Samuel West - The Book of Disquiet, Frank Auerbach, Peace Brigades International

The Book of Disquiet has been featured in the New York Times' "Fall and beyond" music listings. It will be performed 21-24 January at Montclair State University. Click here for tickets.

Sam, Juliet Stevenson and Ian Mckellen will perform in "Shakespeare and the Law" (16 November, Middle Temple Hall). The event has been organised by Peace Brigades International (PBI) and the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk.
Juliet and Sam have previously worked with PBI. In May 2013, they performed in a gala honouring defenders of the rule of law.

**********

Sam went to the Photograph 51 press night on Monday. Rather appropriately, he wore a tie with a periodic table on it (wooller.com and his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Andrew Scott and Harriet Walter also attended the event.

Earlier this month, Sam discussed artist Frank Auerbach in Art Quarterly (via @artfund).

Parents in Performing Arts will have a campaign launch at the Young Vic on 16 October. Romola Garai and Poppy Burton-Morgan are confirmed to speak. Sam and John Simm are listed as supporters on the Eventbrite listing.

Sam endorsed the arts policy proposed by Christian Wolmar (via @wolmarforlondon). Wolmar was a candidate seeking nominations to be Labour's candidate for Mayor of London.

The Mono Box

The Mono Box is a resource for actors, directors and playwrights. It was set up by actor Joan Iyiola and movement director/choreographer Polly Bennett in 2012. The organisation runs workshops and events. It also has a collection of plays that was entirely donated by industry professionals. Several donors are people I have featured on my blog over the years* - actors Hugh Bonneville, Olivia Colman, Charles Edwards, Andrew Scott, Michael Sheen, Juliet Stevenson and David Tennant; and playwrights Caryl Churchill, Lucy Prebble and Laura Wade.

* belated realisation that I've had this blog for nine years!

Artists Against TTIP and Act for Change

I decided to put Artists Against TTIP and Act for Change in a blog post because I noticed that there are some people who are associated with both campaigns: David Morrissey, Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West and Ruth Wilson.



Screencaps of Tobias Menzies, Juliet Stevenson, Andrew Scott and Ruth Wilson from the Artists Against TTIP launch video.
Artists Against TTIP launched in July. TTIP is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a treaty aimed at aligning trade laws between the EU and US. In The Stage, Samuel West commented on cosmetic regulations and Carrie Cracknell suggested possible issues with subsidy and copyright.

Click the pictures above to view a selection of videos on the Act for Change Youtube channel.
(Row 1 - Chipo Chung, Indira Varma, Gemma Chan
Row 2 - Ruth Wilson & Danny Lee Wynter, Juliet Stevenson, David Harewood & David Morrissey)

Danny Lee Wynter established Act for Change in 2014, after seeing an ITV trailer which did not feature a single BAME or disabled artist. The organisation aims to improve diversity in UK performing arts, both in performance and behind the scenes.
In June, Shami Chakrabarti (head of civil rights group Liberty), chaired an Act for Change event at the National Theatre. The event had a variety of panellists: actor Adrian Lester, actor/writer Cush Jumbo, director Phyllida Lloyd, critic Mark Lawson, shadow culture secretary Chris Bryant and artistic director Jenny Sealey (BBC News and Samuel West's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Actors Sophia Sinclair, Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Mitesh Soni shared their thoughts on the debate; all have stressed the importance of improving opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds.

Samuel West - TV - Fleming and The Hollow Crown

Fleming will be broadcast as a two-parter on Australian TV. It premieres this Sunday on ABC1 at 8.30pm and concludes next Sunday.

Sam is currently filming The Hollow Crown. He plays the Bishop of Winchester in Henry VI Part I. The series stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III; other cast members include Hugh Bonneville, Geoffrey Streatfeild and Andrew Scott (BBC Media Centre).

Radio - Betrayal

The Saturday Drama Betrayal will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 14 July. It stars Charles Edwards (Robert), Andrew Scott (Jerry), Olivia Colman (Emma) and Gerard McDermott (the waiter).

Radio - Betrayal

Charles Edwards, Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman have been recording a radio adaptation of Betrayal by Harold Pinter (Charles' Twitter, @cedwardsactor).

Evening Standard Theatre Awards, BBC Radio

Nominees for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards include Benedict Cumberbatch (Frankenstein) and Charles Edwards (Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe) for Best Actor; Kristin Scott Thomas (Betrayal) for Best Actress; and Rob Ashford (Anna Christie) for Best Director.

The Drama on 3 Cock, an adaptation of the Royal Court theatre production, premieres next week. Andrew Scott, Ben Whishaw and Katherine Parkinson star. The following are currently available on iPlayer: The Tales of Max Carrados read by Arthur Darvill and The Wire The Thank You Present, starring Roger Allam and Reece Dinsdale.

Romola Garai, Ruth Wilson, BBC Radio

Romola Garai and Nicholas Burns will star in The Village Bike at the Royal Court from 24 June to 30 July.

A quote from Ruth in the Telegraph about Michael Grandage, outgoing artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse:

"'He is an agent’s worst nightmare!’ Ruth Wilson laughs. Not only does he cut them entirely out of the process by contacting their clients directly, but he also expects his actors, however famous they are, to work for a company wage."

Ruth previously performed at the Donmar in A Streetcar Named Desire, and will star in the theatre's upcoming production of Anna Christie.

BBC Radio

• Hattie Morahan, Bertie Carvel and Tobias Menzies star in the Drama on 3 Serious Money by Caryl Churchill (available on iPlayer for 4 more days)
• Alex Jennings reads Twenty Minutes "A Warning to the Curious" (available on iPlayer for 5 more days)
• Andrew Scott voices James Joyce in the Book of the Week James Joyce - A Biography. Jim Norton narrates.   
• Jason Isaacs was interviewed on Loose Ends 

Dan Stevens. Theatre - 24 Hour Plays. Celebrating Creativity at Tonbridge School. Radio - Orley Farm.

Dan played Curtis in "Late at Night", written by Richard Curtis, directed by Josie Rourke and co-starring Ralf Little, Kelly Brook and Natalie Dormer (with a cameo from Richard Wilson). Press coverage of the 24 Hour Plays includes a video from Ideas Tap; and articles from the Independent, the Evening Standard and the Londoner's Diary. It will also be featured on The Culture Show (via Clemency Burton-Hill's Twitter, @clemencybh). Getty, Rex Features and wooller.com have pictures from the after party; as well as Dan, guests included Andrew Scott and Toby Jones.
Some tweets from Dan about the 24 Hour Plays: 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8

Dan will participate in Celebrating Creativity at Tonbridge School, a celebration that will take place 17 February 2011 in the E.M. Forster Theatre at 7.45pm.

Orley Farm, a Classic Serial originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from December 2008 to January 2009, is available for purchase. Dan plays Peregrine Orme.

BBC Radio

• Blake Ritson, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Toby Jones star in the Classic Serial The Wings of the Dove [link]
• Benedict Cumberbatch and Timothy West star in the Afternoon Plays Rumpole and the Family Pride and Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle
• Andrew Scott and Aidan McArdle star in the Afternoon Play Stannie and Jim [link]
• Bill Nighy, Emily Woof, and Amanda Root are the readers for the Afternoon Reading The Other Garden and Collected Stories by Francis Wyndham [link]
• Rebecca Front and Rafe Spall will be interviewed on Loose Ends [link]
• Series 3 of Fry's English Delight begins next week [link]

Samuel West. Radio - Moments of Genius. Radio - I Come From There. Dan Stevens - Audio - The Cradle of the Snake. Hayley Atwell. Audio - The Whispering Forest. Radio - Waves Breaking on a Shore.

[updated 22 May: edited links for Waves Breaking on a Shore]

• Sam presents next Tuesday's episode of Moments of Genius. He will be talking about the Second Law of Thermodynamics. (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming) [link]
• The programme page for the Sunday Feature I Come From There: The Poetry of Mahmoud Darwish is available. Sam is reading some poetry for the programme. [link]
  
  
• Dan and Hayley are guest stars in the Big Finish audios The Cradle of the Snake and The Whispering Forest, respectively. Their character names are now available - Dan plays Rick ausGarten, and Hayley plays Seska.
  
  
• Hayley Atwell and Andrew Scott star in the Afternoon Play Waves Breaking on a Shore, a two-parter that will be broadcast next Thursday and Friday (via hinting tweets from Jason Maza, who plays the Thief 1|2) part 1|part 2

Theatre - Olivier awards. Theatre - Enron. Theatre - A Streetcar Named Desire.

[updated 23 March]

Selected winners:
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre - The Royal Court for Cock at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Ruth Wilson for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Director - Rupert Goold for Enron at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and now at the Noël Coward theatre
Special Award - Maggie Smith

Guests included Hayley Atwell, Rupert Friend, Rupert Goold, Keira Knightley, Andrew Scott, Laura Wade, Sam West and Ruth Wilson.

Pictures
wooller.com reception|press room
Rex Features [link]
Wire Image [link]
look.co.uk [link]

Videos
Getty [link]
Arrivals - elizabethtoni 1|2|3|4

Articles
Ruth Wilson and Rupert Goold interviews from Broadway World ruth|rupert
Article from whatsonstage.com about the winners' speeches [link]
Winners' reactions from broadway.com [link]

Other
Lisa Eldridge did Hayley Atwell's makeup [link]
Ruth Wilson wore an Armani gown [link]

Theatre - The Pride. Lucy Prebble. Theatre - The Real Thing. Samuel West - Radio - Bomber. Dan Stevens - Audio - War Horse. BBC Radio.

• Andrea Riseborough, Ben Whishaw and Hugh Dancy were on the Leonard Lopate Show discussing The Pride (via mcctheater) [link]
• Lucy Prebble profile from the Telegraph [link]
• Toby Stephens, Hattie Morahan and Fenella Woolgar will star in The Real Thing at the Old Vic, 21 April-5 June 2010 (previews from 10 April) [link]
• Bomber and War Horse are featured in this article from the Guardian. Here are excerpts:
  

  "...I came across this classic [Bomber] and can report that it's just as riveting second time round...
  ...ever since I heard him read AL Kennedy's Day, I have become a loyal follower of Dan Stevens, he of the chameleon voice that makes you laugh or cry at a stroke. No need to ask what Stevens reading this heart-rending story [War Horse] did to me..."

• BBC Radio
• Andrew Scott and Dave Fishley star in The Wire Look Closer [link]
• Lorcan Cranitch and Alex Jennings star in the Afternoon Play Shakespeare's Vortigern and Rowena (via the AJ Diaries) [link]
• Timothy Spall and Cheryl Campbell star in Jagged Prayer [link]
• Damian Lewis narrates Agent Zig Zag [link]

Charles Edwards - Theatre - A Midsummer Night's Dream. BBC Radio.

• A Midsummer Night's Dream production photos from Broadway World [link]
• BBC Radio
• Geoffrey Palmer and Alex Jennings star in the Drama on 3 An Ideal Husband [link]
• Andrew Scott stars in the Saturday Play Slaughterhouse 5 [link]
• Tony Osoba and Bill Nighy star in Enquiry [link]
• Benedict Cumberbatch narrates Casanova [link]
• David Tennant stars in the Saturday Play Murder in Samarkand [link]

Theatre - Enron

[updated 31 January]



Reviews

Telegraph
"...There is superb clarity in Prebble's story-telling as well as high drama, and terrific bravura about Rupert Goold's often dazzling production that brings the mysterious world of high finance to vivid, comprehensible life...
The production is is also blessed with some terrific performances. Samuel West grippingly charts the transformation of Enron's chief executive Jeffrey Skilling from gauche nerd to ruthless financial master of the universe..."

The Times
"...It's now as much a phenomenon as a play... Good for Lucy Prebble. Good for her Enron.
...a potentially dry subject is actually packed with juice is also due to the actors: Tim Pigott-Smith's Kenneth Lay, Enron's founder and a man whose folksy bonhomie conceals ruthlessness; Tom Goodman-Hill as the obsequious nerd who devises and then disowns the fiscal trickery; and, above all, Samuel West as the CEO..."

Bloomberg
"...Lucy Prebble's razor-sharp play...
Samuel West is superb as the aggressive and devious character depicting Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling, and his physical and mental disintegration now strikes an even deeper note of horror..."

Londonist
"...Samuel West is wonderful as Skilling, managing to bring a touch of humanity to a brainy, unrepentantly greedy bastard. Tim Pigott-Smith is utterly convincing as Enron chairman Ken Lay, creepily concealing his greed behind touchy-feely company jargon and religion. And Amanda Drew is great as what seems to be the one woman in the room, losing out to the macho of markets..."

whatsonstage.com
"...The great Samuel West leads the same cast as that which first appeared at the Chichester Minerva Theatre in July last year, then at the Royal Court in the autumn, and the company crackle with energy and wit now just as they did in each of the previous incarnations of the show..."

Guardian
"...company president Jeffrey Skilling (played by Sam West, who is remarkable in what is a remarkable cast)... The audience doesn't have to do the maths because Prebble has done it for us, bringing clarity to a complex story, and cleverly blurring the line between fact and fiction to considerable dramatic effect..."
[another review] "...Enron has arrived in the West End. Lucy Prebble's play is one of the most grown-up political dramas of the last decade. The raptor puppets, the fluorescent dazzle, the great Mammon danse macabre of Rupert Goold's production put flesh on the ideas, make the virtual look real, give life to the illusions of finance. Last year saw a string of unmissable plays. This is one of them."

Music OMH
"...West's superb performance gives the production its pulse. In his hands Skilling is an enigmatic and intriguing figure, highly intelligent, ruthless and manipulative when needs be, and utterly convinced of his own brilliance, but also undoubtedly passionate about what he does... Physically, West transforms himself repeatedly as the play progresses. From a portly outsider with unfortunate hair at the start he morphs into the epitome of the slick executive and then, as the full reality of the situation comes to light, he subtly conveys Skilling’s unravelling... Goodman-Hill is also impressive as the smart but socially awkward and rather repellent Fastow..."

The Sunday Times
"...Sam West is superb in the role [Jeffrey Skilling]. Initially, he is a boffin with a weird, slicked-down hairstyle, thick specs and trousers too short... He possesses a quite breathtaking arrogance. Gradually, his image gets slicker, his suits sharper; he even has his eyes lasered...
Prebble’s play is a magnificently ambitious and original piece"

The Financial Times
"...The acting was compelling and believable, especially from Sam West, who as Jeff Skilling managed to make a seamless transition from maths nerd to master of the universe..."

Articles

Sky News - Lucy Prebble and Samuel West are interviewed [link]
Telegraph - Rupert Goold interview [link]
ITN - Tom Goodman-Hill is interviewed [link]
Critics' Circle Theatre Awards - Rupert Goold won best director [link]
Official London Theatre Guide [link]
CNBC - producer Matthew Byam Shaw interview (via Enron- West End Run) [link]
The Times - Lucy Prebble interview [link]

Pictures

Press night:
wooller.com - after party (guests included Imelda Staunton, Lindsay Duncan, John Simm, Guy Henry, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dominic West, Rebecca Hall, Laura Wade, Maxine Peake and Andrew Scott) and curtain call [link]
Getty - after party [link]

Production:
Photo by Elliott Franks [link]
Photos by Helen Maybanks 1|2
Corbis (photo: Robbie Jack) [link]

Video

Press night - video by elizabethtoni (via FilmographySam) [link]

BBC Radio

• Toby Stephens and Patrick Malahide star in the Friday Play Let's Murder Vivaldi [link]
  
• The Complete Smiley continues with the Classic Serial The Honourable Schoolboy starring Simon Russell Beale (as George Smiley), Hugh Bonneville, Anthony Calf and Anna Chancellor [link]
• Bill Nighy stars in A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance [link]
• Benedict Cumberbatch narrates Metamorphosis [link]
  
• Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Rebecca Front star in In the Chair [link]
  
• The Chekhov season includes:
• Ben Whishaw reading Twenty Minutes To Chekhov's Memory [link]
• Drama on 3 The Cherry Orchard, starring Sarah Miles, Nicholas le Prevost and Anne-Marie Duff [link]
• Bruce Alexander, Tessa Nicholson and Anna Maxwell Martin take part in the Sunday Feature Seven and a Half Years [link]
• Mackenzie Crook and Jason Isaacs are the readers for Words and Music "Sons of Russia" [link]
• Andrew Scott stars in A Life of Chekhov [link]
• Simon Russell Beale presents an episode of The Essay [link]

Television - Lennon Naked. Andrea Riseborough. Ruth Wilson - Television - Small Island. BBC Radio.

• Christopher Eccleston, Naoko Mori, Claudie Blakley, Rory Kinnear and Andrew Scott will star in the BBC4 one-off drama Lennon Naked [link]
• Andrea organised some performances at a Stepney pub for the launch of an arts charity [link]
• BBC Radio
• Ruth will promote Small Island on Loose Ends [link]
• Peter Capaldi and Emily Bruni will be doing Words and Music [link]
• Afternoon Plays
• Stephen Mangan and Rebecca Front star in Grey Expectations [link]
• Timothy Spall and Amanda Root star in A Dangerous Thing [link]
  
• Steve Coogan, Patrick Marber, Rebecca Front and David Schneider star in Knowing Me, Knowing You produced by Armando Iannucci [link]
  
• Stephen Fry and John Bird star in Absolute Power [link]

Film - An Education. Rosamund Pike - Theatre - Hedda Gabler. Ruth Wilson. Samuel West - Narration - Jubilee Poetry. BBC Radio.

• An article about An Education from Newsday [link]
• Hedda Gabler is featured in Baz Bamigboye's Daily Mail column [link]
• A nice mention of Ruth Wilson from the Guardian:

  We have had a major eyebrow crush since seeing her as Stella in the Donmar's Streetcar and will therefore be glued to the BBC's Small Island

• BBC Radio
  
• Samuel West, Juliet Stevenson and Samantha Bond narrate Jubilee Poetry, an anthology of poetry written by the Poets Laureate presented by a former Laureate, Andrew Motion [link]
• Toby Stephens and David Morrissey star in the Drama on 3 Becket or The Honour of God [link]
• Chris New and Rob Hastie star in the Classic Serial Beau Geste [link]
• Jemima Rooper, Andrew Scott and Lizzy Watts star in the Afternoon Play Audio Recordings of Human Traffic [link]