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NSDF
The UK based National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) was founded in 1956 with the purpose of creating new art, new artists and new communities. It also runs a charity aimed at empowering young artists. The NSDF is targeted towards people aged 16–25 years old (in 2021-22 they extended the age bracket to include 26-year olds). NSDF is a year-round organization whose work peaks at its annual festival: for one week, in one chosen city. There is a daily magazine, Noises Off, written by a team of writers and participants at the festival. History The NSDF was founded in 1956 by the ''Sunday Times'' arts columnist Kenneth Pearson, ''Sunday Times'' theatre critic Harold Hobson, and National Union of Students (United Kingdom) president Frank Copplestone. Pearson went on to become the organization's first artistic director. Early supporters also included ''Sunday Times'' Editor Harry Hodson and Professor Glynne Wickham, a pioneer of the academic discipline of drama based at th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arts Festival
An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, literature, comedy, children's entertainment, science, or street theatre, and are typically presented in venues over a period of time ranging from as short as a day or a weekend to a month. Each event within the program is usually separate. Arts festivals are largely curated by an artistic director who handles the organizations' artistic direction and can encompass different genres, including fringe festivals, fringe theater festivals that are open access, making arts festivals distinctive from greenfield festivals, which typically are weekend camping festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury, and Visual Arts Festivals, which concentrate on the visual arts. Another type of arts festivals are music festivals, which are outdoor music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Phillips (playwright)
James Phillips (born 29 April 1977) is a British playwright, director and photographer. Educated at St Catherine's College, Oxford, Phillips' first play, ''The Rubenstein Kiss'', won both the John Whiting Award (2006) and the TMA Award for Best Play. As a director he has worked extensively and was a recipient of the National Arts Endowment Award for his first professional production, Frank McGuinness's ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'' at the Pleasance, London. Plays *''The Little Fir Tree'' (2004) premiered at Sheffield Theatres, directed by James Phillips *''The Rubenstein Kiss'' (2005) premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, directed by James Phillips *''Wind in the Willows'' (2010) adapted for Latitude Festival, directed by Alan Lane *''Time and the City'' (2011) premiered in Hull for Slung Low Theatre Company, directed by Alan Lane *''Hidden in the Sand'' (2013) premiered at Trafalgar Studios, directed by James Phillips *''City Stories'' (2013-ongoi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biyi Bandele
Biyi Bandele (born Biyi Bandele-Thomas; 13 October 1967 – 7 August 2022Micah L. Issitt Contemporary Black Biography, 2009. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.) was a Nigerian novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of several novels, beginning with ''The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond'' (1991), as well as writing stage plays, before turning his focus to filmmaking. His directorial debut was in 2013 with ''Half of a Yellow Sun'', based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Early life Bandele was born to Yoruba parents in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in 1967. His father Solomon Bandele-Thomas was a veteran of the Burma Campaign in World War II, while Nigeria was still part of the British Empire. In a 2013 interview with ''This Day'', Bandele said of his ambitions to become a writer: "When I was a child, I remembered war was something that sprang up a lot in conversations on the part of my dad. ... That was proba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Hern Books
Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988. History Nick Hern Books was founded in June 1988,Sarah HemminInterview: Nick Hern ''The Independent'', 14 April 1994. Retrieved on 18 April 2009. when Nick Hern left Methuen to establish his own imprint under the aegis of Walker Books. In 1990, the NHB imprint was taken on by Random House. It became a fully independent company on 1 January 1993 when Nick Hern acquired the list from Random House, and he subsequently won ''The Sunday Times'' "Small Publisher of the Year Award" in 1994. First titles The first title published by Nick Hern Books was Nicholas Wright's '' Mrs. Klein'', which opened at the National Theatre in August 1988 before transferring to the West End and Broadway. There followed plays by Caryl Churchill, Arthur Miller, Mike Leigh and Stephen Sondheim, alongside theatre b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Fountain
Tim Fountain (born 23 December 1967) is a British writer. Early life Fountain was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. An only child, he was brought up in a pub in the village of West Ardsley, West Yorkshire. He was educated at Batley Grammar School, Wheelwright sixth form college and Hull University. Career Theatre Fountain's first international success was ''Resident Alien'' in 1999. Based on the life and writings of Quentin Crisp, starring Bette Bourne and directed by Mike Bradwell, the show opened at the Bush Theatre, London, before transferring to New York Theatre Workshop where it played a sell-out season and won two OBIE Awards (performance and design). The show subsequently won a Herald Angel award for Bette Bourne at the Edinburgh Festival and toured across America, Australia and the UK. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Fountain's one-man show, ''Sex Addict'', opened at the Edinburgh Festival in April 2004. During the 90-minute show, Fountain would discuss va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandi Toksvig
Sandra Birgitte Toksvig (; ; born 3 May 1958) is a Danish-British writer, comedian and broadcaster on British radio, stage and television. She is also a political activist, having co-founded the Women's Equality Party in 2015. She has written plays, novels and books for children. In 1994, she came out as a lesbian. Toksvig took over from Stephen Fry as host of the BBC television quiz show '' QI'' in 2016 (series 'N'), having been a guest a number of times, and spent ten years hosting ''The News Quiz'' on BBC Radio 4. From 2017 to 2020 she was co-presenter of ''The Great British Bake Off'', alongside comedian Noel Fielding. In 2020, she stepped down and was replaced by Matt Lucas. Toksvig was the president of the Women of the Year Lunch from 2015 to 2017. Early life Toksvig was born in Denmark. Her father, Claus Toksvig, was a Danish journalist, broadcaster, and foreign correspondent; as a result, Toksvig spent most of her youth outside Denmark, mostly in New York City. Her mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, for "in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence", the first sub-Saharan African to be honoured in that category. Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta. In 1954, he attended Government College in Ibadan, and subsequently University College Ibadan and the University of Leeds in England. After studying in Nigeria and the UK, he worked with the Royal Court Theatre in London. He went on to write plays that were produced in both countries, in theatres and on radio. He took an active role in Nigeria's political history and its campaign for independence from British colonial rule. In 1965, he seized the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service studio and b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lena Headey
Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award nomination, and Queen Gorgo in '' 300'' (2006). Headey made her film debut in the British film '' The Clothes in the Wardrobe'' (US: ''The Summer House'') (1992) alongside film greats Jeanne Moreau, Joan Plowright, and Julie Walters. This was followed by the mystery drama ''Waterland'' (1992). She continued to work steadily in British and American films and on television, before gaining further recognition with her lead performances in the films ''The Brothers Grimm'' (2005) and '' 300'' (2006). Her other film credits include ''The Remains of the Day'' (1993), ''The Jungle Book'' (1994), ''Mrs Dalloway'' (1997), ''Ripley's Game'' (2002), ''Imagine Me & You'' (2005), ''D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carrie Cracknell
Carrie Cracknell (born 1980) is a British theatre director. She was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London from 2007–2012. She was Associate Director at both the Young Vic (2012–2013) and the Royal Court (2013–2014). Background Cracknell was born in Carlisle and was raised in Oxford. She read history at the University of Nottingham where she was president of The Nottingham New Theatre. She later studied directing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Career At university she set up a production company called Hush with a group of friends including the actor Ruth Wilson. Their first show transferred to New York and London while they were still studying. At the age of 26 Carrie became the youngest artistic director of a professional theatre in Britain when she and Natalie Abrahami took over The Gate Theatre in Notting Hill, which they ran for 5 years and where she directed extensively. Her first dance/theatre collaboration at The Gat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' (1989–1995) and ''Jeeves and Wooster'' (1990–1993). He also starred in the sketch series ''Alfresco'' (1983–1984) alongside Laurie, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane, and in ''Blackadder'' (1986–1989) alongside Rowan Atkinson. Since 2011, he has served as president of the mental health charity Mind. Fry's film acting roles include playing his idol Oscar Wilde in the film ''Wilde'' (1997), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor; Inspector Thompson in Robert Altman's murder mystery ''Gosford Park'' (2001); and Mr. Johnson in Whit Stillman's ''Love & Friendship'' (2016). He has also made appearances in the films ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' A Fish Called Wanda'' (1988), ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rosemary Squire
Dame Rosemary Anne Squire, DBE (born 27 May 1956) is a British commercial theatre owner and entrepreneur. She was the founder, co-owner and joint chief executive of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) Ltd. Squire and her husband/business partner, Howard Panter, are the second largest shareholder of ATG. Squire is co-founder, Joint CEO and Executive Chair of Trafalgar Entertainment. Biography Early life and education Squire was born in Nottingham, England, on 27 May 1956. From 1967 to 1974, Squire attended Nottingham Girls' High School. She studied at Southampton University between 1975 and 1979, gaining a First Class BA in Spanish with Catalan and French, and working at the University of Barcelona 1977–78 as an English language assistant as part of her studies. Squire then studied at Brown University from 1979 to 80 on a postgraduate scholarship. Career Squire arrived in Theatreland in 1980. Throughout the decade, she held various administrative roles at Wyndham's Theatr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erica Whyman
Erica Whyman, OBE (born 27 October 1969) is an English theatre director who became deputy artistic director at the Royal Shakespeare Company in January 2013. Background Whyman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, but lived in Barnsley until aged eight, before her family moved to Surrey. She studied French and Philosophy at Oxford University and theatre with Philippe Gaulier in Paris and then at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Whyman was the Chief Executive at Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne, from 2005–2012. In 2013, Whyman became deputy artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In September 2021, she became acting artistic director of the RSC. Personal life and honours In 2013, she was appointed an OBE in the New Year Honours List.New Year Honours 2013: full list of recipients https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/honours-list/9768920/New-Year-Honours-2013-full-list-of-recipients.html Retrieved 5/04/2013 She has a daughter, Ruby, with playwright Richard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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