British Theatre Guide podcast

Home Manchester will hold its ninth annual Re:Play Festival, which celebrates the best productions from the Manchester fringe scene from the previous year, in January 2015 at its temporary theatre space in an office block at Number One First Street. At the launch for Re:Play, we hear from Re:Play 2015 producer Rebecca Jenner and some of the contributors to the festival: co-writer of War Stories, Rob Johnston, writer and performer of An Evening of Filth and Despair, Jenny May Morgan, and writer of Two Spirits, Chris Hoyle. Re:Play runs from Monday 12 to Saturday 24 January 2015 on the second floor of Number One First Street, Manchester M15 4FN. For more information, including a schedule of which productions run on which days, see homemcr.org.

18 Des 201426min

Simon Aylin has ticked off almost every role both front and backstage in panto. Now best known as a writer and director, he speaks to Simon Sladen about the season ahead and his first time as a pantomime producer. Simon's pantomimes this year include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Beck Theatre, Hayes featuring Linda Robson, Dick Whittington at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon with Nigel Havers, Aladdin at the White Rock Theatre, Hastings starring Louie Spence, as well as Peter Pan at the Chelmsford Civic Theatre and Sleeping Beauty at the Stahl Theatre, Oundle. To keep up to date with Simon's panto season, follow him on Twitter at @noyourethebest.

2 Des 201417min

Philip Fisher talks to American actor/director David Cromer about the striking new production of an American classic Our Town at the Almeida Theatre in London in which he stars. They also talk about his career and aspirations. Our Town runs at the Almeida Theatre in London from 10 October to 29 November 2014. For more information, see www.almeida.co.uk. Image credit: Marc Brenner.

24 Nov 201421min

Oily Cart Theatre Company was founded in 1981 to specialise in creating theatre for the under-5s, considered a challenging audience by most theatre groups. A few years later, it started to create theatre for children and young people with multiple and profound learning difficulties or on the autism spectrum, which is now a major strand of its work. Oily Cart co-founder Tim Webb talks about the company's philosophy and methods and also specifically about the company’s Christmas show, There Was An Old Woman. There Was An Old Woman runs at the Royal Festival Hall in London from 13 December 2014 to 4 January 2015 before touring to Warwick Art Centre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Gulbenkian Theatre Canterbury and Chichester Festival Theatre. For more information about the company, see oilycart.org.uk.

9 Nov 201439min

Theatre director Michael Rudman talks to BTG London Editor Philip Fisher about a long career in theatre, running the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Hampstead Theatre in London and the Lyttelton at the National Theatre on the South Bank. He also discusses his productions of Death of a Salesman in the West End and on Broadway and his long association with Felicity Kendal. Michael Rudman's memoirs are published by Capercaillie Books as I Joke Too Much: The Theatre Directors Tale, and were reviewed by Philip Fisher in August 2014.

31 Okt 201426min

Birmingham’s BE Festival of European arts will be touring the best of 2014’s event for the fourth year, taking three performances from Hungary, Austria and Belgium to venues throughout the UK and Madrid. In this episode, BTG's David Chadderton speaks to Mike Tweddle, who is one of the festival’s directors with Miguel Oyarzun and Isla Aguilar. The 2014 tour visits runs from 8 October to 8 November, visiting the Pit at the Barbican in London, The Door at Birmingham Rep, Bath Spa Live, Circomedia in Bristol, Home Manchester’s temporary base at Number One First Street, Slung Low’s Hub in Leeds, Gulbenkian Theatre Canterbury, The Atkinson in Southport, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Caedmon Hall in Gateshead and Traverse Theatre Edinburgh. For more information, see befestival.org.

15 Okt 201424min

Imitating the Dog, a company known for its integration of video and other technology into its theatre work, has managed to secure the rights for the first ever UK stage adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms for a short tour of the UK and Italy. The novel has been adapted for the stage and is directed jointly by Imitating the Dog founder members Pete Brooks and Andrew Quick. In this episode, David Chadderton speaks to Pete Brooks a week before the show’s opening about the production, acquiring the rights from the Hemingway estate, the company's style and production process and some of the challenges of touring work to Europe. The production opens at The Dukes in Lancaster on 10 October 2014, before visiting Cast in Doncaster, New Wolsey in Ipswich, The Lowry in Salford, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and The Old Market in Brighton, followed by a tour of Italy. For more information about the production and the company, see www.imitatingthedog.co.uk.

6 Okt 201431min

York-based Pilot Theatre’s latest project is an adaptation by British playwright Roy Williams of the Greek classic play Antigone by Sophocles. In this episode, Pilot artistic director Marcus Romer, who is directing this production, talks about how the project came about, how they have approached this ancient Greek play, working with Roy Williams and about the work and philosophy of Pilot Theatre Company. Antigone from Pilot Theatre opens at Derby Theatre on 19 September 2014, then goes to Northern Stage in Newcastle, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield, York Theatre Royal, Watford Palace Theatre, Gulbenkian in Canterbury, Theatre Royal Winchester, Exeter Northcott Theatre, finishing at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 14 March 2015. For more information, see www.pilot-theatre.com.

18 Sep 201426min