Guest Author - Page 2

I’m looking forward to conducting Bizet’s Carmen for English National Opera (ENO) this autumn, alongside fellow conductor, Clelia Cafiero. Carmen’s extreme drama and memorable music makes it one of the best-loved operas by audiences worldwide.

It’s been 70 years since the publication of Patricia Highsmith’s celebrated thriller, and the introduction of one of literature’s greatest creations: Tom Ripley.  He’s appeared in four further novels, several films, most famously the Oscar-nominated one by Anthony Minghella, and a recent TV series on Netflix starring Andrew Scott.  This year, the numerous articles in the media about the character continue – what makes him so consistently compelling?

Konfetti er bestemt et besøg værd. Traditionen tro er Wallmans klar med et helt nyt dinnershow i september, i år under navnet ”Konfetti”. Og lad mig bare sige det fra begyndelsen: Jeg er begejstret! Som altid… 

When I was researching This Little Earth, I stumbled across an essay by social psychologist Serge Moscovici, in which he likens ‘the conspiracy mentality’ (the belief in conspiracy theory) to theatrical performance.

As a playwright who has spent a lifetime crafting optimistic, muscular comedies like Lend Me a Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo, I now find myself in the company of Agatha Christie’s most beloved crime-solver, Hercule Poirot. As Poirot himself might say, “Alors, how can this be?” 

​​​​​​​When we talk about representation in the arts, one experience that remains almost invisible in mainstream storytelling is what it’s like to have a parent in prison. It’s a silent crisis affecting tens of thousands of young people in the UK, and yet it rarely appears on our screens, our stages, or even in everyday conversation. That silence is part of the reason I wrote KAILEY.

This summer I found myself producing and writing two shows at the same time, in two different countries. On 6 August, Book Club premiered and sold out in New York at The Flea. Less than two weeks later, on 15 and 16 August, Tenner Bag sold out The Hope Theatre in London.

Few families have captured the English imagination quite like the Mitfords. The six sisters—and their brother Tom—came of age in the 1930s, a period when other land-rich, cash-poor aristocrats quietly slipped into obscurity. Instead, the Mitfords commanded headlines: dazzling and scandalising in turn as debutantes, runaways, novelists and devoted fans of Fascism.

I’ve always been told how beautiful the Ulrey Performing Arts Center on the Harding University campus was, but I finally saw it for myself when I attended Searcy Summer Dinner Theatre’s production of Noises Off, which has one more weekend coming up August 21–23.

It’s no secret that the British theatre industry has been going through a tough period recently. In the West End, tourism is back and venues are generally on a more even footing (excepting a recent downturn in May widely reported and perhaps due to hotter than normal weather). As a freelance director, I know that it’s more of a mixed picture regionally. Especially for mid scale venues for whom the pipeline of new shows is unpredictable and producing is increasingly tough.

The Pitchfork Disney will mark the fifth collaboration between myself and Philip Ridley, including our production of Leaves of Glass, and Copper Beeches - a world premiere of Phil’s newest play. There’s a deep and personal resonance for me with Phil’s imagination, and a mutual respect between us both; it’s become a relationship I’ve enjoyed immensely over the years.

There’s something reassuring about stepping into a show that is already a success. But similarly, if you’re a catastrophiser like I am, it’s utterly terrifying. Even when I joined the cast of Les Misérables in its 31st year, I thought to myself, “What if I’m the one that manages to close Les Mis!!?” Imagine my fear then, when I landed the role of Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

How long does it take to develop a play before it's ready for an audience? At the end of July my first play A Manchester Anthem will begin it's run at The Hope Mill Theatre, finally being performed in the city it's named after, before transferring to London in August. I began working on the play over seven years ago. 

Cirkus Summarum har fået ny cirkusdirektør og Helga vil have Summarum med i Cirkuseliten. Heino, Motor Mille, Hr. Skæg, Rosa og Onkel Reje skal give den gas, så telefonen kan ringe, inden forestillingen er slut.

Based on the 2010 movie, Burlesque The Musical makes its London debut this month. Lena Lenman began her journey as a burlesque performer in 2008 and has been producing her own cabaret show 'Hundred Watt Club' for the last 14 years. In this article, she asks: 'What impact will the musical have on the actual UK burlesque industry?'

August 2025 marks the 20th edition of the Camden Fringe. Well, sort-of. Remember 2020? We were in the midst of taking applications and booking shows when the pandemic hit, so that particular version had to be abandoned. But 2025 at least marks the 20th time we’ve organised a fringe festival. To be honest, we’ll probably be celebrating our actual 20th birthday next year as well.

I’m Fifi Garfield and I’m an actor. I’m also deaf, I was born deaf and have been using sign language as my primary source of communication all my life. I use British Sign Language - BSL - daily, hourly, every minute! It’s how I communicate with people and how I access the world.

Le Nozze di Figaro is a piece I’ve been living with as long as I can remember. To me, it might be the best opera ever written: it makes me laugh, it moves me to tears, the plot twists still fill me with delight, and all the characters have potential for complexity and depth. It is the only piece I’ve ever revisited: this production will be my third, and not only do I not get tired of it, it seems to get more exciting each time.

Someone once told me writing a musical with an original story would be like climbing Everest. This turned out to be not entirely true. A mountaineer at least knows Everest is there to be climbed. That it has a top to be reached. That it will not disappear under him halfway up. None of these comforts are afforded the writer. You have to have a really good reason for abandoning the reassurance of a pre-existing story.