Pete Hartley: sometime dramaturg, perennial scribbler
Joan Littlewood dismissed the traditional view of directing, and said that she hated ‘acting’ by which she means the pretence that can all too often be seen and which cloaks the truth of the character. She claimed her only contribution was to ‘grow’ a show, but by doing so, in the ways that she did, she redefined directing and producing, and rejuvenated acting.
A review of the Mikron theatre production at Hesketh Bank, 28th September 2024.
An appreciation of Girl from the North Country This is a quality production. It is not, and does not claim to be, a musical. It is a play with music. It is a very good play with very good music and as seen at the Lowry on 21st September 2022, it was very well performed. … Continue reading Bending Bob backwards
Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t HATE it. I didn’t even dislike it. It just didn’t do it for me. Maybe I’m just too much, like, MOCK TUDOR?
It was always a tumbleweed moment. I considered it vital, upon meeting a new drama class, to make the first lesson active and fun. The final fifteen minutes would be allocated for a sit-down discussion. The question was simple enough. “So, what is drama?” Some of the participants were new to drama, others had done it for two years, or five years or in some cases – if they’d been to drama clubs – ten years. The answer was invariably. . . Silence.
An appreciation of Illyria Theatre's production of Peter Pan at Lytham Hall, Lancashire in August 2022.
Why you should not ‘support’ theatre “Theatre is like sex,” so said director Sir Richard Eyre in a TV interview that I used to show to drama students. That statement demonstrated why he was such a good director. In just four words he got the attention of the audience and had them wanting to know … Continue reading New molecules please
A simple and invaluable tip to help you to prepare for a public performance.
Three reasons why the high-kicking sparkly show wins Who would have thought that, two decades into the twenty-first century, the competitive execution of slow and quick dance steps could secure the coveted Saturday evening audience crown for the BBC? Perhaps it’s because we’ve been tuning in for hundreds of thousands of years. The first ever … Continue reading Strictly speaking
Emilier Lanier, certain poet and possible muse Emilia Lanier (1569–1645) is acknowledged as the first Englishwoman to be published as a professional poet. Her only collection was printed in 1611. Some academics cite her as a prime candidate for Shakespeare’s Dark Lady, suggesting that she may have had a Mediterranean or African heritage. Some even … Continue reading Lanier’s Pale Man
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