Diane Samuels, author of the powerful modern classic Kindertransport, set out to write a new play about female pirates... and ended up with a beguiling romance about cross-dressing and music hall. Poppy + George, which opened at Watford Palace Theatre this month, is all about identity, she explains – do we let ourselves be shaped by … Continue reading ‘Dare to fashion yourself’: Diane Samuels on her new play Poppy + George
Amateur Theatre
Edinburgh Fringe Report 2015 Part 2: The Final Reckoning
The Edinburgh Fringe is over for another year, but how did our intrepid amateur companies get on performing plays licensed by Nick Hern Books? We hear from three of them as they recount the highs – and the lows – of mounting a production on the Fringe. (If you missed the first instalment, it's available … Continue reading Edinburgh Fringe Report 2015 Part 2: The Final Reckoning
Edinburgh Fringe Report 2015 Part I: cutting it at the fringe
Taking a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can be daunting, exhausting, and about as financially sound as betting on the Chinese stock market. But it can also be a hugely rewarding experience for cast and crew, and even for audiences. Plus, if you're really on top of your game, there's a chance it might … Continue reading Edinburgh Fringe Report 2015 Part I: cutting it at the fringe
Girls centre stage: Lucy Kerbel on building a new canon of writing for young actors
Good roles for young female actors are in short supply, so Tonic Theatre set out to change that by commissioning a series of new plays with mainly or entirely female casts for schools and youth theatre groups to perform. As the first three plays in the Platform series are published by Nick Hern Books and … Continue reading Girls centre stage: Lucy Kerbel on building a new canon of writing for young actors
With a little help from my friends: Amelia Bullmore on her play Di and Viv and Rose
Actress and playwright Amelia Bullmore had a West End hit earlier this year with Di and Viv and Rose, a warm and funny play about three women and their enduring friendship. As the play is made available for amateur performance, she recalls the moment that inspired her to write it, and explains why, for her, … Continue reading With a little help from my friends: Amelia Bullmore on her play Di and Viv and Rose
The Hound of the Baskervilles: the Peepolykus version
You don't need an actual hellhound or a bucket of phosphorus to stage the Peepolykus version of Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles - the rib-tickling spoof, full of the company's trademark verbal and visual ingenuity, seen on national tour and in the West End. But, as co-adapter, Steven Canny explains, there's plenty of scope … Continue reading The Hound of the Baskervilles: the Peepolykus version
The Prompt Book 