Short Plays: Dramatic Perfection?

Described as ‘the unfairly underrated dramatic fragment’, The Guardian explores the short play as the perfect dramatic arch for programs accommodating short works, such as the Hotbed Theatre Festival in Cambridge. 

‘How To Write a Short Story’

Kurt Vonnegut, a prolific American writer of countless short stories and five plays, offers his best advice on writing short fiction – a genre similar in both style and form to the one act play. Listen to Vonnegut in the first of July 2017’s Complimentary Readings, listing his best eight tips on writing short fiction….

‘The Catastrophe of Success’

After the massive success of The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, formerly known as ‘Tom’, reflected on his newfound celebrity as a blossoming American playwright in The Catastrophe of Success.  See Williams’ essay, first published by The New Yorker in 1947, for a brief understanding of his dis-ease with fame and for June 2017’s second Complimentary Reading.

‘Belvoir St Theatre’s Eamon Flack’

Eamon Flack, director of Belvoir St Theatre and The Malthouse’s 2014 and 2016 respective productions of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, comments on his transition from a long-standing apprenticeship to taking on the role of Belvoir’s most recent Artistic Director.

‘I Don’t Know if I Wrote the Script …’

Jack Thorne, one of three collaborators to adapt the 8th instalment of the Harry Potter franchise, reflects on developing the team’s idea from a mere thought to a full-fledged play script. 

From Page to Stage

Frankenstein, Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie – only the last on this list of favourites was able to successfully adapt written work for the theatre. What is it that has allowed J.K. Rowling and her collaborators of the 8th book in the Harry Potter franchise a raging West End…

Previews Must Go!

After publishing audience feedback in response to David Hare’s Stuff Happens, The Guardian sparked a massive debate surrounding the production’s decision to make shows available to select audiences a week before it’s premiere.

For or against?

The original reception of David Hare’s Stuff Happens was critiqued by stakeholders of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After the play’s first public preview in 2004, The Guardian encouraged journalists, Members of Parliament, public commentators, and retired Armed Forces’ personnel to share their opinions on the piece.