British Theatre Guide podcast
News, features and interviews from the world of professional theatre throughout the UK.
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Night Waking on Mull
09/19/2025
Night Waking on Mull
Rebecca Atkinson-Lord was Director of Theatre at London’s Ovalhouse (now Brixton House) until 2016, but has since moved to the island of Mull in the Scottish Hebrides as Chief Executive and Artistic Director of . BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Rebecca while she was in rehearsals for a stage adaptation of Sarah Moss’s novel Night Waking, adapted by Shireen Mula. She explained about the play and the process of adapting and rehearsing it, as well as the challenges of touring to rural venues and to theatres where some of your audience comes by boat and what she misses about working in London. Night Waking opens at Mull Theatre on 28 and 29 September 2025 before touring to Edinburgh, Stirling, Greenock, Wick, Inverness, Ullapool, Strathcarron, Castle Douglas, Dumfies, Fife, Paisley, Dunoon, Lochgilphead, Oban, Iona and back to Mull, finishing on 31 October.
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Martin Sherman, from the Boardwalk to Bent
09/13/2025
Martin Sherman, from the Boardwalk to Bent
Playwright Martin Sherman was born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey but has lived in London for more than forty years. His memoir On the Boardwalk is about to be released, covering the first part of his life up to his first major success as a writer with the play Bent at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 1979, which starred Ian McKellen, who has written a foreword to the book. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Martin about his life and work including his mother’s Huntington’s Disease which he feared inheriting, his father’s narcissistic personality disorder, his time at Boston University and Lee Strasberg’s Actors’ Studio, his failed productions before his introduction to Gay Sweatshop in London and the O’Neill in Connecticut, being represented by the great Peggy Ramsey and his success with Bent, where the book ends. On the Boardwalk will be released by the publisher on 25 September 2025.
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Marks and Gran ask if Freud could have saved the world from Hitler
09/07/2025
Marks and Gran ask if Freud could have saved the world from Hitler
’s most famous works are TV sitcoms such as Shine On Harvey Moon, Birds of a Feather, Goodnight Sweetheart and The New Statesman. They have also written for radio and for stage musicals such as Dreamboats and Petticoats, but their latest piece, currently running at London’s Upstairs at the Gatehouse, is a play called Dr Freud Will See You Now, Mrs Hitler. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Laurence and Maurice about the play’s story, history and long gestation as well as the extensive research that went into it, touching on how they have dealt with controversy over their work in the past, especially for their TV miniseries about Oswald Mosley, their writing process and much more. Dr Freud Will See You Now, Mrs Hitler opened at in London on 4 September and runs until 28 September 2025.
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Edinburgh 2025: Emily Woof looks back to '60s feminism and John Lennon
08/22/2025
Edinburgh 2025: Emily Woof looks back to '60s feminism and John Lennon
Actor and author Emily Woof is best known for her film and TV work such as Mandy in The Full Monty, Shannon in Velvet Goldmine and Nancy in Oliver Twist, but she has also written novels and devised her own theatre pieces. At this year’s , she is performing her own solo play, Revolver, directed by her husband, Hamish McColl, writer and co-founder of theatre company The Right Size. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Emily during her Edinburgh run about the play’s subject matter, its predecessor piece at the 1993 Fringe, her devising process and her other writing work. Revolver, produced by , opened at on 14 August and runs daily at 2:20PM until 25 August 2025. (Photo of Emily Woof in Revolver, credit Sheila Burnett)
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The Wedding Present musical to open in the band's Leeds birthplace
08/16/2025
The Wedding Present musical to open in the band's Leeds birthplace
Indie rock band The Wedding Present was formed in Leeds in 1985, achieving a huge critical success with its debut album, George Best. 40 years and 300 songs later, the band is still going, and Artistic Director of Engine House Theatre and Wedding Present fan Matt Aston has written and is directing a new musical, Reception, based on the band’s back-catalogue. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Matt during rehearsals for the show about how he put it together, his history as a long-time fan of the band and the challenges of producing an original musical. David also spoke to David Gedge, founder, lead singer and songwriter for the band, about his reactions to having a musical based on his songs, his reflections on what he has seen in rehearsals and his songwriting style and technique. Reception: The Wedding Present Musical will be performed at The Warehouse in Holbeck, Slung Low, Leeds from 22 August to 6 September 2025. Tickets can be booked at the . For more information about The Wedding Present, David’s other band, Cinerama, and his annual Brighton festival, see the web site. Photo: Matt Aston (furthest left) and David Gedge (furthest right) and the cast of Reception on the first day of rehearsals (credit: Northedge Photography)
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Edinburgh 2025: The 100-year-old clown and The Chase's Vixen on whether ABBA existed
08/12/2025
Edinburgh 2025: The 100-year-old clown and The Chase's Vixen on whether ABBA existed
This episode features two very different solo shows, which can both be seen at the 2025 . Thom Tuck is playing the titular 100-year-old clown, whose life story takes audiences though some of the major events of the 20th century, in Justin Butcher’s Scaramouche Jones, which he performed in Edinburgh in 2005, then again in 2015. His partner, Jenny Ryan, best-known as The Vixen on TV quiz programme The Chase, is performing her musical comedy show Björn Yesterday that unpacks her theory that ABBA never existed. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to them both together almost halfway through the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe about their shows, the current state of the Fringe, remembering lines and quiz answers, philosophy, the music they grew up listening to and lots more. Björn Yesterday runs every day at 5:30PM in the Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard from 30 July to 17 August. Thom Tuck is appearing in Scaramouche Jones at Hoots at Potterow at 2:45PM from 1 to 25 August 2025.
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Classic Thrillers return to Nottingham for 2025
08/09/2025
Classic Thrillers return to Nottingham for 2025
For almost 40 years, the Classic Thriller Season has been held during the summer at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. It’s one of the few rep seasons left in the country. In 2025, the season has been reduced to three weeks instead of four and will feature plays by Peter Gordon, Ira Levin and Richard Harris. BTG Midlands editor Steve Orme spoke to Karen Henson from the producers as well as Mark Pearce, who’s taking part in his first Thriller Season as the incomparable Inspector Pratt, and Sarah Wynne Kordas, who will be appearing in all three plays. The Classic Thriller Season will run at the from 12 until 30 August. PICTURE: Sarah Wynne Kordas, Mark Pearce and Karen Henson.
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Scotland's The List celebrates 40 years in print
08/01/2025
Scotland's The List celebrates 40 years in print
While the various Edinburgh festivals are running, one of the many publications providing extensive coverage of them is The List magazine, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. The List publishes year-round free print publications and online content on arts and entertainment in Scotland, but it will be producing seven print publications in six weeks dedicated to the festivals, as well as bringing back its cross-festival awards, which it inaugurated last year and this year has expanded with new categories. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to List Publishing Ltd’s CEO, Sheri Friers, about how The List started, how it kept going after lockdown nearly closed it down, expanding into Australia, the challenges of journalism in the 21st century and covering the Edinburgh festivals. To find out more and to read the magazine online, including back issues going back to 1985, see , or if you are in Edinburgh during August, you will be able to pick up a current issue in print from many different locations around the city.
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Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting winners 2025
07/28/2025
Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting winners 2025
The winners of the biennial , which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, were announced at a ceremony at Manchester’s on Monday 21 July 2025. Immediately after the awards were presented, BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to four of the five winners: Daisy Miles, who won the £10,000 North-West Original New Voice Award for her play R Lady’s, Terri Jade Donovan, who won a special commendation of £5,000 for Dog Dog Dog, Silva Semerciyan, who won the Judges’ Prize of £10,000 for her play Przewalski's Horses, and Tolu Okanlawon, who won the £20,000 overall prize for his play Shooters. The winner of the International Award of £10,000, Jesús I Valles, for his play Spread was not able to attend the ceremony. (Photo of winners Silva Semerciyan, Daisy Miles, Tolu Okanlawon and Terri Jade Donovan in the Royal Exchange Theatre following the ceremony, credit: Ellie Kurttz.)
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New Mosse family novel—from theatre writing specialist Greg
07/23/2025
New Mosse family novel—from theatre writing specialist Greg
was the founder of the based at the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End in 2015 and has written and produced 25 plays and musicals at venues including Chichester Festival Theatre, Portsmouth Guildhall and Worthing Theatre. Since lockdown, he has turned to writing novels, despite being married to best-selling novelist Kate Mosse, and his latest book, The Coming Fire, the third in a series that he began writing during lockdown, was published by on 17 July 2025. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Greg just before the new book was released about the series and how he came to write it, as well as about the Criterion New Writing programme—for which he encourages mid-career theatre writers to apply—having two writers working in the same house and lots more about the process of writing and the current new writing scene in British theatre. Applications for the 2026 Criterion New Writing programme will open on 1 September 2025.
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New play features Jason Isaacs as the head of William Burroughs
07/15/2025
New play features Jason Isaacs as the head of William Burroughs
Lorenzo Allchurch and Alex Helfrecht, the writer and director of new play Lost Watches, which is to première at in London this summer, met when Alex directed Lorenzo as a child actor ten years ago in the film The White King. For his debut full-length play as a writer, Lorenzo will star alongside a sculpture of the head of the author William Burroughs voiced by Jason Isaacs, star of, amongst others, The Salt Path, The White Lotus, The Death of Stalin and the Harry Potter films, in the latter as Lucius Malfoy. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Lorenzo and Alex about the play and how to stage something with a surreal style and lots of technical challenges, the writing and development process, the differences between film and theatre directing, finding a gap in Jason’s busy schedule and lots more. Lost Watches can be seen at Park Theatre in London from 30 July to 23 August 2025.
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Deafinitely's Vagina Monologues on short UK tour
07/07/2025
Deafinitely's Vagina Monologues on short UK tour
Paula Garfield MBE, Artistic Director and co-founder of Deafinitely Theatre, is taking her adaptation of The Vagina Monologues by V (formerly Eve Ensler) on a short tour. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Paula a couple of weeks before the performances about her adaptation for both deaf and hearing audiences of a play that was a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1990s, as well as about her reasons for co-founding the company in 2002 and its range and methods of working. Paula’s words are voiced by BSL interpreter . The production will be performed at Exeter Northcott Theatre on 15 July, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield on 17 July and The Rep in Birmingham on 19 July 2025. For more information, see or contact the theatre box offices for tickets.
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Gatsby in Pitlochry and Derby
06/04/2025
Gatsby in Pitlochry and Derby
Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, has adapted F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, which is now 100 years old, for the stage for the theatre she recently left, Pitlochry Festival Theatre. It will be co-produced by Derby Theatre, where it will also open that venue’s 50th anniversary season, and will by directed by Derby’s Artistic Director, Sarah Brigham. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Sarah and Elizabeth about the production, the story’s continuing appeal and how their adaptation works, as well as about Derby’s anniversary, Elizabeth’s move from Scotland to South Yorkshire… and snooker. Elizabeth Newman’s adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, directed by Sarah Brigham, will run as part of the summer repertory season at in Scotland from 27 June to 25 September 2025 before transferring to from 3 to 25 October.
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Brits Off Broadway takes UK theatre to New York
04/01/2025
Brits Off Broadway takes UK theatre to New York
in New York City has presented a regular Brits Off Broadway season of British theatre productions since 2004. This year, the season runs from 22 April to 29 June and features eight productions that were recently performed in the UK. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Val Day, 59E59’s Artistic Director, and Brian Beirne, Managing Director, about the origins of the season, their selection process, the financing of this theatrical ‘unicorn’ (as Brian calls it) and the productions in the 2025 programme: The Last Laugh, written and directed by Paul Hendy, from Evolution Productions and Jamie Wilson Productions from 22 April to 25 May. The Ungodly, written and directed by Joanna Carrick, from Red Rose Chain from 23 April to 11 May. The Mistake by Michael Mears, directed by Rosamunde Hutt, from Essential Theatre from 24 April to 11 May. Gertrude Lawrence: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening written and performed by Lucy Stevens and directed by Sarah-Louise Young from Astor Theatre from 13 to 25 May. Shellshocked, written and directed by Philip Stokes, from Richard Jordan Productions and 412, from 14 May to 8 June. A Special Relationship by Tim Marriott and Brian Dykstra, directed by Margarett Perry, from 29 May to 29 June. Pride and Prejudice adapted by Abigail Pickard Price, who also directs, with Sarah Gobran and Matt Pinches from Guildford Shakespeare Company from 30 May to 29 June. Kafka, written and performed by Jack Klaff and directed by Colin Watkeys from Twilight Theatre Co from 12 to 29 June.
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Hayman tours as Miller's Willy Loman
03/24/2025
Hayman tours as Miller's Willy Loman
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is regarded as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century. A new production is touring the UK. BTG Midlands editor Steve Orme spoke to David Hayman, who plays Willy Loman, and director Andy Arnold about the previous production they worked on as well as their current project. Death of a Salesman runs until 3 May. Further information is available at the .
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Emma Rice brings Hitchcock thriller to the stage
03/18/2025
Emma Rice brings Hitchcock thriller to the stage
The next production from theatre company will be a new stage adaptation of the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock Cold War thriller North by Northwest, adapted and directed by Emma Rice. The roles of Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall, played in the film by Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, will be taken by Ewan Wardrop and Patrycja Kujawska. A week before previews at York Theatre Royal, BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Patrycja about the production and about the working process of a company and a director with whom she has had a long association. North by Northwest runs at York Theatre Royal from 18 March to 5 April 2025 before touring to HOME Manchester, Liverpool Playhouse, Bath Theatre Royal, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Alexandra Palace Theatre in London. (Rehearsal photo of Patrycja Kujawska as Eve Kendall and Ewan Wardrop as Roger Thornhill, credit Steve Tanner)
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Manchester International Festival programme launch 2025
03/13/2025
Manchester International Festival programme launch 2025
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 Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel with new music by Jasmin Kent Rodgman and John Grant, will be at Aviva Studios from 2 to 6 July. Liberation, written by Ntombizodwa Nyoni and directed by Monique Touko, will be at the Royal Exchange Theatre from 27 June to 26 July. For more information about all of the events in the festival, see . (Photos of Monique Touko, Ntombizodwa Nyoni and Jonathan Watkins courtesy of the artists; photo of John McGrath, credit Tarnish Vision.)
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New Perspectives on Jane Upton's (the) Woman
02/27/2025
New Perspectives on Jane Upton's (the) Woman
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
01/26/2025
Pilot brings Mary Wollstonecraft back to East Yorkshire
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 Elsworthy stars in the title role of Mary and The Hyenas by Maureen Lennon for Hull Truck Theatre and Pilot Theatre, directed by Esther Richardson with music by Billy Nomates, which runs at from 7 February to 1 March 2025 before transferring to in London from 18 to 29 March.
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Mama G takes the panto dame from stage to picture book
12/09/2024
Mama G takes the panto dame from stage to picture book
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 and in 2023 she appeared Off-Broadway with her show The Magic Bookmark. In October 2024, Mama G released of her first traditionally published picture book, Oh Yes I Am!, which celebrates the power of pantomime and is set to receive its first stage adaptation in the West End this December. Mama G speaks to BTG Panto Editor Simon Sladen about her career to date, the evolution of her Daming and her many ventures including appearing on Britain’s Got Talent.
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20 years of Evolution pantos
11/22/2024
20 years of Evolution pantos
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 Albans, Crawley, Dunstable, Shrewsbury, Lichfield and Basildon. Paul’s play The Last Laugh will run at London’s Noël Coward Theatre from 25 February to 22 March 2025.
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Fierce Festival Birmingham 2024
10/14/2024
Fierce Festival Birmingham 2024
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
10/09/2024
JB Shorts celebrates 15 years and 25 selections of new plays in Manchester
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 since, about what JB is all about and what this next run will offer, as well as how the whole thing began. JB Shorts 25 runs at 53two, Arch 19, Watson Street, Manchester from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 19 October 2024.
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Derby Theatre takes a miners' trip to Skegness
09/17/2024
Derby Theatre takes a miners' trip to Skegness
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 Mousley, Hanna Winter, Sarah Brigham and John Holt-Roberts, credit Steve Orme)
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Ishiguro comes to the stage at Rose Theatre, Kingston
09/06/2024
Ishiguro comes to the stage at Rose Theatre, Kingston
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 Northampton from 16 to 26 October, from 29 October to 2 November, from 5 to 23 November and from 26 to 30 November. (Photo of Christopher Haydon in rehearsal for Never Let Me Go, credit DMLK)
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Guy Masterson's 30th and final Edinburgh Fringe as producer
08/02/2024
Guy Masterson's 30th and final Edinburgh Fringe as producer
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, Making Marx and Victor’s Victoria both run at the from 1 to 26 August 2024 each day at 11:35AM and 8:30PM respectively. Guy’s solo shows Under Milk Wood and Animal Farm are both at at EICC at 6PM, the first on 14 August and the second on 18 August. For more information about Guy and his work, past, present and future, see the .
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Just the Tonic celebrates 20 years on the Edinburgh Fringe
07/19/2024
Just the Tonic celebrates 20 years on the Edinburgh Fringe
2024 marks twenty years since Just the Tonic venues first appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, although founder Darrell Martin had been putting on shows at the festival since 2002 and started the company by running Sunday night comedy clubs in 1994. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Darrell before the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe about 20 years on the Fringe, the current state of the Edinburgh festival season, getting into the business as a fan of comedy in the ‘80s, running comedy clubs around the country and about producing comedy as a decades-long act of procrastination to avoid writing material for his own stand-up act. Just the Tonic will be hosting more than 190 shows across five venues during the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For more information about its Edinburgh programme and to book tickets online, see —or you can also book at . You can see what’s on at the other Just the Tonic venues around the UK and book tickets for them at .
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Morecambe, Cooper and Monkhouse have The Last Laugh in Edinburgh
06/28/2024
Morecambe, Cooper and Monkhouse have The Last Laugh in Edinburgh
Writer-director Paul Hendy brings back three comedians through performers Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright. Every year, the Edinburgh Fringe programme features solo performances about real people, which in the past have included Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe in Tim Whitnall’s Morecambe from 2009, Damian Williams as Tommy Cooper in Being Tommy Cooper by Tom Green from 2012 and Simon Cartwright as Bob Monkhouse in The Man Called Monkhouse by Alex Lowe from 2015. Writer-director Paul Hendy brought these three performers together for a film short called The Last Laugh in 2017, which he has now extended for a stage production featuring the same cast. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke with the four of them about the play, what drove these great comics—and some of their demons—and why they have returned to playing them so many times. The Last Laugh will be in Studio One at Assembly George Square Studios, Edinburgh at 1:20PM every day except Monday 12 August from 31 July to 25 August 2024. For more information and tickets, go to or and search for “The Last Laugh”.
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New Wolsey travels 500 miles to Pitlochry with Footloose
05/17/2024
New Wolsey travels 500 miles to Pitlochry with Footloose
Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland and The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich are co-producing a new production of the stage musical Footloose, based on the ‘80s film of the same name that starred Kevin Bacon. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to New Wolsey Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul, who will direct the production, and Pitlochry’s Artistic Director, Elizabeth Newman, about the production, other musicals that both their theatres are producting this year (Little Shop of Horrors, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, The Sound of Music). They also spoke about the advantages of co-productions—and when they may not be appropriate—as well as programming and casting a rep season and panto. Little Shop of Horrors closes at the on 18 May and then moves to from 22 May to 8 June 2024. Footloose will run at various times and dates in ’s season between 31 May and 26 September before transferring to from 3 to 26 October. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical will run at Pitlochry between 7 June and 28 September, and The Sound of Music will be there between 15 November and 22 December. Sleeping Beauty, the New Wolsey panto written by Vikki Stone, will run from 22 November 2024 to 18 January 2025.
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GSC celebrates 18th by closing off Guildford High Street
05/09/2024
GSC celebrates 18th by closing off Guildford High Street
Guildford Shakespeare Company began with an outdoor production of Much Ado About Nothing in Guildford Castle Grounds in 2006. Eighteen years on, the company is celebrating its coming of age with a production of Romeo and Juliet which mostly takes place along Guildford High Street. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to the company’s founders, Matt Pinches and Sarah Gobran, about the production and about the challenges, practical and financial, of mounting their style of theatre in spaces that were not designed for performance—including holding on to scenery in high winds and preventing foxes from chewing through microphone cables. Romeo and Juliet from will take place in Guildford Castle Grounds and the town centre from Friday 21 June to Saturday 13 July 2024. For more information and tickets, see www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk. (Photo of GSC Co-Founders Sarah Gobran and Matt Pinches in October 2022. Credit: Matt Pereira.)
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