Stream all episodes of Britannia series two from today!

7 November 2019 21:01

The highly anticipated second series of epic, trippy – and grisly – drama Britannia, set during the Roman invasion of ancient Britain, returns to TV screens tonight. You can catch episode one at 9 pm (UK time) on Sky Atlantic. The full series boxset is available to stream via Sky or NOW TV.

Britannia's ten brand new episodes will give us a chance to see how Zoë’s Queen Antedia has fared since the catastrophic events at the conclusion of series one. Is Antedia resilient and resourceful enough to claw her way back to power? Or do the gods have a rather different outcome in mind?

You can pre-order Britannia series two on region 2 DVD; it’s due to be released on 10 February 2020.

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News round-up: She Grows success, Women of the Year and Heart Research UK art auction

28 October 2019 20:26

Zoë’s thanks as TREE AID raises over £600k

Here is Zoë’s special thank you to everybody who supported the She Grows appeal organised by TREE AID earlier this year. An astonishing £638,091 has been raised to help provide women in Mali, West Africa, with the training and tools they need to turn tree products into nourishing food and goods from which to earn a living. The women will be able to ‘grow’ themselves out of poverty, as well as boost the environment, by looking after trees.

As reported by The Ecologist journal, Zoë commented: ‘Thank you so much to everyone who donated to TREE AID’s appeal. I have been a patron for over 20 years and I know that it changes people’s lives. The new She Grows project will empower one thousand women in Mali, who are adversely affected by climate change, to lift themselves out of poverty. It is about helping people to help themselves.’

To find out more about the charity’s social and environmental work, which Zoë is so clearly passionate about, or make a donation, head to the TREE AID website.

Women of the Year Awards 2019

Environmental issues were also on Zoë’s mind when she joined a host of other inspiring women at the Women of the Year Lunch & Awards, a prestigious event held at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on 14 October.

Speaking to the press on the red carpet, Zoë reflected on the significance of the National Theatre’s decision to part company with oil and gas giant Shell. ‘It’s a statement about what is going on in the world. It is a way for companies to listen. I think that is important.’

Anonymous HeART Project

Did you spot Zoë’s contribution to The Anonymous HeART Project charity auction? Her postcard-sized piece, called ‘Nuf Said’, features her dad, Sam Wanamaker, and Shakespeare’s Globe, the project to which he devoted many years of his life.

The art-themed fundraising appeal, which took place on eBay earlier this month and featured hundreds of decorated postcards, benefits Heart Research UK.

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Last chance to see ‘pitch-perfect’ Zoë in Two Ladies

25 October 2019 22:26

Time’s running out to watch the world premiere production of Nancy Harris’ brilliant drama Two Ladies, in which the personal and political collide, at London’s Bridge Theatre. The play’s run ends tomorrow, 26 October, after six wonderful weeks. There’ll be a matinee and evening show: I highly recommend catching one of them if you can.

Zoë is on stage throughout as Helen, the smart, sharp First Lady of France, who’s confined to a conference room with her opposite number from the US (played by Zrinka Cvitešic) while a political crisis rages. Her compelling performance has won considerable praise from reviewers.

‘Wanamaker’s Helen is, no surprise, pitch-perfect: all withheld irritation, needling looks, growling emphasis and sudden shifts’ – Telegraph

‘Zoë Wanamaker (as Helen) and Cvitešic both give fantastic performances’ - Guardian

‘Zoë Wanamaker and Zrinka Cvitesic deliver compelling performances as ideological foes’ – The Times

‘Helen [is] played with spry wit by Zoë Wanamaker’ – Financial Times

‘[Two Ladies is] pacy, gripping and crisply acted’ – Mail on Sunday

‘The great Zoë Wanamaker and Croatian actress Zrinka Cvitešic give terrific, starkly contrasting performances [...] Two Ladies is absolutely worth seeing to witness two actresses in confident control of their art, and for the laughs and intakes of breath it provokes’ – Evening Standard

‘Zoë Wanamaker is always hugely watchable as Helen: sharp, a little tetchy, dryly sarcastic’ – Time Out

‘[Zoë Wanamaker] is brilliant at suggesting vulnerability beneath a waspish, self-possessed exterior’ – WhatsOnStage.com

‘Zoë Wanamaker [is] particularly strong in playing up the comic elements’ – British Theatre Guide

‘Wanamaker ably creates the sense of a woman whose frustration, energy and down-to-earth manner reacts to the confinement and political crisis with restless edginess’ – Morning Star

‘Zoë Wanamaker and Zrinka Cvitešic brilliantly convey the impotent frustration of two competent women reduced to mere trophies. The interplay between them is razor sharp’ – City A.M.

‘Wanamaker brings her signature intelligence and mordant wit to the role of Helen [...Two Ladies is] a thought-provoking piece graced by two stellar central performances’ – The American

‘You leave the theatre full of admiration for the acting, and convinced of the truth of the play’s central message - that although it’s wrong to think of women just as victims, they usually do have it tough’ – TheArtsDesk.com

You can check out what Zoë and her co-star have to say about the play in a series of brief but delightful interviews on the Bridge Theatre’s YouTube channel. In addition, hear them talk in more detail on the 8 October episode of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

The theatre’s Facebook page features a great photo of Zoë at the after-party on the opening night.

Having been unwell for several weeks, I felt excited – and relieved – when I made it to a matinee this week. The show was certainly worth the wait.

Some tickets are still available for Two Ladies’ last two performances – don’t miss out if you haven’t seen it yet! I’d love to hear what you think.

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It's Two Ladies' opening night!

25 September 2019 18:45

Tonight is the official opening of Two Ladies at London's Bridge Theatre, starring Zoë and Zrinka Cvitešic.

Let's wish everyone involved with this world premiere production every success!

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'It's a big play': Zoë's views on Two Ladies

23 September 2019 20:13

Yesterday's interview with Zoë and her Two Ladies co-star, Zrinka Cvitešic, on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show is now available to watch online.

Interspersed with extracts from Nancy Harris' play, the interview offers insights into the real events that inspired the show. As Zoë points out, the cast were rehearsing around the time of the G7 summit. It was clear to them that the media displayed greater interest in what the world leaders' wives were wearing than anything those women might've had to say.

Zrinka remarked that 'as actresses we can really relate to that', based on her and Zoë's experiences of red carpet events and similar engagements.

By contrast, Two Ladies gives two (fictional) First Ladies, Zoë's Helen and Zrinka's Sophia, a voice. They are very much centre stage.

In addition, Andrew Marr invites Zoë to reflect on the complex political pressures that led to her father, Sam Wanamaker, deciding to leave the US and begin a new life in the UK. His gift to his adopted home is, of course, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which Marr describes as 'one of the great successes of the London theatre world'.

What would Sam make of The Globe's position in British cultural life today? 'I think he'd be thrilled,' Zoë emphasises.

If you'd like to play a part in the future of Shakespeare's Globe and its companion, the indoor playhouse named in honour of Zoë's dad, you can donate to the Sam Wanamaker Centenary fundraising campaign.

Two Ladies is being staged at another great London venue, the Bridge Theatre, until 26 October. Tickets are available from the theatre's website.

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