Category: theatre

“A new set of theatre awards aimed specifically at off-West End and London fringe venues is to launch next month – with a ceremony hosted by Simon Callow.”

“These are the shows in which liveness takes second place to smooth reproducibility. When a new production of Cats or The Phantom of the Opera or The Lion King opens, it’s not really a new production at all. The new opening will be a faithful reproduction of the original, all the way from the choreography to the lights, from the costumes to the merchandising.”

“Y Touring has been awarded nearly £1million by the Wellcome Trust to help fund a five-year theatre project about biomedical research and its implications for human health.”

Says the younger Hall of his new staging of Richard III for his company, Propeller, “We’ve tried to be as nasty, as gory and as violent as possible, and as funny as possible. We drown one of the characters and drill his eyes out, and we kill the princes and put their heads in specimen jars.”

“Its first show, A Good Night In The Valleys, opened in March 2010 at the Blackwood Miners’ Institute. Since then, it has produced shows in a range of locations, from Swansea’s old library, Cardiff’s New Theatre, Prestatyn’s seafront and Sennybridge military range. It is the latter that has garnered the company the most attention.”

“British theatregoers don’t have the same culture of discount code hunting and deal-seeking that we have in New York. Part of it may be due to the fact that your tickets are simply more affordable (although I’m sure West End habitués would beg to differ).”

“As well as announcing Michael Grandage’s final season as artistic director, the Donmar Warehouse is also in the process of buying its own rehearsal, education and office space in Covent Garden. This follows the purchase of the Donmar theatre site in 2008. The company will take sole possession of the venue in five years’ time when the current lease expires.”

“Langham succeeded founding artistic director Tyrone Guthrie at Stratford in 1956 – the festival’s final season under a canvas tent – and held the reins until 1967. He continued to direct at the festival until 2008.”

“To explore a play fully, … an actor [has] to discard self-consciousness and become wholly vulnerable. It’s like being seen in your [under]pants. … Dancers, however, spend their entire careers being observed without sentiment: self-consciousness is a luxury.”

“Lead producer Michael Cohl blamed the delay on the technical demands of the musical and limited rehearsal time for the cast during previews. ‘We simply need more time to fully execute the creative team’s vision before freezing the show. I picked a date in March that allows me to ensure that this will be the final postponement’.”