Yesterday one of the most closely guarded secrets in theatreland has been revealed: the location of Punchdrunk’s new show. The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable will take place in the largest space the innovative theatre company have ever taken over: a massive empty building next door to Paddington Station. Subject to licensing and planning permission, Punchdrunk will transform 31 London Street into the forgotten world of Temple Studios for its latest immersive theatrical experience. The show has also extended its London run to 31 December with 50,000 extra tickets now on sale.

Next up, great news for fans of the multi-award winning The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. The National’s hit show has extended its booking period at the Apollo Theatre to October 2014, releasing an additional 250,000 tickets for the celebrated show. If you haven’t done so yet, book tickets to see it now! It’s a fantastic piece of feel-good theatre, with a real star at the centre of its cast in Luke Treadaway.

London’s theatre offering also expanded today with the opening of a brand new theatre in Finsbury Park. The Park Theatre is run by artistic director Jez Bond, and the first performance will be Melanie Marnich’s These Shining Lives, starting this week. Like last year’s new arrival, the St James theatre in Victoria, there are two spaces in the venue: a 200-seat theatre and a flexible 90-seat space. The Park Theatre will operate as a charity, relying on local support to keep it running. If you’re in the area – pop in! There’s a bar and a café inside too.

And speaking of the St James Theatre, I have news of their latest show. The American Plan is a transfer from Theatre Royal Bath, and will open at the Victoria venue in July. Richard Greenberg’s 1960s-set play is a tale of broken dreams, twisted motives and deceit. It stars Diana Quick as an overbearing mother intent on controlling her daughter’s life.

Finally, this year’s Greenwich+Docklands international theatre festival line-up has been announced. Organised by Bradley Hemmings, one of the team responsible for last year’s Paralympic Opening Ceremony, the festival will feature the best UK and international performers to streets, parks and public spaces in and around Greenwich. If you like immersive, unusual and eclectic performance, then make sure you’re in London between 21 to 29 June. And best of all, it’s all free!

Christmas London Theatre News

Is it too soon to get excited about the festive season in London? Perhaps. But if you’re the type of person who loves to plan ahead, you might fancy putting one of the following into the very end of your 2013 diary:

• Slava’s Snowshow returns to the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre for the third year running in December. The award-winning production, which mixes theatrical clowning and stunning visuals, will hit the venue just in time to create a white Christmas, playing from 17 December to 5 January
• And this week’s other Christmas announcement is that the legendary Henry Winkler will play Hook in Peter Pan at the Richmond Theatre from 6 December. Start practising your booing now!

Rob Eagle’s video highlights some of the brilliant free things to do in London, from the British Museum to the Hunterian Museum.

The film won the Raindance Film Festival award in UCL’s London for Free competition.

London’s famous double-decker buses are an ideal way to see the city if you’re on a budget. Buy a Travelcard for the day and take a self-guided city tour on London’s best bus routes. These five cover most of the major sights in the city. Their routes are described from west to east and the return journey passes the same sights in reverse.

Number 74
Starting in Putney, this route travels past London’s museums hub in South Kensington where the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum sit side by side. It then passes luxury department store Harrods and the boundary of one of London’s largest green spaces at Hyde Park Corner. You can catch a glimpse of The Dorchester hotel just after, followed by the famous haunt of public rhetoric – Speaker’s Corner at Marble Arch. The final stop is Baker Street, home to both the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, at the site of the fictional detective’s residence.

Number 9
The number 9 is one of only two routes operating the old-style Routemaster buses on part of its route. Leaving from Hammersmith, it passes Kensington Palace (you’ll have to get off to see it) followed by the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and the monument to Queen Victoria’s husband which sits opposite it. Like the number 74, the 9 passes the museums in Kensington, Harrods and Hyde Park corner. It takes a different route afterwards to visit St James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Savoy hotel and arts and cultural centre Somerset House.

Number RV1
The RV1 is a favourite route for us here at VL Towers! Despite being a single decker, it still passes through some of the best parts of London, giving you a great cultural tour of the city. Soak up some shops and street theatre at Covent Garden before taking the RV1. Hopping on it will take you to the South Bank where you’ll see the London Eye and Royal Festival Hall. The London Bridge stop is metres from the London Dungeon and City Hall is the next sight on the route, which crosses Tower Bridge to finish up at the Tower of London.

Number 24
The 24 sets off from Camden Town which offers alternative fashion and food. The bus then heads to the more mainstream Leicester Square in the centre, calling in at Trafalgar Square and Horse Guards Parade. The political heart of London is next as the bus passes Parliament Square where you’ll find Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the nearby Westminster Abbey where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married last year. The final site is the city’s policing headquarters at the iconic New Scotland Yard building.

Be aware that some bus routes might change during the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games – read our top tips for Olympic travel here

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women everywhere. Find out how you can mark this important date in London:

March over Millennium Bridge: Join celebrities, activists, and Women for Women supporters on Millennium Bridge as part of the Join Me on the Bridge campaign, promoting peace and equality. Meet on the south side of the bridge at 10.30am, then march across it, along Victoria Embankment and into the ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall for speeches. 8 Mar

Women of the World Festival at the Southbank Centre: Five days of gigs, films, talks, theatre, poetry and more, coinciding with International Women’s Day. Highlights include Equals Live 2012, a concert hosted by Annie Lennox; speed mentoring; and keynote speeches by Eve Ensler and Mary Portas. 7-11 Mar

Support Creative Women at Spitalfields: Spitalfields Market is holding an International Women’s Fair this weekend where you can browse books, arts and crafts by creative women and enjoy free entertainment including comedy, music and ballroom dancing. Free tours of the Women’s Library take place at 12pm and 2:30pm. 10 Mar

Invest in You at Inner Space: Wellbeing centre Inner Space is hosting an afternoon of free talks for women with a theme of Invest in You. Register at www.innerspace.org.uk. 10 Mar

Know of another Women’s Day event? Tell us in the comments below.

Journalist Marina Soteriou is a long-term London resident. Writing as part of our World in London series, Marina adds her experiences of Cypriot culture in the capital.

Every Thursday evening at a church hall in Waterloo, a group meet to perform dances which have been danced for centuries. They are the Philhellenes Dancing Group.

I joined nearly three years ago as I wanted to feel closer to my family on the other side of Europe, in Cyprus. The only thing I can remember from my dancing class at primary school in Nicosia was somebody finding a centipede in their shoe, but last October I performed seven Pontic dances at the annual Dance Around the World Festival at Cecil Sharp House in Regents Park.

The group has been running for 21 years, and has performed in Cyprus, Athens, Lesvos and Andros. In London, they’ve danced at the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the British Museum.

Cypriots love a debate and since the so-called “Cyprus problem” has remained unsolved since 1974 – as a result of a Turkish invasion which followed a coup by the junta ruling Greece at the time – we are never short of a topic. Following the division, thousands of Cypriots came to live in London, when the Greek Cypriots fled to safety in the south and the Turkish Cypriots went north.

My grandfather, Andreas Soteriou, was from the beautiful village of Agios Epiktitos in the Kyrenia district in the North, perched high with breathtaking views of the coast. But being born in 1982, these lands were not known to me. The Cyprus I knew stopped abruptly where the rusty barbed wire and UN soldier was. The bullet holes in the Nicosia church we went to every Sunday morning were testament to the violence which was followed by decades of stalemate.

It was not until 2003 when the border crossings opened that the link with my ancestors could be restored and I could visit the house where my grandfather was raised, see his father’s grave and share gifts and stories with the Turkish Cypriot neighbours.

There is something restorative in folk dancing, knowing these intricate steps, double steps and jumps have been replayed for thousands of years and that now is just another dot on the timeline. Although we do not know what the future holds for Cyprus, we know these dances will survive.

Whenever I go back to Nicosia, one of the first things I like to do is go to Ledra Street in the city centre and buy a Papaphilippou ice cream and do as the locals do and promenade.

On one such visit, the first thing I saw was a group of Pontics in traditional costume performing their dances in the public square, the very same dances I have performed with my Bulgarian, Greek, English and Cypriot friends in the church hall in Waterloo on a rainy Thursday night.

For another slice of Cyprus, you can choose one of the many Cypriot restaurants all over London, but I prefer the hive of activity at the Yasar Halim Bakery in Haringey. The bakery was opened by a Turkish Cypriot in 1981 and has everything you can imagine, from the sweet Tahini tachinopites, to the Cypriot doughnuts dipped in syrup, “loukoumades”, which are eaten with the semolina-filled shiamishi at fairs.

To join the class or attend a Greek folk dancing workshop visit www.philhellenes.com or email greekdancing@philhellenes.com. The next Dance Around the World folk dancing festival, which has performances and workshops, takes place on 20 and 21 October. Visit www.datw.org.uk to find out more.

Do you know any other instances where you can sample Cypriot culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

School was out and fun was in, especially along London’s South Bank.

The Southbank Centre has been playing host to the ever popular Imagine Children’s Festival, which returns this year with even more attractions than usual. The good news is that although half-term may be over for most, the action-packed festival continues to run until Sunday 26 February.

I have never braved the Tube on my own with all three of my young men. Yet I felt compelled to conquer my fear of excitable little ones on busy platforms and venture up to Waterloo. I packed a bag with activity books, sharpened pencils and a delectable array of goodies. There was no moaning, no crying and the journey went remarkably smoothly.  

But when we arrived at the Royal Festival Hall, my heart sank. For there in the foyer was a lengthy queue of fed up parents, all surrounded by kids and similarly stuffed backpacks. They were all there for the free Become a Superhero workshop. Staff were on hand to help aspiring Supermen and Wonder Women create their very own super hero persona, complete with superpower and dazzling costume. The problem was that you needed to be super patient to stick out the lengthy wait of one hour or more! As patience has never been my super strength, my boys sadly missed out.

Another free attraction, the Imagine craft pavillion, was inundated too. So we went in search of a bespectacled man in a stripy red top called Wally. Yes, that’s right, he of Where’s Wally fame. The kids loved racing around the Royal Festival Hall in search of the popular book character, though they only found two “injured” cardboard cutouts behind the ticket desk. Probably not quite the idea, but they enjoyed themselves all the same.

After a quick pitstop for some ice cream sundaes at nearby Giraffe, we headed over to the Queen Elizabeth Hall for James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids. If you’re wondering what Comedy 4 Kids is, it’s exactly as it sounds. Comedian James Campbell performed an hour-long stand up set especially for those aged six and up. James, a father himself, clearly knows what makes kids tick and he really gets down to their level. He made jokes about scooters, school and the double entendre that is the Nintendo Wii! Of course, this led to a good 10 minutes of toilet-related humour, which obviously had the kids tickled pink (there were a many adults chortling away to themselves too).

The packed-out comedy performance was unfortunately a one-off at Imagine, but there is much, much more in store for families this week. Highlights include a chance to meet bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson and the London Book Swap.

Imagine Children’s Festival at the Southbank Centre until 26 February 2012. Read more

Boxed: Fabulous Coffins from UK and Ghana is a free exhibition displaying bespoke coffins from the collection of Pa Joe in Ghana and Crazy Coffins in Nottingham.

The display is part of the Southbank Centre’s Death-themed festival four days of music, performance, talks and poetry aiming to lift the (coffin) lid on the subject of death.

Boxed: Fabulous Coffins, in the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall until 29 January 2012. Death Festival at the Southbank Centre, 27 to 30 January 2012

Photos by Baynes Media

For a Night with a Bang!

Thousands of people will head to Central London for the fireworks display but if you don’t want to stand outside, there are plenty of places to watch from indoors. Many restaurants and bars offer great views and special menus, including:

• Giraffe, South Bank: Dinner, live DJ and a glass of fizz. £85
• Feng Sushi, South Bank: Sushi, a Champagne cocktail and access to the Royal Festival Hall Terrace. £95
• Min Jiang, Royal Garden Hotel: A five-course Chinese banquet with a glass of Champagne, dancing til 2am and a view of the fireworks from the tenth floor. £160
• Royal Festival Hall: Gabby Young and Other Animals headline this huge party with live music, silent disco, cabaret and access to the Royal Festival Hall terrace for the fireworks. £80

Glide Into 2012

Book a New Year’s Eve skate session at Somerset House Ice Rink. Keep warm and energised with hot chocolate and cupcakes from Tom’s Skate Lounge and enjoy a free glass of Champagne at midnight (tickets £50 for skaters, £35 spectators).

Enter the Jungle

A chance for big kids to take over the Rainforest Café at the restaurant’s New Year’s Eve party. Get stuck in to a three-course dinner in the colourful jungle setting. There’s live entertainment until midnight and dancing till 2pm (£65 including a glass of bubbly on arrival).

Spice Things Up

Head to Dishoom for a “Bombay Vintage Glam Party” with a five-course feast, henna artist, impressionist and DJ set from Cornershop. (£85 including a chocolate cherry Champagne cocktail).

Check out our New Year page for more ideas and let us know if you have any more in the comments below.

Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, one thing’s for sure: you’ll have never seen anything like Slava’s Snowshow before.

And therein lies the problem in trying to blog about it. It’s impossible to do it justice without giving too much away. Still, I’ll give it my best shot. The show is the brainchild of Russian performance artist and clown, Slava Polunin, and has proven to be a box office smash hit in cities around the world, among them New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Rio and Moscow. The fact that this is a full length show almost exclusively mimed is what makes it so accessible to international audiences. Putting it simply, Slava and his co-stars are a bunch of clowns larking around against the backdrop of a wintery set.

I only took my eldest son as the show is not recommended for under-eights. There is nothing overtly frightening or inappropriate, but darkness and the very loud noises might prove somewhat scary for little ones. Even my eight-year-old took a while to get to grips with it, repeatedly asking “what’s happening?” and “what’s it about?” I did my best to explain that it wasn’t really about anything other than clowns being silly in the snow. Once he accepted that, he loved it.

And what’s not to love? Madness and mayhem ensues when Slava and his fleet of floppy-hatted clowns take over the massive auditorium at the Royal Festival Hall. This is a venue accustomed to hosting orchestras and world-famous artistes. Audiences tend to be respectful and restrained. But not during Slava’s Snowshow. In this production, the actors clamber over your seats, spray you with water and throw your coats on top of your heads. A giant web descends over the stalls, trapping the bewitched spectators until well into the intermission. There’s a blizzard, a storm and lots and lots of snow.

Nevertheless it is the finale, which I won’t spoil, that is the best thing about this magnificent spectacle. My son sat beside me, holding on to me, eyes wide with amazement. He and the rest of us were under the spell of Slava’s pure Christmas magic.

Slava’s Snowshow at Royal Festival Hall until 8 January 2012. Book tickets

A unique series of concerts is letting its audience explore the more unusual spaces of the Royal Festival Hall. The Harmonic Series is curated by Southbank Centre’s artist in residence, Oliver Coates, who chose a mix of classical and alternative styles to be played in intimate spaces that he felt were appropriate to the music.

“When you arrive, you won’t yet know which part of the building you’ll end up in,” Coates says. “A singer songwriter might be in a really beautiful space overlooking all of London, or something that’s a little more introspective or darker may happen in a more enclosed environment down deeper in the bowels of the institution.”

This weekend’s performance took place in the 6th floor Weston Roof Pavilion, affording audiences a glittering view of the London Eye, Big Ben and the Thames. Singer and harpist Serafina Steer performed a set of her intimate, confessional songs, while vocalist Alice Grant (Fulborn Teversham) collaborated with bassist Tom Herbert (The Invisible, Polar Bear) and Oliver Coates played Bach on the cello.

The next performances in the Harmonic Series will take place on the 20 March and 10 April.