The current circumstances mean that there are questions about whether there will even be a usual theatre awards season next winter/spring, especially as there may, ostensibly, be little to give awards for. However, one scheme has stepped blinking into the light.
‘If our pub landlord closes, where will the theatre go then?’: Artistic director Lisa Spirling on dual threats to Theatre503
‘In terms of the future, we want 503 to be resilient and it feels like our community of audience and artists believe in the necessity of an organisation such as ours. At the same time, there are no guarantees.’
‘Given the success of TED Talks, lecture-performance seems particularly suitable to on-screen viewing’: Thinking Bigly (Online review)
Between Ben Yeoh and David Finnegan, there’s an impressive array of interests, knowledge and skills. Theatre, economics and climate change are among them.
NEWS: Coronavirus pandemic – An update on theatre closures in the West End & across the country
My Theatre Mates have been collecting official announcements of theatre closures up and down the country in the Twitter thread below and will continue to add updates as they come in.
‘What a joy to be in the same room as Philip Ridley’: Rachel Bright on starring in The Beast of Blue Yonder’s premiere
Rachel Bright, best known as her role as Poppy Meadow in TV’s EastEnders, returns to the stage as part of the stellar ensemble cast for next month’s world premiere of The Beast of Blue Yonder, Philip Ridley’s new time-hopping black comedy.
‘I was so honoured to read such a raw & honest play’: Yasmeen Arden on directing the premiere of Mum
How did a meeting at the school gates lead to the premiere of a new play at London’s Playground Theatre. Director Yasmeen Arden tells us why she’s so excited to the direct MUM, Juliet Cowan’s first full-length play, inspired by her own mother’s experiences with dementia. Time to get booking!
FEATURED SHOW: ★★★★★ reviews are in for ‘painfully relevant’ & ‘life-affirming’ Drip Drip Drip
Pipeline Theatre’s “love letter to the NHS” – and, boy, does it deserve our love now more than ever – has won over London critics just as it did in Edinburgh around the country. We’ve rounded up review highlights – and audience reactions.
PHOTOS: Sean Rigby & Kristin Atherton hit the ice rink for Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad
Ahead of the forthcoming European premiere of Michael Melski’s Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad at the Finborough Theatre, stars Kristin Atherton and Sean Rigby got in character with a visit to the ice rink.
‘Many of us are disturbed & distressed about the state of the world’: Actor Lydia Bakelmun on her role in Drip Drip Drip
Following its post-Brexit Day tour, Theatre Pipeline’s Drip Drip Drip has transferred to London’s Pleasance, where it runs until 21 March 2020. We caught up with cast member Lydia Bakelmum about joining the debate on the NHS, immigration and xenophobia. Time to get booking!
NEWS: Jade Ewan, Mirren Mack, Rachel Bright & Unique Spencer announced for cast of The Beast of Blue Yonder
Stellar ensemble casting has been announced for Philip Ridley’s new time-hopping black comedy The Beast of Blue Yonder, which receives its world premiere at London’s Southwark Playhouse next month. Time to get booking!
PHOTOS: The Once Upon a Mattress fairy tale is in full swing in Highgate
Do you remember The Princess and the Pea from childhood? Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy-tale kingdom has now come to musical life with Mark Giesser’s revival of Broadway classic Once Upon a Mattress at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.
PHOTOS: Behind the scenes for the premiere of Mum at the Playground Theatre
Preparations are underway for the premiere of MUM, Juliet Cowan’s new play inspired by her own mother’s experiences with dementia. What has the cast been getting up to in rehearsal? Take a look at our photo gallery – and then get booking!
NEWS: Climate play Earth: A Children’s Story for Adults premieres on the 50th-anniversary Earth Day
Earth: A Children’s Story for Adults, a climatological allegory written by acclaimed Indian playwright Kashyap Raja, will premiere in London on the 50th-anniversary Earth Day on 22 April 2020. It runs for four performances only at The Vaults until 25 April. Time to get booking!
New post-show Q&A: Join Terri & Robert Bathurst for Love, Loss & Chianti
I’m excited to raise a toast to Robert Bathurst and the team behind poetry-inspired Love, Loss & Chianti – and to pay my first visit to the new, purpose-built home for iconic London arts centre Riverside Studios.
‘I’m in safe hands & I’m collaborating with like-minded people’: Writer-director Juliette Quenin on why she wanted to premiere Little Wing at Brockley Jack Theatre
Why has new play Little Wing taken its title from a renowned guitar solo by Jimi Hendrix? In the second of a two-part interview, writer-director Juliette Quenin tells us about her inspirations, the best time to write and why she wanted to stage her inaugural production at London’s Brockley Jack Theatre.
WATCH: Enter the ‘Many Moons Ago’ world of Once Upon a Mattress in rehearsals
Rehearsals have flown by for fairy-tale musical comedy Once Upon a Mattress, the Broadway classic revived this month at London’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse. Take a peek at final preparations from the very tuneful sitzprobe with our sneak-peek videos.
NEWS: Amanda Boxer stars in MUM, actor Juliet Cowan’s first full-length play, at Playground Theatre
MUM, a new play about love, loss and dementia by actor-turned-playwright Juliet Cowan, receives its world premiere this month at London’s Playground Theatre, starring Amanda Boxer in the title role.
‘Jimmy Porter is the Heathcliff of kitchen sink drama’: LOOK BACK IN ANGER – White Bear Theatre
Jimmy Porter is the Heathcliff of kitchen sink drama. Dark, sexy, harsh, demanding, cruel; his vicious turns of phrase delivered in poetic flourishes, excite and repel in equal measure.
“Many women will say … you just don’t feel like a proper woman”: Simona Hughes on writing Vault Festival fertility drama About 500
“Feminism has emancipated us and raised our expectations, but unfortunately in the process we have found ourselves yoked to a timetable that ignores the constraints of our biological clocks.” Read what Simona Hughes told us about why she wrote her new play exploring the fertility timebomb, About 500, then book your tickets!
‘The NHS is a true melting pot’: Writer-director Jon Welch on Drip Drip Drip & Pipeline’s trio of theatremakers
Drip Drip Drip transfers to London’s Pleasance Theatre next week. Writer-director Jon Welch explains how the fast-shifting new world order inspired the play, set on an NHS oncology ward, and how he works with his Pipeline Theatre co-founders, designers Jude and Alan Munden.