Charles Edwards - Blithe Spirit touring North America, Arthur & George, Clarence Derwent Award

Charles will reprise his role as Charles Condomine in a North American tour of Blithe Spirit, from December until March 2015 (the Hollywood Reporter). The tour begins in Los Angeles (Ahmanson Theatre, 9 December--18 January), followed by performances in San Franciso (Golden Gate Theatre, 20 January-1 February), Toronto (Princess of Wales Theatre, 10 February-15 March) and Washington DC (National Theatre, 17-29 March). The play's official website has further details about tickets.

Charles has filmed Arthur & George, a three-part adaptation of Julian Barnes’ novel for ITV. Martin Clunes stars as Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles plays Doyle's manservant, Alfred ‘Woodie’ Wood. The cast includes Emma Fielding and Hattie Morahan. Filming locations include the Black Country Living Museum and Cogges Manor Farm (1|2).


He received a Clarence Derwent Award from Equity for the role of Charles Marsden in Strange Interlude. The awards recognise the best individual male and female performances in supporting role in a production in the West End; previous recipients include Fenella Woolgar, Phil Davis and Timothy West. This year's Awards were presented on Thursday 13 November at the Duke of York’s Theatre. Click here for pictures from the event.

Samuel West - TV, culture campaigns, Scene & Heard

Sam plays Eliot Vincent in The Crimson Field, a six part series for BBC One which premiered last Sunday (United Agents). Presumably he will appear between episodes 3 and 6; cast listings have yet to be released.
He plays Norman Skinner in D Day: Last Letters Home, a drama documentary written and directed by Marion Milne. Produced for ITV1, it will be broadcast later this year (United Agents and Marion's ShowFolio).

Screencaps of Sam and his parents Timothy West and Prunella Scales from episode 2 of Great Canal Journeys (they are thumbnails - click them for full size). The episode is available on 4oD for 7 more days.

----------

The NCA has launched a campaign called 50p for Culture. It suggests that local councils should budget at least 50p per person every week on arts, museums and heritage (The Stage). In mid March, Carl Woodward tweeted some pictures of Sam (chair of the NCA) speaking about the campaign at UK Theatre headquarters 1|2
Sam gave a speech about My Theatre Matters at Hull Truck Theatre last Wednesday. The theatre, @sarahbrigham and @derbytheatre posted some pictures of him on Twitter 1|2|3

On 28 March, Sam read a poem by Mark Hurst, "50 Shades of Grayling" at Pentonville Prison (All That's Left). His reading was part of a protest which opposed new rules preventing prisoners from being sent items such as books. Prisoners' access to books would be limited to gaol libraries or earning money to buy books (BBC, Islington Gazette, Islington Tribune, Evening Standard).

----------

Sam presented the DVD award (the Royal Opera House's production of Tosca) at the BBC Music Magazine Awards yesterday (@PrestoClassical). The magazine tweeted a picture of Sam at the ceremony.

"...you're not a police officer; you're the emu who killed my sister": some dialogue from a Scene & Heard performance in late March (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Scene & Heard produces plays written by children in Somers Town. A registered charity, its patrons include Sam, Hugh Bonneville, Anna Chancellor, Tom Goodman-Hill, Damian Lewis, Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen.

Guests at the Royal Court pub quiz fundraiser (18 March) included Benedict Cumberbatch and Romola Garai. Sam's team won the quiz (Tatler).

Some radio picks for this week

• Julian Rhind-Tutt and Hugh Laurie are the readers for With Great Pleasure at Christmas
• The Sunday Feature "Anything but Banal - The Fascination of the Villain" features interviews with Rory Kinnear and Timothy West
• Michael Sheen's Eighties begins this Saturday on Radio 2
• Repeats: Rory Kinnear plays Young Alf in Ed Harris' drama The Moment You Feel It; An Inspector Calls stars Toby Jones as Inspector Goole; the cast of Neverwhere includes James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Romola Garai; and James Purefoy and Hattie Morahan star in Otherwise Engaged.

Samuel West - Britten in Wartime and My Theatre Matters

Sam is the narrator for Britten in Wartime, which will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 this Thursday. The concert will take place at The Hallé; booking details are here.

Jamie Campbell, the Aurora Orchestra and Sam have tweeted rehearsal pictures from last Sunday's Britten Films concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall 1|2|3|4

Sam gave a speech about My Theatre Matters at the Theatre Royal in York last Friday (his Twitter, @exitthelemming). The theatre posted a picture of Sam with the cast of See How They Run on Twitter. He also discussed the campaign with Elly Fiorentini on BBC Radio York - the interview starts at approximately 1 hour 46 minutes (via @ellyfyork).

Last Wednesday, he attended the book launch for Solo, William Boyd's new Bond novel (Getty Images and the Evening Standard).

In September, Sam and his parents Timothy West and Prunella Scales did some filming for a Channel 4 documentary about the Rochdale Canal (Todmorden News).

Samuel West - Track to Track, upcoming narrations, Theatre Awards UK

Screencaps from Track to Track (video source: The Space).
The Space has a video from the world premiere of Track to Track (via their Twitter, @thespacearts).

This week, Sam recorded a narration for a BBC4 documentary about Tove Jansson, who created the Moomins. It will be broadcast in late December (his Twitter, @exitthelemming 1|2)

Sam and Eleanor Bron are the reciters for a concert at the Wigmore Hall on 16 March 2013 (subject to availability). The program includes Night Mail (Britten) and Henry V (Walton).
On 23 April 2013, he will be the narrator for "Heart of Darkness", a performance at the Cadogan Hall.

A tweet about the Bath Mozartfest (11 November)

I'm narrating Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals at Bath Assembly Rooms tonight. The most brilliant piece; so many tunes per minute.
— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) November 11, 2012

At the Theatre Awards UK (28 October), Sam presented The Stage Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre to his parents Timothy West and Prunella Scales. Here's an excerpt from The Arts Desk's article about the awards:

"The well-loved husband and wife Timothy West and Prunella Scales were given a standing ovation... He [Sam] remarked that last week was Timothy West's 78th birthday - when he rang to wish him happy birthday, his father "was on his way out to do two shows in Richmond, next date Oxford. The previous year he spent his birthday on tour in Cape Town. The year before that he was at the Menier Chocolate Factory. My mother at the moment is doing her Queen Victoria tour in 100 cities, more than 200 venues, and every continent except Antarctica. When it comes to touring, these guys have put in the hours."

Pictures from the event can be viewed at wooller.com

Samuel West - Shift Happens, Equity, TRH masterclass

Sam posted the text of his Shift Happens speech at the Arts Funding Ning (via Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming).

Stuart Allen posted pictures of Sam and Timothy West from a Theatre Royal Haymarket masterclass in March 2011 (via @StuAllenPhotos).

Sam has been reelected to the Equity Council, General List (via @exitthelemming).

He has been quoted in an article from the Guardian about the lack of pay for the actors and crew working on You Me Bum Bum Train (via @EmmGibbs).

Samuel West. Theatre - A Number. Audio - Faust. Narration - Horizon.

Recent press for A Number includes reviews and interviews. Some quotes from reviews:

Times Live
"A change of clothing, gait, accent and nuance is all that is required as West fully inhabits each one [clone]."

Bizcommunity
"Samuel West has a magical way of transforming into characters, leaving you feeling a little disturbed and fascinated all at once. Dad and son had the full house literally at the edge of our seats."

Cape Times
"This production is first-class theatre: an outstanding real-life father-and-son cast are supported by Jonathan Munby, a supremely talented director."

Die Burger
"In A Number is hy eweneens indrukwekkend, veral gegewe sy veeleisende taak om drie karakters te speel wat identies lyk (twee is gekloon), maar met drie uiteenlopende persoonlikhede. Die leidende hand van die regisseur, Jonathan Munby, is hier te bespeur. Die drie mans se fisieke eendersheid, eerder as hul andersheid, word beklemtoon; die verskille word subtiel verbloem in stemtoon en gebare sodat jy as gehoorlid self soms wonder watter een dit eintlik is."

The Writing Studio
"Timothy West is solid as the stern father who is torn between loyalty and guilt, with Samuel West delivering a passionate performance as his three sons Bernard (B1), Bernard (B2) and Michael Black, two of whom are clones of the original."


Sam and Timothy have been interviewed in City Press, the Weekend Argus (Vivien Horler, "Keeping it all in the family," 9 October 2011) and the Cape Times (Terri Dunbar-Curran, "Clone ranger," 7 October 2011).


Faust is now available on CD and for download (Naxos Audiobooks). It was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3.


Clive James has said positive things about Sam's voice-over abilities:

"Sam West’s voice was the convincing thing about an episode of Horizon (BBC Four) ["Is Everything We Know About the Universe Wrong?"] concerned with Dark Flow... Soothed by Sam’s voice and the voices of various scientists of exotic origin, I was ready to take it on trust that the Standard Model explains too much to be let go of at this late stage... Sam’s quiet eloquence held everything together."

Samuel West - Theatre - A Number

A Number began previewing on Tuesday, and the final preview is tonight. A couple of tweets about the first preview:

"...check out the amazing acting of @exitthelemming [Sam] at the Fugard in A Number" (@yesreallyangel)

"Thanks brother @iamSivN for taking us to see @exitthelemming show #numbers [sic] this eve! great to meet u #sam gd luck with the birding& ur show!" (@johnmcinroy)

Jesse Kate Kramer's website has some lovely stills from the play and its rehearsals.

IOL has an article about the production, "Acting combo keeps it in family".

And a nice mention of Sam and Timothy from an interview with director Jonathan Munby:

"This play is truly one of the great works for theatre and already a modern classic. Also, having father and son play father and son is a truly unique and powerful experience."

Samuel West. Theatre - A Number. Television - Law & Order: UK. Radio - I Come From There.

A Number, starring Sam and his father Timothy West, will be performed at the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, 4-29 October (via artslink). It previously had successful runs at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2010 and Sheffield Theatres in 2006.

Stills of Sam from Law & Order: UK "Intent" can be viewed at Simply Television (via @fishmorgan).

Sam reads poetry by Mahmoud Darwish in the Sunday Feature I Come From There, which was repeated earlier this week. It is available on iPlayer for two more days.

Samuel West. Berry Theatre opening gala. Anti cuts march. Radio - Ben Hur. Narration - Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece.

Sam and The Berry Theatre have shared pictures from the theatre's gala opening, which was last Thursday. The Theatres Trust has a text copy of his speech.

David Colbran has posted pictures of Sam and his dad Timothy West performing an excerpt from The Voysey Inheritance by Harley Granville Barker from the 26 March anti cuts march (via @falseecon).

Ben Hur will be repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra next week, 18-21 April.

The Private Life of an Easter Masterpiece "The Taking of Christ" will be rebroadcast on ABC1 at 2.10pm on Friday 22 April.

Reminders:

• Sam is the reader for an episode of Lost Voices about Herbert Read, which will be broadcast today on BBC Radio 4.
• Henry V by Walton will be performed by the Halle at Sheffield City Hall on 3 June. Sam will be the reciter.

Samuel West - anti-cuts march and Observer letter

Sam took part in yesterday's anti-cuts march in London with Equity and UK Uncut (the Guardian, Sam's Twitter @exitthelemming). In Hyde Park, he made a speech about the detrimental consequences of cuts to the arts (@exitthelemming 1|2, the Guardian, Tom Roper, video by Claire Wyatt). He also performed an excerpt from The Voysey Inheritance by Harley Granville Barker with his father Timothy West, on Oxford Street (@exitthelemming, a picture of Sam and Timothy by Michael Dennis).
The Guardian has a quote from Sam about the social effects of theatre:

"Theatre is not just for the rich and subsidy keeps tickets cheap. Quite aside from the huge financial return the country gets for any money invested, the arts are what make us civilised.  Sitting alongside people in a theatre who may be poor or may be rich is a great democratic institution."

Two weeks ago, Peter Capaldi, Michael Sheen, David Tennant and Sam, among many others, signed a letter to the Observer about cuts to arts funding (via the Guardian). A press release from Equity has statements from several of the letter's signatories, and details about cuts to national and local funding.

Samuel West. Radio. Narration - The Soldier's Tale.

The cast for Sam's radio directorial debut includes Ian McDiarmid, Celia Imrie, Roger Allam, Bertie Carvel, Blake Ritson and Tom Goodman-Hill (via Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Previous tweets from Sam about the play have hinted at recording on location and research.

He will narrate The Soldier's Tale by Stravinsky at the Kew Music Festival on 26 June (via sheengate.co.uk).

Reminders:

• Sam, Janet Suzman and Timothy West will read from Shakespeare's First Folio at a Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass at the V&A, this Friday, 25 March at 7pm.
• He will open the Berry Theatre at a gala on 7 April.

Samuel West. Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass. Steven Pimlott Foundation.

Sam, Janet Suzman and Timothy West will read from Shakespeare's First Folio at a Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass at the V&A, 25 March at 7pm.

On 6 March, Sam did some readings at a concert supported by the Steven Pimlott Foundation (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming). The late Mr Pimlott directed Sam in Hamlet, Richard II, The Master and Margarita and Doctor Faustus.

Samuel West. Radio - With Great Pleasure. Mousetrap Theatre Projects.

Sam and Harriet Walter are the readers for next week's episode of With Great Pleasure - Joan Bakewell chose the readings. It will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 15 February at 11.30am.

The patrons of the Mousetrap Theatre Projects have written about their "inspired beginnings" in theatre. An excerpt from Sam's piece:

"...At one point in the play [a 1972 production of Love's Labours Lost starring his father Timothy West] the three boys have to disguise themselves as Russians, and the director had them come on dressed as cosmonauts with big space helmets, and playing the theme from '2001'. I remember thinking how clever it was of Shakespeare to anticipate the moon landings by nearly 400 years..."

Samuel West. #savelibraries. Narration - Steven Isserlis Family Concert.

Sam's library memories have been featured in an article from the Independent:

"I joined my local public library, Battersea Rise, when I was seven. My parents [actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales] took me – not all parents do. I read Watership Down a couple of years after joining, and it floored me. With no idea how to replace it in my affections, my mum took me back and we returned with The Hobbit and that was that. But libraries must be there for children to find by themselves, and to have a quiet, safe, free place to study if life at home is too noisy. With the threats to Sure Start and the scrapping of EMA, it's useful to remind ourselves of what libraries mean to children: not only a place to work but also a free treasure trove of picture books to share and a place to stumble on new stuff. A child can get through a different picture book every night at bedtime. How many parents can afford to buy that many?"

See the Twitter hashtag #savelibraries for more perspectives on the importance of libraries.

Steven Isserlis and Anne Dudley will publicise their upcoming concert on Front Row on 27 January. The Steven Isserlis Family Concert is on 29 January at the Wigmore Hall, with performances from Sam, Steven and Tom Poster.

Samuel West - Theatre - A Number

[updated 17 August 2013]

Posts about A Number are here.

Reviews

whatsonstage.com
"With the Wests, the human drama is brought fully to the fore... the chance to witness the generational baton being passed – and so adroitly – in this revered family of actors is unmissable."

Evening Standard
"Caryl Churchill’s prickly, rewarding play...
Samuel West manages in his three different guises to be pained, sardonic, resentful, brutish and suave. There’s a meaty rawness throughout.
Timothy West gives a performance richly furbished with little tics and postural shifts that betray the intimate mechanics of self-justification."

Official London Theatre Guide
"As Salter, West senior shows us how easily that decision could be made, how a potent emotional mix of grief, regret and a desire to have another shot at life can culminate in a man making this horrific choice.
In playing three of Salter’s sons – the original Bernard and two clones – Samuel West shows his versatility as he deftly changes from one character to the other..."

Telegraph
"Churchill creates a play that is as emotionally upsetting as it is intellectually and morally profound... Timothy West plays the father with a mixture of furtive unease, gnawing guilt and a deeply moving vulnerability... Samuel West differentiates the three sons with high-definition panache."

The Stage
"The Wests’ performances are meticulous..."

The Guardian
"superb acting from West pere et fils..."

Pictures

After party: guests included Laura Wade, Marcus Brigstocke and Malcolm Sinclair

Production:
Tristram Kenton/The Guardian
unknown/Evening Standard

Screencaps from Sam and Timothy's interview (7 October) on The Alan Titchmarsh Show (click thumbnails for full size):

Samuel West. Theatre - A Number. Narration - Lines of Flight. Radio - A Brief History of Mathematics. Narration - Secret Iraq.

• A Number
• Pictures from Broadway World [link]
• Sam and his dad Timothy discussed the play on Loose Ends [link]
• Some tweets from Sam about the play 1|2|3
• Lines of Flight will receive screenings at the Graz Adventure (10-13 November) and Banff Mountain (30 October-7 November) film festivals [link]
• Some episodes of A Brief History of Mathematics are available for a limited time on iPlayer (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming) [link]
• Sam narrates the BBC2 documentary Secret Iraq (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming) [link]

Samuel West. Radio - Faust. Audio - Realms of Gold. Theatre - A Number. International Musicians Seminar.

• Faust
• Will be broadcast today on BBC Radio 3 [link]
• A post from the BBC Radio 3 blog [link]
• Sam participated in a discussion about the play on Night Waves earlier this week (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming) [link]
• An excerpt about Realms of Gold from an interview with Nicolas Soames, co-founder and managing director of Naxos Audiobooks:
  
  

  "Poetry: some of it is meant to be read aloud and some of it exists very much first and foremost on the page – what are the main issues with recording poetry and what recordings do you think have worked the best? [Question from Vulpes Libris]
  Nicolas: Samuel West’s Letters and Poems of John Keats is exceptional. He came into the studio at 9am, discussed the use of the dash in 19th century literature with our literary advisor/abridger/compiler Perry Keenlyside, and sat down to record. He read a letter, and put the page to one side. He looked down and saw the poem which was next. He looked up to the microphone and recited it. One take. From memory. Then he stopped and sat in silence for a bit. Then he picked up the next letter and read it. Then glanced at the title of the poem that followed, looked up at the microphone and recited it. From memory. He did this with almost every poem. And as I remember, no slips. Unforgettable. And by the way, I know Keats was a cockney, and Sam West certainly isn’t. But listen to his Keats. You will not move."

• A Number
• Some tweets from Sam about the play 1|2|3
• Sam and his father & co-star Timothy were guests on The Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman on BBC Radio 2 (tweeted by me, @spiffyjellybean earlier this week) [link]
• Sam stage managed the 10 September open chamber music concert at the International Musicians Seminar (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming) [link]

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]

Theatre - Olivier awards. Television - Spooks. Television - Money. Samuel West - Radio - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. BBC Radio.

• People who will be attending the Oliviers include Hayley Atwell, Rory Kinnear, Tim Pigott-Smith, Tom Stoppard, Sam West, Ruth Wilson, Rosamund Pike and Rupert Friend [link] 
• Simon Russell Beale will be in the next series of Spooks (via C19) [link]
• Hattie Morahan will play Martina Twain in the BBC2 adaptation of Money by Martin Amis, starring Nick Frost and Vincent Kartheiser [link]
• BBC Radio
• Sam West is in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" [link]
• Timothy Spall, Zoe Tapper and Geoffrey Streatfeild star in the Saturday Play Playing With Trains [link]
• Alex Jennings and Toby Stephens star in the Afternoon Play No Place Like Home [link]
• Martin Jarvis performs Jeeves Live [link]
• Christopher Eccleston and Olivia Hallinan are the readers for Words and Music "Intimate Letters" [link]
• Rory Kinnear and Lydia Leonard star in the Drama on 3 Arms and the Man [link]