VAULT Festival, London's biggest arts and entertainment festival, is now underway in Waterloo, where it runs until 19 March. With hundreds of events taking place throughout the eight weeks of the festival, including theatre, comedy, cabaret, immersive and VR experiences, family shows, late-night parties and more, there's something for everyone. And to celebrate the publication … Continue reading VAULT 2023: the best new work at London’s VAULT festival
Plays for women
Ladies Unleashed: Playwright Amanda Whittington on her Ladies Trilogy
When Amanda Whittington's play Ladies' Day premiered at Hull Truck Theatre in 2005, it introduced the world to Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda – four likely lasses from the Hull fish docks on a day at the races. The play and its sequel, Ladies Down Under, have since been performed around the world, including thousands … Continue reading Ladies Unleashed: Playwright Amanda Whittington on her Ladies Trilogy
A female Scrooge: author Piers Torday on adapting Dickens for today’s stage
PIERS TORDAY, writer of the acclaimed Last Wild series of children's novels, has adapted Dickens' A Christmas Carol for Wilton's Music Hall. Here, he explains why his version, Christmas Carol: A Fairy Tale, reimagines the familiar story, placing Ebenezer's sister Fan at the heart of the action... When Charles Dickens published his ‘little Christmas book’ … Continue reading A female Scrooge: author Piers Torday on adapting Dickens for today’s stage
Harriet Walter (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
Nick Hern Books is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in 2018. To mark the occasion, we've commissioned interviews with some of our leading authors and playwrights. First up, theatre journalist Al Senter talks to Dame Harriet Walter... Actor Harriet Walter has enjoyed a long and distinguished career, including playing almost all of Shakespeare's heroines on the … Continue reading Harriet Walter (The Nick Hern Books Anniversary Interviews)
‘Hockey sticks and navy knicks’: Kath Gotts on Crush: The Musical
When Kath Gotts and Maureen Chadwick started writing a musical about the pupils at an all-girls school rebelling against their tyrannical headmistress, they didn't know it would take decades to reach the stage. But when it finally opened in 2015, Crush was acclaimed as a hilarious blend of Malory Towers and St Trinian's – a family-friendly … Continue reading ‘Hockey sticks and navy knicks’: Kath Gotts on Crush: The Musical
‘Dare to fashion yourself’: Diane Samuels on her new play Poppy + George
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
‘The people loved her because she was one of them’: Jessica Swale on her play Nell Gwynn
Nell Gwynn rose from poverty to become the most celebrated actress of her day and a mistress of King Charles II. And now she is returning to the West End as the subject of Jessica Swale’s acclaimed play Nell Gwynn, first seen at Shakespeare's Globe in 2015 and to be revived at the Apollo Theatre … Continue reading ‘The people loved her because she was one of them’: Jessica Swale on her play Nell Gwynn
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
The Prompt Book 