Actress and playwright Amelia Bullmore had a West End hit earlier this year with Di and Viv and Rose, a warm and funny play about three women and their enduring friendship. As the play is made available for amateur performance, she recalls the moment that inspired her to write it, and explains why, for her, … Continue reading With a little help from my friends: Amelia Bullmore on her play Di and Viv and Rose
‘Leave me my name’: Richard Eyre on the importance of Arthur Miller
Richard Eyre directed the first Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible. With several major productions of Miller's work opening in this, his centenary year, it's a time to reflect on why plays such as Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge and The Crucible speak so urgently to us today. Here, in … Continue reading ‘Leave me my name’: Richard Eyre on the importance of Arthur Miller
John Hollingworth on writing – and rewriting – his first play, Multitudes
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
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
‘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
The Prompt Book 