In this week’s issue of The Stage:
Broadway star Chita Rivera is back on the London stage, 50 years after making her debut in the West End. She tells Mark Shenton about her long career and the attraction of theatre
Arts Council Funding: Alistair Smith looks at the winners and losers in the Arts Council England’s final decisions on funding. We also canvass opinions across the industry. Keep up with the latest funding news on our website at http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/funding
With a career spanning more than 50 years, playwright Ronald Harwood is responsible for works such as The Dresser and Taking Sides. He won a Best Screenplay Oscar for The Pianist and has worked on high-profile films such as Baz Luhrmann’s epic Australia, which stars Nicole Kidman and is released later this year. He chats to Nick Smurthwaite about supporting the striking US screenwriters and opposing the smoking ban
Best known for her comedy work in TV such as Smack the Pony, Fiona Allen is branching out into drama by playing the mother of a gay teen in the second series of E4 hit Skins. She talks to Matthew Hemley about doing things her own way and why she won’t be appearing in the West End any time soon
Insight: India is becoming a major global player and its entertainment and media sectors are growing rapidly. As Michael Quinn reports, this is creating an important two-way creative flow with Britain
Aside from dealing with the competition, one of the hardest aspects of the industry for young actors is accessing information, whether it’s finding out about castings or networking with the right people. Hilary String, Director of the National Council for Drama Training, argues that it’s time for organisations to speak directly to their potential employees
Ian Herbert: What has happened to the Theatre Museum since the building closed a year ago?
Ben Dowell: Fostering celebrity backing for venues threatened by Arts Council funding is arrogant, obvious and crass
Dear John: “What is collaboration on a creative project like compared to working solo?” This week’s guest experts: writer Kirsty Eyre and musician Shale Morgan
Training: Susan Elkin meets Francis Seriau, the founder of Tech Music, which celebrates its 25th anniversary as a contemporary music college
The Stage Archive: At the end of this month, The Stage will launch our fully searchable online archive, with every edition of the paper from 1880-19967 quickly and easily accessible through your computer. Following months of work and preparation, this invaluable and unique resource will provide an unparalleled insight into the history of British entertainment. Ian Herbert and Nick Smurthwaite look at the content that will be available, and the work involved in digitising the newspaper’s history
The entertainment market is strong in tourist favourite Tenerife South, running all through the year. Denise and Tom Bell have made their mark with Viana Shows, but they teallDerek Smith that competition is fierce
Backstage Focus: As the Grove Theatre in Dunstable prepares to celebrate its first anniversary in April, technical manager Matt Kingslake takes Geoffrey Joyce on a tour of the venue
As he prepares to revive his hit solo show from the sixties, Brief Lives, Roy Dotrice reminisces about fleeing from the Nazis, partying at the Savoy and successfully reinventing himself for the US market
Plus all the usual news, reviews, national UK theatre listings and recruitment ads.
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