PRESS RELEASE – 03 December 2018 WORLD AIDS DAY PHOTOGRAPHY CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE WEST END PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE WEST END TRAILER AND CAST INTERVIEWS CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE InheritancePlay.com | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram THE INHERITANCE By Matthew Lopez Directed by Stephen Daldry | Designed by Bob Crowley LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE 2018 EVENING STANDARD THEATRE AWARD-WINNING ‘BEST PLAY’ THE INHERITANCE AND TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST MARK WORLD AIDS DAY ON 1 DECEMBER The Inheritance, the 2018 Evening Standard Theatre Award-winning ‘Best Play’ by Matthew Lopez, must end its strictly limited engagement at the Noël Coward Theatre on Saturday 19th January. Sonia Friedman, Tom Kirdahy and Hunter Arnold proudly present the Young Vic production which opened in the West End on Saturday 13th October to widespread critical acclaim, with reviews recognising it as a modern classic, and one of the most important plays for many years. Directed by multi Olivier and Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry, this landmark production held its world premiere at the Young Vic Theatre earlier this year where it ran for a sold out engagement. The large ensemble cast of The Inheritance at the Noël Coward Theatre includes: Hugo Bolton, Robert Boulter, Andrew Burnap, Hubert Burton, John Benjamin Hickey, Paul Hilton, Samuel H. Levine, Syrus Lowe, Michael Marcus, Jack Riddiford, Kyle Soller, Michael Walters and Vanessa Redgrave. A generation after the peak of the AIDs crisis, what is it like to be a young gay man in New York? How many words are there now for pain and for love? Matthew Lopez’s major new two-part play explores profound themes through the turbulent and often hilarious experiences of a group of young, ambitious New Yorkers. What is the legacy left to them by previous generations? What do they owe the future and each other? Spanning generations and many interlinking lives, The Inheritance brilliantly transposes EM Forster’s novel ‘Howards End’ to 21st century New York. On 1st December 2018, The Inheritance held a special performance for World AIDS Day with guests helping to raise awareness for Terrence Higgins Trust and their campaign to reach ‘zero HIV’ by ending new transmissions and eliminating HIV-related stigma. Guests who attended on the day to show support for the charity included Stephen Fry, Stephen K. Amos, Colin Morgan, Bisi Alimi, Zoe Wanamaker, Gawn Grainger, Paris Lees, Tom Hollander, John Partridge, Laura Carmichael, SuRie, Jerry Mitchell, Freida Slaves, Andre de Shields and Michael Cashman. On Friday 30th November, to mark both World AIDS Day and National Tree-Planting Week, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and cast from The Inheritance, along with representatives from Terrence Higgins Trust and London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, planted a tree in Potters Field. The ‘Tilia Cordata’ tree, planted outside City Hall and with a stunning view of London Bridge, in remembrance to all the lives lost to AIDS in the past 30 years. Photography from both events can be downloaded HERE Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity offering support, information and advice services for those living with and affected by HIV or poor sexual health. Ian Green, chief executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “The Inheritance is a truly beautiful piece of theatre and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. World AIDS Day is always a special and emotional day as we wear our red ribbons in remembrance of all the lives lost far too soon since the start of the HIV epidemic. But seeing The Inheritance made it even more special. This important play not only reminds us of how far we’ve come in the fight against HIV, but also how much more there still is to do – and all the trauma along the way. We’re honoured to have worked in partnership with The Inheritance to mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Money raised will help support our ambitious but achievable aim of getting to zero new HIV transmissions in the UK and, as importantly, the work we do across the country to eradicate the stigma and misinformation that still surrounds this virus.” Sonia Friedman, Producer of The Inheritance, said: “A huge thank you to Matthew Lopez, Stephen Daldry and to the astonishing cast and company of The Inheritance - the play, production, and audience reached new heights of emotion and intensity on World AIDS Day and it will be a day that every one of us in that theatre will cherish forever. In the 1980s I was a young stage manager working at The National Theatre; all around me, in our industry, people were dying and struggling. I just felt it was wrong and that I had to do something, so I went to the Terrence Higgins Trust, and asked if I could do something, if I could help. The voluntary work I did with them and other HIV charities formed who I am and it helped make me a Producer and therefore it is a privilege to be working with them again, 30 years later, for this very special performance. It was a day of remembrance, pain, hope and a day of connection.” Guests who attended the special performance of The Inheritance on World AIDS Day took to social media in support, including: Too choked with emotion last night to tweet my astonishment at @inheritanceplay – the most magnificent theatrical experience I can remember. It broke my heart and mended it again: I left the theatre believing in theatre again. I don't have enough praise. See it! Stephen Fry This play, this cast, this production astound and embrace and uplift in ways before unimaginable. Lord Cashman I’m honoured to have been in the audience for the World AIDS Day performance of @inheritanceplay at the Noël Coward Theatre, let alone invited on stage. Never seen such rapturous applause. Go see it and please support @THTorguk's great work to help end HIV. Paris Lees Saw @inheritanceplay on Saturday, Parts 1 & 2. A thoroughly engaging, original piece of theatre. Phenomenal cast, brilliant production. So relevant. See it. Stephen K. Amos Matthew Lopez’s new play is directed by Stephen Daldry with set and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti & Christopher Reid, music by Paul Englishby, UK Casting by Julia Horan CDG and US Casting by Jordan Thaler CSA & Heidi Griffiths CSA. David Lan, who programmed the original production as Artistic Director of the Young Vic, is Executive Producer for the West End production. Andrew Burnap, John Benjamin Hickey and Samuel H. Levine are appearing with the permission of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange programme between American Equity and UK Equity. -ENDS- For further information please contact THE CORNER SHOP PR on 0207 831 7657 Ben Chamberlain | Lewis Jenkins | Hannah Barnett Leveson LISTINGS The Inheritance is produced by Tom Kirdahy, Sonia Friedman Productions and Hunter Arnold Co-producers: Elizabeth Dewberry and Ali Ahmet Kocabiyik , 1001 Nights Productions, Greg Berlanti, Brad Blume, DeSantis Baugh Productions, Shane Ewen, Rupert Gavin, Robert Greenblatt, Marguerite Hoffman, Isaacs-Mount, Mark Lee, Peter May, Arnon Milchan, Oliver Roth, Scott Rudin, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Bruno Wang, Richard Winkler, Bruce Cohen/Scott M. Delman. The Young Vic production of THE INHERITANCE By Matthew Lopez Director Stephen Daldry Design Bob Crowley Lighting Jon Clark Sound Paul Arditti & Christopher Reid Music Paul Englishby UK Casting Julia Horan CDG US Casting Jordan Thaler CSA & Heidi Griffiths CSA Executive Producer David Lan Noël Coward Theatre St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AU First performance: Friday 21 September 2018 Opening Night: Saturday 13 October 2018 Final Performance: Saturday 19 January 2019 Monday to Saturday at 7.15pm Wednesday & Saturday matinee performances at 1.15pm For full Part 1 and Part 2 performance schedule see HERE Website: InheritancePlay.com Box Office: 0844 482 5140 Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge Group Bookings: 0844 482 5100 Access Bookings: 0844 482 5165 Prices from £15 InheritancePlay.com Twitter: @InheritancePlay Facebook: /inheritanceplay Instagram: @InheritancePlay NOTES TO EDITORS About Terrence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity offering support, information and advice services for those living with HIV and affected by HIV or poor sexual health. Our vision is a world where people with HIV live healthy lives free from prejudice and discrimination, and good sexual health is a right and reality for all. World AIDS Day – Zero HIV The arts have undoubtedly played a key role in helping to transform attitudes to HIV and humanise the virus. That’s why plays like The Inheritance, which both educates about the past while looking to the future, are so important. It’s the 30th World AIDS Day on 1 December. The day is focused around raising awareness of all those living with HIV across the globe and remembering all those lost too soon. This year Terrence Higgins Trust is focusing on getting to zero – zero new HIV transmissions and zero stigma. That’s because there’s been incredible medical progress in the fight against HIV and we have the tools necessary to achieve this ambitious aim. It’s about utilising them fully. But we mustn’t be complacent and need to redouble our efforts to get there. Despite all the progress that’s been made, the public’s awareness hasn’t kept up with the pace of change and stigma, discrimination and misinformation are big threats when it comes to getting to zero. .