Reading Time: 3 minutesScottish theatre has a rich and varied history, not confined to the written text. As explained by journalist and critic Fergus Morgan at the launch of his new podcast “A History of Scottish Drama in Six Plays”, it has undergone a rather unique evolutionary process, often out of necessity, from the obstacles in its way.
Reading Time: 2 minutes"A campy, colourful and explosive jukebox musical"
Reading Time: 5 minutesA new show What the Dickens? by award-winning playwright/singer Clare Norburn, her company The Telling and BAFTA-nominated director Nicholas Renton (Mrs Gaskells’ Wives & Daughters, Lewis, Musketeers) exposes the private life of Charles Dickens: with an estranged wife and teenage mistress, he doesn’t quite live up to the image of the family man he would like to present to the world. The show comes to OSO Arts Centre, Barnes for a week run from Tuesday 26th November to Saturday 30th November 2024 before a UK tour.
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn The Other Palace’s studio space, a stage is bedecked in vegetables. The lighting low, Ginsters logo appears on every surface, signaling the not-so-subtle commercial facet of this production. Dan Mersh, our compere for the afternoon, bounds onto the stage to introduce himself and provide a little context to the event. This event is inspired by the apparent care Ginsters takes when it comes to sourcing their vegetables for their products. What follows is an array of musical performances, a video of Farmer Merryn’s day in the life on her farm, a surprising interval and an overarching profession of how amazing Ginsters is for taking such care in cultivating their vegetables.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThere is a birch tree in Katie’s garden. It has been there since before she was born. This tree has seen her grow up. She has spoken to it, dressed it up in the winter, confessed her innermost thoughts to its tall, sender branches. Katie is in love with this tree. Like, actually in love with it.
Reading Time: 2 minutesWe sat down with theatre-maker Daniel Bye who uses a timeless tale for a new generation in his new take on the legend of Robin Hood, which sees Robin and his teenage Very Merry Band rail against the unfair and unequal system put in place by Prince John at the Theatre Royal Bath this festive season.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Puritans, famously at the heart of many of Britain’s seventeenth-century witch trials, did not call themselves Puritans; they most commonly called themselves ‘the godly.’ They believed that only a select few would reach heaven, and that ‘the ungodly’ would suffer eternal damnation. The Ungodly, a new historical play by Joanna Carrick, follows a young couple as they are drawn into the paranoia, prejudice, and violence of the East Anglian witch trials. Based on real historical figures like the infamous ‘Witchfinder’ Matthew Hopkins, this chilling tale explores how religious fervour can grow to have devastating consequences.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThis production of Tennessee William’s 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire originated from the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Directed by Elizabeth Newman, the story of Blanche DuBois unravels itself around us, as she visits her sister Stella, and her brother in law, Stanley Kowalski, in the sultry heat of the New Orleans summer. As Stella and Stanley personalities clash, and the attraction to one of his friends and colleagues grows, Blanche’s history comes back to haunt her in unforgettable and iconic fashion.
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe appeal of Breach Theatre’s After the Act (A Section 28 Musical), especially to the Queer community, is clear. Through the use of the voices of those who lived through this pivotal part of UK legislative history, it tells the story of Section 28, from its conception to its repeal, and the legacy that it has left us with. Against an ever-changing projection of relevant images and information, emotive personal accounts of self discovery, discrimination, and revolutionary acts are brought to life in a delightfully camp, powerfully evocative manner.
Reading Time: 3 minutesEdinburgh University’s Theatre Company is currently in a rich vein of form, with the latest being a terrific adaptation of Mart Crowley’s 1968 play “The Boys In The Band”, co-directed by Elle Catherine Willcocks and Aaron de Verés. The first act opens with Michael (played by James Cumming), fastidiously arranging his New York apartment for his friend Harold’s birthday party. The 1960s era is set with crackly gramophone recordings of movie soundtracks, and one by one, we’re introduced to our party-goers, with tantalising hints as to their interrelated histories and relationships – Donald (Ewan Little) observer of the group; Emory (Noah Sarvesvaran) with an unusual taste in birthday gifts, Bernard (Kikelomo Hassan), and a couple comprising teacher Hank (Dylan Kaeuper) and artist Larry (Issac Williams). Whilst they await their guest of honour, they’re unexpectedly joined by Michael’s old (and notably straight) college roommate from Georgetown, the tuxedo-clad Alan (Rufus Goodman). Emory’s ‘birthday present’ to Howard in the form of Cowboy (Ewan Guthrie) also arrives, before the guest of honour himself appears – Harold (Oscar Bryan).