A new Sheffield Theatres’ production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s Little Shop of Horrors will be part of artistic director Robert Hastie’s final season at the helm.
Set to light up the Christmas season at the Sheffield Crucible from 7 December 2024 until 8 January 2025, the new production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s hit musical inspired by Roger Corman’s 1960 cult classic movie will be directed by Amy Hodge.
Running from July 2024 until March 2025, the packed season will also include a new production of Chariots of Fire by Mike Bartlett. Hastie will direct the production which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the record-breaking Paris Olympic races and the friendship that inspired the Oscar-winning film.
Unveiling details of the season which will end his tenure as artistic director, and paying tribute to his time in Sheffield, Hastie said: “It has been an honour to lead this wonderful group of theatres for the last eight years and to work alongside such a committed, talented and kind collection of people. There is nowhere like it – the range of theatre spaces, and the multiplicity of local and national relationships Sheffield Theatres enjoys, make this place a whole cultural ecosystem, and it’s been a joy and an education to work at its heart. The bumper season we announced today reflects the variety and quality of great nights out and opportunities to join in that our audiences rightly expect of us.
“I have loved working here. I will miss crossing Tudor Square and bumping into actors on a break from rehearsal, young artists on their way to an R&D workshop in our Talent Development space, lines of schoolkids queuing noisily for a matinee in the Lyceum, passers-by keen to stop me and tell me what they thought of last night’s show in the Crucible. The immense privilege of working in a city that loves its theatre is something I will never forget.
“Every time I’ve introduced a new director, actor or designer to our stages, it has been with an enormous sense of pride in the warm welcome I know they’ll receive from our staff and audiences. It’s inspired me to programme adventurously and eclectically, to invite world-class talent whose work I admire, to make productions of my own that I’m hugely proud of, and to dedicate resources to nurturing the next generation of local artists who are already beginning to make their presences felt on stages in Sheffield and beyond. Above all to see no useful distinction between the value we place on work that connects with our local neighbourhoods and that which achieves national and international acclaim. I’ve had the great good fortune to have been supported in all these endeavours by a dedicated board of trustees chaired by the great, much-missed Bob Kerslake, and by successive chief execs Dan Bates and Tom Bird and deputy CEO Bookey Oshin, true champions of the theatre who have taught me so much about compassionate leadership, and who have become dear friends. I’m beyond excited to see where Tom and the splendid senior team take the theatres next, as they begin the search for a lucky artistic director who is about to discover that this is one of the best jobs in British theatre.
“For now, I’m looking forward to a thrilling final season that mixes bold new voices with global classics, risk-taking work for younger audiences with innovative new musical theatre, and family entertainment with chances to get involved in an inclusive participatory programme. I’m delighted to fire the starting pistol with a new production of Chariots of Fire, adapted by Mike Bartlett from the iconic film about the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, as we countdown to Paris 2024. It will be an epic way to say goodbye to the stage – the best of its kind in the country – that I’ve been lucky to call home for the last eight years.”
Paying tribute to Hastie, Tom Bird, the chief executive of Sheffield Theatres, said: “Rob’s contribution to Sheffield over the past eight years has been colossal. He has brought to Sheffield Theatres a rare combination of electrifying ambition mixed with a warm and humble personality. Rob’s achievements here are too many to mention in full, but they range from the intrepid ROCK/PAPER/SCISSORS, to the deeply human The York Realist, to a gorgeous Guys and Dolls.
“With Standing at the Sky’s Edge, he led the team that crafted a theatrical holy grail: a show that simultaneously empowers a specific place and achieves astonishing commercial success elsewhere. In line with the values of craftsmanship and friendliness that Sheffield holds dear, Rob is both a master of his art, and absolutely lovely with it. He leaves these theatres in rude health, and the city with an even bigger heart.”
Hastie joined Sheffield Theatres as artistic director in July 2016, having previously started his career as an actor by performing on the Crucible stage in Edward Bond’s Lear. During his time in the post Sheffield Theatres has produced 72 new productions and welcome hundreds of guest productions across its three auditoria. Theatre made in in the city has been experienced by hundreds of thousands of audience members, in Sheffield and around the world.
His tenure has enhanced the organisation’s reputation for being a top producer of new work. The last eight years have seen several landmark productions that have gone from sold-out runs in Sheffield to successful futures in the West End and beyond, including Standing at the Sky’s Edge, and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
During Hastie’s leadership, shows started in Sheffield have collected nine UK Theatre Awards, seven Olivier Awards, three Tony Awards and three Stage Debut Awards. Sheffield Theatres has twice been named Theatre of the Year by The Stage, as well as winning The Stage Award for Achievement in Technical Theatre. In addition to UK Theatre and Olivier Awards, Standing at the Sky’s Edge won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Theatre, and was presented with an honorary degree by Sheffield Hallam University.
Angela Thomas
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