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: 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.
VIDEO: Remember how hard it was being 13? Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon post-show Q&A
Rosie Day’s wonderful rollercoaster ride of a debut play Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, which she also performs, ends with the by-then 16-year-old protagonist writing a letter of advice to her younger self (and younger stepsister).
VIDEO: How did RuPaul inspire a queer canine cabaret? Dog Show post-show Q&A
The premise for the new show is sillier than ever: set (loosely) at Crappersea Dog Pound, the pooches are putting their best paw forward in preparation for the Annual Rehoming Show. Which of them will find a human to accept them into their home?
VIDEO: Did Christopher Marlowe write the plays attributed to Shakespeare? Marlowe’s Fate post-show Q&A
More than four centuries after William Shakespeare died in 1616, aged 52 on his own birthday (23 April), questions remain about the authorship of his prodigious output – including nearly forty plays and more than 150 sonnets.
VIDEO: Can you spot real vs fake iambic pentameter? Doing Shakepeare post-show Q&A
As much as it was possible for anyone the arts, Northern Comedy Theatre had a very good pandemic. When all performing arts venues closed, rather than wrap up their work, they ramped up.
VIDEO: What are you willing to do for $1 million? Indecent Proposal post-show Q&A
More specifically in this story: would you have sex with a stranger if they paid you $1 million? And, for those in relationships, would you be tormented if your partner did?
VIDEO: Did you miss Anton Chekhov’s Vaudevilles? Don’t miss the post-show discussion
While its limited run has now finished at the White Bear Theatre, you can still experience the joy of Anton Chekhov’s Vaudevilles care of MyTheatreMates founder Terri Paddock’s post-show discussion. Maybe another revival is on the cards?
WATCH Once post-show Q&A video: How does this touring production differ from the West End?
I first fell in love with Once after seeing the original 2007 independent Irish film. Then again when I the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation had its West End premiere in 2013. And now again on the musical’s first major UK tour.
WATCH: Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em stars Joe Pasquale & Sarah Earnshaw on why they couldn’t wait to reprise their roles
I laughed my head off watching Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, and afterwards, got onto the wonderfully kitsch 1970s set myself to interview stars Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw and writer-director Guy Unsworth.
WATCH Sinners post-show Q&A video: How did Brian Cox approach directing his wife Nicole Ansari?
After a sold-out performance of Sinners, I was joined by writer Joshua Sobol, director Brian Cox and stars Nicole Ansari and Adam Sina about the development of this shocking play about a woman, about to be stoned to death, and her lover.
WATCH Macbeth’s post-show Q&A video: How do you do ‘The Scottish Play’ with a cast of 10?
Are you superstitious? The most famous theatrical superstition is, of course, the one about “The Scottish play”. Do the cast of Lazarus Theatre’s new ensemble production believe in curses?
WATCH The Jury post-show Q&A: Can men be victims of domestic abuse?
Are you aware of your inherent biases about gender? How much do they affect your judgments about women or men are capable of? What about when it comes to a violent crime?
WATCH Chaplin’s post-show Q&A: Why is being funny such a sad business?
Have you ever seen Charlie Chaplin’s classic film The Great Dictator? Eighty years after it was released, it feels terrifyingly current. We get a glimpse of why with the inclusion of its final speech in Arrows & Traps’ latest offering.
WATCH Curtains post-show Q&A video: Why has it taken so long for Kander & Ebb’s comedy to come to the West End?
Curtains, the murder mystery musical comedy by Chicago and Cabaret creators Kander & Ebb, had its Broadway premiere in 2007 in a production starring Frasier‘s David Hyde Pierce. Why has it taken so long for it to at last receive its West End premiere? And why is it so very perfect for the West End? […]
The post Post-show video and photos: Jason Manford on why Kander & Ebb’s <em>Curtains</em> is made for the West End appeared first on Terri Paddock.
WATCH Potted Panto post-show Q&A video: Do you consider A Christmas Carol a pantomime?
It’s official! Christmas is coming up fast. And that, of course, means it’s pantomime season. How do you choose which of the biggies to see this year? Why choose? See the seven (or maybe twelve) top pantomimes in one hilarious show care of Potted Panto.
WATCH post-show video for Charles Dickens’ The Signalman: Do you believe in ghosts?
After Tania Amsel’s new play Blood Orange the night before, I returned to the Old Red Lion Theatre for Paragon Theatre’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ghost story The Signalman. Dickens in December and it isn’t A Christmas Carol? This is a must-see for aficionados and newcomers alike.
WATCH Blood Orange post-show video: How precious is the NHS to you?
How worried are you about the myriad pressures on the NHS today? Were you be thinking about the future of the NHS when you go to the ballot box?
WATCH Escape From Planet Trash post-show Q&A video: Why have Sink the Pink blasted off to outer space?
I had my own introduction to Ginger Johnson and Sink the Pink a year ago when I chaired a Q&A for How to Catch a Krampus, the first in a new queer trilogy at the Pleasance Theatre, which also marked the drag collective’s first-ever theatrical residency after a decade of mega club nights, festivals and glitter-doused parties.
WATCH An Act of God post-show Q&A video: Is the Almighty a peri-menopausal woman… like Zoe Lyons?
How do you get SIX MILLION followers on Twitter? As someone who spends all day most days on social media, I’m staggered by the very notion. It must require divine intervention… of sorts. David Javerbaum has achieved it.