this month's
Ink Pellet contains
A Final Haunt
After 33 extraordinary years, Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black will haunt the stage of the Fortune Theatre for the final time, as the production ends in the West End on Saturday 4th March 2023. PW Productions announce that after 33 extraordinary years in London’s West End, the theatrical sensation that is Susan Hill’s THE […]
Reaching for the Moon
Susan Elkin paid a visit to Half Moon theatre in London’s East End to chat with CEO Chris Elwell about their extensive education outreach and innovative theatre programmes. Half Moon Theatre sits in the heart of Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, spitting distance from the DLR and mainline station. Formerly a pretty […]
National Youth Theatre Rep Company
The National Youth Theatre’s Rep Company is celebrating its first ten years and Susan Elkin paid a visit to learn more. Each year a group of fifteen or so talented NYT members, aged 18 to 25, are selected by audition to join this company. In just a few months they rehearse three shows, many of […]
Apprenticeships
An important and often overlooked route into the industry, especially for many non-performing roles. Susan Elkin has some suggestions. Theatre is like an iceberg. For every role on stage there are probably at least half a dozen technicians you can’t see. And the industry has been telling us for decades that there are skills shortages […]
School Shows
Never underestimate the power of a school production – for every single person involved. When you meet former students, sometimes from decades back in my case, it’s usually taking part in Oliver! or A Midsummer Night’s Dream that they reminisce about with shining eyes. Most importantly it’s a terrific bonding exercise. We hear a lot […]
New Perspectives
With three separate Lucian Freud exhibitions currently on, Graham Hooper took time to visit and here is his review of these contrasting shows. LLucian Freud would have been 100 this year, and that’s a good excuse to look back over his life and work, but especially his work, as the two have a rather nasty […]
Grandad Anansi – Half Moon Theatre
Predicated partly on Black History Month, Elayne Ogbeta’s muliti-layered play presents Grandad (Marcus Hercules) and his primary school age granddaughter, Abi (Jazmine Wilkinson) in his garden. Like everything else in this show, the garden designed by Sorcha Corcoran, is beautiful with lots of colour, light and plants that Grandad knows by name and talks to. […]
Theatre Review – The King of Nothing – Little Angel Theatre
Ben Glasstone’s charming, witty account of The Emperor Who Has No Clothes works well for two main reasons. First it is one of the most perceptive stories ever written, dealing as it does with vanity, self delusion, conformity and truth. It’s both topical and timeless. Second, we have a cost of living crisis and the […]
Book Review – Activist
by Louisa Reid Published by Guppy Books Cassandra, narrator of this powerful verse novel, is a reluctant sixth former in a prestigious mixed school, formerly all boys, where toxic culture simmers. Driven by her own experience, and by nature a feisty “shouter” she campaigns forcibly for acknowledgement that some of the boys at school treat […]
Book Review – A Poetry Pedagogy for Teachers: Reorienting Classroom Literacy Practice
by Maya Pindyck and Ruth Vinz, with Diana Liu and Ashlynn Wittchow The thrust of this detailed, well-researched, quite academic book about the poetry in classrooms is that we shouldn’t teach students to search for meaning so that “the poem becomes a specimen for examination under the microscope of interpretative practices”. Instead we should experience […]
Library
Ink Pellet’s book review section covers an eclectic selection of new fiction, teachers’ guides, audio books and classics.
Many of our reviews are written by teachers, so we have an expert eye on how texts will work in the classroom. We hope to create a useful archive of reviews so that you can use this as a reference. If you would like to join our panel of reviewers, please join in or email the editor john@inkpellet.co.uk. We hope the section inspires you to share new fiction with your pupils or to revisit old favourites yourself
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If there was ever evidence needed that an actor’s lot is hard work, here it is. This physical production brings clowning, slapstick and acrobatics together in a hilarious fast-paced laugh out loud couple of hours. Created by Mischief Theatre, the team behind The Play that Goes Wrong, the same mayhem follows as Conley Polytechnic Drama […]
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What is art? That is the question primary school children are asked to answer in a national competition run by Artis, an organisation that integrates performing arts into learning. Rebecca Boyle Suh, executive chairman of Artis says: ‘The competition creates a lot of questions for teachers and children to work through together. Our aim is […]
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There was great delight among writers when Creative Writing was introduced as an A Level. Here, SHARON STEAD shares her experience of teaching the new qualification for the first time...
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After many years as a journalist, JOY WILKINSON is finally doing what she has always wanted to do – write plays for a living. Her new work, Britain’s Best Recruiting Sergeant, is set to give young people a fascinating insight into the First World War...
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With stage productions beamed into our cinemas, it is no surprise that the visual arts should get in on the act. LESLEY FINLAY joined a screening of a film about Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring as part of the Exhibition on Screen series...
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Polish classes are more and more in demand and as a result, children’s radio station Fun Kids is following up its popular first series of Learn Polish with 10 new episodes and 20 bespoke videos. The content is aired live and is also available on You Tube. Anna Godlewska, director at the Polish Cultural Institute in […]
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It’s tricky training to be an actress. Here RACHEL ATKINSON shares her unique experience...
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NT: All Change So much to look forward to as Rufus Norris takes over the National Theatre including lots of collaborations, notably wonder.land by Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini which will head to the Olivier Theatre from November after wowing visitors to the Manchester International Festival in July. This new musical, directed by Norris, is […]
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ANYONE WHO thinks ballet is not for boys, really should take a long look at the photograph here of Xander Parish, who will be starring in the Russian Ballet Icons Gala 2015. This gala evening is dedicated to the story of Russian ballet, and will be held on March 8 at the London Coliseum. Featuring […]
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John Boyne has been writing stories since he can remember. Here he talks about his work ahead of the release of a stage production of his award-winning novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...