'Blasted' by Sarah Kane "is a play about trauma". Trauma caused by toxic relationships or the brutalities of war. Professor Graham Saunders joins us to explore Kane's extraordinary, explosive play: theplaypodcast.com/042-blasted-by… 📷 Tristam Kenton

Our latest episode on Sarah Kane's explosive play "Blasted" is not for the faint hearted. The play and therefore our conversation contain language and scenes that may be disturbing. They're meant to be! theplaypodcast.com/042-blasted-by… 📷Blasted Royal Court 1995 by Tristam Kenton

Joe Dowling directed the seminal production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer Abbey Theatre in 1980, and recently returned to the same theatre to restage the play more than 40 years later. Joe joins us to share his unique knowledge of this masterpiece: theplaypodcast.com/043-faith-heal…

Some people want to take control and stop a "coloured" family moving into their community. Sound familiar? Director Oliver Kaderbhai joins us to review Bruce Norris's all too topical play Clybourne Park. theplaypodcast.com/044-clybourne-… Park Theatre Clybourne Park

Our 50th episode is about a special play: Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem. It is one of the landmark plays, productions and performances of our times: theplaypodcast.com/050-jerusalem-… 📷Simon Annand Jerusalem The Play

This is devastatingly good. What a record.

"A comedy...4 acts, rural scenery, much talk of literature, little action, 5 bushels of love" - Chekhov's concise summary of The Seagull, the subject of our latest episode with the estimable Dan Rebellato is on Bluesky: theplaypodcast.com/052-the-seagul…

I'm delighted to confirm that we had two winners in our competition to win £50 of theatretokens to celebrate our 50th episode. Well done to everyone who guessed that Death of a Salesman has been our most popular episode to date: theplaypodcast.com/013-death-of-a…

The principle of Chekhov's Gun is just one of the Footnotes to our latest episode on The Seagull with Dan Rebellato is on Bluesky. Read our Footnotes here: theplaypodcast.com/the-seagull-fo… or become a patron at patreon.com/theplaypodcast and listen to them. Cartoon: Shannon Wheeler, Too Much Coffee Man

"It's the only play where the laughter is continuous" - director Lindsay Posner on Michael Frayn's comic masterpiece #NoisesOff in our latest episode: theplaypodcast.com/058-noises-off… Catch the laughter while you can Phoenix Theatre 📷Nobby Clark

Yay!

If you are lucky enough to have seen 'Streetcar' Almeida Theatre or to have tickets for the Phoenix Theatre run, our latest episode is all about Tennessee Williams' masterpiece: theplaypodcast.com/060-a-streetca… Streetcar West End 📷#paulmescal & Sebastien 🏞 by Marc Brenner

“Nobody sees anybody truly, but all through the flaws of our own ego.” Tennessee Williams on the characters in Streetcar. Prof Thomas Keith joins us to survey the “misunderstandings” that arise: theplaypodcast.com/060-a-streetca… 📷Marc Brenner Almeida Theatre Streetcar West End

Why does Blanche leave Mississippi? “Because she murdered her husband”, Thomas Keith suggests in our latest episode on A Streetcar Named Desire: theplaypodcast.com/060-a-streetca… #PaulMescal and Sebastien 🏞 Almeida Theatre 📷 Marc Brenner

This is indefensible.

"Love, marriage, honeymoon, quarrel, divorce, repeat." @OSoden on the unromantic cycle in Noël Coward's Private Lives in our latest episode: theplaypodcast.com/062-private-li… Rachael Stirling and Stephen Mangan as one of the warring couples Donmar Warehouse 📷Marc Brenner

A lot of my time leftover after ThePlayPodcast and going to the theatre, is being absorbed by the wonderful challenge of directing A Doll’s House Teddington Theatre Club ⁦Hampton Hill Theatre⁩ Tickets are available now. It’s a very good play! hamptonhilltheatre.org.uk/production/dol…

This is my current directing project. It’s a wonderful play!

"The real topic of the play is the imagination". Emma Smith @OldFortunatus on the creative magic on display throughout A Midsummer Night's Dream in our new episode: theplaypodcast.com/064-a-midsumme… 📷Michelle Terry as Puck Shakespeare’s Globe by Tristram Kenton

An Enemy of the People is a story of 'alternative facts', manipulation of the media, populism and the environment - no wonder it strikes a chord in our time! Kirsten joins us for a deep dive into Ibsen's timeless fable: theplaypodcast.com/077-an-enemy-o… An Enemy of the People 📷Manuel Harlan