Dismiss their works at your peril. Strip the barnacles of stale tradition off the Victorian duos's light operettas and their seditious glory still shines When I was a teenager in the 1970…
From handling the few first months as a professional, when you're seen as a potential Next Big Thing, to maintaining focus when the work dries up, Michael Simkins offers survival tips for li…
The actor is retiring " and those of us used to playing angry policemen or affable dads could see just how exceptional his talent isIt's the news I've been waiting for. Daniel Day-Lewis, one…
As Dame Judi Dench has noted, many actors under the age of 30 haven't even heard of the titans who preceded them. And as for their diction …I remember the occasion as if it were yesterday.…
Bravo to Kit Harington for defending his young fans going to the theatre, but quite simply, this magical form only works if everybody is bought into itKit Harington, star of the ubiquitous G…
The news that actor Daniel Hoevels accidentally slit his own throat on stage in Austria during a performance of Mary Stuart will send a shiver of empathy mixed with schadenfreude through the…
Reports that the star may have hurled insults at Meryl Streep are no surprise " actors are constantly searching for ways to spice up performancesThe claim in Michael Schulman's recent book, …
From handling the few first months as a professional, when you're seen as a potential Next Big Thing, to maintaining focus when the work dries up, Michael Simkins offers survival tips for li…
Benedict Cumberbatch has pleaded for fans to stop distracting him after one filmed his 'To be or not to be' speech in Hamlet. But this is just one of the many new dangers today's actors face…
The stage door can be occasionally perilous for actors - but the fans waiting there aren't asking for that much
When I got the call enquiring whether I'd like to adapt The Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year Dear Lupin for the stage, the first thing I did was to thank my lucky stars. Dear Lupin: Lett…
Are the recent deaths of high-profile actors tragic one-offs? Or is the profession now too precarious? Michael Simkins, a veteran of stage and screen, lifts the lid on a lonely worldPaul Bha…
That Glamour awards bitchfest was cringeworthy, but it's far from the first time that two actors have competed for attention on stageIt's difficult to know quite what to make of Patrick Stew…
The bane of the modern stage actor's life is, of course, the mobile phone, writes Michael Simkins
The genuine autograph hunter has been superseded, thanks to eBay , says Michael Simkins
The first thing you noticed about Sir Donald was the voice. It was a colossal instrument, says Michael Simkins
Since the internet put paid to the actors' 'digs list', accomodation for the touring thesp has got a bit boring, says Michael Simkins
You no longer need a grandiose name or personality to be an acting star these days - being a canine will do, says Michael Simkins
Forgetting your lines, as John Cleese knows, can make centre stage a lonely place , says Michael Simkins
The Bard's 450th anniversary has brought back painful memories for Michael Simkins.
As 'Jamaica Inn' shows, the best efforts of the cast can be undone by production gremlins, says Michael Simkins
My wife wore a look of pitying amusement on her face as I tried to portray a man gripped by carnal passion, says Michael Simkins
There's nothing new under the sun in the theatre, says Michael Simkins
Are the recent deaths of high-profile actors tragic one-offs? Or is the profession now too precarious? Michael Simkins, a veteran of stage and screen, lifts the lid on a lonely worldPaul Bha…
Forget the idea of pensioners performing in draughty village halls: amateurs and pros are closer in ability than you might thinkA stage-struck school friend who once told his careers teacher…