this month's
Ink Pellet contains
Manchester School of Theatre
In this month’s feature on drama schools, Susan Elkin takes a look at the opportunities available at the Manchester School of Theatre.
ROH Apprenticeships
Offering another route into the industry, apprenticeships are flourishing and Susan Elkin examined the opportunities offered by the Royal Opera House.
Fourth Monkey expands to Bristol
Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company is offering a course in Bristol. Susan Elkin talked to founder and artistic director, Steve Green about this new development.
NDT Broadgate
So just how do you support an industry which is on its knees – economically, theatrically and emotionally – after a pandemic which has almost felled it? Step forward New Diorama Theatre, its artistic and executive director David Byrne, and – most importantly – British Land, a real estate investment company with British holdings worth £10.3 billion. Susan Elkin investigates.
EXHIBITION: Brutal Beauty
Making use of alternative mediums, Jean Dubuffet’s career spanned many genres and the latest retrospective at the Barbican caught Graham Hooper’s eye.
ENO Outreach
Determined to reach out to a wider, younger audience, the ENO is actively engaging with schools and supporting those recovering from illness. Susan Elkin discovered more.
Teaching Shakespeare
Don’t ignore the bard, implores Susan Elkin.
Book Review: The Lamplighters
By Emma Stonex Published by Pan Macmillan In 1900 three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides. And that mystery is the inspiration for Emma Stonex’s oddly compelling and highly original novel set in 1972 and later. Three men, Arthur Black, principal keeper, William “Bill” Walker, assistant keeper, and the much younger […]
THEATRE REVIEW: Animal Farm – National Youth Theatre Rep Company
Very clearly reimagined as muscular, vibrant, ensemble-based physical theatre, supported by John Elliott‘s relentless, menacing soundtrack, this riveting take on Animal Farm opens with a mock Pathé News item. It’s immaculately voiced by Will Stewart, who also does a simpering, comfort-loving pragmatic Mollie, and introduces each character. Then we’re into the timeless story about the […]
Vivid Direction
Matthew Parker is a theatre director. His recent Henry V in the Roman Amphitheatre for Maltings Theatre, St Albans wowed Susan Elkin, herself a Henry V veteran, so she met him to find out more. I fell in love with theatre when I was four years old – and it was for life”, Matthew tells me, […]
Library
Ink Pellet’s book review section covers an eclectic selection of new fiction, teachers’ guides, audio books and classics.
Many of our reviews are written by teachers, so we have an expert eye on how texts will work in the classroom. We hope to create a useful archive of reviews so that you can use this as a reference. If you would like to join our panel of reviewers, please join in or email the editor john@inkpellet.co.uk. We hope the section inspires you to share new fiction with your pupils or to revisit old favourites yourself
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Having ‘retired’ from running their hugely successful company, Oily Cart, Susan Elkin caught up with Tim Webb and Dave Bennett to find out what the future now holds in store.
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Susan Elkin chats to Amy Leach, associate director, about the casting of a female lead and ensuring a contemporary production.
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Birmingham Royal Ballet will be offering its second relaxed performances in early 2019 – a specially adapted production of Beauty and the Beast at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Birmingham Hippodrome. Here, dancer Jonathan Payn describes his involvement in the planning of this special production. Please introduce yourself for us: I’m Jonathan Payn, First Soloist […]
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The Lyric Hammersmith has extended its education outreach work. Susan Elkin went along to find out more.
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Musical Theatre Academy, long since rebranded as TheMTA, is a tiny vocational drama college whose working methods, influence and achievements are out of all proportion to its size. Susan Elkin went to find out how.
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Graham Hooper takes in a couple of shows looking at the art of distortion and its very practical application
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Susan Elkin puts forward the case for Christian knowledge as an intrinsic part of English lessons
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Susan Elkin visited TheatreCraft 2018, offering great advice to students looking for careers in the creative industries.
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Director, actor and teacher Roman Stefanski specialises in work for children and has been associated with Polka Theatre since 1980. Susan Elkin caught up with him for a chat.
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Susan Elkin visited a school in north London to see the National Theatre’s abridged version of The Curious Incident, touring schools nationwide, aiming to bring high quality theatre into schools to enrich teaching and learning. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one of the National Theatre’s most successful shows of recent […]