creative team includes set designer Rob Jones (RSC, Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera New York), costume designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel (Royal Opera House, The Metropolitan Opera New York), and multi Olivier Award winning lighting designer Mark Henderson (Gypsy). Together they will transform the Royal Festival Hall’s stage into a breathtaking sun-drenched Italian piazza.

The Light in the Piazza’s rich emotional score sets it apart from recent Broadway musicals. Unapologetically lyrical and romantic, it transports us into the world of Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara. As they take in the wonders of Florence, a fateful gust of wind whisks Clara’s hat into the hands of local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli. It’s love at first sight, but Clara isn’t quite what she appears and soon they must all confront a secret that’s been kept in the shadows for far too long.

Scenario Two is a new company founded by John Berry and Anthony Lilley to focus on commercial theatrical production in London, the rest of the UK and internationally. It is based on Berry’s critically-acclaimed ENO model of bringing together the very best talent from the world of opera and musical theatre, with top performers and creatives from other industries such as film, television and theatre. Following its London premiere The Light in the Piazza will tour major venues in North America and Australia.

Scenario Two director John Berry said:

“The score of The Light in the Piazza is sensational and we are thrilled that audiences will hear this London premiere in a new expanded version for full symphony orchestra. By bringing together a cast from different genres we hope to appeal to a wide audience and make this limited run of performances a ‘must see event’ before it travels to the USA.”

Renée Fleming said:

“I’m delighted to be a part of the London premiere of The Light in the Piazza. Adam Guettel’s score is ravishing, reaching beyond the boundaries of how we think of musical theatre. For my London theatre debut, to play Margaret Johnson—a fascinating, deeply human character whose predicament I find incredibly moving—this was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.”

For media enquiries please contact Gregor Cubie or Dee McCourt at Borkowski: [email protected] | [email protected] | 0203 176 2700

Press Releases

8 November 2018

Scenario Two: Former ENO Artistic Director John Berry CBE launches new commercial theatre venture

SCENARIO TWO LTD created with Anthony Lilley OBE
Supported by The Night Manager Producer, Stephen Garrett & former UMG Chairman Max Hole
Terri-Jayne Griffin joins as Producing Director
Details of first production to be announced this month [November 2018]

John Berry CBE is proud today to announce Scenario Two, a brand-new commercial theatre venture created with fellow creative industries heavyweight Anthony Lilley OBE, with support from Stephen Garrett and Max Hole CBE.

Scenario Two is a new company focused on commercial theatrical production in London, the rest of the UK and Internationally. It is based on Berry’s critically-acclaimed ENO model of bringing together the very best talent from the world of opera and musical theatre with top performers and creatives from other industries such as film, television and theatre. The company plans to create exciting new productions of classic musicals, develop new commissions and thereby to attract both existing theatre-goers and new audiences in the West End and major theatres around the world.

John Berry is best known for nearly a decade as Artistic Director of the ENO between 2005-2015, where his award-winning artistic programming included engaging Terry Gilliam to direct The Damnation of Faust and Benvenuto Cellini, Mike Leigh to direct The Pirates of Penzance, and the creation of a new commercial musicals model which began with the sell out production of Sweeney Todd, with Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel. Since leaving the ENO, Berry has gone on to found Opera Ventures, a new charity which commissions innovative productions of contemporary opera with opera houses and festivals globally. The company’s first major production was an acclaimed collaboration with Scottish Opera and the Edinburgh International Festival of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek which transfers to New York in December 2018. Berry is Advisor to international opera houses in Moscow (Bolshoi) and Vienna.

He has co-founded Scenario Two with Anthony Lilley OBE, the producer and creative industries expert who met John during his time as a trustee of ENO. As CEO of Magic Lantern Productions, Anthony has won BAFTA, RTS and Peabody Awards by combining emerging digital technology with traditional creative media. He has worked with global media brands including Top Gear and Doctor Who and since returning to the arts has worked with Ai Wei Wei, The Space, Northern Ballet, Donmar Warehouse, Google Cultural Institute and many others. He has held non-executive roles at OfCOM and the Gambling Commission, is a current trustee of NESTA and holds a specially-created personal Professorship in Creative Industries at the Ulster University.

Joining as producing director is Terri-Jayne Griffin, one of the outstanding producers of her generation, who worked closely with Berry in the same role at ENO on numerous Olivier, Royal Philharmonic Society and Sky Arts Award-winning productions and international collaborations.

Supporters of the company include Stephen Garrett, producer of the recently lauded Night Manager, executive producer of such feature films as David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, and creator of such shows as Spooks, Hustle and Life on Mars through his company Kudos, and Max Hole CBE the former chairman of Universal Music Group International, who is widely credited with the company’s resurgence in the world of classical music via such artists as Daniel Barenboim and Milos Karadaglic, labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Classics, and live events such as the Bristol Proms.

Details of the company’s first production will be announced later this month.

John Berry said:

“The theatrical landscape in London is thrilling at the moment with many commercial and subsidized producers delivering breathtaking work. This new direction is therefore an exciting personal challenge for me and I’m enjoying the balance of commercial theatre and opera in my life.”

Anthony Lilley said:

“I’m delighted to be co-founding Scenario Two with John and, in doing so, returning to my first love; theatre, and, musicals. The team at Scenario Two and the artistic collaborators we are lining up are world leaders in their fields and I can’t wait to announce our first productions.”

For media enquiries please contact Borkowski: [email protected] | 0203 176 2700