Podcast episodes on writing; new episode: Greg Mosse on new novel and Criterion New Writing programme; freelancers in theatre report; ATG ticket offers
News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK
The British Theatre Guide Newsletter
No 1222: 27 July 2025
Editorial
We’re in the middle of a series of podcast episodes which are, at least partly, on the theme of writing, although I didn’t purposely plan it that way.
A couple of weeks ago, we released an episode in which I spoke to Lorenzo Allchurch about his first play, Lost Watches, and to his director, Alex Helfrecht—the play opens this week at Park Theatre in London. Tomorrow morning, you can download an episode in which I spoke to the winners of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.
In the current episode, released last week, you can hear me speaking to writer Greg Mosse, whose novel The Coming Fire has just been published by Moonflower Books. This is the third in a “chilling dystopian trilogy”, the first of which was actually his debut novel that he began writing during lockdown, and in fact his eighth novel in that time. Author Lee Child said of Greg that he “writes like John Le Carré's hip grandson”.
But while he may be a relative newcomer to novel writing, he has written and produced 25 plays and musicals and he co-founded the Criterion New Writing programme aimed at mid-career playwrights at the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End in 2015.
He also happens to be married to acclaimed novelist Kate Mosse. I didn’t ask him the obvious question, but he answered it anyway: “I’m often asked if it's been advantageous to me in any way to be married to an internationally best-selling author. And of course, my usual reply is that she is the wave that I surf.”
We had a wide-ranging discussion about writing novels, plays, musicals and song lyrics, and he was keen to encourage theatre writers to consider applying for the Criterion programme even if they aren’t based in London. And to buy his books, of course.
We spoke a bit about the current terrain for playwrights, who are almost all self-employed freelancers, like a great many people who work in the theatre, including most actors, directors, designers and technicians. While many workers and organisations, including theatres, eventually received some kind of assistance after lockdown threatened jobs and businesses, freelancers missed out on much of this, and a lot never returned to working in theatre.
The first Big Freelancer Survey began during the COVID pandemic, and there have been annual reports ever since from the organisation Freelancers Make Theatre Work, which includes statistics on its homepage stating that there are around 296,000 people working in the arts sector, which employs 1.1% of the entire UK workforce and contributes £19.1 billion to the UK economy—and that 70% of the theatre workforce consists of freelancers.
Philip Fisher has had a look at the fifth report, recently released, which examines in detail pay and conditions, including issues such as mental health and bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace. It lists a lot of areas that should be improved, but does at least end on an optimistic note.
Finally, while a lot of the offers on theatre tickets on our web site and in this newsletter are for shows in London, the ATG Summer Saver sale, until 31 August, includes deals at ATG Theatres venues across the UK. As always, we have to mention that we get a small cut of tickets purchased from the links on our web site or this paragraph at no extra cost to you.
Gatsby in Pitlochry and Derby Elizabeth Newman on adapting and Sarah Brigham on directing The Great Gatsby at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre
Hayman tours as Miller's Willy Loman Actor David Hayman and director Andy Arnold on the current touring production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Mark Edel-Hunt will take the role of Alan Turing in a new production of Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code, which will open in Northampton in September 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Jenna Russell will return to Nottingham Playhouse after a four-year gap to lead the cast of the UK regional première of Jonathan Spector’s comedy Eureka Day.
Mark Edel-Hunt will take the role of Alan Turing in a new production of Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code, which will open in Northampton in September 2025.
Mark Edel-Hunt will take the role of Alan Turing in a new production of Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code, which will open in Northampton in September 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Tachia Newall will play Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Birmingham Rep and Melting Pot production of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts, which will tour the UK in 2025.
Burlesque The Musical Produced by Adam Paulden & Jason Haigh-Ellery, Sue Gilad & Larry Rogowsky, Steven Antin, Clint Culpepper, executive produced by Christina Aguilera at Savoy Theatre
The Big Things WriteForTheStage Productions at Kings Arms, Salford
Inter Alia National Theatre at National Theatre (Lyttelton Theatre)
His Last Report York Theatre Royal in association with Riding Lights Theatre Company at York Theatre Royal
Outhaus Tenderfoot Theatre CIC at Salford Arts Theatre
Soaked La'al Marra Productions at Kings Arms, Salford
Top Hat—The Musical Chichester Festival Theatre at The Festival Theatre, Chichester
The Midnight Bell New Adventures at The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth
The Koala Who Could (Nicoll Entertainment present a Rose Theatre, Lowry, Northern Stage, Unicorn Theatre and MAST Mayflower Studios production) - Storyhouse, Chester, –
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Elliott & Harper Productions and Catherine Schreiber, based on the original Leeds Playhouse production) - Opera House, Blackpool, –
A Manchester Anthem (Cloudburst Productions Ltd) - Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, –
Only Human (Vaudeville Productions, Michael Vine, Andrew O’Connor, Paul Sandler and Derren Brown for Only Human Productions Ltd) - Sunderland Empire, Sunderland, –
Yorkshire
Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) - Leeds Grand Theatre, Leeds, –
His Last Report (York Theatre Royal in association with Riding Lights Theatre Company) - York Theatre Royal, York, –
Midlands
SPLAT! (OfTheJackel) - Blackfriars Theatre and Arts Centre, Boston,
Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Stage Entertainment, Joop van den Ende and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner) - Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, –
The Winter’s Tale (Royal Shakespeare Company) - Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, –
The Constant Wife (Royal Shakespeare Company) - The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, –
Dinosaurs Live! (Natural History Museum with Mark Thompson Productions) - New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth,
Dido and Aeneas (Longborough Festival Opera) - Longborough Festival Opera, Moreton-in-Marsh, –
Hedda (Theatre Royal Bath Productions) - Theatre Royal Bath / Ustinov Studio / the egg, Bath, –
FRIENDS! The Musical Parody (Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale and Oskar Eiriksson in association with The Barn Theatre Cirencester) - The Barn Theatre, Cirencester, –
