New podcast episodes: Bruntwood Prize winners & Sheri Frier, CEO of Scotland's The List; Edinburgh festivals; deaths of Tom Lehrer, Sylvia Young, Robert Wilson, Allan Ahlberg
News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK
The British Theatre Guide Newsletter
No 1223: 3 August 2025
Editorial
As I mentioned last week, we released a new podcast episode on Monday in which I interviewed most of the winners of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting just after they had been presented with their chunky wooden awards and sizeable prize cheques at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre—which meant I could interview them in person rather than over Zoom for a change.
The winner of the International Award, Jesús I Valles, was not able to attend the ceremony, but I spoke to the others who shared a prize fund of more than £50,000: Daisy Miles (North-West Original New Voice Award), Terri Jade Donovan (special commendation), Silva Semerciyan (Judges’ Prize) and Tolu Okanlawon (the overall prize).
They were all still in shock from the announcement—one got a bit sweary when I reminded her just how much money she had just won—but they all spoke about their winning plays and what the award meant to them.
But that’s not all from the podcast this week. On Friday, when the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe officially opened, we released an episode in which I spoke to Sheri Frier, CEO of The List, Scotland’s popular arts and culture magazine which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary, despite nearly shutting down for good after the COVID lockdown.
We spoke about how the magazine began, the challenges of publishing in the age of the Web, their expansion into Australia and, of course, the Edinburgh festivals, during which this year, The List will produce seven print editions (it is still available in print, and free) and run, for the second time, its cross-festival awards, which carry cash prizes.
Yes, it’s Edinburgh month, when we will be turning much of our attention to the various events in the Scottish capital. Philip Fisher gives his overview of the festivals and advice for the uninitiated, but I think much of my own advice feature from 2022 is also still relevant.
Our reviewers are already active, with several reviews, including two so far with five stars, already online. Keep an eye on our new Edinburgh 2025 page, which will be updated regularly as reviews come in.
But that’s not the only new page in our special menu; we now have a Christmas page for news and reviews of Christmas shows other than pantos (we still have a Panto page as well). And no, it’s not too early—we already have news items about Christmas shows, and no doubt some performances will sell out before very long.
Last month, we published a review of Mitch Benn’s tribute to the great Tom Lehrer, a satirical songwriter who was a hero to Benn and to many others who have tried to write comic songs—including me. This week, we heard of his death at the age of 97, which is what my grandparents would have called “a good age”, but it’s still sad to hear. I used to play his brilliantly cynical “A Christmas Carol” every year when I had a radio show, and if his “The Elements” isn’t a classic, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park” certainly is.
Also this week, Sylvia Young, founder of her eponymous theatre school, died at the age of 85, and we also lost American experimental theatre director Robert Wilson at 83. While not theatre-related, many will be sad to hear of the death of Allan Ahlberg, whose books many of us grew up reading.
While many theatres are quiet at this time of year and Edinburgh will get most of the attention, there is still theatre going on around the country, which we will do our best to cover.
Gatsby in Pitlochry and Derby Elizabeth Newman on adapting and Sarah Brigham on directing The Great Gatsby at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre
Polka Theatre is celebrating 30 years of its subsidised ticket scheme that offers free tickets to school groups facing barriers to accessing live theatre.
Polka Theatre is celebrating 30 years of its subsidised ticket scheme that offers free tickets to school groups facing barriers to accessing live theatre.
SPLAT! (OfTheJackel) - The Civic, Stourport-on-Severn,
Death Comes to Pemberley (The Mill at Sonning and STUDIO RA) - Theatre Royal Bath / Ustinov Studio / the egg, Bath, –
Calamity Jane (Jamie Wilson Productions / The Watermill Theatre) - Hall For Cornwall, Truro, –
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, –
Only Human (Vaudeville Productions, Michael Vine, Andrew O’Connor, Paul Sandler and Derren Brown for Only Human Productions Ltd) - Theatre Royal Brighton, Brighton, –
The Koala Who Could (Nicoll Entertainment present a Rose Theatre, Lowry, Northern Stage, Unicorn Theatre and MAST Mayflower Studios production) - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill On Sea, –
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Elliott & Harper Productions and Catherine Schreiber, based on the original Leeds Playhouse production) - Venue Cymru, Llandudno, –
Northern Ireland
Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) - Grand Opera House, Belfast, –
The Tunnel (Brassneck Theatre Company & Seamus Productions) - Lyric Theatre, Belfast, –
