The road from Exeter in South West England to Edinburgh, Scotland is a long one, but when you are taking a stage play with you it is a journey with many logistical challenges and many twists and turns along the …
To a virtually packed house, Paul Taylor-Mills, welcomed new and seasoned supporters to the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth, Devon for the launch of the 2024 Summer Play Festival launch. This is Paul’s 11th year of producing the Festival and, …
There are no two ways about it, a life working in the theatre is neither easy nor straightforward. For every household name, there are many thousands whose lives are unpredicatable and more full of disappointment than success. That said, the …
CORMAC RICHARDS THEATRE AWARDS 2023 DUD OF THE YEAR I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY – THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH (TOURING) ______ DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH (TOURING) ______ COMEDY PRODUCTION OF …
COMEDY PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR ROLEPLAY – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH THE 39 STEPS – MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH PAST TENTS – ALMA TAVERN THEATRE, BRISTOL (TOURING) WODEHOUSE IN WONDERLAND – EXETER NORTHCOTT THEATRE (TOURING) RUN FOR YOUR WIFE – …
Following a really mixed bag in the first six months, what would the second half offer? JULY The second offering in the Sidmouth Summer Season was BOEING-BOEING, the classic, if rather dated comedy of multiple relationships at the same time. …
Read up about the early careers of many of the senior actors in the UK and they will very often relay their experience of being a member of a repertory company. Often found in regional theatres and seaside venues, even …
As ever, this review takes in all the plays/shows reviewed and makes mention of those that have been watched without the reviewing hat on – though all may be eligible for the Cormac Richards Theatre Awards! Along the way I …
PROFILE by Paul Smith Rising up from the surrounding Somerset countryside, Downside Abbey certainly makes a statement; the Abbey Church standing mightily above the adjacent school. The gothic revival designs, much of them by Giles Gilbert Scott, reverberate to …
THE 2023 SUMMER PLAY SEASON AT THE MANOR PAVILION THEATRE, SIDMOUTH STARTS ON 26 JUNE AND RUNS UNTIL 23 SEPTEMBER – WITH A WEEK OFF IN THE MIDDLE FOR THE SIDMOUTH FOLK FESTIVAL. THIS IS THE 10TH YEAR OF THE …
Well, here we are again at the end of another year. The theatrical peak of which is this awards ceremony. Qualification for any award is based on the reviews written throughout the year. To acknowledge those in contention for the …
JULY And so the summer continued back at the MANOR PAVILION THEATRE SIDMOUTH with GLORIOUS; Peter Quilter’s beautifully realised script about Florence Foster Jenkins. Directed with love and verve by Claire Evans this was a wonderfully entertaining and touching piece. …
So, here we are again. Following a curtailed year of theatre going in 2021 I was full of enthusiasm to take in some super new shows and some returning old ones maybe. But we would have to see. 2022 has …
Cormac Richards – September 2022 It is just over 4 years since I became a regular reviewer at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, though I had been there before, as a viewer only. The three auditoria which make up the theatre …
5 JANUARY 2022 After the last couple of years it is difficult to get your head around what has happened and when. This time last year the curtains had suddenly closed again on theatres across the UK and the outlook …
16 DECEMBER 2021 Today it has been announced that the Northcott Theatre in Exeter will take over the management of the Barnfield Theatre which sits in the heart of the City, At a time when theatre is at a level …
A PROMPT CORNER MUSING Is the standing ovation expected for all shows now? Is this most special of accolades no longer reserved for the creme de la creme of theatre? I think I have stood for only a handful of …
Making Theatre More Accessible Created in 2019, Dip the Nib is a company setting out to make a change in British Theatre.Having debuted their first production, ‘Grapho’ at The Lab at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP), they will be moving on …
A THEATRICAL PHENOMENON by Cormac Richards A visit to the Manor Pavilion Theatre in Sidmouth is something of a step back in time. It is undeniably quaint and rather old-fashioned. This year the theatre has started selling tickets online for …
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s Production of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby – June 2019 THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS NICKLEBY by CHARLES DICKENS, adapted for the stage by DAVID EDGAR THE BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL …
Cormac Richards interviews Ben Kernow Many significant events can take place as the result of having a couple of drinks in a pub. Thus it was that in 2013, Ben Kernow and a friend – fresh out of drama school …