New headtheatre blog

 

 

I have just recently launched my new blog based on books known as headtheatre's book journal. My first post went up last week so please give it a view at the link here.

Theatre in T.V. & Radio WB: 03/09/12

This is a new feature I wanted to add to the blog. Granted it should be from Saturday-Friday but I'm a bit late with this one. Let me know if you're planning to watch or listen to any of these and what you thought of them!

Monday 3rd September

Sky Arts 1      8.00p.m.
In Confidence - Alan Acykbourn

Radio 4          2.15p.m.
Afternoon Drama: Craven:Looking for Mr King
Comtemporary murder mystery starring Maxine Peake


Tuesday 4th September

Sky Arts 1      8.00p.m.
Voices of a Generation - Michael Gambon
Profile and Interview

Radio 4          4.30 p.m.
Great Lives: Stan Laurel
Ken Dodd explores the life of the comic actor.


Wednesday 5th September

Radio 4          2.15p.m.
Afternoon Drama: The Meaning of Love
Romantic Comedy

Radio 4 Extra   3.00p.m.
Death at the Desert Inn
Comedy Murder Mystery featuring characters such as Judy Garland, a showgirl and Broadway Agent. Starring Malcolm Sinclair as Noel Coward.


Thursday 6th September

BBC 2      4.00 a.m. (Friday Morning)
Shakespeare Unlocked: Julius Caesar
Exploring key scenes from the play.

Radio 4      2.15p.m.
Afternoon Drama: A9
By Helen Cooper.
Complications arise when war hero Bernard's will is revealed.


Friday 7th September

Sky Arts 2     7.00p.m.
Discovering Hamlet
The challenges of staging Shakespeare's play.

Sky Arts 2      8.00p.m.
Being Shakespeare
Simon Callow in his West End performance as the Bard.

Radio 4          2.15p.m.
Afternoon Drama: A Cold Supper Behind Harrods
by David Morley
50 years after the end of WW2 three veterans meet to discuss the murder of a colleague by the Gestapo. What they discover has shocking results. Starring David Jason, Stephanie Cole and Anton Lesser.

Radio 4         9.00p.m.
Friday Drama: An American Rose
by Charlotte Jones.
Tells the story of Rosemary Kennedy. Starring Fenella Woolgar.

Today in Theatrical History: The Grand Theatre, Fulham opens 1897

(Photo courtesy of theatretrust.org.uk)

 

On the 23rd of August 1897 the Grand Theatre Fulham opened just off Fulham high street with a performance of 'The Geisha' a musical written by Owen Hall with music and lyrics by Jones, Monckton and Greenbank. The theatre became a cinema known as the Shilling Theatre in 1912 but eventually started showing live performances again in 1937. The Theatre was demolished in 1960 and there are no signs of its existence on the spot where it once stood. To read more about this theatre please go to the theatre trust website here. Or to read a report from opening night and see some more pictures of the theatre and other Fulham venues please go to the arthurlloyd.co.uk website at the following link here. By all means read more of http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk as it is one of my favourite websites on the internet and is just a wonderful resource.



The Theatres Act of 1843: Today in Theatrical History

(pic courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery)



On the 22nd of August 1843 a new act of law was passed to eliminate the restrictions on regional theatre. Essentially it was designed to curb the powers of the Lord Chamberlain and to stop the patent theatres from continuing their monopoly of the industry. Prior to this act only the patent theatres were allowed to show spoken drama, although a minor adjustment to the previous act of 1788 allowed smaller theatres to produce spoken dramas with a magistrates license, which stopped many regional venues being able to flourish. When the act was passed it allowed local authorities to license theatres fully which led to the growth of musical hall, variety and the regional theatre scene. The other important change made by the law was the decision to stop the Lord Chamberlain from cherry picking which dramas could be shown, from 1843 onwards the Lord Chamberlain, George Sackville-West the 5th Earl De La Warr, would only be able to turn down a play if it:

'is fitting for the preservation of good manners, decorum or of the public peace to do so...'

Of course this would all change 124 years later with the 1968 Theatres Act.