I Guess It Had To Happen!

The BBC have confirmed that they are in "early development talks" with Andrew Lloyd Webber about a theatre version of The Sound of Music. And Andrew Lloyd Webber apparently plans to use reality TV to find the person to play Maria.

National Theatre Goes Home Empty Handed

The National Theatre left with nothing at the Evening Standard theatre awards yesterday. Shows winning awards included Billy Elliot, Grand Hotel and Mary Poppins. The full results can be seen here.

Don't You Just Hate It When That Happens

I can't remember the last time I went to the theatre and didn't hear a mobile phone go off. Why are people so stupid that they leave them on - despite requests at the beginning of the show by the theatre to switch them off. However annoyed I get, Richard Griffiths the actor got even madder! He recently stopped a performance of the comedy "Heroes" when one member of the audience's phone rang repeatedly. Finally he apparently told the owner of the phone to leave the theatre and suggested that the remaining 750 people would be fully justified to sue him/her for ruining their afternoon. Perhaps that is what it will take for people to remember - the threat of being sued!

Ticket Resales To Be Banned?

Theatre Managers in the West End are trying to stop the resale of theatre tickets. Tessa Jowell (Culture Secretary) has been approached and asked to address the growing problem of ticket touts. The Stage website has a good article about this which is worth reading.

Free Competition To Win 6 Rights Free Performances

We all know the story of Noah's Ark... or do we?

In this magical new musical Ian Gower and Rob Alderton include all the elements you would expect to tell this great story, a large boat, the animals two by two, a storm, a dove and of course the symbolic rainbow.

But that's not all ... Meet Noah the man; Mrs Noah; their sons Ham, Shem and Japheth; their wives Rachel, Rebekah and Ruth; the evil council of Baasha and his elders and of course lots of animals!

With all original songs and lyrics this new musical is set to be a hit and has already played to packed houses at its world premiere where each night the cast received a standing ovation.

Now is your chance to win 6 free performances of this musical for your group. Not only that, but you will also get the backing tracks on CD as well!

All you have to do is visit the website and answer the following three simple questions, and email your answers, quick, simple and free!

1 How long is the ark in Cubits Song?
2 Which comedy stage play will Ian Gower Premiere next summer?
3 What famous band has Rob Alderton played in?

All entries have to be emailed before the 24th of December and the winner will be notified after Christmas. Performance dates will be arranged to suit the winning group.

Does Britain Need Another Festival?

I was interested to read over the weekend that a Manchester International Festival is going to be launched in the summer of 2007. This will be dedicated to presenting newly commissioned work, so not a place for amateur to perform, but certainly somewhere to see new stuff available. However, with the new Director, Alex Poots, having a controversial background, I can't help but wonder about the content of the festival. More information can be found at this website - http://www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com.

New Theatre Opens

It's really great to be able to report a Theatre opening and not closing! The Carriageworks Theatre cost £3.4m and was saved by local pressure as well as some celebrity support. It replaces the Leeds Civic Theatre which is being turned into a theatre. The Carriageworks will be home for amateur and professional theatre alike.