Nick Smurthwaite

Derided by critic Kenneth Tynan as representing everything wrong with theatre, the playwright fell out of fashion in the 1960s before a resurgence in popularity in recent decades. Amid new revivals of his work, Nick Smurthwaite looks at his enduring appeal, a new discovery and attempts to give him a fitting resting place

Tennessee Williams’ early work made him a household name, but the US playwright’s success faltered later in life. Sam Yates, who is directing a revival of The Two Character Play – which Williams regarded as his best work since A Streetcar Named Desire – tells Nick Smurthwaite about giving the play the airing it deserves at the very venue at which it premiered in 1967

Before achieving cinematic fame, Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel briefly worked together in music hall, an episode recounted in Told by an Idiot’s latest show. Creator Paul Hunter tells Nick Smurthwaite about evoking their world with silent storytelling

The acclaimed actor, director and writer has published a new memoir, In My Own Footsteps. Looking back on his career, he tells us about playing his hero Chekhov, and the return of his solo Shakespeare show Sweet William

The British Museum’s new exhibition shows a different side to Nero, who became known as the ‘actor-emperor’ because of his star turns, and support for drama and the arts. Curator Thorsten Opper tells Nick Smurthwaite about Rome’s cultural revolution

David Collison has worked alongside some of the biggest names in British theatre, from Peter Hall to Maggie Smith. As the sound designer publishes a new memoir, Nick Smurthwaite uncovers Collison’s greatest challenges and successes

Company manager Nick Bromley has compiled the most intriguing theatre ghost stories. He tells The Stage of some famously phantasmic apparitions and things that go bump in the footlights

Earlier this month it was announced that the archive of Theatre Royal Stratford East – home to Joan Littlewood’s celebrated Theatre Workshop – was moving to the British Library. Actors from the company tell Nick Smurthwaite about the collection

A celebrated actor in his day, Kenneth More worked on everything from Hollywood blockbusters with Jayne Mansfield to early Alan Bennett shows and BBC TV’s The Forsyte Saga. Nick Pourgourides tells Nick Smurthwaite about his new biography

Founded to standardise ballet teaching across the UK, the Royal Academy of Dance has an illustrious history. While events including a display at the V&A are on hold, it is pressing ahead with plans for its new era