Dymphna Callery's Through the Body: A practical guide to physical theatre is beloved of a generation of drama students. But have we ghetto-ised 'physical theatre' in an unhelpful way? In her new book published today, The Active Text, she looks at how physical theatre techniques can be used to unlock scripted plays, and inject new … Continue reading Dymphna Callery: we need a more playful approach to staging plays
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West End Producer: ‘Let’s talk about panto’
Ho ho ho, dears, ho ho ho. Taken from his book Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting, theatre impresario and Twitter phenomenon West End Producer gives you the lowdown on the festive theatrical staple that is pantomime, and tells you how to survive one... Once a year a great theatrical tradition is practised … Continue reading West End Producer: ‘Let’s talk about panto’
Ayub Khan Din: my family in East is East – and other stories
Actor-turned-playwright Ayub Khan Din is currently playing the role inspired by his own father in a West End revival of his play East is East. Here he reveals how all the plays in a new collection of his work have drawn on his own experience and his turbulent relationship with his family... I began writing … Continue reading Ayub Khan Din: my family in East is East – and other stories
‘A dark twisting of nostalgia’: Enda Walsh on his recent plays, from The Walworth Farce to Ballyturk
As a new collection of his plays is published alongside the UK premiere of his latest play Ballyturk at the National Theatre, the London-based Irish playwright reflects on new directions in his work... When we moved from Cork to London – about ten years ago now – we rented a house off the Old Kent … Continue reading ‘A dark twisting of nostalgia’: Enda Walsh on his recent plays, from The Walworth Farce to Ballyturk
‘Every picture tells a story’ – a tribute to Kevin Elyot
The writer Kevin Elyot, best known for his Olivier Award-winning 1994 play My Night With Reg, died last weekend. Here, we pay tribute to Kevin's life and career, with a look back at Kevin's early years as a writer, a comment from publisher Nick Hern, and an extract from his most famous play. Kevin Elyot … Continue reading ‘Every picture tells a story’ – a tribute to Kevin Elyot
Michael Palin: Monty Python as it happened
The inspiring Monty Python at Work is Michael Palin's intimate, behind-the-scenes account of the conception and making of the legendary group's shows, films, books and albums, drawn from his published diaries. Here, the author explains what writer-performers can learn from the book - and read further for extracts from the beginning of the Python journey. … Continue reading Michael Palin: Monty Python as it happened
The Goodale Brothers: the road to Jeeves and Wooster in ‘Perfect Nonsense’
A huge success since opening in the West End last year, Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense', the Goodale Brothers' ingenious play featuring P.G. Wodehouse's iconic double act, was recently named Best New Comedy at the 2014 Olivier Awards. Here, co-writer Robert Goodale explains how the idea to adapt Wodehouse's books came about, and the process by which … Continue reading The Goodale Brothers: the road to Jeeves and Wooster in ‘Perfect Nonsense’
Sexting in Parliament: insights from the writer and director of Girls Like That
Back in January, members of West Yorkshire Playhouse's Youth Theatre travelled to Westminster to perform an extract from the play Girls Like That in Parliament as part of the launch of YoungMinds Vs, a new children's mental health campaign. An urgent and explosive play that explores the pressures on young people today in the wake of advancing … Continue reading Sexting in Parliament: insights from the writer and director of Girls Like That
Max Stafford-Clark in Conversation at the Royal Court
On Friday 17 January, renowned theatre director and founder of Out of Joint Max Stafford-Clark appeared at the Royal Court Theatre, London, for a talk and Q&A to launch his new book, Journal of the Plague Year, a personal exploration of the state of arts funding in the UK today. Appearing on the main stage … Continue reading Max Stafford-Clark in Conversation at the Royal Court
West End Producer: ‘The secret to first-night presents’
In this second extract from his new book Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Acting, theatre impresario and Twitter phenomenon West End Producer lifts the lid on the thing that can make or break any actor's career: the first-night present. Many people in the industry get their priorities all wrong. As soon as they get offered a … Continue reading West End Producer: ‘The secret to first-night presents’
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