In The Paper

In this week’s all-partied-out issue of The Stage:

• West End stars, theatre professionals and The Stage staff mingled at the newspaper’s annual party at the Theatre Royal Drury lane last week. View a selection of photos in the paper, or if you’re on Facebook you can view a more extensive album at http://www.thestage.co.uk/facebook.

• Stage School Franchises special: A stage school franchise develops when a trusted name transofrms itself into a brand, with a school hitting on teaching methods that can be replicated at all sites in other centres. Susan Elkin explores the phenomenon and asks leaders in the field about the secrets of their success

• Tips from the top: The stars of theatre, film, TV and light entertainment share their favourites pieces of advice, from practical suggestions to confidence boosters

• Life on Mars creator Ashley Pharoah talks to Matthew Hemley about the forthcoming sequel, Ashes to Ashes, and why researching the eighties was such a poingnant experience. Plus, the series producer Beth Willis on the challenges facing her in this, her first producing role

• Michael Quinn looks at the rise of Christian theme park in America, and asks if there is a market for such a venue in Britain.

• Education correspondent Susan Elkin arges that pupils are being forced to choose early on between performing arts or academic study

• Backstage Focus: Kevin Berry meets Scottish Dance Theatre’s technical manager, Emma Jones

• Media expert Maggie Brown on new Culture secretary Andy Burnham, and the delights of ITV1’s new show Moving Wallpaper

• Dillie Keane on the 25th anniversary of Fascinating Aida

• Douglas McPherson discovers that comic Duncan Norvelle’s catchphrase is still going strong and that he has added singing to his skills

• Dear John: “I’m redesigning my promotional material for 2008 and I am prepared to invest in getting it right — but how can I get the best result for my money?”

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 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Make-up Special: Make-up is one of the most crucial elements to creating a role, whether it’s a beautiful leading lady or a sci-fi alien. We give an insight into the industry, from the upcoming International Make-up Artists Trade Show to tips from young professionals on how to find work and useful resources

• Since leaving drama, school Danny Lee Wynter has enjoyed the kind of career progression most graduates dare not dream of. The star of the recent Stephen Poliakoff double bill Joe’s Palace and Capturing Mary gives his personal take on why he became an actor and life after LAMDA

• As one of the chiefs in The Simpsons empire, James L Brooks is in town to promote the release of The Simpsons Movie on DVD. He talks to Ben Dowell about the continued success of the cartoon series and where it goes from here

• Actress Jenny Jules is set to sparkle in her latest role as Ruth in Pinter’s The Homecoming at the Almeida. It is a daunting part, but it helps to have had the playwright’s blessing, she tells Nick Smurthwaite

• Now playing a recovering alcoholic in BBC2 comedy Never Better, Stephen Mangan continues to demonstrate that he is comfortable with darker roles. He talks to Matthew Hemley about what attracts him to projects and why he’s keen to return to the stage

• Insight: The declining number of children learning musical instruments has become a cause for concern, but government measures designed to give every pupil access to tuition should help stem the flood and reverse the trend, writes Susan Elkin

• Fondly remembering their Animals in the Box routine that was first performed in 1956, Jim Casey and Eli Woods talks to Kevin Berry about the changing line-up and the winning gag

• “No pain, no gain:” Arts Council England might need a lesson in PR, but its responsibility to taxpayers means it is right to be making cuts, even if some of them are in the wrong places, argues Alistair Smith

• Dear John: “I know you can’t gain experience any way other than the hard way, but what tips can someone with experience pass on to someone just starting out?”

• Maggie Brown on Media: Channel 4’s rehabilitation starts here, with Celebrity Big Brother’s confinement to E4 allowing the main channel’s public service credentials to flourish — and bravery from ITV makes 2008 seem like a mini golden age

• Arthur Smith: If only I had Jodie Marsh’s comic sense of timing

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 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the January 10 edition of The Stage:

• Having made a name for herself in 3 Non Blondes, Jocelyn Jee Esien made history as the first black woman with her own TV sketch show. Now making the move to BBC2, she tells Tony Cooke why her native east London is still her biggest inspiration

• The Rose Theatre in Kingston celebrates its opening with new production of Uncle Vanya this month. Nick Smurthwaite talks to the team behind the venture that’s been 20 years in the making and look at whether the Kingston venue is likely to succeed

• News Special: With the Bush Theatre facing a £180,000 ACE funding cut, artistic director Josie Rourke tells Alistair Smith why the money is vital for encouraging new playwriting talent.

• When James Lipton set up the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, he had no idea that the televised interviews he conducted with some of the top names in the business would be both so personal or so successful, he tells Matthew Hemley

• Insight: With too few funded places available, it can prove a struggle for drama students without wealthy parents to find the finances to attend an accredited drama school, writes Susan Elkin

• Dear John: John gives some unasked for advice to two pop performers who represent the extremes of fortune 365 days can visit upon a career.

• Backstage Focus: Nick Smurthwaite talks to leading fight directors on the skills needed, from the ‘Errol Flynn factor’ to martial arts knowledge and psychological know-how

• Student Showcase reviews: Our round-up of the winter season of graduate showcases

• Female playwrights in the 18th century encountered great opposition, but a few intrepid souls managed o break through the hostile ranks nonetheless, writes Anthony Field

• Columnists: Ian Herbert on the Beijing Cultural Olympics: Maria Hodson on becoming an animated character (and filing her self-assessment returns), Patrick Newly on Danny La Rue in Benidorm and Howard Bird on backstage accidents

• Showpeople: Interviews with comedienne, singer and impressionist Karen Dalton, panto star Janet Greaves, gymnasts turned Cirque du Soleil performers Andrew and Kevin Atherton

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 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• Singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, returning to perform in London for the first time in three years, talks to Mark Shenton about his passion for preserving the Great American Songbook

• Actor John Barrowman, who as Captain Jack returns to Torchwood in two weeks, talks to Matthew Hemley about working on the show and its parent, Doctor Who, and his hopes that his TV work will show audiences how good West End actors are

• Curtain Up: Alistair Smith previews Afrika! Afrika!, the circus-style celebration running alongside the O2 from January 17

• The RSC has enjoyed a remarkable rise in visitor numbers to Stratford. Sofie Mason looks at the marketing techniques which the industry as a whole could emulate

• The recent unsuccessful High Court action against Jerry Springer - The Opera means that theatre and television shows are unlikely to be successfully prosecuted under Britain’s blasphemy laws, writes legal expert Lindsay Dawson

• Cirque du Soleil’s Dominic Champagne talks to Nick Smurthwaite about the revival of his 2002 production Varekai, which returns to the Royal Albert Hall this month

• Nick Smurthwaite meets Paul Potts, winner of ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent, and finds a natural talent who get a break at just the right time

• We meet the winner of our recent competition to win training at The Plumbing Academy

• Maggie Brown on media: How ITV1’s new schedule is make-or-break for the broadcaster - and the demise of the newspaper TV critic in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday

• Dear John: We start 2008 with a look back at some of the most useful advice our weekly column has provided in 2007

• Training: Susan Elkin meets Gavin Henderson, principal of the Central School of Speech and Drama

• Backstage: Flyman suggests some new year resolutions for stagehands

• Backstage Focus: Michael Sell examines how one Czech architectural team is successfully reviving the traditional European model of the combined theatre/hotel

• Rodney Wood remembers theatrical visionary Stephen Joseph

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 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)