After the huge success of Brainstorm, their youth-theatre play about the workings of the adolescent brain, pioneering theatre group Company Three are back with another brilliant play for young people: When This Is Over, a celebration of hope and imagination in a time of chaos. Conceived by the company between COVID lockdowns, and originally performed … Continue reading ‘The joy of connectedness’: Company Three on creating youth theatre in tumultuous times
Ensemble theatre
‘The show we needed to make’ – The Wardrobe Ensemble on The Last of the Pelican Daughters
Formed in a rehearsal room at the Bristol Old Vic in 2011, The Wardrobe Ensemble are, in their own words, 'a group of theatre artists working together to make new plays that dissect the twenty-first century experience'. In the near-decade since their founding, they've earned success and critical acclaim – performing around the UK, winning awards and … Continue reading ‘The show we needed to make’ – The Wardrobe Ensemble on The Last of the Pelican Daughters
Putting autism on the stage: Jody O’Neill on her innovative and myth-busting new play
Inspired by her own experiences with autism, actor and writer JODY O'NEILL set out to write a play that would celebrate autistic identity whilst engaging autistic and non-autistic audiences alike. The resulting play, What I (Don’t) Know About Autism, has just finished a sell-out run at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on the Peacock stage. Here, … Continue reading Putting autism on the stage: Jody O’Neill on her innovative and myth-busting new play
Feeling confused about sex: The Wardrobe Ensemble on their play 1972: The Future of Sex
Bristol-based theatre collective The Wardrobe Ensemble have been winning plaudits and delighting audiences across the UK with their brand of theatrical ingenuity and irreverent humour. As their acclaimed show 1972: The Future of Sex is published alongside its revival at the Bristol Old Vic this month, ensemble member Tom Brennan explains how the show was … Continue reading Feeling confused about sex: The Wardrobe Ensemble on their play 1972: The Future of Sex
Staging our own Brainstorm: an intrepid English teacher on the rewards of devising a show with teenagers
When Steven Slaughter, an English teacher at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, decided to stage a production of Brainstorm, the acclaimed play about the workings of the teenage brain, he was taking a big risk. The show is designed to be devised by a company of teenagers, putting their own lives and experiences centre-stage. But, … Continue reading Staging our own Brainstorm: an intrepid English teacher on the rewards of devising a show with teenagers
Putting teenagers (and their miraculous brains) centre-stage: Ned Glasier and Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore on making Brainstorm
After being inspired by a TED Talk about the workings of the teenage brain, Ned Glasier (Artistic Director of Company Three, previously Islington Community Theatre) and co-writer Emily Lim realised they had the germ of an idea for a play that could be shaped and performed by teenagers themselves. Here, Ned Glasier charts the development … Continue reading Putting teenagers (and their miraculous brains) centre-stage: Ned Glasier and Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore on making Brainstorm
‘Wonder tales’: Philip Pullman and Philip Wilson on staging the Grimm Tales
For Philip Pullman, working on a new version of the Grimm Tales was a 'dream job'. Here, he explains why they work so well on the stage, while below, theatre director Philip Wilson describes how he adapted and staged the Tales, and what to consider when staging them yourself... Philip Pullman: When Penguin Classics asked … Continue reading ‘Wonder tales’: Philip Pullman and Philip Wilson on staging the Grimm Tales
The Prompt Book 