In The Paper

In this week’s edition of The Stage:

• Is it time to start building virtual theatres and concert halls in Second Life? Sofie Mason embraces the virtual insanity to find out whether the concept has any practical benefits

• The campaign against bogus up-front fees is gaining strength as the TUC pledges support and a government consultation document finally acknowledges the scale of the problem. But the solution may not be simple, writes Nuala Calvi

• Dear John: “I’m trying to make my final decision on the right training course, but I’m equally keen on music and drama. Are the skills involved in dramatic and musical theatre very different?”

• Training: Susan Elkin looks at the success of a scheme encouraging back and Asian women into stage management and technical theatre

• Rupert Goold, artistic director of Headlong, tells Aleks Sierz about his current projects - a “mesmerising” production of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart and a stage adaptation of Simon Schama’s book about African slaves, Rough Crossings

• Comedian, actress and writer Sandra Bernhard talks to Tony Cooke about ‘that affair’ with Madonna, her six-year stint in US sitcom Roseanne and why her signature critiques at celebrities should not be taken as sarcastic

• Star of ITV’s popular drama series Doc Martin Martin Clunes tells Matthew Hemley why it’s time he took a break from filming and reveals why he’s not keen to return to his theatrical roots

• Adult live entertainment: Many big stars have dipped their toes into the adult entertainment industry over the years, but they rarely like to dwell on it once they make it big. Tony Cooke examines the most controversial area of showbiz to find out what happens once you answer the advertisement for beautiful dancing girls. PLUS industry experts on the changing attitudes towards exotic dancing, why tease is more important than sleaze, and agony uncle John Byrne gives advice for those considering entering this sector of the industry.

• Backstage Focus: A special report from the annual PLASA exhibition at Earls Court

• Cartoonist Barry Fantoni tells Maureen Paton about his exhibition of entertainment caricatures at the National Portrait Gallery, working for Private Eye and drawing Prince Philip in his pants

• Showpeople: Winston Harrold, the Singing Farmer; Siobhan Reilly, appearing in The Winter’s Tale at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh; Jatinder Verma, co-founder of Britain’s first Asian theatre company, Tara Arts; Tim Lutkin, lighting design student at Guildhall

• Columnists: Ian Herbert on a welcome display of foreign writing; John Plews, artistic director of Upstairs at the Gatehouse, on a few “beacons of hope” for musical theatre; Howard Bird on the use of handguns on stage; and Patrick Newley on having your best punchlines stolen by other acts

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

Posted by Scott Matthewman at 10:55 AM | Permalink

In the September 13 issue of The Stage:

• News Special: Lalayn Baluch reports from the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers national conference

• Insight: Theatreland can no longer depend on the summer tourist trade to maintain healthy box offices, says Mark Shenton, and the West End’s problems will be made worse, not better, by the massive influx of visitors to the capital for the 2012 Olympics

• Playwright Robin Soans tells Nick Smurthwaite why the public’s obsession with celebrity scandal has inspired him to write a verbatim play (Life After Scandal, Hampstead Theatre, Sep 20-Oct 20) and the challenges he has faced interviewing those who have been in the spotlight, from Neil Hamilton to Major Charles Ingram

• Dear John: “I’ve got an audition for my first period drama. What can I do to make my performance authentic and should I dress to suit the part?”

• Training: He’s played a disabled doctor in BBC drama Holby City and he’s the founder of an innovative theatre company, but success hasn’t come easy to Paul Henshall. He talks to Susan Elkin about overcoming the obstacles he’s faced

• Composer/lyricist Jerry Herman is heading to London this month to attend a BBC Radio 2 gala concert in his honour. The Broadway legend tells Matthew Hemley all about his successful career

• Corporate Work Supplement: Big business is increasingly turning to the entertainment industry for training and advice, especially via video. Michael Quinn examines the opportunities available

• It’s hard to avoid Benedict Cumberbatch at the moment. Since his Bafta-nominated performance in the BBC’s Hawking, his career has taken off with a string of TV and film parts including the acclaimed Atonement. Yet, as he tells Al Senter, he’s still managed to squeeze in two lead stage roles at the Royal Court

• The web has long been the comedian’s friend - getting their face seen and keeping a wide audience updated on live gigs. Constantcomedy (http://www.constantcomedy.com) goes a step further by broadcasting performances and having viewers vote to keep their favourites online. Managing director Philip Morrow tells Michael Quinn all about the new concept

• Backstage Focus: Theatre Projects Consultants has been involved in a variety of activites during its 50-year history. AK Bennett-Hunter talks to former chairman Richard Pilbrow about the company’s integral role in the industry and how it stays ahead of the game

• Jodi Myers looks back on the life of the late Colin Graham, whose achievements included working as artistic director of productions for English opera Group, launching the ground-breaking English Music Theatre and directing more than 50 world premieres

• COLUMNISTS: Maggie Brown on the BBC’s tough spending choices ahead; Dillie Keane on why the Edinburgh fringe is in need of a rethink; Liz Thomas on the explosion of music festivals and the opportunities they provide for performers; Sal Bashir, the UK’s only Pakistani Elvis impersonator; Flyman on why technology will never completely replace backstage workers; and Patrick Newley on his obsession with the obits columns.

• SHOWPEOPLE: This week’s interviewees include Flora Spencer-Longhurst, making her professional debut in The Member of the Wedding at the Young Vic and Ann Dickie, artistic director of From Here to Maturity, a company of dancers whose youngest member is a spritely 52.

Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.

The Stage is available from major newsagents, including most High Street branches of WH Smith, every Thursday priced £1.30. You can also subscribe and receive a copy by mail every week: more details and prices at http://www.thestage.co.uk/subscribe/.

Posted by Scott Matthewman at 9:05 PM | Permalink

In this week’s edition of The Stage:

• It’s been two months since England joined the rest of the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public places. Mark Ritchie and Lalayn Baluch survey figures from the entertainment industry to find out the effects on the nation’s clubs, theatres and outdoor venues

• British theatres are often reluctant to put on plays with gay themes. Despite apparent progress towards equality, the community is still marginalised, argues Sofie Mason

• A successful musical is generally considered one that embeds itself in Theatreland and stays there for years on end. Mark Shenton examines the tough new market to see how great ideas can take on the mighty West End giants

• In a Dear John special, multi-talented opera singer Tasakane Valentine Maswanganyi, who recently starred as the title role in Carmen Jones, gives John Byrne invaluable advice on how to make it as a successful performer

• As he embarks on a UK tour, comedian Ross Noble tells Phil Penfold why becoming a stand-up was a natural choice for a boy who preferred drama and unicycling to football

• From Stones in His Pockets creator Marie Jones to the acclaimed Martin Lynch, Belfast has generated a succession of talented playwrights, putting the city on the map as a powerhouse of Irish theatre. Michael Quinn speaks to some of the region’s leading playwrights. PLUS playwright Owen McCafferty on his interests in “the theatre of the imagination”

• Helena Blackman is starring in a production of South Pacific and tackling even more shows that her ‘Maria’ rival Connie Fisher. She tells Nuala Calvi how she is finding the experience and the effect the BBC show has had on her career. PLUS Where are all the Marias now?

• As one of the stars of dazzling Disney success story High School Musical, Lucas Grabeel is finally enjoying the Hollywood high life. In The Stage’s second instalment examining the growing musical franchise, he talks to Scott Matthewman about his shaky start in LA and how he got his break. PLUS Disney Channel UK managing director Rob Gilby reveals how the company is responding to the enthusiastic High School Musical audience in Britain

• Stock market investment may not sound an obvious area of interest to struggling actors, but it is worth considering the merits of buying into the entertainment world, writes David Simmons

• Matthew Hemley looks at the challenge of turning real life tragedy into television drama

• Suggesting to the Queen that the Isle of Man’s Gaiety Theatre is better than any other Matcham house shows how fond Mervin Stokes is of the venue. He tells Mark Ritchie about the Corsican trap, the Victorian stage effect at the centre of the theatre’s restoration project

• Forty years of Rockin’ All Over the World haven’t dulled Francis Rossi’s enthusiasm for his band or its music, he tells Douglas McPherson

• Showpeople: interviews with juggler Jemile Martinez, director Charlotte Westenra and actor Jake Norton

This week’s columnists include Ian Herbert on the state of the West End; Richard Jordan looks back at Edinburgh 2007; Barbara Eifler on the risks to stage managers of using their own name; and Patrick Newley on Jewish humour.

Posted by Scott Matthewman at 11:27 AM | Permalink