When actor John Hollingworth started writing his first full-length play, he had little idea it would take so long to reach the stage. No bad thing, though, when the result is Multitudes, currently at the Tricycle Theatre – and 'as urgent and immediate as the morning headlines' (Guardian). How did he do it? In this interview, … Continue reading John Hollingworth on writing – and rewriting – his first play, Multitudes
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West End Producer: ‘Traditions and superstitions’
Though they're perfectly sensible, sane and rational in every other possible way, theatre folk are a rather superstitious lot. So to mark this Friday 13th, theatre impresario and masked Twitter phenomenon West End Producer - who was himself born onstage during a performance of Titus Andronicus - delves into the murky, sometimes confusing world of … Continue reading West End Producer: ‘Traditions and superstitions’
Dymphna Callery: we need a more playful approach to staging plays
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
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
Geoffrey Beevers: ‘bringing Eliot alive’ – adapting Middlemarch
In addition to his highly successful career as an actor, Geoffrey Beevers is also a writer and director. He has a particular love for George Eliot's work, having adapted a number of her novels for the stage - most recently Middlemarch, which premiered at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2013. Here, Geoffrey discusses why … Continue reading Geoffrey Beevers: ‘bringing Eliot alive’ – adapting Middlemarch
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
The Prompt Book 