There are plenty of learning resources for theatrical professions " books, apps, websites, videos and study aids " but the choice can be overwhelming. Each week, Susan Elkin skims the cream …
Students looking ahead to completing their courses often ask me for my advice and thoughts about their graduation showcases. Of course I dish it out freely in my usual forthright way, althou…
There are plenty of learning resources for theatrical professions " books, apps, websites, videos and study aids " but the choice can be overwhelming. Each week, Susan Elkin skims the cream …
Little Angel Theatre, London: It opens as a decent but traditional puppet show, with levered stick puppets dancing above an arrangement not unlike a large-scale seaside puppet theatre. Then …
Parents like universities. The concept may be a bit tarnished in some quarters given spiralling costs and graduate unemployment but, in general, university is regarded as a respectable optio…
There are myriad learning resources for theatrical professions " books, apps, websites, videos and study aids " but the choice can be overwhelming. Each week, Susan Elkin skims the cream of …
Unicorn, London: This gentle but probing piece of miniature theatre for under-fives wittily explores the concepts of sharing, cooperation and collaboration, using the seesaw as a central met…
Most drama school students are going back to college " or starting their shiny new courses " this month. It's the season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and new leotards. The doors of LAMDA, B…
In a new regular post, Susan Elkin explores the resources available for self-improvement. In this edition she picks out a pair of apps to help actors, plus some handy helpers for teachers. A…
Last weekend I saw Oily Cart's new show, The Bounce , which opened at The Gulbenkian, Canterbury on August 30 as part of the bOing Festival and tours until the end of October. The Bounce,…
In a new regular post, Susan Elkin explores the resources available for self-improvement. Used as preparation for learning, or as study aids while training, these are the books, videos, webs…
I once attended a 10-day Shakespeare course at Girton College, Cambridge, in late July. Not only did I enjoy swanning about in the hallowed sunny portals pretending to be a proper Girton gir…
Shakespeare's Globe, London: Fire destroyed the first Globe Theatre in 1613. Perhaps it was a carelessly fired cannon. Or maybe there was - and is - a terrifying, seductively sweet-voiced mu…
Drama school hadn't been invented, so Shakespeare's actors trained by serving seven year apprenticeships in established companies. No doubt to begin with they performed low level tasks such …
This is a good idea I wish I’d heard about earlier: stage a gritty new theatrical production of an Orwell classic at a working farm, using it as a springboard for students and new grad…
Last month I attended and enjoyed a performance of Closer at the Old Vic " and what a memorable, buzzy occasion it turned out to be. Old Vic Community Company was formed last year and…
I am rather impressed by the number of training opportunities with the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin at the moment. For example, there's a two-day Young Gaiety masterclass for o…
What is it about children's books and theatre? Last week I saw (and reviewed for The Stage) Hetty Feather at the Vaudeville in the Strand. It was the second time I'd seen it " I…
Vaudeville Theatre, London: This show has matured since it was at <a href="http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/39756/hetty-feather" target=_blank>Kingston's Ros…
If you need to know about something in real depth you probably can't, even in this high-tech world, do better than a book. Enter two new ones which take you through the detail of skills̷…
I've been thinking about ensembles. Slick ensemble work " which usually means it's well directed " is something I often comment on in reviews. It's the backbone of much work for children and…
I met Nathan (Nate) Leung, 11, in March when he was one of ten finalists for the Stage Scholarships at Sylvia Young Theatre School (SYTS) Â and I was, as usual, on the judging panel. Well,…
Cadogan Hall, London: There's plenty to commend in this four-hander adaptation of Julia Donaldson's popular children's book. The cheerful farmyard set is effectively a three-d…
Going to Dorset is always a pleasure. And not just because I spent all my childhood holidays there so I can get (very) nostalgic about Dorset. In recent years it has also been interesting to…
I often mention resources " particularly books " in these columns. Now I've come across something a bit different which is likely to be of interest to drama teachers working with school c…