Postdramatic

Ivor Houlker reviews the Hong Kong tour of Ostermeier's Richard III, including a Greek word with three 'k's and speculation about cream cheese.

Richard III | Schaubühne Berlin - Postdramatic Thomas Ostermeier’s theatrical career began with the radical ‘in-yer-face’ style, staging works by Mark Ravenhill and Sarah Kane with violent intimacy. His recent work with the Schaubühne has gravitated towards more classical texts such as Ibsen and Shakespeare and older patrons are no longer in dan...

Ivor's review of La voix humaine by Toneelgroep Amsterdam (Ivo van Hove, no relation) is up now:

"Van Hove and Halina Reijn have clearly worked intensively on this masterful performance of the text, and the staging is clear and successful in its intentions, but it is a shame that in this return to simplicity, van Hove has felt compelled to add bits and pieces that distract from the significance of what Reijn achieves."

La voix humaine | Toneelgroep Amsterdam - Postdramatic Hong Kong Rep’s Black Box Festival kicks off without a hint of irony, presenting a show on City Hall’s proscenium stage: an adaptation of Cocteau’s monodrama, La voix humaine, directed by the internationally renowned Ivo van Hove. It is an enormous privilege to see van Hove’s work presented here in…

July has written a review of Ant Hampton's piece at West Kowloon - Someone Else (Hong Kong Version):

"Being among the audience in Ant Hampton’s autoteatro piece Someone Else (Hong Kong Version) was a detached experience. For such a particular theatre form that opens up the boundaries between real and staged experience for the audience, there should be more to take away than a smartphone app."

Someone Else (Hong Kong Version) | Ant Hampton - Postdramatic White Rubble on a White Chair Being among the audience in Ant Hampton’s autoteatro piece Someone Else (Hong Kong Version) was a detached experience. For such a particular theatre form that opens up the boundaries between real and staged experience for the audience, there should be more to take away…

A new review "Invisible Men" by July Zhiyan Yang .

At the place I work, we get three or four large bottles of drinking water delivered weekly. They get delivered just outside our office's back door the day after my colleague makes the weekly order. The door isn't very soundproof, so occasionally I hear the cling-clang of the plastic bottles and cargo lift groaning as they come and go - but never the noise of the delivery guy...

http://postdramatic.com/invisible-men-hong-kong-repertory-theatre/

Invisible Men | Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Please sign here for your delivery of an insignificant life For the Chinese version of this article, please go to IATC. At the place I work, we get three or four large bottles of drinking water delivered weekly. They get delivered just outside our office’s back door the day after my colleague makes…

http://postdramatic.com/falls-compagnie-yoann-bourgeois/ -616

He Who Falls | Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois - Postdramatic It’s been a while since I reviewed for you lot at Postdramatic, so apologies in advance for the rust. It’s also been a while since I have had something I’m genuinely excited to write about. He Who Falls by Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois has certainly gone some way to restoring my faith in British theatre…

Some reflections on actor training regarding Shakespeare and Cuescript. For some years The Salon:Collective have been exploring Shakespeare text through scenes without rehearsal, i.e. ‘cue-script’ as a training practice. Led by Lizzie and Dewi Hughes, (the latter also co- running this at Drama Studio) this time round they are attempting the whole Two Gentlemen of Verona, a play about love, lust, friendship, jealousy and favourite plot devices such as characters taking disguise and mistaken identity, and significantly, obscure enough for the cast to have not seen or worked on it before. [ 1308 more words. ]

http://postdramatic.com/two-gentlemen-of-verona-cue-script-saloncollective/

Two Gentlemen of Verona (Cue-script) | Salon:Collective Some reflections on actor training regarding Shakespeare and Cuescript. For some years The Salon:Collective have been exploring Shakespeare text through scenes without rehearsal, i.e. ‘cue-script’ as a training practice. Led by Lizzie and Dewi Hughes, (the latter also co- running this at Drama Studi…

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/dec/11/the-10-best-theatres-architecture-epidaurus-radio-city-music-hall

The 10 best theatres From gilded music halls to ancient stone, the Observer’s architecture critic presents his choice of the world’s most stunning stages

some perspective on the 'hierarchy' in British Theatre.
http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/matt-trueman-critical-choices-blog_37274.html

Matt Trueman: Choosing what to review is a critical decision 'Critics should represent the spectrum of theatre being made as fully as possible'

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/edinburgh-festival/edinburgh-fringe-2015-dumbest-show-review-to-receive-200-ham-fist-prize-10436335.html

The dumbest show review at Edinburgh Fringe is to receive a prize A critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe once dismissed Steven Berkoff’s one-man performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic horror story The Tell-Tale Heart as not funny enough, while another’s one-star review of a misogynistic French stand-up failed to grasp that the comedian was in character.

further evidence that censorship in the UK is growing far more insidious and moronic:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/04/controversial-isis-related-play-cancelled-two-weeks-before-opening-night?CMP=fb_gu "what message does that send these young people about the environment of fear and politics we live in?”

Controversial Isis-related play cancelled two weeks before opening night Creators of Homegrown, about radicalisation of young people, claim to have been given no prior warning and that external pressure was applied for decision

Another bilingual review by July Yang - Electronic City (Director's Cut) at the Cattle Depot Theatre in Hong Kong, by Onandon 前進進.

Electronic City (Director’s Cut) | On-and-On Theatre Workshop - Postdramatic When rationality and man-made order overwhelm our capacity for control… When connection and information deform into a suffocating sticky web that we can hardly bear… Every individual collapses into a critical mass of mechanisation and a black hole of desire… And the outlines that define such “indivi…

Still very mainstream but Lyn Gardner certainly writes in the interest of UK's theatre scene:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2015/jul/28/theatre-artistic-development-schemes-derby-in-good-company?CMP=share_btn_tw

Why radical kindness is the key to artistic development Schemes to develop theatre artists are flourishing all over the country – but greed and laziness still prevail. Theatres need to put their talent first if they want to ensure a vibrant future generation