Gendered power dynamics, the commodification of art, and abuse in the creative industries: Joe Penhall’s new play certainly feels of the moment, and there’s a particular frisson in seeing such subject matter explored at the Old Vic, which is dealing with the … Continue reading
Family is the ideal, the necessity, the burden and the war zone of Nathaniel Martello-White’s intricate new play, alternately elusive and confrontational. It’s group therapy – Ultz provides the community hall plastic chairs and tea table – with no safeguards, … Continue reading
Can we really distinguish between experience-based judgement and personal bias? Caroline, the social worker at the centre of American writer Rebecca Gilman’s latest “issue” play, trusts a gut instinct informed by her 25-year career, but those decisions – which shape … Continue reading
How did he get away with it? That’s the question Jonathan Maitland’s controversial new play addresses, juxtaposing national treasure Sir Jimmy Savile, feted by monarchs, prime ministers and cardinals, with the thuggish serial abuser. Savile’s cheeky asides – the knighthood … Continue reading
Seldom has there been such impassioned debate about whether a play has a right to exist. Writer Jonathan Maitland faced a barrage of criticism, with many accusing him of exploitation; others felt it was too soon for freshly unveiled horror … Continue reading
From Twitter abuse to games and websites indulging our darkest desires, the virtual world is constantly challenging traditional morality and legality. American playwright Jennifer Haley goes a step further in her gripping 2012 dystopian vision of a “real” world overtaken … Continue reading
It is no exaggeration to say that Lloyd Newson has created a new theatrical language. Verbatim drama and intricate choreography would seem, on paper, to be fatally competing elements, yet Newson’s hypnotic fusion charges both word and movement with fresh … Continue reading
