1,225 stories by "Nicola Merrifield"
Campaigners wanting to see Derby Hippodrome reopened as a performance space have welcomed a report suggesting the venue could be rebuilt as a theatre. A feasibility study commissioned by Der…
The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama and Rose Bruford College have been voted the best university-level drama institutions for overall satisfaction, according to a UK-wide student survey. B…
Love letters between actor Vivien Leigh and her husband Laurence Olivier are to be displayed at the V&A museum in London this autumn. The museum has acquired Leigh's archive, which inclu…
Equity has raised concerns about the government response to a consultation on reforming recruitment sector regulation, including entertainment agents, calling some proposals "weak and disapp…
The King's Head Theatre in north London has commissioned a new piece in response to Russia's anti-gay propaganda law. Called Sochi 2014, the play will include verbatim accounts from lesbian,…
Arts education groups including National Drama, Music Mark and the National Dance Teachers Association have formed an alliance to create a unified voice for arts teachers. They are among fiv…
Green arts organisation Julie's Bicycle and a consortium led by BAFTA that provides guidance on energy efficiency have joined forces to "shout louder" about the environmental impact of the t…
The Futurist Theatre in Scarborough faces closure after the local authority agreed the continued operation of the north Yorkshire venue at its current site is "unsustainable". Scarborough Bo…
The arts sector needs to create a "plan B" in case public funding is removed completely in the future, playwright Mark Ravenhill has warned. Speaking at the launch of this year's Edinburgh F…
The BBC has appointed Sean O'Connor and Jessica Dromgoole as editors at its Radio 4 drama department in Birmingham. O'Connor takes up his role in September and will be the new editor of dram…
Professionals tell Nicola Merrifield their advice for making the most of your time at the Edinburgh Fringe
London's Royal Court Theatre has revealed that around half of its audience members were attending for the first time during its summer season. The theatre-goers were attending Open Court, wh…
Hampstead Theatre's former artistic director Michael Attenborough will return to the London venue this autumn when he directs Godchild by Deborah Bruce as part of the new season in the downs…
Max Irons and Rachel Tucker are to appear in the UK premiere of Beau Willimon's Farragut North at the Southwark Playhouse this September. Irons, who is best known for his role in BBC drama T…
A new amphitheatre is due to be built in the town centre of Harrow ready for opening in spring 2014. The 220-seat venue is part of a £1.48 million redevelopment of Lowlands Recreation Gro…
Hackney Empire has been awarded more than £1 million after winning a ten-year legal battle against an insurance firm, which was found liable for outstanding construction costs to the venu…
Simon Russell Beale has said that staging seasons of curated plays in the West End is the way forward for creating demanding work in London's Theatreland. The Olivier award-winning actor was…
The Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare's Globe are to link up in the summer of 2016 to help host a one-week conference marking the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. The ten…
Birdsong author Sebastian Faulks is to appear in the stage version of his novel at the Theatre Royal Brighton tomorrow night. His one-off cameo appearance will coincide with the remaining da…
Tom Ellis has been cast in the transfer of US comedy The Lyons, running at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London this autumn. He will play the part of Curtis Lyons, whose father Ben is...
Tom Stoppard has won the 2013 Pen/Pinter Prize, which recognises a British writer of outstanding literary merit. The prize, which was launched in 2009 by the freedom of expression charity En…
All arts critics at the Independent on Sunday are to be cut from this September as part of cuts to the newspaper's workforce. It is thought that a total of seven journalists are affected, in…
Nottingham Playhouse has appointed Fiona Buffini as associate director of the venue. She begins in this newly created role from September and will be responsible for directing professional a…
Luke Owen has been named the winner of this year's Papatango New Writing Prize, which is jointly run by the Finborough Theatre in London. His debut play, Unscorched, was selected from more t…
Theatre Royal Stratford East is to produce a festival of 30 performances that will take place at the homes of London residents this autumn. Called Home Theatre (UK), the one-actor shows will…
