Features

Touring news - January 2017

Sandra Giorgetti looks at the tours that take to the road next month, including the first UK tour of La Cage Aux Folles and the world premières of Not Dead Enough and Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox.

Review of the Year - The Midlands Stage

Prestigious awards, increased ticket sales and stunning productions were the hallmarks of 2016 for theatre in the Midlands while 2017 will bring the end of an era as well as a huge amount of optimism.

East Riding Theatre and Great Expectations

Richard Vergette examines the East Riding Theatre as it mounts its third Christmas show with a Dickensian source since it opened in 2014.

Festive entertainment with a bit of bah humbug!

If you want to say Boo–Hiss to traditional panto this year, have a break from finding your Christmas jumper and take a look at reporter Sandra Giorgetti's summary of what's on.

There Will Be Fun at the British Library

London reporter Sandra Giorgetti has been to join the fun at the British Library where a new exhibition on Victorian entertainments includes live performances.

Innovation, Orthodoxy, and Shakespeare's Globe

Following the cries of anguish and condemnation of the theatre board at the announcement that Emma Rice is to leave Shakespeare's Globe in 18 months' time, Brice Stratford, director of Shakespeare and founder of Owle Schreame theatre company, looks at the issue from the opposite direction.

Battersea Arts Centre

In her second of three features on performance venues whose architecture has caught her interest, reviewer Sandra Giorgetti visits South West London's Battersea Arts Centre, damaged by fire earlier this year.

Company Chameleon marks World Mental Health Day with Witness preview

Ahead of its autumn tour, Company Chameleon offered a preview of its brand new piece Witness at a special event in The Lowry Studio to mark World Mental Health Day 2016.

Latest on UK and China collaborations

Events this year in UK and across the Globe have seen the celebration of 400th anniversary of the Shakespeare’s death, but 1616 was also the death of China’s most celebrated playwright, Tang Xianzu. The event now running at The Actor’s Church in Covent Garden, A Shakespearean Handan Dream, is the result of a six-year collaboration.

Edinburgh 2016: figures and awards

August is gone and in the beautiful city of Edinburgh life returns to normal after the past few frenetic weeks. Sandra Giorgetti summarises this year's achievements at the International and Fringe Festivals.

Live at Zédel

Sandra Giorgetti takes a look at what's on at three diverse performance venues whose architecture has caught her interest. The first in this trio of articles takes her to Brasserie Zédel where the inaugural Live at Zédel season is aiming to give the traditional central London cabaret scene a run for its money.

Allegro gets a new lease of life

Sandra Giorgetti looks at some of the background to little-known Rodgers and Hammerstein show Allegro.

A Latitude 2016 Diary

BTG editor reflects on four days in a field in Suffolk.

Coriolanus and Du Liniang at the Peacock Theatre: East meets West

Mary Mazzilli speaks to Mao Weitao and Guo Xiaonan of Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue opera about their joint celebration of the 400th anniversaries of Shakespeare and Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu.

Northern Stage at the Edinburgh Fringe

Newcastle’s Northern Stage returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for a fifth year with eight shows.

The Wars of the Brexits – A Hitherto Unknown Masterpiece by William Shakespeare

Your lucky columnist stumbled upon this vellum manuscript lying in a car park, not in Leicester for a change but Stratford near to the Westfield Shopping Centre.

Protecting Theatres: Whose? Where? How?

A report on the Theatres Trust Conference 16: Protecting Theatres, held on 21st June 2016 at the New London Theatre

Kynren - an Epic Tale of England

Peter Lathan looks at the £35m outdoor spectacular at Bishop Auckland in County Durham.

Dance Roads 2016 - a discussion between critics and artists

As Dance Roads 2016, a programme of contemporary choreography from across Europe, was presented in Cardiff, reviewers were invited to meet with some of the participating artists to discuss the nature of their engagement with the art form.

News from north of the border

Soon all eyes will be pointing towards the festivals in Edinburgh, but lots is happening between now and August.