''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those who work in theatre and the performing arts.

History

The first edition of ''The Stage'' was published (under the title ''The Stage Directory – a London and Provincial Theatrical Advertiser'') on 1 February 1880 at a cost of three

old pence The British pre-decimal penny was a denomination of sterling coinage worth of one pound or of one shilling. Its symbol was ''d'', from the Roman denarius. It was a continuation of the earlier English penny, and in Scotland it had the same m ...

for twelve pages. Publication was monthly until 25 March 1881, when the first weekly edition was produced. At the same time, the name was shortened to ''The Stage'' and the publication numbering restarted at number 1. The publication was a joint venture between founding editor Charles Lionel Carson and business manager Maurice Comerford. It operated from offices opposite the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

. Carson, whose real name was Lionel Courtier-Dutton, was cited as the founder. His wife

Emily Courtier Dutton Emily Courtier-Dutton became Mrs Charles L. Carson and appeared as Kittie Claremont (1862 – 21 March 1919) was a British actor and theatrical philanthropist. Life Courtier-Dutton was born in London in very probably 1862. He birth name is not kn ...

later founded several theatrical charities. ''The Stage'' entered a crowded market, with many other theatre titles (including '' The Era'') in circulation. Undercutting their rivals, Carson and Comerford dropped the price of the paper to one

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

; soon it became the only remaining title in the field. The newspaper has remained in family ownership. Upon the death in 1937 of Charles Carson's son Lionel, who had assumed the joint role of managing director and editor, control passed to the Comerford family. From 1995, the newspaper has awarded The

Stage Awards for Acting Excellence The ''Stage'' Awards for Acting Excellence are a set of Scottish theatre awards which were established in 1995 to recognise outstanding theatre performances by individuals and companies on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Organised by the theatric ...

at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2004, 96-year-old contributor Simon Blumenfeld was recognised by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as the world's oldest weekly newspaper columnist. The column continued until shortly before his death in 2005.

The Stage Awards ''The Stage'' Awards are theatre awards created by ''The Stage'' to recognise and celebrate theatrical achievements across the UK and internationally. Established in 2011, the awards recognise accomplishments by West End theatres, regional theatr ...

were launched in 2010. They are given annually and recognise outstanding organisations working in theatre and beyond in the following categories: London theatre, regional theatre, producer, school, fringe theatre, theatre building, unsung hero and international. In August 2013, ''The Stage'' launched The Stage Castings, an online casting service with a video audition function. In May 2019, ''The Stage'' partnered with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and

UK Theatre UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) was founded in 1894 as the Theatrical Managers Association, with Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, some ...

to launch Get Into Theatre, a website dedicated to theatre careers.

Careers started via ''The Stage''

In 1956, writer John Osborne submitted his script for ''

Look Back in Anger ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) is a realist play written by John Osborne. It focuses on the life and marital struggles of an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin, Jimmy Porter, and his equally competent yet i ...

'' in response to an advertisement by the soon-to-be-relaunched

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

responded to an advertisement for female singers in 1958.

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

got his first acting role in a play after applying to a job ad in the paper. Harold Pinter gained his first job after responding to an advert and

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

landed the lead in ''The Billy Trilogy'', in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Quotations

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

External links

''The Stage'' reviews of Internationalist Theatre productions London during the editorship of Peter Hepple

1880 establishments in the United Kingdom

Magazines established in 1880

Theatre in the United Kingdom

Theatre magazines

Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom

Magazines published in London

History

Careers started via ''The Stage''

Editors

''The Stage and Television Today''

Digital archive

Quotations

References

External links