Oxford Playhouse
Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June
Oxford Playhouse is offering an exciting opportunity for ambitious writers to create and develop new work. Tricks of the Trade is a two-day workshop for writers of all ages, taking place at Oxford Playhouse.
The weekend will be led by season writer and tutor Marcus Moore. Marcus was formerly a scriptwriter for the BBC. More recently he has focused on his tutoring work, running writing weekends for the prestigious Arvon Foundation, working in prisons, and devising creative writing projects for schools, libraries and theatre companies. …

Moser Theatre Wadham
Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd May; 7.30pm

There is an emergency Saturday matinee performance of Turn Again Lane for 2.30 today (Saturday). If you were turned away on Friday or don’t have a booking  for Saturday evening, THIS IS LITERALLY YOUR LAST CHANCE. Email turnagainlane@gmail.com for tickets.

“The success of this play therefore, is that it holds such a high resolution mirror to the audience, they can’t help but laugh themselves silly at the resulting image.” Roland McFall
“Richard O’Brien, writer and director of Turn Again Lane, is fast becoming …

Writer, Richard O’Brien: I’m not sure if this is my favourite extract from the script, but it’s probably one of the funniest parts.
Neil walks past with his hands in the pockets of his costume, dressed as a lion, coming back from the party.
Maria. Have you got a light?
Neil. No, but I’ve got a tail.

Maria. What am I going to light with your tail?
He shrugs. She smiles.
Maria. What’s your name?
Neil. Simba.
Maria. No it’s not.
Neil. Yeah, really. My parents were hippies. It’s Simba. Not really. Lad. L-A-D. [She looks perplexed.] Lion And …

Finola Austin interviews Rhys Danino (writer), Radoslav Lolov (director) and Charlotte King (producer)
F: How did you get the idea for the play?
RD: It came from a few ideas I had, from small projects I’d worked on – themes that came up again and again. The setting is somewhere I know and people always say you should write about what you know so I thought – what do I know well? Wales, shipping forecasts… and it just sort of fused together into some sort of horrible object. I’m in the habit …

Finola Austin
The first meeting
Nine a.m. rehearsals are something of a rarity on the Oxford drama scene; sleepy but intrigued I made my way to St. Catz for a sneak preview of Lying Doggo in rehearsal. I found the all-male cast, director Radoslav Lolov and writer Rhys Danino constructing the metal scaffolding cube which comprises the set, one actor unrolling his knitting and another memorising the shipping regions around the UK – I was in for an interesting morning. Warm ups completed and the set just about stable I was thrown …

Burton Taylor
Tuesday 18th – Saturday 22nd May, 7.30p.m.
Written by Rhys Danino
IVER: I do want to be the PM someday; I told you that. I reckon I can.
IDRIS: So what exactly are you doing on a lighthouse twenty-one nautical miles from landfall, with fag-ends like us?
ALF and IVER: That. It’s a bit harsh
PAUL: It’s not. That’s what Kathryn called me on the phone today. A cigarette stub that washed up on shore. That’s what she said.

Written, rehearsed and performed in the space of 24 hours, this is New Writing at its most exciting. Olivia Reilly, the OTR’s New Writing Co-ordinator, went along to meetings, rehearsals, and the one and only performance to get an insight into the mechanics of this fascinating idea.
The first meeting: “Just like that tutorial essay, it could be a flash of brilliance or all fall apart, but without a doubt it promises excitement, proves guts, and demands attention. It should have us all on the edge of our seats.” Olivia Reilly
The first …

Judged and reviewed by Imogen Sarre and Liv Edwards
The New Writing Festival was one hell of an experience. Chloe Courtney has done fantastic things this year, helping to transform a little known event into something prestigious, established, and utterly exciting. There was the most extraordinary amount of talent in the Burton Taylor on Saturday of 7th week and I felt extremely privileged to be there, rubbing shoulders with people who will most probably end up calling the dramatic big shots in years to come. Judging the Best Production was a fascinating …

Burton Taylor
Wednesday 3rd March, Friday 5th March, 9.30p.m., Saturday 6th March 4.30p.m.
“at times it was reminiscent of American Pie, albeit with slightly more intelligent characters, at other times it proved to be interesting and affecting.” Robert Holtom
“O’Brien missed a trick; had he written four inter-locking monologues to the strength of those already present he would have carried the competition.” Paul Hardwick

Burton Taylor
Wednesday 3rd, Friday 5th March 7.30pm; Saturday 6th March 2.30pm
“watching Toffee is like being catapulted headlong into the dank, philosophy-stained, Pot Noodle-encrusted, sluggishly beating heart of the Real Student Experience.” Madeline Wright
“When I saw it last night, I had the privileged position in the audience of knowing what was about to happen, when the jokes were coming and, more importantly, how the play had developed over the last three weeks.” Eluned Gramich