Obituary: Willis Hall by Dennis Barker

Prolific playwright who drew on his working-class origins

Obituary: Sheila Gish by Michael Coveney

Formidable leading actor renowned for her powerhouse performances

Touched by fire

If Arthur Miller was admired more in Britain than in the US it was because he made theatre matter, says Richard Eyre. His work inspired a generation of playwrights and still speaks to us tod…

Obituary: Hugh Hastings by Dennis Barker

Hugh Hastings, who has died aged 87, made theatre history with his one hit, the naval comedy Seagulls Over Sorrento. It opened at London's Apollo Theatre in 1950 and ran for 1,551 performances; only two plays had then run longer - No�l Coward's Blithe Spirit and the army comedy, Worm's Eye View.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

Obituary: Robert Dh�ry by Ronald Bergan

West End theatre-goers who were around in the mid-1950s are likely to remember a hit French revue called La Plume De Ma Tante, which entertained audiences at the Garrick Theatre for three years, before being equally successful in New York. The show's creator, director and star was Robert Dh�ry, who has died aged 83.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

'We have to protect people'

President Bush wants 'pro-homosexual' drama banned. Gary Taylor meets the politician in charge of making it happen
Thanks to Andy at American Theater Web for the link.

Obituary: Glyn Owen

Veteran television and stage actor
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

Profile: Nathan Lane by David Smith

A virtual unknown - in Britain, that is - has been flown in to rescue The Producers, set to be the biggest West End production this year. His rave reviews will not surprise Broadway, however, where he is theatre's hottest property
Check out more British news at American Theater Web.

Author 'stole my life', says psychiatrist by Vanessa Thorpe

Thanks to playwright24 on All That Chat for the link.

Review: The Woman in White by Michael Billington

It's a pity Jones's book isn't better because the show has a lot going for it. Lloyd Webber has written a particularly good score.
Thanks to John_Patti on All That Chat for the link!

Obituary: Dinsdale Landen

Intuitive and versatile character actor equally at home on stage or television

Britain's Brecht by Nicholas Wroe

John Arden was at the forefront of innovative drama in the '60s yet has made little money from his work.

Obituary: Anne Ziegler, 93

Romantic songstress from an age when Britons needed comfort

Obituary: Julia Trevelyan Oman

Julia Trevelyan Oman, who has died of cancer aged 73, was one of the great television, theatre and film designers of the late 20th century, but her work was steeped in historical research.

Rhythm method

The hardcore sex industry might seem a strange subject for showtunes. But for the makers of Pornography: the Musical, it had all the vital ingredients, says Rupert Smith

A kiss is still a kiss ... even if it breaks all the rules of primetime television by Gary Younge

August Wilson: American centurion by John O'Mahony

Thanks to MockingbirdGirl on All That Chat for the link!

Ben-Hur returns to the stage after 100 years by Maev Kennedy

When the play is revived this Christmas at the Battersea Arts Centre, south London, there will be a cast of 10 and very few sinking galleys. But there will be a chariot race.

Noises off: would you pay $125 to hear just 65 minutes of Stephen Sondheim? by Chris Wilkinson

A birthday tribute to the composer was cut short for commercial reasons. So is private funding worth the toll it exacts on the arts?

Payback time with Death of a Theatre Critic by Lyn Gardner

A new play is tapping into the revenge fantasies of any theatre director who's been on the business end of a drubbing

Plays about jobs find expert critics in every profession by RJ Purdey

Theatre reviewers loved my drama Subs, but one chief subeditor didn't. So which audience should we write for?

Patricia Neal: a career in clips by Catherine Shoard

The Oscar-winning actor Patricia Neal has died aged 84. We look back over her career in clips

For theatre listings, the only way is app by Nosheen Iqbal

The new Digital Theatre app has made its debut, but hold the applause - we're going to have to wait a little longer for a gadget that reaches peak performance

When showtime is dinnertime by Oliver Thring

How do you balance the competing demands of taking in a show and eating a decent meal?

No pain, no gain

Rena De Sisto of Bank of America Merrill Lynch explains how the cultural sector could benefit from developing new approaches to working with business

Jonathan Miller: I'd rather be at Marks and Spencer than the theatre by Charlotte Higgins

The opera director says he hasn't been to the theatre for 10 years. He's really missing out

Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Ford Madox Ford is where it belongs - on TV by Michael Billington

The greatest works always suffer in translation to the tube, but Parade's End could work perfectly

Tom Stoppard returns to BBC with Ford Madox Ford adaptation by James Robinson

Playwright's five-part BBC2 version of the first world war story Parade's End will be his first projects for corporation since 1970s

Arts funding cuts reveal the government's poor business sense by Daniel Bye

The arts are affordable and profitable, costing as little to fund as half a pint of milk a week per person. The government would be idiotic to cut them

Arts funding cuts will bring down the curtain on our theatre's golden age

The measures proposed by the Tory new breed will force our theatres to avoid artistic risks. We cannot allow this to happen, says Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters writer Lee Hall

Why does theatre plus science equal poor plays? by Alexis Soloski

As science advances, let's hope the drama it inspires improves as well