Today is the first day of a new year, and 2018 is the year I will have to scale back my theatre going (it was getting ridiculous to be fair). So I'm going to have to be a lot more selective about what I see. Looking at the year ahead (and with the occasional backward … Continue reading Looking forward in 2018
2017 Theatrical Favourites
As a functioning theatre addict I clocked up 145 different shows in 2017. Which is no mean feat as my amateur status means I paid to see all these shows (as this is an unsustainable addiction, 2018 is gearing up to be much quieter). I suspect this gives me a very different mindset to a … Continue reading 2017 Theatrical Favourites
For the love of Lear
I have long had an obsession with King Lear. I studied it as an A Level student and fell in love with the poetry of the language and the wealth of fascinating characters, even the more 1 dimensional ones (I admire any actor who can make the virtuous, highly symbolic Cordelia interesting). Now many years … Continue reading For the love of Lear
Confessions of an Edinburgh festival avoider
"What do you mean you've never been to the Edinburgh Festival? You must go, you'd love it" Yeap, it's that time of year where I hear variations of the above ad nauseam. Normal, sane members of the theatre-going public see theatre at a pace that exceeds even my idea of a busy theatre week. As … Continue reading Confessions of an Edinburgh festival avoider
An evening with Ian McKellen
Photo by Teresa Harrison On Friday night I had the great pleasure of seeing Ian McKellen's show at the Park Theatre, followed by tapas with the fabulous man himself. It was a wonderful night from start to finish. The show was engaging, personal and packed with intelligence, wit and warmth. Including Tolkien, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, a … Continue reading An evening with Ian McKellen
Making your awards entries shine
When I used to work in Media Agencies, one of my favourite jobs used to be proofreading and editing the various awards entries we were pulling together from across the agency. It was a great way to see what innovative work was being done by the different teams, work I might otherwise only had a … Continue reading Making your awards entries shine
London’s musical delights
Last week I saw two very different musicals, and adored them both. It has made me think about just how varied musical theatre can be if you stray from the big West End productions. I spent years thinking I didn't like musicals, and than the Menier Chocolate Factory did a production of "Merrily we … Continue reading London’s musical delights
The Site: An experiment
Photo taken after the poor unfortunate piece of paper got to spend some quality time in my handbag. It's vicious in there. The Royal Court is famously the new writing theatre, and a space where the writer is King/Queen/Some flavour of deity/boss of their world, or at least it is in my fevered imagination. I … Continue reading The Site: An experiment
Rejection buzz
This morning I got a rejection email for a short story I submitted to a competition. This lunchtime I went for Nando's with my good friend Fiona, a fellow writer. I told her about the rejection, and the realisation that I was fine with it. In fact, it felt good. I enjoyed my spicy hot … Continue reading Rejection buzz
My theatre heroes
(Pictured: the pot of tea I drank after seeing the glorious The Lounge at Soho Theatre. On until 20th May, worth running to get tickets) Inevitably my blog posts are filtered through the context of my life, so before I launch in, here's a spot of context for you. (1) I'm freelance, and am often … Continue reading My theatre heroes
