220 stories by "Laura Barnett"
Actor Keith Allen talks about his kids Lily and Alfie, his love of Shelley and why he is no cowardHow did you get into acting?I'd done performance art sporadically from about 1976 " very per…
Menier Chocolate Factory, LondonThe line between madness and genius; the degree to which we resemble our parents; the difficulty of ever really proving the relationships that exist between t…
The English Patient star talks about her big breakthrough, bad reviews " and why her worst performance is always screening on cable TVWhat first drew you to acting?Wanting to be somebody els…
The actor talks about men playing women, her selfishness, and why theatre isn't the new footballWhat first drew you to acting?The inevitable school plays. I found doing them quite odd, but I…
'The subsidised sector is facing difficult times, but it would be wrong not to be grateful for what we've already got'Job: Theatre producer.Age: 33Best known for: Producing a wide range of s…
'What's the best thing about British theatre? Our sense of humour. And the worst? Endless conversations about funding' Job: Deputy artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, as of J…
'I have a science background and it just felt like directing was using both halves of my brain: the creative and scientific sides'Job: Artistic director of the Tricycle theatre in Kilburn, L…
'I directed The Duchess of Malfi when I was in the sixth form. Naturally, I gave myself the main part: it must have been painful'Job: Incoming artistic director of the National Theatre of Sc…
'My low point? A cocaine dependency that finished in 1996. I look back with regret'What first drew you to acting?Growing up in Cape Town, I was a very shy, weedy little kid " I didn't fit in…
Eve Ensler: 'I did the first shows solo: I was terrified. Then women started lining up to tell their stories'Eve Ensler, writer and performerI didn't set out to write a play about vaginas; I…
Former Coronation Street star, who had been appearing in West End production of Privates on Parade, has died after having been diagnosed with cancer Continue reading...
'It's really the most interesting thing I've ever done in the theatre'Looking back over my career, there are many things I'd have done differently. But sometimes you're lucky " you get a par…
'Reading this play over again makes me cringe " it's melodramatic and too neat " but I admire my past self for the meticulous planning'In my final year at Bristol University, I wrote a play …
A good close-protection officer should be a bit wooden, says bodyguard Richard Aitch, but you wouldn't entrust your life to the one in The BodyguardLloyd Owen, the actor who plays bodyguard …
Lindsay Posner's production of Michael Frayn's brilliant farce, which reveals the barely-controlled chaos lying behind any show " and any life " had the author in stitchesOn the night I wen…
Adelphi, LondonAmong the recent glut of stage musicals based on blockbuster films " Shrek; Dirty Dancing; Legally Blonde; Ghost " this new show, drawn from the 1992 movie, has some of the st…
What makes a great stage actor? As a competition to find Britain's best am-dram society gets under way, old hands Roger Allam, Miriam Margolyes and others offer a few words of adviceRoger Al…
'Do I have any regrets? I'm sorry I didn't have children. And I like all my shows " except one'What first drew you to composing?When I was 11, my parents divorced. My mother had custody and …
'You need stamina in this game: I was 36 before I earned £10,000 a year'What got you started?[The director] Brian Astbury made me do it. He ran Arts Threshold, a basement fringe theatre i…
Garrick, LondonAnyone who's been in central London recently must have noticed the rash of posters for this new musical, written by former Busted musician James Bourne (several of the songs a…
The writer of The Village Bike on Shakespeare, the first time the national papers reviewed her show and why she loves Dolly PartonWhat got you started?When I was 28, I went to see a play cal…
The inventor of the pill, who is also a prolific writer of fiction, talks about his latest play " a comedy about chemistryIt says a lot about Carl Djerassi that his first venture into litera…
Adults too often tune out and miss what children are really saying, says a new play called Monkey BarsThree women are sitting close together, heads bent, gossiping. "I know what deja vu is,"…
'Standups don't get groupies? That's a myth perpetuated to put girlfriends at ease'When did you first realise you were funny?Probably when I was four. My brother and sister used to make me w…
Bush Bazaar, Theatre Deli's new project, invites the audience to haggle with actors over how much to pay " just one of their pioneering shows that ask questions about the value of artHow muc…
