Essentially, a Vrkolak is a Bulgarian Werewolf but what is a ‘werewolf’? There are vampire and werewolf legends across France, Germany and elsewhere but the Vrkolak is peculiarly Bulgarian. Depending on where you find yourself in Europe, werewolves may be…

Vril is a word seldom heard today and yet this simple four-letter word has in a round-about way had far more impact on the world than any expletive. The secret, mystical power of Vril came to the fore in a…

We live in unprecedented times and this applies possibly more to the theatre than any other industry, being essentially based on crowding people together in a stationary position. However, for amateur theatres in particular, the current periods of self-isolation and/or…

The news is completely dominated at the moment by the coronavirus pandemic and the theatre industry, being based on getting people together in close proximity, is going to be affected more than most. A recently published article in the Stage…

Is theatre primarily political or essentially just entertainment? This debate has rumbled along with most theatre practitioners insisting on the former whilst the process of an application to the Arts Council for a grant suggests that the main purpose of…

‘Shop for rent’ signs adorn the high streets in ever increasing numbers as retailers, banks and small traders continue to close down premises. The internet is of course primarily to blame, whether for on-line buying or internet banking but there…

Several years ago, like so many other emerging playwrights, I was indebted to ACE (Arts Council England) for helping me to get my first theatre tour off the ground. Recent budget cuts make an ACE-grant an increasingly less-viable means of…