In The Paper

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• It’s the annual Christmas and Panto shows issue (oh yes it is). Kevin Berry casts an eye over the variety of seasonal shows on offer across the UK, Qdos director Jon Conway talks about his career in pantomime, you can win family tickets to one of 19 pantos around the country, and we have six pages of seasonal show listings

• Peters Fraser and Dunlop represents numerous actors and writers, including Ewan McGregor, Samuel West and Alan Bennett. Nick Awde looks at the unrest between PFD and owner CSS Stellar, and considers the nature of representation and the case for super-agencies

• Chris Bartlet considers whether the fallout from the recent spate of premium rate swindles has dented the public’s appetite for phone voting TV shows

• Dear John: “With Christmas approaching, what can I do to get more work and make more money?”

• Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi Dench tells Maria Esposito why she was so keen to be a part of the BBC’s latest costume drama, Cranford. And the BBC’s head of series and serials, Kate Harwood, tells Matthew Hemley why the public can’t get enough of the classics

• Ten years ago Richard Blackwood was one of the UK’s leading stand-up comics and TYV presenters, but all that changed when he was declared bankrupt in 2002. Now he is making a comeback as and actor in a touring production of Agatha Christie’s The Unexpected Guest. he speaks to Jeremy Austin

• Ben Barnes has performed in The History Boys in the West End, the recent fantasy film Stardust and won the role of Prince Caspian in the big screen versions of the Narnia novels. He tells Emma Barnett how it feels to play the lead from a much-loved childhood book and acting tips he has learned

• Backstage Focus: The Theate Royal in Norwish has been refurbished and restructured by architect Tim Foster, who took inspiration from pre-cinema designs, writes Francis Reid

• Columnists: Ian Herbert on the best theatre blogs; Richard Jordan on the resurgence of the musical; Barbara Eifler on why ‘improving access’ to backstage jobs would be best achieved by improving the jobs on offer; Patrick Newley on the golden days of wrestling

• Showpeople: Interviews with Lauren Hendry, circus performer; Richard Gauntlett, panto dame; Taresh Solanki, the first Asian actor to play Buttons; Jamie Thompson, New English Contemporary Ballet’s dance education manager.

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 12:39 PM | Permalink

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• News Exclusive: Read how the Department of Media, Culture and Sport has been forced to admit to a series of embarrassing errors after an investigation by The Stage revealed it had been overstating the amount of money given to the arts by government by millions of pounds.

• Broadway stagehands’ strike: Mark Shenton reports on the dispute closing New York’s theatres and assesses the impact it is having throughout the industry. Keep up to date with the latest on his blog, http://www.thestage.co.uk/shenton/

• As it gets harder to translate new writing into plays on the stage, different methods are being used to develop it. Jo Caird considers whether traditional readings still have a role for authors trying to sharpen up their work

• Maggie Brown on the current state of television drama

• Arthur Smith on the blurring of distinction between stand-up and character comedy

• Dear John: “How can I tailor my act for the corporate/party gigs market?”

• Training: Since setting up a musical theatre school 20 years ago in a hall in Eltham, sisters Donna and Bonnie Sullivan’s business has flourished, enabling them to launch a successful agency and offer subsidised Further Education, writes Susan Elkin

• Lookalikes special: The demand for celebrity and character lookalikes at parties, corporate events and premieres is rising, and it can be lucratve for those with a natural resemblance and a sense of cultural fashion, writes Mark Ritchie

• Actor Andrew Garfield tells Phil Penfold about his role in Channel 4’s controversial new drama Boy A, which follows the story of two children who kill a girl of their own age. He also reveals what it was like working with Robert Redford on his recently released film, Lions for Lambs

• Actor Tom Waite shares his experiences of working in Singapore for seven years with Nick Awde, while director Patrick Sandford tells Kevin Berry about the challenges of overcoming language and cultural barriers when working with foreign actors

• As BBC3’s Tittybangbang enters its third series, the show’s stars Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen tell Matthew Hemley they’ll be dropping the darker sketches — including the necrophiliacs and bare-bottomed Harrogate Ladies — in favour of less offensive material

• Currently running at Hampstead Theatre, Anthony Sher’s new play The Giant eplores the conflict between two great artists competing to carve the statue of David — Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Roger Allam (Leonardo) tells Al Senter why he’s reluctant to return to the RSC and venture back into musicals

• Proclaimed “the granddaddy of in-your-face theatre”, Anthony Neilson’s God in Runs comes to London’s Soho Theatre next week. The playwright talks to Aleks Sierz about his loose adaptation of A Christmas Carol and its all-male cast of 11 in need of merriment

• Win the chance to learn a self-employed trade to give you peace of mind and boost earnings in between auditions and entertainment work, with £6,000 of training to be won

• Notes for The Stage: In our final Notes for The Stage column, Paul Spicer, co-founder, assoicate director and star of the Notes from new York series, heralds the last stages of the cmpetition and looks ahead to a future full of compositional creativity

• Backstage Focus: Sound designer Gregory Clarke has worked on successful shows such as Equus and The Emperor Jones, winning praise and an award along the way. He talks to Nick Smurthwaite about the delights of working on the more subtle aspects of a production

• Makeup artist Ron Freeman worked with Luciano Pavarotti at the legendary tenor’s debut at Covent Garden and then throughout his career. He tells Brian O’Connell about getting to know the man behind the iconic stage persona

• Showpeople: Interviews with technical theatre graduate Amber Tomlin, recipient of this year’s Diana Boddington Memorial Award; Ian Forrest, artistic director of Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake; Tarell Alvin McCraney, writer of The Brothers Size at the Young Vic

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 4:54 PM | Permalink

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• News Special: Reports from the TMA conference and Equity’s diversity conference

• Insight: With many young playwrights unable to afford the time or the money to write, Sofie Mason argues that for theatre to truly reflect a broad spectrum of society, it is vital for the industry to rally around and support writers

• Shadow minister for culture Ed Vaizey examines the recommendations made by an independent task force before the launch of the Conservative manifesto and suggests how Stage readers can contribute towards the debate

• Dear John on the quest for long-term success, featuring guest adviser Gabrielle

• Full coverage of last week’s Showcall Showcase, with full reviews of all eight sessions

• Comedian Sharon Horgan (Pulling, Annually Retentive) talks to Matthew Hemley about writing and starring in her new sitcom for Five, Angelo’s

• The Lichfield Garrick has made quite a few changes since weathering a severe dressing down from Stage reader and actor Giles Watling. Howard Bird returns to the theatre to see whether the venue has turned a corner

• Paul Vale meets the four members of vocal group Teatro, about to release their first album of stage tunes

• West End actress Julie Atherton, founder member of Notes from New York and star of Avenue Q, shares her thoughts on the highs and lows of the series, and excitement at getting to sing a range of new material — including the shortlisted songs entered for Notes for The Stage

• As it celebrates its tenth anniversary in the West End, Nick Smurthwaite takes a look back at the history of Chicago

• Backstage Focus: Intro to Nitro production manager Kat Nugent talks about the difficulty of bringing a soul food themed show, which planned to use a gas burner, to the stage

• Columnists: Ian Herbert on Russian opera audiences; Maria Hodson on children’s theatre, Lyric Firsts and performing in the new Maximo Park video; Clive Barnes on the latest New York productions; Liz Thomas on the BBC’s latest acting talent series; Howard Bird on coping with raked stages; Patrick Newley on actors with annoying voices

• Showpeople: Interviews with Debbie Curtis, Britain’s only female big band leader; director Rebecca Mccutcheon; and actress Elspeth Brodie

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 5:03 PM | Permalink

In the November 8 issue of The Stage:

• Current Doctor Who and future Hamlet David Tennant talks to Al Senter about his latest role, in one-off BBC comedy drama Learners, his future as the charismatic Time Lord and why he doesn’t do print interviews any more (except this one).

• Playwright, director and script writer Stephen Poliakoff tells Ben Dowell about his related BBC projects Joe’s Palace, A Real Summer and Capturing Mary as well as his plans to return to writing for the stage

• With Madonna signing with concert promoter Live Nation and Radiohead bypassing record companies entirely, the music industry is being challenged. That could mean great news for smaller bands and performers, says Jeremy Austin

• With popular films increasingly being used as source material for musicals, Mark Shenton considers how their success is largely based on adding new material and a fresh theatrical point of view to an already familiar story

• Dear John: “I’ve got a good act, but in a very crowded market what can I do to make myself stand out?”

• Punchdrunk’s artistic director Felix Barrett is discussing theatre at Free Thinking 07, a festival of ideas. He tells Aleks Sierz about giving the audience choices in The Masque of the Red Death

• Having survived the 1994 campaign of genocide in Rwanda, Dorcy Rugamba is directing a company of Rwandan actors in The Investigation, a play about Auschwitz. He talks to Nuala Calvi about reliving the memories of a holocaust

• Books special: Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington talks about State of the Nation, his history of British theatre since 1945; Maggie Brown gives a taste of some of the insights to be found in her new book on the history of Channel 4; and Susan Elkin previews The Stage Guide to Schools for Young Performers, our guide to choosing the best secondary schools for talented children. Plus a look at the latest theatrical and entertainment publications — ideal if you’r eon the hunt for a Christmas stocking filler.

• Picture special: We present a selection of designs from the 12 finalists of the Linbury Biennial Prize for Stage Design

• Notes for the Stage: In the last of our judges’ columns, David Randall, musical director of Christmas in New York, highlights the reasons for launching the compeition and the ongoing aspirations of the Notes from New York series

• Backstage Focus: AK Bennett-Hunter meets Iain McAvoy, who has been working as the company manager for Blood Brothers for 20 years

• Singer Rosemary Squires talks to Patrick Newley about her enduring careers that has lasted six decades, and gives her tips for getting to the top

• Plus Showpeople interviews with Kasia Halpin (Anja in Hull Truck’s Sold), burlesque performer RedSarah, Adrian Hansel (Seaweed J Stubbs in Hairspray)

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 4:58 PM | Permalink