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 D…

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 Pi…

Equity and equality for all! Philip Carter Goodyear, Social Justice Lead and Head of Suffolk Family Support at Ipswich Job Centre talks to Tony Casement, Head of Creative Communities at The New Wolsey Theatre. Philip talks about his belief and mission to re-engage families and individuals, who feel isolated through unemployment, with the community.…

Martha Loader is simply an awesome person! We talk to her about her love of writing and the steps she has taken to get to an award-winning playwright. Martha also talks about her brilliant play, Bindweed - soon to be on the stage at the New Wolsey Theatre and the Colchester Mercury. Bindweed is written by Martha Loader, as part of the Mercury Playw…

The 2024 summer season at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London will open with a new production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Or What You Will directed by Owen Horsley, an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and an Associate Director for Cheek by Jowl. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Owen at a break during rehearsals …

In this podcast episode we talk to James Yarker, Artistic Director at Stan's Café about their fantastic new play, full of live music and wit - 'Community Service'. James talks about the inception of Stan's Café, now in its 34th year of making theatre and explains the concept of devising theatre and how it differs from traditional theatre. He also t…

Actor, writer, choreographer and film-maker Lanre Malaolu’s play Samskara had a sell-out run at London’s Yard Theatre in 2022 and was subsequently published by Nick Hern Books. Now, I See is the second play of what has become a trilogy which, like the first part, examines family relationships through a modern black, British lens. BTG Editor David C…

Actor Greg Hicks has played many leading roles at the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company over the last forty years, as well as starring on the West End and appearing on screen in films including The Mercy and Snow White and the Huntsman. He is about to perform a one-man show, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, based on a short story by …

We rewind to the best bits from The Young Company (Youth Theatre Seniors) at the New Wolsey Theatre and listen to them talk about the phenomenally positive impact it has had on their lives and the change it has made to their outlook and confidence. Tony Casement, Head of Creative Communities starts with an overview of the Youth Theatre followed by …

In this podcast episode we chat with Jack Parker (Marketing Officer at the New Wolsey Theatre) who has driven this wonderful campaign from an idea to a reality. He explains, that with the help of our audiences and anyone who would like to get involved, that we’re aiming to give 800 free tickets to children and adults who may otherwise not be able t…

Danish theatre company fix+foxy premièred Dark Noon at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe which “explores one of the great American myths—the Wild West” through seven South African actors. The production will be restaged at Manchester’s Aviva Studios this spring. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to co-directors Tue Biering and Nhlanhla Mahlangu ab…

Following Night of the Living Dead—Remix and Dracula: The Untold Story, imitating the dog is again collaborating with Leeds Playhouse, this time on a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein co-created by Pete Brooks, Andrew Quick and Simon Wainwright. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Andrew Quick during rehearsals at Leeds Playhouse about…

Tony Casement (Head of Creative Communities at The New Wolsey Theatre) chats to Stephen Skeet – Head of Business Development and Impact for the social action charity Volunteering Matters Stephen talks about his approach to working with young people and local communities. and about his life long relationship with the New Wolsey Theatre, as well as t…

For Christmas 2023, there were two new stage adaptations of stories by Roald Dahl in the UK: The Witches at the National Theatre in London and The Enormous Crocodile at Leeds Playhouse, the first to be co-produced by the Roald Dahl Story Company. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to the company’s Artistic Director of Theatre, Jenny Worton, about wh…

Pilot Theatre, a York-based touring company that creates theatre for young people is to tour England in February and March 2024 with an adaptation of David Almond’s book A Song for Ella Grey, written by Zoe Cooper and directed by Pilot’s Artistic Director, Esther Richardson. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Esther while the production was still…

Physical theatre company Gecko, based in Ipswich, was founded in 2001 by Amit Lahav, who is still its Artistic Director. The company’s latest production, Kin, toured the UK in 2023 and will be at the National Theatre in London in January 2024. Amit spoke to BTG Editor David Chadderton about the origins of the production in the story of his grandmot…

Mark Thomas is a stand-up comic whose work for stage and TV has frequently crossed over into theatre and into political activism, in some cases resulting in changes in the law. He is currently performing a show he hasn’t written himself for the first time, England & Son by award-winning playwright Ed Edwards. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Ma…

We are backstage with the cast and find out a lot more about this year’s eagerly awaited Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto – Dick Whittington and his Cat. Featuring all of the cast - we chat about their hilarious characters, as well as what they love about this year’s panto . . AND, we get the inside scoop on some of the songs they’ll be playing live on stage! T…

Vikki Stone, British award-winning comedian, actor and musician, joins us to chat about how she wrote the New Wolsey Theatre's 2023/24 Rock 'n' Roll panto, Dick Whittington and his Cat! Vikki talks about the form of panto, including the beats and the joy of mixing tradition with contemporary. She also gives us an insight into how she prepares befor…

The Prince of Egypt, the DreamWorks animated film from 1998, was brought to the West End stage in 2020 at the Dominion Theatre but had to take a break due to the COVID lockdown. It completed its run the following year when it was filmed for a cinema release. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to the show’s composer and lyricist, multi-Grammy and Aca…

Send us a Text Message. Now you can own one of these beautiful Labrador Sculptures forever, as PAWS-itivity draws to a close - the Suffolk Libraries' annual campaign to raise money for the huge amount of work they do in the community. Auction is on Thu 12 October 2023 at 7:00 pm. In this episode we speak to Bruce Leeke Chief Executive of Suffolk Li…

In this episode we get up close to the brilliant cast and director of a New Wolsey Theatre stage production of 'The Red Lion', written by Patrick Marber We explore deep into the story of 'The Red Lion', the characters and their relationship with one another, and the intense dynamism that's building between them on stage. As professional actors they…

Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre and Tamasha will present Tanika Gupta’s adaptation of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens set during the Indian partition in Bengal, directed by Pooja Ghai, Artistic Director of Tamasha BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Pooja during rehearsals about the production, the history and concept behind Tamasha and …

Dublin Theatre Festival in Ireland has been running since 1957, and Willie White has been its Artistic Director and Chief Executive since 2011. BTG Editor David Chadderton spoke to Willie about the 2023 festival and the history and general focus of the festival. Dublin Theatre Festival runs from 28 September to 15 October 2023. After the Silence, i…

Glasgow-based writer Nat McCleary’s play Thrown for National Theatre Scotland is set in the world of backhold wrestling and is concluding its tour of Scotland with a run at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. It is directed by Johnny McKnight, who spoke to BTG Editor David Chadderton at the mid-point o…

In this podcast episode we talk to Tony Casement, Head of Creative Communities and some of our brilliant young people from the Senior Youth Theatre - Kaycee Totten, Victoria Zietek, Leo Maynard, Jace Palmer, Fin Adams. Charlotte Cathcart and Joe Hullis. The young company talk about why they first joined the youth theatre and what it means to them p…

Towards the end of its summer season, Pitlochry Festival Theatre will present the world première of a new play by Peter Arnott, Group Portrait in a Summer Landscape, set in a Perthshire country house during the Scottish Independence referendum of 2014, directed by David Greig in a co-production with Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre. The main charac…

Kimber 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 …

As You Like It is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. Omar Elerian, who is directing his first show for the Royal Shakespeare Company, was keen to explore it from a “fresh and new perspective”, so he has cast a company of actors who are mostly over 70. BTG’s Midlands editor Steve Orme spoke to two of the actors, 73-year-old Malcolm …

Jenny Sealey has been artistic director of Graeae since 1997, a theatre company, which, according to its web site, “boldly places Deaf and disabled artists centre-stage in a diversity of new and existing plays”. In that time, she has directed many productions, including co-directing the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics in London with Bradle…

"Possibly one of the most important untold stories in history!" West End Best Friend Five star hit show 'Family Tree' was written by actor, playwright, director and producer Mojisola Adebayo and directed by theatre-maker and Olivier Award winner Matthew Xia (Actors Touring Company Theatre). Actors Keziah Joseph and Mofetoluwa Akande give us a deep …