Primavera Productions

Primavera is a professional theatre company founded in 2003 by Tom Littler, who is also the Artistic Director. It is based in London, UK. It is run by Tom Littler and Producer Chantelle Staynings.

Primavera focuses on producing revivals of classic and rarely performed plays. Primavera's past productions have included the Scottish premiere of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion" at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Scotsman Critics' Choice for Musicals / Opera), Into the Woods and A Streetcar Named Desire at the Oxford Playhouse, a production of Frank McGuinness' version of Ibsen's A Doll's House on tour, and Shakespeare's "As You Like It" as the inaugural production at the Said Business School in Oxford. All of these productions were directed by Tom Littler.

Primavera also produces the "Forgotten Classics" series of rehearsed readings at the The King's Head Theatre, Islington. These have included a performance of Byron's Manfred starring young British actor Harry Lloyd, of Virginia Woolf's Freshwater starring Edmund Kingsley, John Lyly's Gallathea starring Mary Nighy, and Charles Dickens's No Thoroughfare starring Loo Brealey, all directed by Tom Littler. Other plays in the series not directed by Tom Littler included the first play in English by a woman ("Mariam") and early works by American playwrights. In 2008 Primavera Productions announced a second "Forgotten Classics" series, including the 50th anniversary reading of T.S.Eliot's The Elder Statesman, starring Christopher Timothy, Harry Lloyd, Joanna Christie, and David Burt; an unperformed play by John Osborne, "A Place Calling Itself Rome", which rewrites Shakespeare's Coriolanus; and Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White.

Primavera Productions also produced at the Finborough Theatre where its 2007 work includes an opera by Ethel Smyth and a play by T. S. Eliot, "The Confidential Clerk". In 2008, Tom Littler directed the first ever revival of "Jingo: A Farce of War", a comedy by Charles Wood set in the last days of British occupation of Singapore before the humiliating surrender to the Japanese. Susannah Harker played Gwendoline and Anthony Howell played her ex-husband Ian. The revival was hailed as a rediscovery of a major playwright. [Michael Billington, The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/mar/31/theatre] ]

In 2009, Primavera Productions will produce the first revival of Stephen Sondheim's first musical, "Saturday Night" at the Jermyn Street Theatre. [Reported on 'Whatsonstage' - [http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821219227742 article, 20 August 2008] ]

Tom Littler also works as a freelance director, assisting Sir Peter Hall on A Doll's House, the world premiere of Simon Gray's "Little Nell" and on Noel Coward's "The Vortex" with Felicity Kendal, Peter Gill on "The Importance of Being Earnest" starring Penelope Keith, Laurence Boswell on Christopher Hampton's "Treats" starring Billie Piper, and Alan Strachan on "The Letter" starring Jenny Seagrove and Anthony Andrews and "Absurd Person Singular" with Jane Horrocks.

External links

* [http://www.primaveraproductions.com Primavera Productions website]

* [http://www.kingsheadtheatre.org The King's Head website]

* [http://www.finboroughtheatre.itgo.com Finborough Theatre website]

* [http://www.ml2000.org.uk Macnaughton Lord (Tom Littler's agents) website]

* [http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Theatre-Review/the-confidential-clerk-finborough-theatre-review Review of The Confidential Clerk]

* [http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/feature/1071/Shakespeares+As+You+Like+It/ Review of As You Like It]
[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article3642720.ece Times review of Jingo]
[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre/reviews/jingo-finborough-theatre-london-803081.html Independent review of Jingo]