West end theatres cheered by rise in revenues by Mark Brown

London theatre revenues at record level despite slight fall in audience numbersWest end theatre revenues were higher than ever before last year despite a slight fall in attendances, a dip th…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:01pm on January 30, 2012[SHARE]

New play by Alan Bennett set for autumn launch at National Theatre by Mark Brown

Artistic director Nicholas Hytner tells of return of Julie Walters after 10 years as he reveals list of 2012 and 2013 productionsIt is very funny, set in the here and now, has a large cast a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:48pm on January 25, 2012[SHARE]

2011's biggest draw? The Bard by Mark Brown

In the arts world Shakespeare stole the show (again) " but no one caught the eye quite like Dave St-Pierre's dance troupeFor British arts organisations, 2011 was without question a year of f…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:00pm on December 13, 2011[SHARE]

Evening Standard theatre awards: pair win joint prize for Frankenstein roles by Mark Brown

Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated for each performance of a three-month run at the National TheatreAfter alternating playing Victor Frankenstein and the Creature for each …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:59pm on November 20, 2011[SHARE]

Lloyd Webber gives £3.5m to performing arts school by Mark Brown

Arts Educational Schools in west London to benefit from composer's philanthropic foundationA leading school for the performing arts is to be given £3.5m from the philanthropic foundation …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:20pm on November 8, 2011[SHARE]

Matthew Bourne awakens Sleeping Beauty in 21st century by Mark Brown

The choreographer, known for his radical updates of classic works, is to create a new version of Tchaikovsky's ballet in which the princess will wake up in 2011 " and not fall in love at fir…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:37am on October 26, 2011[SHARE]

Harold Pinter's forgotten sketch rediscovered after more than 50 years by Mark Brown

Surprise find at British Library is the script of 'Umbrellas', part of a 1960 revue performed only once at the Nottingham PlayhouseIt was part of a 1960 revue at the Nottingham Playhouse cal…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:58pm on October 24, 2011[SHARE]

Portrait of Nell Gwyn uncovered by Mark Brown

Simon Verelst's erotic painting, not seen in public for 50 years, will be used as a mascot to promote First Actresses exhibitionA daringly erotic portrait of Nell Gwyn not seen in public for…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:03pm on October 18, 2011[SHARE]

Library books defaced by prankster playwright Joe Orton go on show by Mark Brown

Orton and his boyfriend, Kenneth Halliwell, went to jail for adding surreal gags to dustjackets in guerrilla protestAs crimes go it was not the most heinous of offences, but Islington counci…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:53pm on October 11, 2011[SHARE]

War Horse covers National Theatre's lost Arts Council grants by Mark Brown

Stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel continues to be a lucrative commercial success saving theatre from cutsThe National Theatre has been saved from significant cuts by the unst…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:01pm on October 3, 2011[SHARE]

Tricycle theatre to bring summer riots to Kilburn stage by Mark Brown

The Riots will be a distillation of 40 hour-long interviews with people from the community directly involved in the riotsAfter the riots comes the drama. The Tricycle theatre in London is r…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:01pm on September 21, 2011[SHARE]

Venice film festival 2011: Keira Knightley talks costume drama by Mark Brown

David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method gets rave reviews as Hollywood's great and good arrive in ItalyFrom Elizabeth Bennet to Anna Karenina, Keira Knightley today conceded that she does do …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:11pm on September 2, 2011[SHARE]

Anything for a tenor? Royal Opera House to hold costume sale by Mark Brown

Suits, gowns and a collection of costumes derided by a critic as like 'an accident in a glam-rock disco' are among items for saleThere will be modern suits from a recent Cosi Fan Tutte; stat…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 1:51pm on August 22, 2011[SHARE]

This week's arts diary by Mark Brown

Arts Council England admit to a mistake, plus the playwright plumber, and Tate Britain's underlining fetishArts Council England admit to a mistakeThere were 1,333 applications for Arts Counc…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:30pm on August 2, 2011[SHARE]

Lloyd Webber fund announces new grants worth £1m by Mark Brown

Fund using Picasso millions for philanthropic plugging of funding gaps gives cash to theatre and music projectsSome good philanthropy news that deserves to be celebrated: the latest round of…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:45am on July 28, 2011[SHARE]

Tricycle theatre chief blames arts cuts as he stands down after 27 years by Mark Brown

Artistic director Nicolas Kent says his groundbreaking north London playhouse faces a £350,000 cut in funding next yearOne of the UK's longest serving and most respected artistic director…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:04pm on July 3, 2011[SHARE]

Just what the Doctor ordered: family theatre at its scary, exhilarating best by Mark Brown

Punchdrunk's new Doctor Who production at the Manchester International Festival is already the hottest ticket in townThere are startled looks, anxious screams and by the end of the new, nerv…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:00pm on July 1, 2011[SHARE]

Philanthropist gives Theatre by the Lake £30,000 for schools programme by Mark Brown

Lady Sainsbury gives Keswick theatre its biggest private donation in its 12-year historyHere's an act of artisitic philanthropy worth publicising. Lady Sainsbury of Turville has given £30…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 4:19am on June 29, 2011[SHARE]

This week's arts diary by Mark Brown

Nell Dunn's Home Death at the Finborough, plus MacGregor and Serota curate on, and gratuituous nudity at Takashi MurakamiA lonely death dissectedWriter Nell Dunn came to public attention wit…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:30pm on June 28, 2011[SHARE]

Royal Ballet announces new director by Mark Brown

Former dancer Kevin O'Hare plans to bring together the 'most talented artists of the 21st century'After a worldwide search to find a replacement for the Royal Ballet's soon-to-retire directo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:10am on June 14, 2011[SHARE]

Seven new plays in next Royal Court theatre season by Mark Brown

Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Faith Machine begins series, which also includes work by David Eldridge and April de AngelisThe Royal Court theatre in London will unveil on Friday a season of seve…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:01pm on June 9, 2011[SHARE]

This week's arts diary by Mark Brown

Lloyd Webber relaunches Love Never Dies, plus Donald Trump's golf course, Dave Stewart sells Hirst to save art, and Wilton's gets the thumbs downLove Never Dies not dead yetAndrew Lloyd Webb…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 5:30pm on June 7, 2011[SHARE]

Ealing comedy The Ladykillers reborn on the stage by Mark Brown

Alec Guinness classic crime caper re-cast as stage play in Liverpool by Father Ted and IT Crowd writer Graham LinehanIt might be about criminals exploiting a sweet old lady so they can rob a…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:05pm on June 5, 2011[SHARE]

Ealing comedy The Ladykillers emerges in West End by Mark Brown

Alec Guinness seedy gang classic to become stage play, written by Father Ted author Graham LinehanIt might be about gangsters exploiting a sweet old lady to commit an ugly armed robbery, but…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:55am on June 5, 2011[SHARE]

Bradley Manning inspires new work for National Theatre of Wales by Mark Brown

One highlight of the next two years will be a work called The Radicalisation of Bradley ManningA dramatisation based on the teenage school years of the WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning in H…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 2:00am on May 27, 2011[SHARE]