Nick Smurthwaite

1 week ago | thestage.co.uk | Nick Smurthwaite

ArchivePublicity image for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Dream Ballets: A Triple Bill at Regent’s Park Open Air TheatreAgnes de Mille’s dream ballets are a legendary part of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel and Allegro. Drew McOnie talks to Nick Smurthwaite about reimagining them for a triple bill at Regent’s Park Open Air TheatreSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in.

2 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | Nick Smurthwaite

Gawn GraingerVersatile actor and playwright who was a stalwart of the National Theatre and whose credits included Hamlet, Party Time, The Entertainer and Saint George and the DragonSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month.  OR  Or subscribe from just £7.99 and get unlimited access to thestage.co.uk.

2 weeks ago | thestage.co.uk | Nick Smurthwaite

One of the most prolific and innovative British stage designers of the past half century, William Dudley, who has died after a long struggle with dementia, pioneered the application of digital technology and mechanical engineering in the service of on-stage visual effects. Director Richard Eyre, who worked with him repeatedly from the 1970s onwards, described him as “an exceptional man and an exceptional artist.

1 month ago | thestage.co.uk | Nick Smurthwaite

ObituariesJohn Gale. Photo: Nobby ClarkProducer of the West End hit No Sex Please, We’re British and former artistic director of Chichester Festival Theatre who gave early breaks to directors including Sam Mendes and Nicholas HytnerSupport The Stage by registering or subscribingTo continue reading this article you must be logged in. Register or login below to unlock 3 free articles every month. OR Or subscribe from just £7.99 and get unlimited access to thestage.co.uk. Remember Login

1 month ago | dramaandtheatre.co.uk | Nick Smurthwaite

Like all great musicals, Billy Elliot stands or falls by its narrative. Even before it opened in the West End to great acclaim in 2005, the show's producers and creatives knew they were backing a winner, as the 2000 film on which it was based had already won an army of admirers around the world. How could any theatregoer resist the premise of a motherless boy from a poor mining town in the North-East overcoming every obstacle and hardship to realise his dream of becoming a ballet dancer?