Open auditions announced for The Lion King

Disney’s musical The Lion King will be holding open auditions in London for roles in the West End production which is celebrating 16 years at the Lyceum Theatre. 

Auditions for male and female singers will take place on Saturday 7th November at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, Shaftesbury Avenue, while auditions for male and female dancers will take place on Saturday 21st November at Moonshot Centre, New Cross. 

Morning registration is at 10am and it is advised that auditionees arrive early. The afternoon registration is at 1.30pm.

The Lion King announces third autism-friendly performance

Following the success of dedicated autism-friendly performances in 2013 and 2014, a third dedicated performance of Disney’s The Lion King has been announced for Sunday 30th August 2015 at 1:30pm. Tickets are now on sale.

The Lion King staged the West End’s first-ever dedicated autism-friendly performance in April 2013. Working closely with The National Autistic Society, the UK’s leading charity for people with autism and their families, The Walt Disney Company adapted the performance to make it more suitable to those affected by autism.

Autism is a serious, lifelong and disabling condition, affecting children and adults. As a ‘spectrum’ condition it affects each person in a different way, but people with autism tend to experience common social difficulties understanding and relating to other people, and the world around them. Sudden changes in routine or environment can be incredibly frightening and stressful. Sensory issues can also prove problematic: for example a person may dislike bright lights, or may have very sensitive hearing and find noise, including background noise intrusive, distracting or even painful.

Disney's The Lion King announces open auditions

It has been announced that open auditions are to be held for Cub School which is the programme where children who have the potential to play Young Simba and Young Nala in Disney's The Lion King have the opportunity to "hone the skills required" to take on the roles.

Cub School is a free, fourteen-week performance-training programme from which the roles of Young Simba and Young Nala are cast. During the programme, children are trained in the disciplines of dance, voice and acting by teachers who are associated with The Lion King.

The Lion King welcomes 12 millionth visitor

This week, the West End production of Disney’s The Lion King welcomed its 12 millionth visitor at the Lyceum Theatre.

The production will celebrate its 15th anniversary in October with tickets currently on sale until Sunday 29th March 2015. Winning over 70 theatre awards worldwide, the stage production follows the adventures of the young lion cub Simba, as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of King.

Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of Disney’s beloved animated film premiered on Broadway in 1997 and has now been seen by over 70 million people across six continents. 

The Lion King to hold open auditions for children to join ‘Cub School’ programme

Open auditions are to be held for ‘Cub School’ – the programme where children who have the potential to play Young Simba and Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King have the opportunity to hone the skills required to take on the challenging roles. 

‘Cub School’ is a free, fourteen-week performance-training programme from which the roles of Young Simba and Young Nala are cast. During the programme, children are trained in the disciplines of dance, voice and acting by teachers who are associated with The Lion King.

The Lion King announces second Autism-Friendly Performance

Producers of The Lion King have announced that the musical will present a second Autism-Friendly Performance at the Lyceum Theatre on Sunday 4th May 2014.

The Lion King staged the West End’s first-ever dedicated Autism-Friendly Performance in April 2013. Working closely with The National Autistic Society, the UK’s leading charity for people with autism and their families, and following a highly successful programme at The Lion King in New York, The Walt Disney Company adapted the performance to make it more suitable to those affected by autism.

Editor's Blog: A West End Theatre Holiday (Part 1)

As West End Frame's Editor my diary fills up ridiculously quickly with various press nights. Whilst I love spending most of my time reviewing new openings in theatreland, sometimes I neglect London's long-running shows. In conversations people often say things like "Why have you never seen The Lion King?" or "You must see Dianne Pilkington in Mamma Mia" but when reviewing five nights a week I can't always squeeze these things in.

However, last year I looked at my diary for 2014 and decided that in the first full week of January I would delegate my press night commitments and go and see what I wanted to see when I wanted to see it. So with a little bit of help from SOLT's Get Into London Theatre and my 'limited view' knowledge I booked to see two shows on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and one show on the Friday (I actually also booked to see Curious Incident on the Monday but we all know what happened there).

Lion King breaks box office records!

Disney's The Lion King has reported record box office figures for the eight year running! The musical, adapted from the 1994 film and directed by Julie Taymor, defied a predicted downturn in West End sales due to the London Olympics to report takings of over £38.6 million. The production has now been seen by over 65 million people across five continents.

David Schrader, executive vice-president and managing director of the Disney Theatrical Group said: "We continue to be humbled and thrilled by the way London audiences embrace Julie Taymor’s extraordinary production. For a musical to achieve its highest gross in its 13th year is almost unparalleled – let alone in a year where other major events dominated the capital."

Kids Week smashes every record in its fifteen-year history!

Kids Week has sold 74,187 tickets in less than a month, beating its total 2011 sales figures and breaking all the records in its fifteen-year history. This means that Kids Week has been completely unaffected by the Olympic Games and proves that thousands of families are preparing to travel to Theatreland during the games - hooray!