Neal's Posts Archive - Birmingham Stage

Shortly before the actor Peter Finch died he said: “We all say we’re going to quit occasionally. I’d like to have been more adventurous in my career. But it’s a... read more

Driving to Nottingham each day last week to perform Awful Auntie was a special experience. Not only because the Theatre Royal is one of my favourite theatres on which I... read more

One of the things the Tories have completely failed to understand is that people have been waiting to kick them out for years. It was only because Labour had Corbyn... read more

Maxstone Castle

Anyone listening carefully to the opening of Awful Auntie will have spotted a mention of Maxstoke Castle. I included it because the castle is only five minutes from where I... read more

Laurel and Hardy

There’s nothing quite like doing a pure slapstick scene on the stage of the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, knowing it was where Laurel and Hardy performed on their tours of... read more

Fourteen Reasons

There are fourteen reasons to finally vote out the Tory party this election – the fourteen years they have decimated the arts in schools. In 2010, my theatre company could... read more

Dramatic Action

I have been following the Post Office scandal ever since Nick Wallis began to report on it in 2011. Not only could I not believe what I was reading and... read more

Awful Auditions

Something actors may not realise is just how nervous producers can get about casting the next show. There’s a tendency to think of directors and producers sitting in judgment on... read more

The not-so-great escape

This evening I went to see a critically acclaimed musical and immediately felt that dull agony of disappointment as the opening scenes rolled along. I tried to make the best of... read more

If you’ve ever been interested in producing a play or a film, or wanted to know what it was like to be a producer, I’d like to recommend the book... read more