The Stage

The year in review: London

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Light Princess lead Whatsonstage nominations

New musicals and the critics

BAFTA incident exposes the need for more relaxed theatre performances

Timothée Chalamet has bitten the hand that feeds him

Risk-taking is essential to make theatre that matters

Olivier nominations 2026 – who missed out?

Reese Witherspoon is right – but talent doesn’t grow without opportunity

The Adelaide Festival can emerge stronger from Writers’ Week crisis

Dracula's uneasy first bite is a warning not to take preview audiences for suckers

Devyani Saltzman’s Barbican exit is part of a depressing trend

Why are we so shy about revealing the true cost of theatre?

What does Ted Stimpson’s exit say about ATG?

Olivier nominations 2026 – who missed out?

Timothée Chalamet has bitten the hand that feeds him

Recommended for you

Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser to star in The Light Princess concert

The year in review: London

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Light Princess lead Whatsonstage nominations

New musicals and the critics

Mark Shenton

Mark Shenton is a theatre critic. He was a regular columnist and associate editor of The Stage until 2019.

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Opinion

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BAFTA incident exposes the need for more relaxed theatre performances

Timothée Chalamet has bitten the hand that feeds him

Risk-taking is essential to make theatre that matters

Olivier nominations 2026 – who missed out?

Reese Witherspoon is right – but talent doesn’t grow without opportunity

The Adelaide Festival can emerge stronger from Writers’ Week crisis

Olivier nominations 2026 – who missed out?

Timothée Chalamet has bitten the hand that feeds him

Reese Witherspoon is right – but talent doesn’t grow without opportunity

Risk-taking is essential to make theatre that matters

Eight things they don’t teach you at drama school, according to an agent

Pregnant performers can tour – and we should be supporting them to do so

Advice

Rayxia Ojo: ‘You never really know when you’ve left a lasting impression on someone’

Lucy Fennell: ‘It’s a lifelong quest to understand and stay in touch with who you are’

Pat O’Toole: ‘Building a toolkit to support your mental fitness is crucial’

Haydn O’Reilly: ‘I hounded a theatre company relentlessly until I got an audition’

BAFTA incident exposes the need for more relaxed theatre performances

The West End can learn from the recent BAFTA controversy, says Amanda Parker, and rethink its approach to relaxed performances

Production costs double in a decade as theatres brace for deficit – report

Production costs have doubled in 10 years, according to a report that also warns that more than 50% of subsidised theatre organisations are expecting to run at a deficit

Latest Issue

The Stage Magazine - February 2026

The Stage Interview Lynette Linton - A new direction
The Long Read Dr Theatre: the arts & health
Feature Wrestling slams into the spotlight
Archive The Royal Court origin story
Stage Directions Musical theatre's Jamie Muscato

READ IN FULL

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Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser to star in The Light Princess concert

The year in review: London

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Light Princess lead Whatsonstage nominations

New musicals and the critics

Opinion by Alistair Smith

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Advice

Rayxia Ojo: ‘You never really know when you’ve left a lasting impression on someone’

Lucy Fennell: ‘It’s a lifelong quest to understand and stay in touch with who you are’

Pat O’Toole: ‘Building a toolkit to support your mental fitness is crucial’

Haydn O’Reilly: ‘I hounded a theatre company relentlessly until I got an audition’

Recommended for you

Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser to star in The Light Princess concert

The year in review: London

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Light Princess lead Whatsonstage nominations

New musicals and the critics