stage
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'A kind of tragedy': why we turned the Chilcot Iraq inquiry into a playAs the Chilcot inquiry prepares to report, a Guardian writer explains why he co-created a play out of its astonishing testimony
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Soul review – Roy Williams' Marvin Gaye drama doesn't get it onThe singer’s life and death are recast as a Greek tragedy in a play that curiously neglects his influential music -
Donmar Warehouse to build temporary theatre for all-female Shakespeare trilogySeason comprising Julius Caesar, Henry IV and The Tempest to be staged at 420-seat venue next to King’s Cross station -
'The Royal Court is where I found out who the hell I was'In this archive video, filmed in 2015, Alan Rickman remembers visiting the Royal Court as a teenager and taking Rachel Corrie’s parents to see the play based on their daughter’s diaries
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A View from Islington North review – satirical sketches skewer Osborne and MayGeorge Osborne becomes a sex slave in a lethal piece by David Hare alongside short political plays by Caryl Churchill, Mark Ravenhill, Alistair Beaton and Stella Feehily
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Riz Ahmed as Edmund: 'Now, gods, stand up for bastards'Riz Ahmed speaks Edmund’s soliloquy from King Lear, in which Edmund reflects upon being an illegitimate son and plots against his half-brother, Edgar
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Samuel West as Henry V: 'Upon the king'Samuel West speaks Henry V’s soliloquy on the night before battle, in which he reflects upon the public’s expectations of the king
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Sacha Dhawan as Parolles: 'Are you meditating on virginity?'In a speech taken from the first scene of All’s Well That Ends Well, Sacha Dhawan’s Parolles stresses the importance of losing one’s virginity
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Adrian Lester as Hamlet: ‘To be or not to be’Adrian Lester performs Hamlet’s soliloquy in which the prince considers taking his own life
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Ayesha Dharker as Titania: ‘The forgeries of jealousy’Ayesha Dharker plays Titania, the queen of the fairies, in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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Paterson Joseph as Shylock: 'You call me misbeliever'Paterson Joseph speaks Shylock’s lines from The Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender reminds Antonio of the times he has insulted him
talking points
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The uncontainable Kate TempestShe’s a rapper, playwright, poet, novelist – and much more. In her restless, relentless creativity, this unique talent hops freely from one artform to another
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Alas, poor Ophelia: minor characters who deserve the spotlightOphelias Zimmer presents Hamlet from the perspective of its tragic heroine. There are plenty of other supporting characters I’d like to know more about
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Benedict Cumberbatch proves a superb villainCumberbatch’s turn as Shakespeare’s scheming king is remarkable in a finale that also features fine performances from Judi Dench and Keeley Hawes
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The RSC's 'play for the nation' unites professionals and amateursA doctor and a private-hire driver are just a couple of the amateur actors starring along RSC members in a touring production of the Dream. The experiment is a success but it shouldn’t set a precedent
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Roller-skating for a Warhol starA festival at Siobhan Davies dance studio featured Julie Cunningham’s moves to match Kate Tempest’s verse and Jamie Atherton’s solo for Fred Herko
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I cut all my hair off the same year I got bracesFrom Garbage to Funny Girls, the comedian reveals the things she finds the funniest
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My Family: Not the Sitcom review – David Baddiel is breathtakingly honestNothing is out of bounds in David Baddiel’s new standup, which exposes his father’s dementia and his mother’s hyperactive sex life to the same affectionate scrutiny
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Sara Pascoe: ‘My mum has heckled me’From Would I Lie To You? to the Kappa symbol, the comedian reveals the things she finds funniest
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Fun factory: the finest comedy of summer 2016David Baddiel airs his own family’s failings, Bridget Christie grapples with a Motörhead vibrator, there’s a raft of improv – and Mr Swallow recreates Houdini’s finest escape
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Maxine Peake to star in A Streetcar Named DesireExclusive: Actor will portray troubled Blanche DuBois in Sarah Frankcom production of Tennessee Williams play at the Royal Exchange, Manchester
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'All we had was the text and we rocked it'The star recalls how appearing in Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Julius Caesar gave her the confidence to write her own play
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How we turned Tory speeches into theatreTired of their meaningless slogans and soundbites, we decided to use politicians’ own words against them in a show that feels like an exorcism
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Indhu Rubasingham: ‘A space for locals – that's what theatres can be about’The Tricycle’s artistic director on the theatre’s £5.5m makeover, working with asylum seekers – and not casting Adrian Lester as a woman
polls & quizzes
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Playwrights describe their characters: can you identify them?
Sometimes the description of a character in the stage directions says as much as lines of dialogue. Do you recognise these eight figures as described by the playwrights who created them?
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Everyday Shakespeare
Many of Shakespeare's lines are used in daily life – but do you know which plays feature these popular expressions?
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Trivia, she wrote: how well do you know Angela Lansbury?Broadway sensation, TV detective and three-time Oscar nominee Angela Lansbury turns 90 in October. See if you can detect the correct answers in our quiz
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How well do you know Hamlet?As Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet gets an NT Live broadcast, test your knowledge of Shakespeare’s princely tragedy
from the archive
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The Departure: a short film starring Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson resumes her role as Blanche DuBois in a prequel to the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire
pictures & video
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Vicky McClure unleashes hell as Lady MacbethThis is England star Vicky McClure is possessed by evil in this nightmarish manga take on Macbeth, the fourth of the British Council’s films for Shakespeare Lives 2016, a global programme celebrating William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death
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Designing Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildFrom Hogwarts robes to Hermione’s wand: take a look at some of the designs for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which begins previews at the Palace theatre, London, in June
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Sleep furiously: step inside artist Tom de Freston's nightmarish bedroomBattersea Arts Centre commissioned Tom de Freston to create a bedroom for its resident artists – he responded by covering himself in paint to evoke a blend of King Lear and wild storms
you may have missed
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'War Horse? Obscene. Downton? Spiteful'He has walked out of his own plays, been chased up the A1 by a director and thinks British drama is dead. Mark Lawson meets the magnificently irascible Edward Bond
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Cirque de Soleil’s Paramour review – 'Muddle, miscalculation and mayhem'