In The Paper

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Insight: While the government’s policy of inclusion in education is admirable, are the gifted children being forgotten? Susan Elkin examines the solutions to nurturing talent

• With the rising popularity of musicals, there is a danger of plays being pushed out of the West End as increasingly powerful theatre owners choose profit over artistic merit. Mark Shenton considers the problems producers can face securing venues

• Dear John looks at lessons to be learned from two old-school comedians in the news recently: Bernard Manning and Bob Monkhouse

• Matthew Hemley interviews Debbie Horsfield, who has adapted her Red Devils Trilogy, stage at the National Theatre over 20 years ago, into a new TV drama series, True Dare Kiss

• Laura Michelle Kelly has hung up Mary Poppins’ umbrella to play Elven queen Galadriel in Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. She talks to Nuala Calvi about the challenges of bringing the huge fantasy adventure to the London Stage

• Butlins has managed to move with the times and provide quality live entertainment while keeping its iconic Redcoats. Derek Smith talks to head of entertainment Mike Godolphin about popular acts and the new directions the company is taking

• At 22, Kevin Fitzmaurice was a computer analyst in the City. Today he’s executive director of the Young Vic, with a background in stage management. AK Bennett-Hunter finds out how things changed so drastically — for the better

• Reports from the Theatres Trust ‘Performing Theatres?’ conference, and Bectu’s recent series of seminars and workshops

• Kismet, which incorporates music by Alexander Borodin, is to be revived at the Coliseum next year. Anthony Field points out that musicals which have hijacked the work of classical composers have always received a mixed response

We also have interviews with Jonathan Slinger, opening as Richard II for the RSC next month, Kate Mullins, one third of Forties-style harmonists The Puppini Sisters, Adam Pearce, who joins the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi next month, and Lesley Jackson executive director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

Columnists this week include Ian Herbert on the changing nature of truth in theatre; Richard Jordan on why the lure of Broadway should sometimes be resisted; Liz Thomas on how, despite assurances by TV executives, the era of the copycat show is far from over; Howard Bird on myths surrounding health and safety issues; and Patrick Newley remembers Diana Marr-Johnson.

The Stage is available in most branches of WH Smiths and many other leading newsagents every Thursday, priced £1.30. Subscription packages are also available

Posted by Scott Matthewman at 11:12 AM | Permalink

In this week’s edition of The Stage:

• Thom Dibdin reports from the launch of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe

• Nicholas Hytner’s attack on the ‘dead white males’ of British drama criticism triggered a storm of protest from the beseiged. Mark Shenton points out that the lack of diversity bewailed by the National’s artistic director is embedded deep within the theatrical institution itself.

• Any Dream Will Do may have triumphed over Grease in terms of ratings, but which show was better at uncovering new talent and drawing fresh crowds to musical theatre? Alistair Smith investigates

• Dear John looks at how to make the most of a graduate showcase performance

• Kevin Berry investigates the emergence of clog dancing in mainstream entertainment, from a National production to Black Swan Rapper and Northern Broadsides theatre company

• Phil Collins, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Brian Conley and Naomi Campbell all attended the stage school run by the inimitable Barbara Speake, who was been principal for 62 years and is still going strong. Tony Cooke meets the grand dame herself

• TV script write Steven Moffat tells Matthew Hemley why his menacing new six-part series for BBC1, Jekyll starring James Nesbitt, is not a straightforward adaptation of the classic tale, but has been given a contemporary setting

• As the Joseph juggernaut rolls into the West End with the might of the BBC behind it, how does a small production company begin to compete? Stacey Flanagan talks to Smile Productions, a little company with plans to do just that

• Venues are increasingly competing to provide a complete evening’s entertainment, with fine dining and a show, writes Michael Darvell

• As Britain’s leading designers prepare to show their best work at the international Prague Quadrennial exhibition of theatre and stage design this week, Peter Ruthven Hall recommends some of the best displays from the Collaborators exhibition at Nottingham Trent University earlier in the year

• Achieving his ambition to be manager of the London Palladium, John Avery remained at the venue for 20 years. He talks to Partick Newley about Princess Diana’s favourite show and handling demanding actors

We also have interviews with:

• Claire Doyle, making her West End debut with Lord of the Rings
• Emmerdale actress Hayley Tamaddon, currently touring in The Rocky Horrow Show
• Comedy stage hypnotist Ken Webster
• Actress Anna Acton, currently starring in Noises Off at the Liverpool Playhouse
• Patrick Sandford, artistic director of Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre

Plus we have our usual array of columnists:

• Ian Herbert on the Prague Quadrennial
• Maria Hodson on avoiding August in Edinburgh, and what Helen Mirren said when asked whether she preferred Thierry Henry or David Beckham
• Clive Barnes on August Wilson’s last play
• Barbara Eifler on making the switch to production management
• Patrick Newley on why actresses are much wittier than men.

The Stage is available in most branches of WH Smiths and many other leading newsagents every Thursday, priced £1.30. Subscription packages are also available

Posted by Scott Matthewman at 2:49 PM | Permalink