Author: James Haddrell

I’ve been lucky enough to direct some fantastic actors in my time, but sometimes the most rewarding moments in rehearsal can arise from other members of the creative team taking over to develop particular aspects of a show.

One of the most significant new writing theatres in London, Theatre503 in Clapham continues to nurture and champion the very best new plays, and the recently announced autumn season is no exception.

This summer at Greenwich Theatre we are continuing a growing tradition of staging an ambitious in-house family shows.

One of the joys of working at Greenwich Theatre is that no year ever looks the same as the one before – we are all learning, all the time, whether it’s the technical team, marketing, box office or me in programming or directing.

One of the most rewarding things for me, therefore, is to see companies or artists that we’ve worked with, supported or programmed, going on to new opportunities.

In the years since Punchdrunk, now resident at Woolwich Works, burst on to the scene at Battersea Arts Centre, immersive theatre has become a genre all of its own.

Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, nominated for 11 Tony Awards and winner of every Best Musical award in New York, has been hailed as a blisteringly funny masterpiece.

Sometimes though, music, and a person’s relationship to it, can transcend that level of engagement – and for two very different performers, both heading to Greenwich Theatre in June.

I have been waiting for a long time for the right moment to stage The Dumb Waiter – one of Pinter’s most iconic plays – but last year when I read A Slight Ache, another of his short one-act plays, I knew they would make the perfect double-bill.

With striking workers hitting the headlines on a daily basis, from nurses and paramedics to Post Office and passport office staff, one South London theatre is tackling the story of one of Europe’s longest but least well-known strikes – the Dunnes Store Strike.

Florence Nightingale, Edward Jenner, Marie Curie and Alexander Fleming are all household names, but one person that has been all but forgotten is Henrietta Lacks.

We all know the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, right? In theatre we love well known tales like that – from the regular panto tales that come around every Christmas to the more modern adaptations of popular books.

Stray Dogs is about an executioner who wants to put down his axe and become a healer instead.

Last Sunday was a huge night for London theatre, with both the Whatsonstage awards taking place at the Prince of Wales theatre and the Offies, celebrating off-West End and fringe theatre, taking over Alexandra Palace for its biggest ceremony yet.

SoundHoppers workshop from Modus Arts removes exploratory barriers and allows children to engage with sound and playfully.

At the Unicorn Theatre, just minutes from London Bridge, under an illuminated tree canopy designed by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, a handful of tales about the West African and Caribbean folk hero Anansi the Spider are currently being spun.

The Genesis Theatre Design Programme is a free two-year part-time course which will train and support six designers with the aim of improving global majority representation among theatre designers, expanding the pipeline of talent and opening more career opportunities.

Having seen the pantomime cancelled in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, and then cut drastically short in 2021-22 for the same reason, to finally experience a full run with more than 25,000 people coming to see the show has been a genuinely joyful experience.