Saturday 30 November 2013

30. Tallest Tales from the Furthest Forest, Northern Stage, Newcastle

Tallest Tales from the Furthest Forest
Northern Stage, Newcastle
Saturday 30 November

The furthest forest
hides a host of heartwarming
stories and sneezes!

29. Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell, Tron Theatre, Glasgow

Peter Panto and the Incredible Stinkerbell
The Tron Theatre, Glasgow
Friday 29 November

One smelly fairy
fights and farts and flies
over oceans of glitter.

28. A Christmas Carol, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

A Christmas Carol
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Thursday 28 November

Curmudgeonly Scrooge,
his purse held tight, must face up
to his past tonight. 

Wednesday 27 November 2013

27. Richard III, York Theatre Royal

Richard III
York Theatre Royal
Tuesday 26 November

He takes a bloody path,
smiling, deceiving,
dissembling Richard.

Tuesday 26 November 2013

26. The Mousetrap, Blackpool Grand

Agatha Christie's - The Mousetrap
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Monday 25 November

Snow-bound, these strangers
would do well to worry more
about murderers.

Monday 25 November 2013

25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to Fazakerley, Royal Court Liverpool

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Fazakerley
Royal Court Liverpool
Saturday 23 November

Across the sky the Space Girls
fly and sing, and fall
in love with earthlings. 

Saturday 23 November 2013

24. War Horse, The Lowry, Salford Quays

War Horse
National Theatre
Lyric Theatre, The Lowry, Salford Quays
Friday 22 November

Head up, quivering,
eyes bright, the call from long ago,
the sound of home.

23. Jack and the Beanstalk, Oldham Coliseum Theatre

Jack and the Beanstalk
Oldham Coliseum Theatre
Friday 22 November

Dame Trott steals the show;
dressed as an ice cream
she defies description. 

22. Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Thursday 21 November

Poor thing, heartbroken,
out for vengeance, cold blooded
murder, hot meat pies.

Friday 22 November 2013

21. Slava's Snowshow, The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Slava's Snowshow
The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
Wednesday 20 November

The sad clown, shuffling,
yellow and green, summoning
snowfall, magical.

20. The Grand Gesture, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough

The Grand Gesture
Northern Broadsides
Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Tuesday 19 November

Gannet-like they swoop,
to turn a hopeless man
into a sacrifice. 

19. Out of the Shadow, Nottingham Playhouse

Out of the Shadow
Nobulus
Nottingham Playhouse
Monday 18 November

From the darkness, man
will crawl, stoop, learn at last
to love, hope, live, dance, die.

Monday 18 November 2013

18. Cymbeline, Curve Theatre, Leicester

Cymbeline
Phizzical Productions
Curve Theatre, Leicester
Saturday 16 November

In her sleep he steals
her necklace and her husband;
what riddles follow.

Saturday 16 November 2013

17. Every Mother's Son, Everyman Studio Theatre, Cheltenham

Every Mother's Son
Multistory Theatre Company
Everyman Studio Theatre, Cheltenham
Friday 15 November

His war games are real now.
What can we do but smile,
bake, remember, wait.

Friday 15 November 2013

16. Tom's Midnight Garden, The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham

Tom's Midnight Garden
Birmingham Stage Company
The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham
Friday 15 November

By night the dustbins
fall away and flowers bloom
that were dead long ago.

Thursday 14 November 2013

15. Tartuffe. Birmingham Rep

Tartuffe
Birmingham Rep Theatre
Thursday 14 November

Under the table,
listen to that buffoon
making love to your wife.

14. Charlie Peace - His Amazing Life and Astounding Legend, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Charlie Peace - His Amazing Life and Astounding Legend
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Wednesday 13 November

Cat thief, a night creep,
taking delight in taking
what he should not own.

13. Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Derngate Theatre, Northampton

Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
Derngate Theatre, Royal and Derngate, Northampton
Wednesday 13 November

Let's up the pace, up
on your feet, dance like the wind,
light feet, to the last.

Wednesday 13 November 2013

12. Sweeney Todd, Oxford Playhouse

Sweeney Todd
Oxford Operatic Society
Oxford Playhouse
Tuesday 12 November

Revenge is a pie
made of your age old
enemy, served with a song. 

Tuesday 12 November 2013

11. Save The Last Dance For Me, Theatre Royal, Bath

Save The Last Dance For Me
Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield Productions
Theatre Royal, Bath
Monday 11 November

Here is your smooth-singing
American, whisking you
off your dancing feet.

Monday 11 November 2013

10. Solid Air, The Drum, Theatre Royal, Plymouth

Solid Air
The Drum, Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Saturday 9 November

A song for a friend,
sitting alone, silent and
starving for something. 

9. A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theatre Royal, Plymouth

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Propeller
The Lyric, Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Saturday 9 November

Fairies of music
and skipping dance; white-faced clowns,
full of tricks and mirth.

8. Twelfth Night, Northcott Theatre, Exeter

Twelfth Night
Filter Theatre
Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Friday 8 November

Here are your revels,
dancing, drinking, gleefully
questing after love.

7. The Recruiting Officer, Salisbury Playhouse

The Recruiting Officer
Salisbury Playhouse
Thursday 7 November

Come ladies, here are men
enough to marry or
enlist you all.

Saturday 9 November 2013

6. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Watermill Theatre, Newbury

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Living Spit Theatre Company
The Watermill Theatre, Newbury
Wednesday 6 November

Of wives and women
this man was a master but,
at heart, knew nothing.

5. Ghost The Musical, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

Ghost the Musical
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Tuesday 5 November

In life, in death, they dance;
in song, they love. In all
this, hope and heartbreak. 

Thursday 7 November 2013

4. King Lear, Chichester Festival Theatre

King Lear
Minerva Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre
Monday 4 November

Raging against the storm,
the world, his daughters: the rain
pounds down, remorseless.

3. The Duck House, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

The Duck House
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
Saturday 2 November

The duck house in the room
that may not be mentioned:
hilarity beckons.

2. The Prisoner of Zenda, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds

The Prisoner of Zenda
Common Ground Theatre Company
The Guildhall, Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Friday 1 November

Their red hair is the root
of this misadventure:
what mis-haps, mis-hairs.

1. How to Catch a Star, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

How to catch a star
Blunderbus Theatre Company
New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
Friday 1 November

A little boy falls
for a star - I love
the sandwich-hungry seagull.

30 Plays in 30 Theatres in 30 Days


This is a bit different.. For the month of November I will be travelling around the country, visiting thirty different regional theatres in thirty days, and seeing a play at each. I will also be speaking to the Artistic Director of each theatre wherever possible about their programming strategies, their audience, and how they run their theatre.

I will keep a running blog of haikus here..