Townsend Productions is touring a new play about a group of protesters in the 1972 builders’ strike who have become known as the Shrewsbury 24, one of whom is now well-known to TV viewers as actor Ricky Tomlinson. The 24 strikers were arrested and charged with conspiracy, and the campaign to have their convictions quashed is still ongoing 42 years later. In this episode, we speak to writer and co-performer Neil Gore. United We Stand by Neil Gore from Townsend Productions, directed by Louise Town...
Sep 04, 2014•24 min•Ep. 61
Producer Richard Jordan and BTG's Philip Fisher discuss trends in Edinburgh and recommend shows that should not be missed, including The James Plays in the International Festival. Founder and Co-Artistic Director Hannah Price tells Philip Fisher about the phenomenon of Theatre Uncut , which sets out to address political issues through drama, its genesis and future. Actor, director and one of the most established and respected theatre producers on the Edinburgh Fringe Guy Masterson, now in his 21...
Aug 25, 2014•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 60
David Chadderton talks to Zach Reino, Jessica McKenna and Nick Semar of American comedy group Baby Wants Candy, one of the longest-running companies to offer a brand new, fully-improvised musical at each show. The Completely Improvised Full Band Musical runs at Assembly Roxy until 25 August 2014, plus the same group's All Star Improv Explosion Show runs at Underbelly Bristo Square until the same date. For more information, see babywantscandy.com Also, Philip Fisher talks with James Grieve, co-ar...
Aug 17, 2014•46 min•Ep. 59
Lancashire-based Horse + Bamboo, a company that has specialised in mask and puppet theatre since it was founded in 1978, brings its version of classic fairy tale Red Riding Hood to the Scottish Storytelling Centre for the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe. Performers Jonny Quick and Nix Wood talk to BTG editor David Chadderton about the production and their involvement with the company. The production runs at 1PM until 17 August 2014. For more information about this and the company, see www.horseandbamboo.o...
Aug 09, 2014•37 min•Ep. 58
Halifax-based Northern Broadsides will soon tour a new production of Oliver Goldsmith’s 1773 comedy She Stoops to Conquer , directed by director, actor and composer Conrad Nelson, a regular member of the Broadsides production team. In this episode, Conrad talks about his production and about how it fits with the general philosophy of the company. She Stoops to Conquer will open on 29 August 2014 at the company’s own Viaduct Theatre in Halifax before touring to The Dukes in Lancaster, Rose Theatr...
Aug 03, 2014•25 min•Ep. 57
Actors Shobna Gulati and Joe McGann speak to BTG Midlands editor Steve Orme about touring in John Godber's two-hander April in Paris , directed by the author. Shobna Gulati is best known for playing Anita in Victoria Wood’s Dinnerladies and Sunita Alahan in Coronation Street from 2001 to 2006, a role to which she returned at the end of 2009 and departed again in 2013. Since then she has been a panellist on Loose Women . Joe McGann was Charlie Burrows, the “housekeeper”, in the hit TV comedy seri...
Jul 05, 2014•20 min•Ep. 56
HOME Manchester, the new arts organisation formed from the merger between the Library Theatre Company and Cornerhouse Cinema, is filling the time before the opening of its new, purpose-built home in spring 2015 with a series of site-specific productions around the city. The first of these, Angel Meadow , is a collaboration with Dublin-based ANU Productions that looks at the Irish communities in Ancoats who settled there in the late nineteenth century. In this episode, some of the team from ANU t...
Jun 08, 2014•42 min•Ep. 55
The Octagon Theatre in Bolton ends its year-long season with the first UK revival of the musical Love Story since it closed on the West End in 2010. Based on the novel by Erich Segal and the hit film, both from 1970, the show features a book by Stephen Clark and a score by Howard Goodall. The Octagon’s production is directed by Elizabeth Newman, the theatre’s associate director, with the principal couple both played by graduates of the BBC TV audition reality shows: Daniel Boys, who was in Any D...
Jun 01, 2014•28 min•Ep. 54
Kneehigh Theatre Company from Cornwall is currently working on a brand new adaptation of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera titled Dead Dog in a Suitcase , with a script by regular Kneehigh writer Carl Grose and music by Charles Hazlewood, directed by Kneehigh founder Mike Shepherd. Charles Hazlewood spoke to us from Sweden where he was conducting a concert of music from video games with the Malmö SymfoniOrkester. He talks about his involvement in the project from taking it to Mike Shepherd as an ide...
May 25, 2014•1 hr•Ep. 53
Britain’s National Theatre is currently promoting tours of three of its most successful productions: War Horse , adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s First World War novel by Nick Stafford, Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors , an updated version of Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters set in 1960s Brighton, and an adaptation by Simon Stephens of Mark Haddon’s much-loved novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . The title character of War Horse is Joey, created on stage by the p...
May 18, 2014•46 min•Ep. 52
Irving Berlin’s classic Wild West musical Annie Get Your Gun , based on the true romance story of sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler, is to be revived by Ambassadors Theatre Group starring Jason Donovan and Emma Williams in the two lead roles with Norman Pace as Buffalo Bill Cody. Like many of ATG’s own productions, it will open at one of the company’s own Manchester theatres as part of its “Manchester Gets It First” scheme, with previews at the Opera House from 16 May 2014. Director Ia...
May 11, 2014•38 min•Ep. 51
Mark Babych, who was artistic director of the Octagon Theatre in Bolton for ten years up to 2009, was appointed artistic director of Hull Truck Theatre in 2013. His debut production as director is a revival of Shelagh Delaney’s A Taste of Honey , which will run at Hull Truck from 27 March 2014 starring Shameless and Waterloo Road actress Rebecca Ryan as Jo before embarking on a national tour. In this episode, Mark speaks about why he chose this play, bringing one of Salford's best-known plays ba...
Mar 25, 2014•33 min•Ep. 50
Highlights of the 2014 Manchester Theatre Awards at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester on 7 March 2014 hosted by Justin Moorhouse, celebrating the best theatre seen in Manchester throughout 2013. Speakers, presenters and award winners who can be heard on the podcast include: Kevin Bourke, Sue Jenkins, David Crellin, Andrew Wright, Kathryn Davies, Richard Mantle, Ray Fearon, Julian Glover, Lisa Maxwell, Catherine Kinsella, Paula Wilcox, Christine Cort, Christopher Villiers, Isla Blair, Shir...
Mar 21, 2014•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 49
Ellie Nunn, daughter of director Sir Trevor Nunn and actress Imogen Stubbs, talks to BTG reviewer Belle Lupton about her one-woman show Bombshells . Ellie talks about playing six different roles in this comedy by Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith which she performed at Jermyn Street Theatre in London in January 2014. She also explains about not going to drama school and about growing up with parents famous for their theatre work—plus how she reacts if they offer her advice....
Feb 23, 2014•13 min•Ep. 48
Jersey Boys is a smash hit musical based on the songs and the life story of pop band Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons which started life at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California in 2004, moved to Broadway the following year and has since opened all over the world, winning best musical awards at the Tonys in 2006 and the Olivier Awards in 2008. Producer David Ian talks about bringing the show to the UK after seeing the last preview on Broadway. West End cast members David McGranaghan ...
Feb 16, 2014•40 min•Ep. 47
Playwright Anya Reiss, whose first play was produced by London's Royal Court Theatre less than four years ago, talks about her adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull , written for Southwark Playhouse and currently being revived by Manchester's Library Theatre Company. Anya talks about her original works— Spur of the Moment and The Acid Test at the Royal Court, Forty-Five Minutes for National Theatre Connections and a monologue for the Bush Theatre's Sixty-Six Books —plus her adaptations, with new v...
Jan 30, 2014•24 min•Ep. 46
Actor and writer Deborah McAndrew, who played Angie Freeman in Coronation Street in the 1990s, talks about her latest play, An August Bank Holiday Lark , commissioned by Barrie Rutter of Northern Broadsides Theatre Company to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War. Deborah talks about her research and writing process for this play, her 20-year association with Northern Broadsides as an actor and writer and, the week after Julie Hesmondhalgh made a high-profile exit from Co...
Jan 26, 2014•30 min•Ep. 45
London editor Philip Fisher speaks to some of the stars of Broadway and off-Broadway on his annual trip to New York's theatreland. Bryce Pinkham stars in the hit Broadway show The Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder . This is a musical based on the same story as the classic Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets . He talks about his road to stardom and also the pleasure of working in a Broadway success story. Eric Tucker and Andrus Nichols are the artistic directors behind Bedlam’s four-perform...
Jan 09, 2014•37 min•Ep. 44
Home Manchester is a new purpose-built arts centre that will bring together Manchester’s Cornerhouse cinema and Library Theatre Company into one organisation with shared facilities, due to open in spring 2015. BTG editor David Chadderton speaks to Walter Meierjohann, who takes over from Library Theatre Company artistic director Chris Honer, and chief executive Dave Moutrey about the new building. For more information about Home, see the official web site homemcr.org ....
Dec 23, 2013•31 min•Ep. 43
The Nottingham Playhouse and Birmingham Hippodrome are two of the UK's leading pantomime powerhouses. Simon Sladen speaks to Rebecca Little of the Nottingham Playhouse's Jack and the Beanstalk and Danielle Hope, Gary Wilmot and Matt Slack of Birmingham Hippodrome's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs about their pantomime careers and this year's festive productions. Nottingham Playhouse 's Jack and the Beanstalk runs from 29 November 2013 to 18 January 2014. Birmingham Hippodrome 's Snow White and t...
Dec 17, 2013•34 min•Ep. 42
Kat B and Matt Dempsey have appeared in many Hackney Empire pantomimes. The two performers speak to Simon Sladen about the pantomime rehearsal process, their love for the Hackney Empire and their roles as Puss and Tom in this year's production of Puss in Boots . Having returned to the UK after filming Mister Maker Around the World for CBeebies, Phil Gallagher speaks to Simon Sladen about his pantomime career, his love of Kent and his role as Billy Trot in this year's Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury ...
Dec 11, 2013•43 min•Ep. 41
The winners of the £16,000 first prize and three judges prizes of £8,000 in the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting were announced at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester on 22 November 2013. We present some highlights of the ceremony itself, followed by a chat with winning playwright Anna Jordan and three members of the judging panel: broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray, Bruntwood chairman Michael Oglesby and Royal Exchange artistic director Sarah Frankcom....
Dec 04, 2013•27 min•Ep. 40
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of his publishing house, Nick Hern talks to Philip Fisher about a career in theatre and his work with some of the greatest names in the business. For more information about Nick Hern Books, see www.nickhernbooks.co.uk .
Dec 02, 2013•21 min•Ep. 39
Actor Martin Barrass on playing the fool in his 28th panto at York Theatre Royal, the art and the craft of slapstick, having the part of Alfie written for him by Richard Bean in One Man, Two Guvnors and his home town of Hull becoming City of Culture. Martin will appear in Aladdin and the Twankeys by Berwick Kaler at York Theatre Royal from 12 December 2013 to 1 February 2014. See www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for details....
Nov 27, 2013•31 min•Ep. 38
Paul Holman Associates has produced over 200 pantomimes since 1995. Simon Sladen speaks to Paul Holman (founder, company chairman and Managing Director) and Lee Waddingham (Artistic Director / Associate Producer) about their pantomime careers, producing pantomimes and Paul Holman Associates' 2013 season, which sees the company produce thirteen pantomimes and one Christmas musical in venues across the UK.
Nov 24, 2013•21 min•Ep. 37
Playwright Tom Morton-Smith and director Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder on In Doggerland , the first national tour from new writing company Box of Tricks Theatre Company . The play will tour to: 7-9 November: The Lowry Studio, Salford 10-11 November: New Diorama , London 14 November: Rosehill Theatre , Whitehaven 15 November: Derby Theatre Studio 19 November: Mill at the Pier , Wigan 20 November: York Theatre Royal Studio 21 November: The Continental , Preston 22-23 November: Lantern Theatre , Liverpool ...
Nov 01, 2013•38 min•Ep. 36
After two and a half years, the newly-refurbished Birmingham REP has reopened with an additional third auditorium. REP executive director Stuart Rogers takes us on a tour of the new building and artistic director Roxana Silbert explains what it is like to have three separate spaces to programme.
Sep 10, 2013•22 min•Ep. 35
At the Edinburgh International Book Festival , author Philip Zeigler talks about his new biography of Laurence Olivier , based largely on 50 hours of taped interviews with the great actor, and theatre director Michael Bogdanov gives us his views on directing and Shakespeare as his books on directing and directing Shakespeare are published. Over at the Assembly Rooms, actor and writer Pip Utton , celebrating his 20th year on the Fringe, talks about the two pieces he has revived in Edinburgh for 2...
Aug 26, 2013•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 34
Phoebe Waller-Bridge talks to Philip Fisher about her solo show Fleabag at Underbelly as well writing, performing in the West End and elsewhere and the Edinburgh experience. The Traverse 's Artistic Director Orla O'Loughlin takes a break from rehearsals to discuss with Philip Fisher the theatre's work and what the Festival Fringe means to her. Animator and stand-up comedian Howard Read talks to David Chadderton about his two shows in this year's Fringe: for families his most successful animated ...
Aug 17, 2013•52 min•Ep. 33
On the day of the official start of the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe (Friday 2 August), we bring you our first Edinburgh podcast with interviews with the creators of some events we will be reviewing: Andy Lawrence of Theatre of Widdershins on Rumpelstilskin and the Wheel of Fortune Richard Medrington and Rick Conte of Puppet State Theatre on The Man Who Planted Trees Oliver Lansley of Les Enfants Terribles on The Trench plus Les Petits Theatre Company 's Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs Phil Nich...
Aug 02, 2013•52 min•Ep. 32
