Protecting the playwright
As a producer who works largely in new writing, I’m always fascinated to observe the process a writer undertakes – bet…
Posts
Psychological realism in theatre
Take a look at the SPILL Festival programme which has just stormed the Barbican and you’ll see a number of exciting British…
Cutting edge theatre online
Deborah Dignam explains the Gulf Stage project, which is using new technology to bring Arabic theatre to new audiences
Consortia bids well received
Consortium bids have been well received by Arts Council England in choosing its new National Portfolio Organisations. Farnham Malt…
Strength through dialogue
It is so disheartening to hear a theatre manager bemoaning a commitment to increasing audience engagement (Danny Moar, quoted in A…
Paul Iles names five people who have inspired his work.
How many theatre managers today, despite some being recognised for their great importance, believe their work is imperfectly under…
Learning the ropes
Apprenticeships can be a great route into employment, and help to diversify a traditionally narrow workforce. Catherine Large expl…
Capitalising on costume
A clear focus on business objectives and a strong partnership between staff and volunteers are the bedrock of an effective costume…
What is a theatre review, and what is a theatre critic?
They may seem simple questions but topics that seem to be vexing many people at the moment. Is there a difference between a theatr…
Who moved my goalposts?
For years you could hear the cry of education funding bodies, the sound echoing through the corridors of drama schools; “wid…
A special experience
Sarah Norton describes how a well established regional theatre is setting up a brand new membership scheme
£8.2m gift will support new facilities for arts education
The National Theatre, Tate Britain, and the Royal Shakespeare Company are to receive the lion’s share of a £8.2m windf…
My Gurus
Lorna Rees reveals the people who have inspired her most
Child’s play
Tim Webb celebrates 30 years of theatre for young audiences
Dorset: a place for growing stories
I recently visited rural West Dorset twice in a week. An early evening visit to the beach enclave of Burton Bradstock prior to a T…
A committed consortium
Alan Hewson reports on a collaboration which is enabling a new production of ‘Wuthering Heights’ to tour Wales
Cost vs value
Damian Cruden argues that economic impact studies fail to identify the true value of the arts
Art of awareness
Seven ‘TippingPoint’ commissions, which aim to develop a critical mass of performance-based work in response to climat…
Building a learning community
Jim Beirne discusses a series of social enterprises designed to create additional income streams, based around creative and physic…
The magical essence of theatre
A penchant for illusion has been around for years. Illusionists and tricksters are everywhere from the Victorian theatres of the p…
Online communication
Yesterday the movers and shakers and grey old men of the arts industry met at State of the Arts, a conference ‘to debate iss…
Fun in the theatre
At a recent Devoted and Disgruntled satellite event, I met two members of Filskit Theatre – a company using innovative proje…
Why captioning is vital for deaf arts access
As well as working in the arts, I am a scriptwriter, so it might surprise you to find out that I didn’t enjoy a live play, p…
Happy endings in unlikely places
Mike Sells explains how Cardboard Citizens takes theatre into unusual spaces
