739 stories by "Susan Elkin"
Three new practical how-to books have landed on my desk along with one rather more academic title.
I think variety is the best thing about my life and work. In the last two weeks, I've seen a children's show at Chichester, amateur takes on Our Country's Good and Follies, three youth theat…
Every effort should be made for every show to start on time. Shows run late far too often and I reckon that's usually avoidable.
I used to love visiting schools. Having taught for many years in secondary schools myself and visited, in various capacities, literally hundreds since I became first a part-time and then a f…
As a number of institutions get set to unveil state-of-the-art facilities, Susan Elkin speaks to school principals about the value of well-appointed
Ranking institutions according to levels of student satisfaction, the annual survey often appears to exclude high-performing drama schools. Teaching staff from around
Lago Theatre Company is a fine example of how theatrical entrepreneurialism " aka "making your own work" " can work, and work well for new or newish graduate actors.
So that journalistically useful wo/man from Mars arrives in Britain in 2018 and decides to go to theatre but needs a few tips. Here's the deal.
Last week I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Mountview's jaw-dropping new £28m building in Peckham " just 48 hours before Mountview management were granted full possession and t…
You are not supposed in 2018 " George Orwell's Thought Police have certainly arrived " to notice or comment on the body shapes of actors.
When the Arden Performance Edition of Othello arrived recently from Bloomsbury (Methuen Drama) the friend who was staying with me was incredulous. "Surely they don't think you need a copy of…
The message of course " and, thank goodness, most companies are already well aware of it " is that if you want your show reviewed, both this one and the ones you'll produce in the future, th…
In the last week or so I've seen three outdoor shows and got soaked to the skin twice. It's what you do in Britain " part of summer's rich tapestry.
Clearing is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service system for matching spare places to students who need them in the few weeks
Shakespeare's plays really are uniquely life changing and if this collaboration between PQA and SSF means that more young people will have access to their power then that can only be a Very …
It all feels to me a bit manic and contrived " a sort of industrial over compensation for several centuries of doing plays according to the conventions of the social period in which they wer…
Last week I revisited two examples of theatre changing the lives of young people. Everyone in this industry " and those who directly or indirectly manage funding for such organisations " re…
I've written about audition fees many times before and make absolutely no apology for doing so again. I shall keep relentlessly banging this drum until something changes.
The post Ban aud…
The Broadway Theatre, Catford is a fabulous building and I'd like to see it become an integral part of people's lives as it was for me when I was a Lewisham child.
Professional and Career Development Loans were a lifeline for students like these. Now that such loans have gone many of them will simply not be able to pursue the career they want " irrespe…
Brush up your Shakespeare? Well yes, Cole Porter, I had plenty of chances to do just that last week when I attended Shakespeare performances on three consecutive evenings.
Though university degrees offer fewer contact hours than drama schools, they can provide a firm grounding in theatre for school-leavers who are
Last week I attended the 2018 Theatre Book Prize award ceremony. From a shortlist of five titles, Nicholas Hytner won with Balancing Acts (published by Jonathan Cape) " and the ever-engaging…
This is a blog in praise of pit bands " all those hardworking talented musicians who lurk mostly out of sight in orchestra pits or are hidden away behind a curtain somewhere upstage.
Access to the arts is more vital as schools under funding pressure cut drama provision. Susan Elkin looks at the extra-curricular and
