Globe 2020: “This wooden O”

I really enjoyed the last summer season overall (despite now being almost completely sworn off returning to the groundling life – people are just too rude & inconsiderate for me to countenance it as a viable option), and the 2019/20 winter season has just gone above and beyond so far. The Wars of the Roses […]

Most popular posts of 2019

In terms of total views, 2018 was a bit of a freak year – so 2019 hasn’t managed to live up to it. However, it has continued on the trajectory that we would have been on had Mind the Blog 2018 not been so ridiculously popular… And, as ever, I’ve been watching the stats page […]

Favourite shows 2019

Whilst I didn’t see as many shows as last year, I don’t think I had quite such a good run of shows in 2018 as I have this year – so making this list was no mean feat. As usual, there were some which were ineligible for the list as I’d seen them last year; […]

Mind the Blog ‘on tour’ 2019

Even though I’ve become quite tired this year, and have tried to keep some sort of balance in there, I couldn’t resist nipping out of London every five minutes to see what was going on in theatres across the country. I even managed to start my 2019 theatregoing with a trip to Paris, courtesy of […]

Macbeth (The Shakespeare Project)

“Blood will have blood.” When you’re performing in a restored Victorian theatre, the temptation to bring a bit of a gothic flavour to a production of The Scottish Play is understandable. The Shakespeare Project‘s inaugural production is currently in the middle of its run – they are performing Macbeth at the historic Salomons Estate near Tunbridge Wells […]

Play by Candlelight 2019/20: preview

With the summer season over, we now retreat into the cosier confines of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse for the next winter season at Shakespeare’s Globe: She Wolves and Shrews. As well as several offerings from the Bard, there will also be a contribution from one of his close collaborators, plus a couple of pieces of […]

The Shakespeare Project’s Macbeth: “What choices does he make to cross that line?”

A couple of weeks ago, The Shakespeare Project confirmed full casting for their forthcoming production of Macbeth, which is due to run at Salomons Estate in Tunbridge Wells throughout November. Leading the cast are artistic director Peter Basham (Macbeth), Louise Jameson (Queen Duncan) and Aaron Sidwell (Macduff). With the venue set and rehearsals on the […]

#MindTheBard: round-up

Well then. I think it’s safe to say that this particular challenge week didn’t go according to plan! I did do a Shakespeare thing every day, to be fair, and this was the first challenge week to head outside of London for the last couple of shows – so that’s an achievement. I was on […]

#MindTheBard: A Summer of Dreams

“What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?” A plethora of productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, that’s what! Yes, every year it seems that one or other of Shakespeare’s plays is the one to get your teeth into, and this summer that honour appears to have fallen on the much-loved comedy with fairies and mechanicals. At […]

#MindTheBard: Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre

Stratford-upon-Avon and London may be the best known links to Shakespeare, with major theatres in each dedicated to performing his works, but now York is beginning to associate itself with the Bard. Last year a popup replica of the Rose Theatre arrived in York, and it has made its return for a second season this […]