In The Paper

In this week’s issue of The Stage:

• After a three year break from the theatre, Helen McCrory is returning to the stage as Rebecca West in Ibsen’s Rosmersholm. She tells Al Senter why she’s so terrified about playing such an iconic female figure and how she juggles her role as the mother of two young children with her acting career

• As Liverpool continues its year as European Capital of Culture, Chris High speaks to one of the city’s most treasured stage and TV writers, Alan Bleasdale about the return of his 1993 play On the Ledge. Plus, Catherine Usher talks to Gemma Bodinetz, artistic director of Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse, about how the theatres have attracted national attention

• As the wholesome Osmond family prepare to start a UK tour to celebrate 50 years of performing, Tony Cooke talks to the youngest sibling, Jimmy Osmond, about their squeaky-clean lifestyle and surviving child stardom

• Former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe, who helmed the show from 1974-7 in the glory days of Sarah Jane and Davros, dissects a recent episode of the sci-fi series and tells Charles Norton his views on the Doctor’s comeback and new companion Catherine Tate. For a preview of the feature, check out our TV Today blog

• Having started as the new Controller of BBC1 on Monday, Jay Hunt is a comparatively unknown quantity catapulted to one of the most desirable jobs in television. The Stage’s media expert Maggie Brown assesses the qualities she has to do the job and whether she has the potential to be successful

• Curtain Up: As the Take That musical Never Forget prepares to open next week, Lalayn Baluch talks to choreographer Karen Bruce about recreating some dance moves to remember

• Insight: After years in decline, coastal resorts are enjoying a revival, with money coming in for regeneration and a renewed focus on entertainment, writes Michael Quinn

• Life after graduation: It can be difficult for young graduates to break into the professional world when so many seem unprepared for the realities of working in the industry — but there are steps that can open doors and gain contacts, writes Louise Finn

• Dear John: “How can I use a competition appearance to further my long term career?” With guest advisers Marcquelle Ward, winner of BBC1’s Dance X, and Fayon Cottrell, a finalist in GMTV’s recent Sofa Factor competition

• Showpeople: This week’s Q&As are with Lara Pulver, currently in Beau Jest at the Hackney Empire; Ed Bartram, directing a revival of Martin Crimp’s No One Sees the Video at the Rosemary Branch theatre; and Howell Evans, appearing as Captain Cat in Under Milk Wood at the Tricycle Theatre

• Backstage Focus: This year’s AC Lighting’s North Trade Show included an increase in energy-saving products and an impressive range of seminars, writes Geoffrey Joyce. Plus, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association’s Nicky Greet tells AK Bennett-Hunter why PLASA’s new status as a qualifications-awarding body will be so beneficial to the industry

This week’s columnists include:

• Ian Herbert on London’s new mayor, Boris Johnson, and how he can build on the previous administration’s work with the arts

• Jake Thornton on life as a young Brit actor who has moved to LA

• Clive Barnes on Broadway

• Zoe Tyler reviews the latest show of I’d Do Anything (more coverage on TV Today)

• Flyman on profiting through intellectual property rights

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In this week’s edition of The Stage:

• Since taking up the position of Arts Council England chief executive, Alan Davey has had to deal with a lot of angry clients, outraged at their funding cuts. He talks to The Stage about rebuilding the relationship between ACE, artists and artistic bodies and his plans to transofrm the organisation

• With the drama school showcase season about to start, Geoffrey Colman, head of acting at Central School of Speech and Drama, suggests students take the approach of Nina in the Seagull, with her core values of passion and truth

• Maggie Brown on media: The musical chairs in the TV channels’ boardrooms

• Arthur Smith: As a comedian from a previous generation, I should be bitter about Russell Brand’s success — so why am I such a fan?

• Dear John: “Is recreational drug use really going to ruin my career, or is it part and parcel of the business?”

• Training: Whether you want to set up a theatre company or have your own play produced, Susan Elkin looks at the variety of new courses on offer and how they can help you achieve your ambition

• Part-time Training Special: Whether you have acting ambitions or you are a professional already working in the industry, part-time training can give you a chance to hone your skills without giving up the day job.

• James Nesbitt is used to making newspaper headlines — and now he’s playing a gutter reporter in new ITV1 drama Midnight Man. He talks to Mary Comerford about why he’s moved on from playing cheeky chappy roles, his plans to take on more theatre work, and the rumours that he’ll be the next Doctor Who

• Toby Sedgwick has been a successful actor, set up the pioneering Moving Picture Mime Show and won an Olivier Award for directing movement in War Horse. Now he is looking forward to the hit production’s return to the National and hunting for his next project

• After performing in Mark Ravenhill’s Birth of a Nation at the Royal Court and the BBC’s Countdown to War, Toby Jones is taking on the part of Karl Rove in Oliver Stone’s forthcoming biopic of Goerge W Bush, W. But, as he tells Matt Trueman, staying in the political realm has not been a conscious decision

• Touring with a show doesn’t have to be a physical and financial strain. Knight Hoosen offers tips on how to find affordable accommodation and travel, and advises on useful items to take with you to make the experience more enjoyable

• In an attempt to make Shakespeare more accessible to the public, the Globe Theatre is running a series of Sonnet Walks to places of significance in the Bard’s life, accompanied by actors playing various characters from homeless Londoners to lawyers

• Backstage Focus: Students from the Bartlett School of Architecture are examining sustainability in their designs for a new performance space in an exhibition called Perform. Geoffrey Joyce takes a look at their work and picks out some that catch his eye

• As the Lyric Hammersmith launches a 50th anniversary run of Pinter play, The Birthday Party, Nick Smurthwaite examines what the critics thought of the first party and how the play recovered from the morning after

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/.

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This week, The Stage includes a comprehensive guide to musical theatre training. With all you need to know about getting to grips about musical theatre, the supplement looks at all the aspects to consider, including choosing a course, tackling auditions and addressing performing weaknesses. Also included:

• Dance is often the first element of musical theatre to be assessed at an audition, so Kevin Berry examines the variety of training on offer and how to tell if a course is right for you

• Although reality TV shows can offer trained musical performers a platform to launch their careers, contestants with little training are unlikely to gain adequate skills and stamina from the experience, suggests Matthew Hemley

• Spotlight award nominee Emma Higginbottom, who is about to graduate from the BA acting course at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, talks to Paul Vale about her training background in musical theatre

• Tutors from ten performing arts schools tell Susan Elkin what skills they are looking for in students wishing to train in musical theatre

• Six months after Lamda Examinations launched its musical theatre qualification, there has been a positive response, with children as young as five taking part

• Browse our listings of schools offering musical theatre training

Also in this week’s issue of The Stage:

• From Gold Blend to Buffy and Little Britain, Anthony Head has played a variety of TV roles. He talks to Matthew Hemley about his new BBC1 series The Invisibles, and his ambitions to return to theatre

• At 21, playwright Polly Stenham has become a theatrical sensation. She talks to Nick Smurthwaite about trying to live up the hype as her play That Face transfers to the West End. Plus, That Face actor Matt Smith talks to Matt Trueman

• Broadway legend Angela Lansbury may have widened her mainstream appeal when she starred in hit TV series Murder, She Wrote, but her heart is in theatre. She talks to Mark Shenton as she makes a rare return to the London stage for a special concert celebrating Jerry Herman’s work

• Insight: Theatregoers need to be more aware of the extra costs piled on to tickets, says Mark Shenton — and now a trend from Broadway is turning producers into their own touts with ‘premium’ seats for in-demand productions

• Politics and theatre have gone hand in hand since the Second World War, with characters such as Margaret Thatcher providing lots o material. Nick Awde examines how playwrights have benefited from the state of the nation

• Ian Herbert on the International Association of Theatre Critics congress

• Richard Jordan on the Adelaide Festival in Australia

• Dear John: “What is the best way to learn the business — training, reading or just getting out there and doing it?”

• Training: Susan Elkin meets Alan Justice, a performer who has established his own school to offer others high quality training in the profession

• Zoe Tyler continues her exclusive review of BBC talent show I’d Do Anything

• Backstage Focus: As society becomes more aware of the effect cars have on the environment, theatres around the country are working to improve transport connections to venues, from car share schemes to night buses back into town

• This weekend the High Tide Festival is descending upon the Suffolk town of Halesworth for the second time. Its founder and joint artistic director Sam Hodges tells Al Senter about the festival’s aim to provide he right creative environment for emerging stage and film writers, and what to expect from this year’s programme

• Showpeople: meet singer Caroline Fields, artistic director Abigail Yeates and contemporary dancer Joel Corpuz, all of whom are appearing at Galleries Lafayette in Paris

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