News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK
The British Theatre Guide Newsletter
No 1268: 14 June 2026
Editorial
I received some lovely responses to my article and editorial last week about the Rose Bruford course, from which I graduated and on which I teach, which has now been axed, including from fellow former students, a module writer whose books should be on most drama students’ shelves and reviewing colleagues.
Talking of books, I was very happy to see that Nick Hern, whose eponymous publishing company has been publishing scripts and other theatre books for nearly 40 years, has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for Services to Theatre, which is greatly deserved. I’ve not met Nick, only exchanged a few e-mails with him, but Philip Fisher interviewed him for our podcast back in 2013 on the 25th anniversary of his company. Many congratulations to him.
Still on books, I was reading the latest Substack newsletter from author Hanif Kureishi earlier today. He said that when he was struggling to start his novel The Buddha of Suburbia, he read and was helped by Keith Johnstone’s Impro—which has long been one of my favourite and most inspirational books on theatre, acting, writing, teaching, life…—which he called “an immaculate guide to not doing the right thing, to being careless, indecent—and altogether crazier”. Another thing we have to thank the late Mr Johnstone for. If you haven’t read it, you should—it might change your life.
I also mentioned last week that I was taking a brief trip to London (for a special someone’s special birthday), which also had a literary and theatrical theme, although not entirely intentional.
We went to the David Bowie Centre at the V&A Warehouse, where some of the captions on exhibits about that most theatrical of rock stars were written by BTG reviewer and Panto Editor Simon Sladen, who also happens to be a Senior Curator at the V&A.
We also visited the newly opened Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, where, on the wall of the floor dedicated to the work of the veteran illustrator after whom the building is named, there is a quote from him, “books are a sort of little theatre”. And indeed, amongst his illustrations from books by Roald Dahl and other children’s authors and his covers of Punch from the 1950s are his illustrations for the beautiful Folio edition of Waiting For Godot (I couldn’t afford it when it came out, and I think it is now out of print) and brilliant individual drawings of every single character from Macbeth portrayed as birds, right down to the soldiers and murderers, which were designed for whisky bottle labels (I couldn’t afford those either, although some are available in the gift shop).
Another quote from Blake: “illustrating is like directing a play, except that you also get to design the scenery and play all the parts."
We wanted to see something in a theatre while we were there and found lots of fringe theatres near to where we were staying in the Islington area, but not one of them had anything on while we were there. So we got discounted tickets for The Producers at the Garrick, which was a lot of fun.
Trying to catch up with editing all the reviews and articles using train WiFi on a carriage where the power sockets weren’t working wasn’t fun, but there was plenty of time between Euston and Crewe and my laptop battery held out.
Finally, it’s Independent Bookshop Week on Bookshop.org and you can win a £250 gift card if you buy something from them this week. If you buy through links in this newsletter or our web site, you will also be contributing to BTG’s running costs as we get a small cut at no extra cost to you.
The Ballad of Johnny & June Trafalgar Theatre Productions, The Dodgers, Paul Dainty- TEG Dainty, Rupert Gavin,Mallory Factor and La Jolla Playhouse at The Lowry, Salford
Murder For Two Octagon Theatre Bolton and Stephen Joseph Theatre at Octagon Theatre
Teechers John Godber Company at Reading Rep Theatre
Strauss 2225: Dances for the Future Ballet Academy of the Vienna State Opera—Part of Next Generation Festival 2026 at Linbury Theatre, Royal Ballet & Opera
The Long Drop Citizens Theatre Company at Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Malory Towers (Emma Rice Company, Alexandra Palace Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse) - Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool, –
The Bodyguard (David Ian for Crossroads Live, Playing Field (Theatre) Ltd, Mirvish Productions, ATG Touring) - Liverpool Empire, Liverpool, –
Nell Gwynn (Storyhouse in the Park, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake) - Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot, –
Annie (Michael Harrison and David Ian) - Palace Theatre, Manchester, –
Oh Zeus! (Le Navet Bete) - York Theatre Royal, York, –
Blue Mist (Boundless Theatre in association with Tamasha) - Leeds Playhouse, Leeds, –
Our Public House (Dash Arts) - The Crucible / Lyceum Theatre / Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield, –
The Choir Of Man (Immersive Everywhere, Nic Doodson, Andrew Kay, Wendy & Andy Barnes and AK Theatricals) - The Crucible / Lyceum Theatre / Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield, –
