FeaturesHot Cross bunny
Chariots of Fire star Ben Cross, now playing the mysterious Rabbit in HBO’s TV series Banshee, talks to Ben Dowell about his habit of playing bad guys and how his work has led to a life outside the UK
Emma the enabler
Emma Rice, joint artistic director of Kneehigh talks to Natasha Tripney about her projects for 2013 and how she has managed to bring the Cornish atmosphere to the city
Independent thinking
James Williams talks to Alistair Smith about shaking off the Shaftesbury’s reputation as a graveyard for shows and his plan to make it the theatre of choice for West End musical producers
Roles fit for acting royalty
Katy Stephens talks to Matt Trueman about life in Stratford under the command of new artistic director Gregory Doran and her forthcoming role as Tamora, Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus
Paddy not so ha ha ha
Paddy Considine talks about the reprisal of his Mr Whicher role and gives Matthew Hemley an honest account of his television career choices
Feeling Festive?
To mark the start of the festival season Tom Wicker finds out how this year’s Brighton director, Michael Rosen, has thrown his heart and soul in to the role
‘Some might say I’m just a ‘snobby old professional’
Gillian Lynne, fresh from being honoured at the Oliviers, reviews aspects of her amazing career with Matthew Hemley
Over to Hugh
Hugh Bonneville talks to Mark Shenton about co-hosting the Olivier Awards with Sheridan Smith on Sunday and pledging his support for The Stage’s own My Theatre Matters! campaign
California dreaming
In 2009, Spencer McCarthy profiled four British actors who had travelled to Hollywood seeking fame and fortune. Four years on, he catches up with them to find out what has happened to their quest for the Hollywood dream
Daring to be different
Since becoming artistic director of the Unicorn Theatre, Purni Morell (right) has broken with tradition and extended the venue’s programming to appeal to adults as well as children. Now she has also increased the upper age limit it caters for and, Matt Trueman finds, is intent on shattering the notion that kids’ theatre is inevitably second-tier
Interview with Taras Pozdnyakov
Taras Pozdnyakov has an uncompromising vision of a progressive circus that values creativity over commerce – an outlook that has resulted in some of the most electrifying and innovative acts today. The director, teacher and founder of Raw Art tells Liz Arratoon the roots of this exacting standards
Gordon Bennett!
She’s taken her End of the Rainbow show Stateside, but Tracie Bennett is appearing on British screens in a decidedly less glamorous role. She talks to Matthew Hemley about embracing tuneless karaoke and plunging necklines for ITV1’s Scott and Bailey
Encore Tickets: Bringing audiences to book
One in four West End tickets are expected to be sold through indpendent agency Encore Ticets this year. The company’s commercial director Chris Ryan tells Michael Quinn how its strategy to innovate and sell to the widest possible market is helping to boost revenues for theatre producers
‘We’re on the margins of viability’
Bristol Old Vic artistic director, Tom Morris, talks to Eleanor Turney
Callow’s Christ connection
Simon Callow talks to Michael Quinn about the thrill of getting to the core of such an important figure in The Man Jesus and why he is excited to return to the city of Belfast where he gave his first public performance 45 years ago
Hats off to her
Returning to her award winning role in a Doll’s House, Hattie Morahan talks to Nick Smurthwaite about why she is pleased to revisit such an iconic part and how her confidence is growing with age
About Turner
Lacey Turner’s new role as a teenager who enrols in the army gave the much-garlanded performer a revealing insight into the lives of real-life servicewomen, she tells Matthew Hemley
The good book
The US stars of Broadway hit The Book of Mormon tell Matthew Hemley about how the show has been received by the traditionally more reserved London audiences
Homage to Zephaniah
Lemn Sissay tells Natasha Tripney about his play Refugee Boy, a stage version of Benjamin Zephaniah’s novel
Don’t rain on her parade
Matthew Hemley talks to Jennifer Ellison about overcoming her fears to create a diverse and impressive career
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