739 stories by "Susan Elkin"
On Monday I had the privilege of attending the London press night of the Bristol Old Vic/Handspring fresh, innovative, rude and hugely enjoyable A Midsummer Night's Dream which runs at The B…
On Saturday I dropped in on Surviving Actors the vibrant careers fair " this was the fifth annual event " founded in 2010 by lively Felicity Jackson to help actors to…well… survive. I…
I'm still unashamedly on the subject of auditions " it is after all the audition season for schools and colleges and a lot of other people will be thinking about them too. Several frustrated…
Trafalgar Studios, London: This busy, symmetrically planned, showcase presents the work of 28 students in 28 duologues, mostly modern, so that gives 56 separate performances in just 55 minut…
Choosing audition pieces, showcase monologues and so on is clearly not 'one of your holiday games' as T S Eliot might have put it. But even as someone who comes at this from the margins...
Unicorn Theatre: This powerful and poignant piece does the presumed impossible - presents the dilemmas of grandparents for five year olds. Thomas Frere's Grandpa and Belinda Lazenby…
I've had an idea. Well two, actually. And the last time I had one it triggered the merger of Conference of Drama Schools and National Council of Drama Training to form Drama UK Â so I...
Fortune Theatre, London: It's a real joy to see a student showcase which features only 15 students each appearing twice in a contrasting role. It means they really get the chance to sho…
On Tuesday I saw, and thoroughly enjoyed an enchanting, pared down, moving version of Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice (runs until Sunday 26 January) and it ticks so many education boxes that ev…
Drama schools are often accused " not always fairly " of being full of privileged students whose families can afford to fund them. LAMDA, for one, is working hard to make sure drama school i…
Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon: This pared down Macbeth - on a strikingly menacing, smoky, brooding spider's web of a set with back projection (designed by Kate Unwin) - might just as well b…
How do you learn a new accent? If you're already in rehearsal then time will be very short and if you're out of work you probably can't afford a one-to-one voice coach. Enter voice coach...
On Saturday I saw Thebes, the second show in Faction Theatre's 2014 rep season www.thefaction.org.uk with runs at New Diorama Theatre www.newdiorama.com this month and next before transferri…
Well it's January and my mind turns to auditions and the large sums of money which will move from student bank accounts to those of vocational training establishments during the next few mon…
On Friday I saw Peppa Pig's Big Splash which has just come to the end of a phenomenally successful five week run at the Criterion (playing "under" The Thirty Nine Steps) before embarking …
Books for winter evenings During the Christmas and new year break I have " among other festive pursuits " been catching up with some of the useful and interesting performing arts trai…
During the Christmas and new year break I have " among other festive pursuits " been catching up with some of the useful and interesting performing arts training and information books which …
As 2104 arrives this week what developments, I wonder, can we expect on the performing arts training front during the next twelve months? Well, given the phenomenal success of National Youth…
This year I saw and reviewed my first Christmas show on November 23, exactly a month ago. And it's been a pretty manic month. I finally finished my rounds with two shows in Tunbridge Wells...
Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells: The best things in this show are Tony Stenson's quirky, witty (recorded) music, the projection and animation which references the original book's …
Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells: This enjoyably glitzy and often very funny pantomime offers most of the traditional elements, including the ghost bench and slapstick scenes, with lot…
Stag Theatre, Sevenoaks: This clear, energetic show tells a strong story with refreshing directness. And many of the jokes are original - or at least I haven't heard them in every panto…
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the PR and marketing people I work with during the year. Some of you are on staff at the companies and venues you work for. Others...
Unicorn Theatre, London: Originality isn't really necessary at Christmas, especially for very young children.
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Pit, Barbican, London: Applying its usual fresh, playful physicality, Told By An Idiot has come up with a quirky, upbeat show for children aged four and over, which lives up to its name.
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