Mei Mac: from 4-year-old to century-old prisoner of Western stereotypes
Release Date: 07/19/2023
Manchester International Festival programme launch 2025
British Theatre Guide podcast
The programme for the tenth biennial Manchester International Festival for 2025 was announced on 11 March at Aviva Studios. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to John McGrath, Factory International’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director, and Creative Director Low Kee Hong, as well as Jonathan Watkins, director and choreographer of A Single Man, and the writer, Ntombizodwa Nyoni, and director, Monique Touko, of Liberation. The 2025 Manchester International Festival runs from Thursday 3 to Sunday 20 July. A Single Man, produced with The Royal Ballet and created by Jonathan Watkins from...
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New Perspectives on Jane Upton's (the) Woman
British Theatre Guide podcast
Playwright Jane Upton has taken her experiences of motherhood and included them in a new play, (the) Woman. Nottinghamshire company New Perspectives is touring the play which will also have a five-week run in London. Midlands editor Steve Orme spoke to Jane Upton and New Perspectives artistic director Angharad Jones about the play and how it was conceived. (the) Woman is on tour until 15 March and will be at London’s Park Theatre from 24 September until 25 October 2025. (Photo: Jane Upton and Angharad Jones, credit Steve Orme)
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Pilot brings Mary Wollstonecraft back to East Yorkshire
British Theatre Guide podcast
Mary Wollstonecraft, famous for her work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, was born in London in 1759 but spent some of her early life in Beverley near Hull in Yorkshire. Playwright Maureen Lennon and actor Laura Elsworthy will together bring her back to the region in Maureen’s play Mary and The Hyenas, in which Laura will play Mary. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Maureen and Laura while the play was in rehearsal in Hull about Mary’s life and legacy, the continuing relevance of her message, bringing her story to life on stage and the flourishing arts scene in Yorkshire. Laura...
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Mama G takes the panto dame from stage to picture book
British Theatre Guide podcast
is an award-winning year-round storyteller whose work is driven by the magic of pantomime. She has appeared in professional pantomimes across the UK for almost twenty years and this year stars in Aladdin at the Beck Theatre, Hayes. She has also written, directed and produced pantomimes for numerous holiday parks and theatres, including Stanley Arts Centre, South Norwood. Since 2018, Mama G has been sharing stories with children and their families about being who you want and loving who you are. The work has taken her to libraries, theatres, schools and festivals throughout the United Kingdom...
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20 years of Evolution pantos
British Theatre Guide podcast
Leading pantomime company will this year celebrate its 20th anniversary with ten productions at theatres right across England. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to the conpany’s founders, Paul Hendy and Emily Wood, about their upcoming panto season and about what goes into making their pantos, as well as about Paul’s play The Last Laugh, which will follow a very successful run at the last Edinburgh Fringe with a West End run early next year. Evolution Productions’ twentieth anniversary panto season in 2024 will run at theatres in Canterbury, Sheffield, Northampton, York, St...
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Fierce Festival Birmingham 2024
British Theatre Guide podcast
Fierce Festival is a “youthful and joy-filled festival of international theatre, performance and experiences” which takes place in and around Birmingham every two years. Midlands editor Steve Orme spoke to Fierce’s artistic director Clayton Lee and Adam Kinner whose one-to-one show Manual will be presented daily in the Library of Birmingham. will run from Tuesday 15 until Saturday 19 October. (Photo: Clayton Lee and Adam Kinner, credit Steve Orme)
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JB Shorts celebrates 15 years and 25 selections of new plays in Manchester
British Theatre Guide podcast
In 2009, TV writers Trevor Suthers and John Chambers put together a night of short, brand new plays written by established TV writers which took its name from its original venue, the Joshua Brooks pub on Princess Street in Manchester. Fifteen years on, and now at fringe venue 53two, is an established biannual event on the Manchester theatre calendar with its two-week runs of six 15-minute plays. With the 25th JB Shorts about to open, BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Trevor together with actor James Quinn, who wrote for the very first JB and has written, directed and performed in many...
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Derby Theatre takes a miners' trip to Skegness
British Theatre Guide podcast
Derby Theatre is to present a new play, Welfare, by local playwright Abi Zakarian, that will take audiences to The Derbyshire Miners’ Holiday Camp in Skegness, where miners went initially to convalesce and later to holiday, as it was turned into a holiday camp for Derbyshire miners and their families. Midlands Editor Steve Orme spoke to director Sarah Brigham and three of the actors, Jo Mousley, Hanna Winter and John Holt-Roberts, about the play and about the history behind it, both local and from much further afield. Welfare will run at from 28 September to 12 October 2024. (Photo Jo...
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Ishiguro comes to the stage at Rose Theatre, Kingston
British Theatre Guide podcast
The next production to open at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, London is a new adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, adapted for the stage by Suzanne Heathcote and directed by Christopher Haydon, Rose Theatre’s Artistic Director. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Christopher just before a rehearsal for the play about the adaptation, working with one of his literary heroes, the necessity for co-productions and the state of arts funding and arts education in the UK at the moment. Never Let Me Go will run at the from 20 September to 12 October 2024 before touring to in...
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Guy Masterson's 30th and final Edinburgh Fringe as producer
British Theatre Guide podcast
Guy Masterson, one of the most well-known and well-respected theatre producers on the , this year celebrates his thirtieth consecutive festival season. However, he has announced that this is also to be his last festival visit as a producer. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Guy just after the first performance of one of the shows in his programme for this year about producing nearly 150 shows over three decades, the trials and joys of producing, writing, directing and performing at the Fringe and his decision to stop producing shows there. In Guy’s programme for this year’s Fringe,...
info_outlineKimber Lee’s provocatively titled winner of the first International Award from the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2019, untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, opened in June 2023 at the Royal Exchange Theatre as part of the Manchester International Festival and will transfer to the Young Vic in London later in the year.
In the lead role of Kim is Mei Mac, who was nominated for a Best Actress Olivier Award earlier this year for playing 4-year-old Mei Kusakabe in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican in London.
BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Mei in the middle of the Manchester run and asked her about performing in this often physical and funny production and the serious questions it raises, as well as her experiences in Totoro with the RSC and director Phelim McDermott.
untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play is at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester until 22 July 2023, then at the Young Vic in London from 18 September to 4 November 2023.
(Photo of Mei Mac as Kim by Other Richard - Richard Davenport)