Following a performance of ANIMAL at the Park Theatre, I was joined by star Christopher John-Slater, playwright Jon Bradfield, cast member Matt Ayleigh, and Joshua Hepple, whose brilliant initial idea made the whole thing happen.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: ABBA, friendships, the joys of fandom & paying tribute to Paul O’Grady – Terri Paddock hosts a The Way Old Friends Do post-show Q&A
Following the news of Paul O’Grady’s unexpected death, this specific performance of The Way Old Friends Do at London’s Park Theatre was dedicated to the comedian and drag legend, whose voice opens the show. Writer and star Ian Hallard paid tribute to O’Grady before curtain-up, and we started the post-show talk with Ian and director Mark Gatiss recalling how enthusiastically O’Grady recorded his voiceovers – despite not loving ABBA.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: From Feydeau & farce to internationalism and inclusivity, there’s lots to discuss in the A Tailor for Ladies post-show Q&A
This new production of Georges Feydeau’s early 1886 farce A Tailor for Ladies, which Penny Tomai has translated and co-adapted with director Lee James Broadwood, marks Medley Theatre Company’s debut, with a two-week season at London’s Cockpit Theatre where an international ensemble switches up halfway to allow actors to take on different roles.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: Clever parallels revealed in Terri Paddock’s post-show discussion at Southwark Playhouse Elephant’s opening show The Walworth Farce
For the first full production at Southwark Elephant, artistic director Chris Smyrnios has cleverly programmed this slick revival of leading Irish playwright Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce, which is set nearby, in a council flat on the Walworth Road.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: Terri Paddock negotiates her way around her post-show Q&A with Winner’s Curse creatives Clive Anderson & Dan Patterson
Winner’s Curse at the Park Theatre, conceived by former diplomat and veteran of countless Middle East negotiations Daniel Taub, is a highly topical piece. It not only lifts the lid on what happens behind closed doors during peace talks but also educates the audience on negotiation theory and allows us to put some of that theory into practice.
‘What does it mean to be political? It’s a vital question for everyone’: Martin Edwards on This Bitter Earth
Martin Edwards stars in the UK premiere of the Black Lives Matter-inspired American play This Bitter Earth. He talked to us about performance and political activism.
NEWS: Black Lives Matter-inspired This Bitter Earth receives UK premiere
Acclaimed American play This Bitter Earth, set at the start of the Black Lives Matter moment in the US, receives its UK premiere this month, running at London’s White Bear Theatre. Time to get booking!
VIDEO & PHOTOS: Terri Paddock hosts the One Who Wants to Cross post-show Q&A & asks how migrant matters are being manipulated
A note in the programme for One Who Wants to Cross cites a sobering statistic: according to the 2020 IOM World Migration Report, the number of international migrants, as of June 2019, had reached almost 272 million. That’s 51 million more than were estimated nine years earlier in 2010.
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: Hamlet without the adults? Terri Paddock’s post-show Q&A with Lazarus Theatre explores the youthful version
How central are Gertrude, Claudius and Polonius to the story of Hamlet? If you remove those adult characters – the prince’s mother, uncle/stepfather and the father of his one-time girlfriend, respectively – and the scenes that revolve around them, what are you left with?
VIDEOS & PHOTOS: A post-show Q&A for Wickies at the Park Theatre delves into one of Scotland’s most enduring mysteries
For the post-show talk for new play Wickies: The Vanishing Men of Eilean Mor at the Park Theatre I was joined by writer Paul Morrissey and his all-Scottish, three-strong cast: Jamie Quinn, Ewan Stewart and Graeme Dalling.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: Theatre & politics make for a thrilling Triggered post-show Q&A
One of the few things I enjoy even more than theatre is talking politics. So chairing a post-show discussion about a brilliant new political play, written and directed by a Westminster insider and lifelong activist, really is my idea of bliss. At the White Bear Theatre, I got to do just that for Triggered, Emma Burnell’s new play about a fictional deselection of a Labour MP ahead of the 2019 General Election.
NEWS: Guinea Pigs premiere marks 70th anniversary of first British nuclear detonation
Guinea Pigs, a new play that shines a light on Britain’s decades-long nuclear testing cover-up, written by the daughter of a test veteran, premieres next month at London’s The Space, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Operation Hurricane, Britain’s first nuclear detonation.
‘Harold Shipman was my GP for four years’: Writer & performer Edwin Flay on depicting the serial killer in The Quality of Mercy
The Quality of Mercy, a new one-man play about notorious British serial killer Harold Shipman, premieres at London’s Courtyard Theatre this month. Taking a break from rehearsals, writer and performer Edwin Flay told us more about his very personal family connection to Shipman’s crimes.
NEWS: Harold Shipman records his confession in The Quality of Mercy premiere
A new one-man play about notorious British serial killer Harold Shipman, written by a former patient and relative of one of his victims, receives its world premiere this month in London. Time to get booking!
VIDEO & PHOTOS: A devilish Q&A with the company of Lazarus Theatre’s Doctor Faustus
What might entice you to sell your soul to the devil? Fame? Riches? Immortality? World peace? A rent-free London flat? Four pints of Guinness? At my post-show Q&A for a production of Doctor Faustus, that was an irresistible question to pose to the company. But before that, we covered much else to do concerning adaptation and the creative process, with a lot of fun and laughter.
VIDEO & PHOTOS: A memorable night of both sadness & celebration with the cast & creatives of Proforca’s Flashbang
The death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced just before my arrival at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre. Like the rest of the country, the theatre staff had been braced for the sad news. So the world premiere of Proforca’s Flashbang was preceded by a public address and collective silence.
VIDEO: ‘Me & my mates were going to be best friends forever’. Watch Proforca’s Flashbang trailer!
What happens when your world is blown apart? The trailer for Flashbang, Proforca Theatre’s latest explosive new play, packs a punch. Have a watch – and then get booking!
‘The idea was really rooted in Coventry’: Frankie Meredith on her play May Queen, now returning to Belgrade Theatre
Originally premiered last year as part of Paines Plough’s acclaimed Roundabout Season, May Queen returns to Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre for a strictly limited season. Midlands writer Frankie Meredith tells us more about the modern folk tale and how growing up in Coventry influenced it.
VIDEO: Celebrities are raving about Sally Rogers’ debut play The Still Room
Word of mouth on Sally Rogers’ debut play The Still Room is spreading fast, with celebrity fans including Alison Steadman, David Morrissey, Maxine Peake, Johnny Flynn and others. Check out these video vox pops and get booking!
VIDEO: Exploring history onstage – The End of the Night writer Ben Brown & journalist Kurt Barling discuss how in Park Q&A
What is theatre’s role in exploring political and historical subjects? What echoes are there with contemporary events in Europe? Could The End of the Night be staged in Germany today – or in Russia? For this post-show discussion, Terri Paddock explores these issues with playwright Ben Brown and the award-winning journalist, author and academic Professor Kurt Barling.