Stage Premiere Of SHOCK TREATMENT At King's Head, 2015, Plus TRAINSPOTTING!

King's Head Theatre Artistic Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher announces the theatre's work for the first 6 months of 2015, including a new play directed by Mike Bradwell, and the 21st anniversary production of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, with a 9-actor Edinburgh cast, plus, the long awaited stage premiere of Richard O'Brien's Shock Treatment, the equal/sequel to his cult hit The Rocky Horror Show. Irvine Welsh, author of Transpotting, said of the Scottish revival, set to transfer to the King's Head: "I'm not big on reading or watching my old stuff, but I was blown away by this new production of Trainspotting at the Festival." Richard O'Brien, creator of Shock Treatment, commented: "Shock Treatment has been waiting patiently in the wings for a stage premiere since the film was released in 1981. Just as Rocky began life upstairs at the Royal Court, it seems a perfect fit for Shock Treatment to start its stage life in the effervescent atmosphere of the astounding King's Head Theatre next April." Celebrating their 45th birthday in 2015 since opening in 1970 as London's first pub theatre since Shakespeare's time, The King's Head season will also include Lucy Skilbeck's production of Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London,marking the 70th anniversary of VE Day, and a new adaptation of the classic Victorian satire The Diary of a Nobody, directed by Mary Franklin. A new play, The American Venus, inspired by the story of Louise Brooks from Canadian-based playwright Leslie Mildiner, together with the internationally celebrated Between, by South African Oskar Brown, which returns to the King's Head following sell-out seasons in Dublin, Edinburgh, Brighton and Cape Town, will feature alongside the first major London revival and 20th anniversary of Simon Block's debut play Not A Game For Boys. Spreadbury-Maher commented: "I can't think of a better way to say happy 45th birthday than to announce a range of fantastic work which continues to redefine the theatre's identity; with writers as varied as Irvine Welsh to Gilbert & Sullivan, helmed by directors from Mary Franklin at the exciting start of her career, to theatrical legend Mike Bradwell. I'm pleased to announce that accessible high quality classical music will still have a home at the King's Head with Ruddigore, a rarely seen gem by Gilbert & Sullivan. The King's Head is a unique and special place, as our loyal audiences always tell us - so if you've not visited before, this is the year to do it.". Ticket prices start from £10 for everyone, with under-26 £10 tickets available, plus we're introducing a Pay What You Can night for every season. Tickets are now available from www.kingsheadtheatre.com or 0207 478 0160. The King's Head Theatre Pub has also had a makeover - with excellent food available pre and post theatre, great beers on tap and a serious wine list. Season details: The Diary of a Nobody 20 January - 14 February PRESS NIGHT Friday 23 January 7pm transferring from White Bear after a sell-out acclaimed run. Directed by King's Head Trainee Director Scheme graduate Mary Franklin Between by Oskar Brown 24 January - 14 March PRESS NIGHT Tuesday 27 January 9.15pm returning following a sell-out summer season. Directed by Award Winning South African Geoffrey Hyland Ruddigore by Gilbert & Sullivan 18 February - 14 March PRESS NIGHT Friday 20 February 7pm maintaining our commitment to accessible classical music, with a hammer horror twist. Directed by John Savournin Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh March 17 - April 11 PRESS NIGHT Friday 20 March 7pm the first major revival transfers from the Edinburgh Festival. Directed by Greg Esplin Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London by Alison Skilbeck 14 April - May 9 PRESS NIGHT Wednesday 15 April 7pm a new play marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Directed by Australian Lucy Skilbeck Shock Treatment by Richard O'Brien 17 April - 9 May PRESS NIGHT Tuesday 21 April 9pm the anticipated stage premiere of the equal/sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Directed by Benji Sperring The Flannelettes by Richard Cameron May 12 - June 6 PRESS NIGHT Friday 15 May 7pm a new play set in a woman's refuge of a Yorkshire mining town. Directed by veteran director Mike Bradwell Not A Game For Boys by Simon Block 10 June - 4 July PRESS NIGHT Friday 12 June 7pm the first major revival of his 1995 Royal Court Theatre breakthrough play. Directed by Jason Lawson _ The American Venus by Leslie Mildiner 8 July - 1 Aug PRESS NIGHT Friday 10 July 7pm a new play based on a true account of the latter life of actress Louise Brooks. Directed by Sarah Berger

Tennessee fails to up ante for drug treatment

A few months after Gov. Bill Haslam and his top deputies announced the “Prescription for Success” to address Tennessee’s pill popping problem, a budget is on his desk without any more money for addiction treatment and less funds for support services. The proposed budget from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services cuts $8.1 million to comply with the governor’s directive that every agency reduce spending by 7 percent. That’s the biggest reduction Haslam has asked agencies to budget since his time in office. One of the primary action points in the “Prescription for Success” is to “increase access and quality of early intervention, treatment and recovery services.” But the proposed budget eliminates funding for adolescent outpatient substance abuse services and adolescent day and evening treatment services — cuts totaling $1.4 million. “This is a huge hit and a tough one to hear,” said Rodger Dinwiddie, executive director of the youth-service organization STARS Nashville, which would lose funding. “Programs such as ours are making a huge difference in impacting the individuals that participate in these services, as well as the community at large.” Doug Varney, commissioner of Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, said his staff had prioritized programs from the most essential to the least essential, rather than doing an across-the-board reductions. Funding for hospitalizations would be cut as a last resort, he said. The cuts were for support programs, not medical treatment, officials stressed. “In the department’s current budget proposal, there are no direct cuts to services for Tennesseans to obtain treatment for an addiction to prescription drugs,” said Mike Machak, a spokesman for the agency. “The department’s proposed budget cuts would impact some select services across the state offering help and support. Individuals with a serious addiction to prescription drugs will continue to have access to direct substance abuse treatment in Tennessee.” But addiction experts say Tennessee cannot accommodate the people in need of treatment now, and their number is likely to rise as new state laws curtail the amount of narcotics that doctors can prescribe. Under the new guidelines, doctors can write prescriptions for daily doses up to 120 milligrams of morphine equivalents, which is the same as four 30 milligram dosages of hydrocodone a day. About 90,000 Tennesseans get pain meds that exceed this daily dosage. Mary-Linden Salter, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & Addiction Services, said there is already a substantial waiting list. More than 250,000 Tennesseans have some kind of a substance abuse problem, she said. “Adult services treats just over 13,000 people a year,” Salter said. “It is a drop in the bucket.” The budget also proposes ending $4.5 million for mental health peer support centers statewide. Centerstone runs the programs in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. “Over the last decade, Tennessee has built one of the most successful Peer Support Programs in the nation,” said Ben Middleton with Centerstone. “This program serves as a critical lifeline to thousands of Tennesseans living with mental health disorders and intellectual disabilities. Without it these individuals will lose a vital — if not their only — source of community support, connection and education, turning vulnerable situations into dire ones.” Reach Tom Wilemon at 615-726-5961 and on Twitter @TomWilemon. Read or Share this story: http://tnne.ws/1xLdq0q