Meryl Faiers

Sorry - autocorrect: David Waller

And yes, cast change. Bottom had been David Walker, I think. From (hazy) memory.

1972 Dream (l) is Barry Stanton (r) could be Michael Williams - not sure.

Really interesting piece from Callan Davies on looking through and beyond modern surroundings to see what had been there.

Discovering London Through "Our Other Shakespeare" The lost London homes of the dramatist Thomas Middleton

I went in search of “our other Shakespeare” to find some of London’s less obvious theatre history. Meet Thomas Middleton just off the Elephant and Castle…

open.substack.com/pub/shakespe...

😯

Time to distract him with a palaeography photo to puzzle over. Much More Important.

Margaret Brayne: the Forgotten Woman Who Built the Theatre Industry You've probably never heard of her, but Margaret Brayne should be an icon of theatre history

Great blog by Callan Davies about Margaret Brayne and the (literal) building of the Theatre. shakespearestage.substack.com/p/margaret-b...

Bess (beautiful but not very bright) is currently howling at and attacking her reflection in the back door. She’s nearly 15 - you’d have thought she’d worked it out by now.

No, saw it a few weeks ago and the audience was mostly comprised of slightly confused tourists. I gave up trying to explain the plot to my German-speaking neighbours.

Completely agree. It pushed over the line at the very end. But well worth catching on tour (to
March) if you can’t get to the Wanamaker.

Screenshot showing two book covers and total books read in 2025

I somehow doubt that I’m going to beat this total in 2026: 2025 was such a great reading year. But I’ll aim to at least match the figure.

An actual bookmark your mother gave me years ago!

I remember being so startled by it that it woke me up to what theatre can do. It was completely unlike anything else I’d seen at the RSC (or anywhere else).

Saw it as a teenager in Stratford - loved it. Ended up working in theatre for 40+ years. A connection - yes!

Since there’s no help, come let us kiss and part.
Nay, I have done, you get no more of me;
And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart,
That thus so cleanly I myself can free.

Michael Drayton

Yes, please! #SlowShakespeare was always a great way to start the day calmly.

Navy, no question.

I’ll try to make it! Would be great to see you.

That would require mine to rouse herself

Excellent and interesting talk; thanks, Tracey.

Your dashboard and the main site are both excellent resources - selfishly, just wish they started at 1600!

@nicbrownlie.bsky.social May be able to help

Highly enjoyable and informative presentation by Jose - great to see him again, albeit via zoom.

Amazon message ‘only 2 left in stock. More arriving shortly’! I shall be buying elsewhere in any event. Many congratulations.

Definitely Barter Books in Alnwick Station; the Brazen Head in Burnham Market for the number of books I’ve bought there; and the Malvern Bookshop in Great Malvern - a great distraction when walking on the Malverns.

If Henslowe’s record is any indicator, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria, The Wise Man of West Chester, Comedy of Humours are a few.

Absolutely brilliant news, Callan!

Protect Our Care - Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Protect Our Care Devastating funding cuts will close 9 of our 22 Inpatient unit beds at our Hospice in Cambridge, and have huge implications for local people.  One chance to get this right The funding...

The hospice which provided so much support in the last few weeks of my husband’s life is losing a major funding source - please consider helping if you can. Any or all of us may need the support of a hospice in the future. www.arhc.org.uk/protectourca...

A thing of beauty!