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
Tackling taboo subjects in theatre for young people: Carly Wijs on her play Us/Them
After a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 and winning a Fringe First Award, the extraordinary Us/Them opens at the National Theatre on 16 January. An international co-production between BRONKS, the Brussels-based theatre company for young audiences, and Richard Jordan Productions with Theatre Royal Plymouth and Big in Belgium, the play focuses on … Continue reading Tackling taboo subjects in theatre for young people: Carly Wijs on her play Us/Them
‘A well-kept secret’: the Feldenkrais Method and its powerful potential for actors, by Victoria Worsley
The Feldenkrais Method, named after the distinguished scientist and engineer Dr Moshe Feldenkrais, has been used by performers since being adopted by Peter Brook in the 1970s – but it is only now beginning to gain the recognition it deserves. Tapping into the deep relationship between bodily movement and our ways of thinking, feeling and … Continue reading ‘A well-kept secret’: the Feldenkrais Method and its powerful potential for actors, by Victoria Worsley
‘One of the greatest ever collaborators’: Enda Walsh on working with David Bowie
Now playing in London following its premiere in New York last year, new musical Lazarus marks a unique collaboration between the playwright Enda Walsh and legendary singer and songwriter David Bowie – featuring many of the latter's most famous songs. Though nobody realised at the time, the production turned out to be one of Bowie's … Continue reading ‘One of the greatest ever collaborators’: Enda Walsh on working with David Bowie
Harriet Walter on playing Shakespeare’s great roles
In her new book Brutus and Other Heroines: Playing Shakespeare's Roles for Women, acclaimed actor Harriet Walter looks back at her experiences of playing many of Shakespeare’s most famous roles – both female and male – across her varied and distinguished career. Her perceptive and intimate accounts illustrate each play as a whole, and provide … Continue reading Harriet Walter on playing Shakespeare’s great roles
Amateur theatre: A vital contribution to UK theatre
Earlier this month, a large group of academics, writers, theatre-makers and individuals passionate about amateur theatre gathered at Royal Holloway University in London. They were there to discuss the findings of a 3-year-long research project into amateur theatre, Reflecting on Amateur Theatre Research, led by Royal Holloway and the Universities of Warwick and Exeter. Our own … Continue reading Amateur theatre: A vital contribution to UK theatre
Edinburgh Fringe Report 2016 Part 2: The 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 four 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 2016 Part 2: The Reckoning
Edinburgh Fringe Report 2016 Part 1: Final preparations
Getting ready for The Fringe? Our Edinburgh Fringe Report is back (you can still read last year's Report here) with six more amateur theatre companies – all of them performing plays licensed by Nick Hern Books – revealing the state of their play as they get ready to launch themselves on The Fringe... Holes by … Continue reading Edinburgh Fringe Report 2016 Part 1: Final preparations
Michael Bruce: How I became a theatre composer
Michael Bruce is a prolific theatre composer whose music has accompanied plays at the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway. He has written scores and songs for productions as varied as The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Candide for the RSC, Strange Interlude and Man and Superman at the National Theatre, and … Continue reading Michael Bruce: How I became a theatre composer
‘A Field of Dreams’: Joyce McMillan on Theatre in Scotland
Joyce McMillan, lead drama critic at The Scotsman, is an unrivalled authority on modern Scottish theatre and a leading thinker and writer about Scotland. Her new book, Theatre in Scotland: A Field of Dreams, is a collection of more than three decades of her writings about theatre, selected by theatre director Philip Howard. Here, in … Continue reading ‘A Field of Dreams’: Joyce McMillan on Theatre in Scotland
The Prompt Book 