Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1; The Young Victoria) will be reading The New Dress by Virginia Woolf,  Sonya Cassidy (star of stage versions of The Lion in Winter and Inherit The Wind) will read an extract from I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and Mathew Horne (Gavin and Stacey) will be reading extracts from Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith.

Stories Before Bedtime, held by the Criterion and in partnership with Vintage Books and The Reader Organisation, is a series of special late-night readings celebrating and championing the love of reading, transporting the audience back to a time when being read to aloud before bed was a fundamental part of life.

Stories Before Bedtime: Summer Time
Friday 1st June 2012, 10.30pm
Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, London, W1V 9LB

Tickets cost £12.50 (£10 GIR member/concessions) and are available from the Criterion Box Office or online.

Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani – on-screen lovers in BBC Three sitcom Him And Her - will be appearing to read extracts from Ovid’s hilarious poetic elegy The Art of Love.

They’ll be joining Niamh Cusack and War Horse’s Tom Hiddleston, who will be reading The Courtship of Mr Lyon by Angela Carter and Tennessee Williams’s The Kingdom of Heaven respectively. 

With a star-studded and jam packed guest list and some wonderful and definitely unconventional Valentine’s day fare being read aloud,  it promises to be another absolutely brilliant event.

Get your tickets now – they’re available from the Criterion Box Office, online or by calling 0844 8471778. Tickets cost £12.50/£10 for GIR members/concessions.

On the evening of Friday 10th February, the Criterion Theatre in London will play host to an evening of Twisted Love – an anti-Valentine’s collection of unlikely love stories. Niamh Cusack will read Angela Carter’s The Courtship of Mr Lyon and Tom Hiddleston – star of Stephen Spielberg’s blockbusting take on War Horse – will be reading the erotic Tennessee Williams short story The Kingdom of Heaven.

The Reader Organisation is delighted to once more be partnering the event alongside the Criterion and Vintage Classics, bringing the brilliant tradition of bedtime stories to the heartland of London theatre and sharing with the audience the sensation of reading aloud. So it’s fair to say we’re very much looking forward to the evening’s distinctly different take on the Valentine’s theme – as is one of the evening’s star guests, Tom Hiddleston:

The prospect of standing on that beautiful stage and reading well-written stories aloud, in particular, is one that excites me. And given that everything that night will be geared at couples on dates, an evening of twisted love sounds like the right antidote.

Stories Before Bedtime TWO: Twisted Love
Friday 10th February, 10.30pm
Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, London, W1V 9LB

Tickets: £12.50 (£10 GIR member/concessions available in person the Criterion Box Office)

Book your tickets online or call 0844 8471778.

Forget flowers and chocolates – a night of reading is a considerably better and much longer lasting gift for your loved one to enjoy.

The festive season has officially begun!

Last night saw The Reader Organisation once again take over the small concert room in St George’s Hall for our annual Dickensian extravaganza, the Penny Readings.

Judging by the reaction from the audience and on Twitter, the night was a resounding success.

“It was a perfect evening”

“The Penny Readings by @thereaderorg was fantastic. Completely surpassed my expectations. So entertaining, accessible and cultural!”

“Maybe only at Liverpool’s ‘Penny Readings‘ d’ya get David Morrissey being Macbeth on the same bill as a ukulele orchestra #splendidtime”

Frank Cottrell Boyce had the audience in stitches, magician Darren Campbell left us dazed and confused, we had some wonderful readings from The Reader Organisation’s very own Angela Macmillan, Casi Dylan and Beverley LaRoc, whilst Raven Sinclair-Edmonds treated us to some…interesting poetry of her own. The musical talents of trumpeter Grace Farrington and pianist Jasmine Scarisbrick were followed by the stunning voice of Lauren Spink, whilst the Wirral Ukulele Orchestra brought the house down with their flamboyant Hawaiian shirts and Santa hats.

Our special guest David Morrissey read a passage from Our Mutual Friend and performed one of Macbeth’s most famous speeches in homage to his recent starring role at the Everyman Theatre.

The evening was rounded off by the traditional rendition of a passage from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol by Professor Phil Davis. No doubt the great man himself would have approved of this early start to his bicentenary celebrations.

Our younger readers weren’t forgotten in all this excitement, as we held our second Ha’Penny Readings earlier in the day. Kids young and old enjoyed an afternoon of laughter and Christmas cheer led by MC extraordinaire Patrick Fisher and his friends from improv comedy group Sticky Floor. The Christmas party attended by Jedward, Horrid Henry and a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex was the stuff of nightmares!

“Wacky fun!”

Pianist Jasmine popped up again with a wonderful composition of her own, there were more readings by Angela Macmillan, whilst Scream Street author Tommy Donbavand roped in some audience members to help act out a story of werewolves, mummies, vampires and dragons. Two of our Young Person’s Project workers, Samantha Shipman and Anna Fleming, entertained the audience with their favourite festive poems; Anna was especially convincing as a bird from ‘Turkeys United’ demanding ‘No to Cuts!’. There was even a special appearance from Santa Claus, who took time out of his busy schedule to read a little something and deliver a gift to all those readers who fulfilled his ‘naughty or nice’ criteria.

If you were at either event, we’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below.

A big thank you to everyone who made the day such a special one – time to start planning next year!

Each evening will feature three classic stories that revolve around a central theme, read by well-known actors and writers. As well as reminding people of the power and joy of storytelling aloud, the selection of readings are designed to discover or rediscover classic tales.

The first scheduled Stories Before Bedtime is a ghost-themed ‘Halloween’ special on Friday 28^th October 2011, featuring Tim McInnerny reading M R James’ Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad and Mark Gatiss, reading E F Benson’s ‘In The Tube’.

The series is hosted by the Criterion Theatre, in association with The Reader Organisation and Vintage Classics (which hold the top 20^th century classics list in the UK).

Stories Before Bedtime ONE: A Halloween special of ghost stories
Friday 28th October, 10.30 pm
Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, London, W1V 9LB

Get dressed up in your favourite Halloween outfit, order a Devil’s handshake cocktail from the bar, and bed down for some ghoulish storytelling treats.

Featuring Mark Gatiss (League of Gentlemen) reading E.F.Benson and Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Blackadder) reading M R James.

Tickets: £12.50 (£10 GIR member/concession available in person from the Criterion box office)

Book your tickets online or call 0844 8471778

Dressing up strongly encouraged.

Saturday 16th July, 2 pm

Tickets: £5

An outdoor adaptation of Dickens’ classic, Great Expectations, brings the first Maghull Arts Festival to a close. This family friendly production by Quantum Theatre Company will take place in the grounds of Maghull High School in an outdoor marquee on Saturday 16th July at 2pm. Refreshments are available throughout.

Great Expectations is the thirteenth of Charles Dickens’ novels and tells the tale of Pip, an orphan, who is brought up by his abusive sister and her husband, but who eagerly abandons his humble beginnings to begin a new life as a gentleman. From the misty marshes to the dusty, dirty streets of London, Quantum Theatre bring you a brand new adaptation of Dickens’ most enduringly popular and atmospheric novel which promises high comedy and dark drama as we follow Pip’s journey through adversity to discover the true nature of his ‘great expectations’.

Emma Lloyd, Sefton Arts & Cultural Services Marketing & Programme Manager, says:

“I can think of no better way to end a fabulous three weeks of arts and cultural activity than having a truly classic novel come to life outdoors. Not even the British Summer can spoil this event, as the marquee will keep us dry in all weather!”

All tickets for Great Expectations are £5 and are available by calling 0151 928 1919 / 01704 540011 by visiting www.seftonarts.co.uk and booking online or at Maghull High School reception (during school hours).

This, for all fans of The Wire, Shakespeare and, well, anything-that-will-almost-certainly-be-brilliant, is a very exciting prospect but it’s not the first time The Bard and The Wire have come together…

Cast your minds back 11 and a half months and you might remember that Sonja Sohn (The Wire‘s Kima Greggs), paid us a visit to read the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, as part of our Merseyside Community Theatre project.

Sonja Sohn in Liverpool with her Romeo (Steve McGowan)

You can see her in action on Channel Four News by clicking here.

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What could possibly go wrong?

The Wedding is not an opera as we think of it, but a modern musical about a Scouse wedding, where all the audience are invited as guests. The two families are colliding, and some have secret bombshells waiting to drop. There is even a table reserved for arguments – it’s called the Top Table. Fasten your seat belts – it’s a roller coaster journey. And you’re invited to join in the celebration –every ticket includes a free meal and your first drink!

Inspired by real-life stories drawn from the experiences of former workers at Price’s Candle Factory, Bromborough, The Wedding is a brand new show produced by the Aspire Trust in association with the Royal Court Theatre and Wirral CVS and scripted and directed by Parrabbola – who make community plays all over the world. The Wedding is performed by a community cast drawn from all over the Wirral and from further afield.

Dates: 1st – 5th of March, 2011
Times: 7:30 pm and 5th March 2:00 pm
Venue: Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Bebington
Tickets: £15 / person – includes a meal and a drink! (Discount: Family: (4 people) £50 or Table: (10 people) £100)

For further information and for ticket bookings contact Clare at Aspire: cbentley.aspire@btconnect.com, or call the Aspire Trust on 0151 639 9231

Tales of the Country tells the story of Brian Viner – the man who wrote  the fantastic article about GIR in The Independent last year – and his family as they move from a terrace in north London to a rambling grange in rural Herefordshire.

Based on the book of the same name, and inspired by Brian’s weekly dispatches from the country in The Independent, this is a chronicle of hilarious incidents and compelling characters.

Adapted for Pentabus Theatre, Tales of the Country is a beguiling look at the pleasures and pitfalls that await a family from the city chasing a rural idyll.

The play is currently on tour, visiting Cheshire in March. Dates, times and venues are as follows: Barbour Institute, Tattenhall (01829 771442) on Thursday 3rd March, Gawsworth Village Hall (01260- 223352) on Friday 4th, and Plumley Village Hall (01565 722259) on Saturday 5th. Give them a call and get your tickets now!

Click here for the full list of venues.