I’m not quite sure how to explain what’s happened tonight, because it’s still happening - but here goes… At 4:40pm I jumped on a train from London to Edinburgh.. It was comfy, it was quiet In hindsight, too good to last…

A rare foray into opinion again for me, in which I lament how working class people (especially women) so rarely get to tell stories from our own communities on TV theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

The hilarious story of how Michael Gambon auditioned for Laurence Olivier at the start of his career - as told in Antony Sher's book Year of the King. RIP.

A much-feted arts centre in Wigan - which has been lavished with millions in public funding - doesn't have enough cash to pay artists on time or avoid making staff redundant but can afford an expensive lawyer to write to The Mill. Another bad investment!

To retain its young people and thrive, the city and its wider region need to create interesting, well paid jobs. But the private sector isn’t buying what Liverpool is selling. Why are companies leaving Liverpool? livpost.co.uk/p/why-are-comp…

🎊We are just 7 members away from hitting 1,300! If you missed Matt O'Donoghue story yesterday, give it a read below and subscribe now. 🚨Exclusive: Confidential emails show insiders had concerns a £1M deal would leave council out of pocket: livpost.co.uk/p/exclusive-co…

Theatre is dying on its arse & has been for 30+ years. It can’t be relevant, nimble, inclusive etc etc because funding takes so f-ing long to get that the time has already past. It has to be reinvented. Probably not in theatres. Gatekeepers have to be prised from the gates

Includes interviews with Shakespeare education professionals at The RSC Shakespeare’s Globe Folger Shakespeare Library @SSF_UK Liverpool PurpleDoor Intermission Youth as well as freelance practitioners and chapters from teachers practicing internationally in diverse contexts 2/3

Why are we still at a stage where Artistic Directors are casting themselves in lead roles? Is running a major arts org not enough to do?

Genuinely sick of ADs of big orgs casting themselves and directing everything. RUN THE VENUE.

our The Arden Shakespeare book 'Teaching and Learning Shakespeare through Theatre-Based Practice' is out TODAY bloomsbury.com/uk/teaching-an… with interview contributions from Shakespeare’s Globe The RSC Folger Shakespeare Library @SSF_UK Liverpool PurpleDoor Intermission Youth and much more!

Those speaking about class in the arts still not understanding that you are in the way, can I tell you working class people do not exist for your career - middle class women get out of the way - middle class men what is it that makes you think you should/could tell our stories?

For anyone who has been interested in my lawsuit against the Sun, the news is that  I’ve had to settle my claim out of court before it gets to trial. A 🧵…

Theatre/university people - can anyone help with a space for sharing R+D work-in-progress in August time? Part of a very exciting research collab with Royal Holloway exploring community participation and co-production.

Purple Door Theatre brings ‘As You Like It’ to Heswall Hall TOMORROW! Here’s a little video of our cast boasting their excitement 🥰 You can’t miss this one, Shakespeare IS for everyone 🤍

Liverpool PurpleDoor present a double-bill of two of Pinter’s greatest plays. Old Times examines our desire to reclaim the past, as a comfortably married couple are visited by an old friend. Inspired by his own affair, Betrayal is Pinter’s masterpiece of lies and deception.

Every time you use the River Mersey Ferry, the King profits, an investigation by Dispatches and The Times and The Sunday Times reveals. The Duchy of Lancaster, which owns the coastline from Barrow to the River Mersey, charges the publicly-owned ferry a yearly fee for mooring at a pier on Duchy land.

All the takes are correct and yet they also miss the point. Yes, it was insane for the Democrats to think they could win by running a soulless candidate, without a shred of progressive policy vision, pursuing endorsements from neocon war-hawks everybody hates, while arming and

See you next week Dublin! Who's coming?