The Axeman hath been released !

As the mayhem of May subsides into contemplative idleness and the company cold, inevitably shared by most of us in The Blind & The Intruder, finally succumbs to its equally inevitable demise - Mervyn's first audio adventure has been released from Big Finish and I'm listening to it now as I write...

 

Pretty much all the details of The Axeman Cometh have appeared in previous posts, so there's not much to add other than to express the hope that I haven't screwed it up too blatantly, that it will be well received and that there might be further stories to come - we shall see!

Online reviews & comments:

'Mervyn Stone ...played by the note-perfect John Banks'.
                                                                                                  Matt Hills: Reviews in Time and Space 

'...an audio-play, featuring a full-cast of characters played by two actors, John Banks and Nicola Bryant.  
~ I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t known in advance that it was only two actors, I probably wouldn’t have spotted it.'

'The Axeman Cometh is the best murder mystery that I have seen, read or heard for absolutely ages.'

'Not just Highly Recommended, this is a masterpiece of crime drama. Spread the word!'

                                                                                                     The Puzzle Doctor


'If you love a murder mystery mixed with comedy, this is the release for you.'

'...an hour of audio that must - PLEASE - be the start of a new series...'

                                                                                                      Rated 10/10 by jolyon: The Time Scales

This update from BF:

Out now is the latest of The Mervyn Stone Adventures - and after three murder mysteries in book form (which you can get now in our books special offer), he's finally appearing on audio in The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman Cometh.

Hear former Vixens from the Void script editor and sort-of detective Mervyn Stone come to life before your very ears! The exceptionally talented team of Big Finish veteran John Banks and former Doctor Who companion Nicola Bryant play Mervyn Stone and Vanity Mycroft - and a raft of other characters - in The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman Cometh. There's even a rather special guest voice...

Another wittily written thriller from the pen of Nev Fountain, The Axeman Cometh sees Mervyn called to the Sounderama Studios to prevent a murder... but will he be in time?

And if you'd like more Mervyn Stone (or want some background before listening to his latest adventure), the seven Mervyn Stone podcasts have been retrieved and put back on the Big Finish website.

 Just click here and you'll find all the instalments.

If you'd like to know more about how Mervyn Stone came into being and how the character made the transition from literature to audio-drama, here's a link to Mass Movement Magazine Issue 35 which carries an extended interview with Nev, Nicola and me: Mass Movement Magazine

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: Patric Kearns

with

John Banks as Mervyn Stone & Nicola Bryant as Vanity Mycroft.

The Mervyn Stone Mysteries

This year really is flying by and May was an exceptionally busy month which involved recording three audio books for Audible.co.uk, a first for me, a couple of short stories for Ladbroke Audio, a new Dr Who adventure and rehearsing and performing two short plays, The Blind & The Intruder for Tarquin Productions, which have their final performances tonight.

The company have been incredibly supportive and very welcoming of me and I'm deeply grateful to them and director Benji Sperring for trusting me and going along with my interpretation of the roles, which I'm playing quite differently to the original actor, who, as I've previously mentioned, wasn't available for the transfer to The Tabard Theatre.

Thanks to all involved, cast members Judy Tcherniak, Rupert Baldwin, Helena Payne, Saskia Roddick, Darren Beaumont, Michael Fellows and Gina Abolins and to the fabulous Kristina Kreculj, Production Assistant at The Tabard.

Benji Sperring directed with a firm grip and a light touch - always a good combination! - and Rachel Illingworth, as assistant director, the person who got me involved in the production in the first place, proved her abilities once again and is definitely someone to keep an eye on. In fact, she already has a new production playing at The Brackley Jack Studio Theatre which opened last week to excellent notices - Mandrake by Niccolo Machiavelli and is currently rehearsing Titus Andronicus for the Smooth Faced Gentlemen company, which is to be performed at the Buxton Festival and the Edinburgh Festival.

 * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Again, as previously mentioned, this month sees the release of the first Mervyn Stone Mystery, which I'm incredibly excited about. With the amazingly talented and original Nev Fountain as writer and creator of Mervyn Stone and the fantastic Nicola Bryant as my partner in crime, I feel honoured to be involved in the project and hope that it proves popular with Big Finish fans and anyone else who enjoys a beautifully crafted comedy-crime caper.

Here are the details from Big Finish:

"Dear Mervyn. If you want to prevent a murder, then you must attend the recording at the Sounderama studios on Thursday.

 Signed: a friend."

Vixens from the Void is back!

After twenty-five years, the popular leather-clad astro-erotic sci-fi television show is returning!

Well, sort of.  Actually, some devoted Vixens fans have got the licence to do some audios on CD featuring the original cast, and they've invited Mervyn Stone to write an episode.

But that's not the only thing he's been invited to do. He's also been invited to solve a murder.

He arrives at the studio, and who should he find recording her autobiography in the very next booth? Only the TV boss who cancelled Vixens from the Void twenty-five years ago.

No prizes for guessing the murder victim...

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: Patric Kearns

with

John Banks as Mervyn Stone & Nicola Bryant as Vanity Mycroft.

" John Banks is a voice genius; that’s why he’s done five billion audios for them, (Big Finish) and now this is his chance to go centre stage."

Nev Fountain

* * * * * * * * * * *

Before wrapping up this post, I do want to briefly mention another Big Finish release this month, The Dalek Contract featuring dear Mary Tamm, who very sadly passed away almost a year ago. Although uncredited, I did quite a bit of work on this story and indeed on her final story, The Final Phase (released in July). Even though we only worked together a handful of times and have never been credited as working together, Mary made a lasting impression on me, both professionally and personally and I think of her often and remember how well we got on and what fun it was to be around her. Having heard all of her final series of Dr Who recordings, I look forward to listening to The Dalek Contract and The Final Phase and will no doubt be raising a glass or two in her honour.

Old enemies, new adventures...

Oh, such excitements to come! Although I'm currently feeling a bit buried by work - in a good way - I've decided to take a quick break from the mountain of line learning I have left to do for next week's opening of The Blind and The Intruder, so that I can post this 'teaser' information about a Dr Who audio recorded last July, The King of Sontar. I remember this as being a thoroughly enjoyable project with a great script, a wonderful cast and lots of laughs in the 'green room'. We did actually do some work believe it or not and I'm keenly looking forward to hearing the finished story.

This is my third Sontaran adventure and second with the fantastic Dan Starkey, who, for me and many others, is the definitive Sontaran voice; it's a great thrill to hear his voice in the studio through the headphones and always brings a huge grin to my face - which isn't always appropriate of course. I think it comes from a sense that with Dan on board in full Sontaran mode, we're onto a winner and that's always a good feeling.

And so, without further preamble, this is what Big Finish have said about The King of Sontar:

They're back! The Sontarans return for the first release in our third series of full cast audiobook adventures starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor - and here's the cover!

Dowcra base. The third Elite Sontaran Assassination Squad closes in on its target. A dozen trained killers, but even they will be unable to bring down the invincible Strang…

Manipulated by the Time Lords, the TARDIS also arrives on Dowcra. And the Doctor is set to encounter the greatest Sontaran ever cloned...


Doctor Who: The King of Sontar leads the third series of Fourth Doctor Adventures, starring Tom Baker as the Doctor (on screen 1974-1981) and Louise Jameson as Leela, his TV companion back in 1977 and 1978.

The pair are joined by a cracking cast for the story, including Sapphire & Steel alumnus David Collings, David Seddon, Jenny Funnell, legendary Big Finish stalwart John Banks and, of course, the wonderful Dan Starkey, TV and audio Sontaran extraordinaire, as the regal Strang.

Written By: John Dorney

Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

The King of Sontar is scheduled for release in January 2014 

* * * * * * * * * * *

I mentioned above that there were 'excitements to come' and indeed there are! As well as everything else going on at the moment, I'm also currently recording a fascinating Dr Who story with a truly brilliant cast and had a wonderful day in the studio yesterday working with a couple of genuine Dr Who legends. Recording concludes on Monday when I'll be working with yet another legendary actor and star of classic tv Dr Who - such a privilege!

But even that isn't main source of my excitement. Unfortunately, I'm not able to reveal more at the moment although I hope you'll believe me when I say there are some amazing things to come - "such stuff as dreams are made on"...

However, for the moment...

 " Our revels now are ended. 

These our actors, 

As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:"

I must also now melt away and get back to learning lines!

Maeterlinck: The Blind and The Intruder - Transfer

... a sunny and reasonably tranquil afternoon in May. I say 'reasonably tranquil' as the first hint of sunshine here in deepest Surrey, tends to bring out a desire in certain people to play with a seemingly endless variety of power tools - the gentle twitter of bird song doesn't stand a chance!

I'm taking a sneaky break from cold learning a shed load of lines for The Blind & The Intruder, mentioned previously on this web site, but in the context of other people taking part. If you've read the reviews I posted, you'll know that the overall production generated a very positive response from critics - The Guardian's Michael Billington was even moved to send out an enthusiastic 'tweet' about it. All this being the case, the two plays have been invited to extend their run by transferring to The Tabard Theatre in West London ( link: Tabard Theatre ).

One of the original cast members is unavailable for the transfer and I have accepted the challenge of taking over from him for the rest of the run.


Now, I like a challenge as much as the next enthusiastic actor and it's good to get out of one's comfort zone from time to time. When I first started acting in London Fringe Theatre at the beginning of my career several decades ago, I acquired a bit of a reputation for being able to pick up the reins of a show pretty quickly and learn the lines super fast. This brought me lots of work and some invaluable experience; however, it's been a while since I've had to assimilate so much in such a relatively short time and I think it fair to say that I've well and truly left anything that might be described as my 'comfort zone'!

Tarquin Productions in association with the Tabard Theatre presents:

THE BLIND & THE INTRUDER
by Maurice Maeterlinck

Two plays. Two views of the world.
One terrifying subject: the blindness of humankind to the
mysteries of our existence.

Following a sell out and critically acclaimed run at the Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington, The Blind & The Intruder transfers to the Tabard Theatre for a limited two week run prior to a national tour.

“A fascinating collector's item... you can detect the influence on
the work of Beckett.”
Michael Billington - The Guardian

THE BLIND places us amongst a group of blind people in a wasteland, abandoned by their guide, searching for any clues to their whereabouts. Lost, lonely and scared, they are prepared to put their faith in anyone - or anything - that may help them, even if they cannot see the consequences of their actions.

THE INTRUDER follows a household in crisis. As the Mother lies ill after childbirth and the family sit waiting for any news, the blind Grandfather hears a presence amongst them that none of the family can see. As the presence becomes more noticeable, are there greater forces at work than merely an old man's imagination?
 

Maurice Maeterlinck's 1911 Nobel laureateship cited THE BLIND and THE INTRUDER as two of his seminal works. A proponent of the Symbolist movement, with an unprecedented awareness of the human condition enveloped in a black sense of humour, Maeterlinck's simple but effective style of writing is rarely performed in the UK.

Directed by Benji Sperring & Rachel Illingworth

@Tarquin_UK

As well as that, I've also got a couple of Dr Who stories to work on for Big Finish later this month and some other things which will take up the few seconds of time I might have left over. I keep telling myself that it's good to be busy, goodness knows, I moan about being not busy, however, I 'm just hoping that I haven't bitten off more than I can chew...

The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Breaking news on the release of a new series of Sherlock Holmes adventures. Here are the details from Big Finish:

Upcoming box set The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes is now available for pre-order - at a special low price! It once more stars Nicholas Briggs as Holmes and Richard Earl as Watson in four 
intricately crafted tales covering the whole of Holmes' life...

The next set of adventures for Sherlock Holmes and
the trusty Dr Watson form a brand new four-disc box set, available in December. Titled The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes and written by Jonathan Barnes, novelist and writer of previous Holmes adventure The Perfidious Mariner, it follows the great detective through time as he faces some of his toughest challenges, biggest cases and greatest losses.

It stars Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl once more as the enemies of all wrongdoers Holmes and Watson, ably supported by a fantastic cast including Tracey Childs (our very own Klein, and recently seen in Broadchurch), Blake Ritson (currently to be spotted in Da Vinci's Demons), Michael Cochrane (Doctor Who's Ghost Light and recently heard in our Fourth Doctor Adventures), Ken Bones (The Hour) and the legendary John Banks ('Allo 'Allo alumnus and Big Finish voice maestro).

The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes is scheduled for release in December 2013.

...would you like ice with that?

Last weekend's episode of Dr Who, Cold War, really got me thinking. The story featured The Ice Warriors, or in this case, a lone Ice Warrior called Skaldak, voiced by the brilliant Nick Briggs of BF fame.

To coincide with the television broadcast, Big Finish ran a promotion on the various Ice Warrior stories they had produced, including Thin Ice, which I'd worked on with Sylvester, Sophie Aldred, Beth Chalmers and the rest of the company.

What got me thinking was the hazy memory of having played an Ice Warrior in Thin Ice, as well as two named characters and a couple of uncredited minor characters. After much rummaging through scripts and scrutinising the CD recording, it finally came to light; I hadn't dreamed the whole thing up and had in fact played Sslork! Joy!




If nothing else, I am relieved that it wasn't all a figment of my imagination! Nick Briggs played the principal Ice Warrior, Hhessh and Nigel Lambert played Glarva - phew!

What I remember much more clearly is having had the enormous thrill and honour of actually playing a Dalek in a story released not very long ago and getting to say the immortal line "I am a Dalek", which as a schoolboy in the mid sixties, gave me and my mates many a sore throat, as we tried to 'out Dalek' each other in the playground.

Of course, recanting anecdotes of recordings past, also gives me a great excuse to post a bit of relevant Ice Warrior and Dalek artwork!





The audio clip included in this post is something I've put together for The Spotlight, the UK's leading Casting Directory, which almost all actors are a member of. Five minutes is the upper limit, which is quite a lot to wade through if you're listening to a voice with a professional ear for casting purposes. I'm sure no-one will listen to the whole thing, but at least there's a reasonable selection of untreated character voices to fast forward through! If you do have a listen, maybe you'll recognise where some of these clips originate?

April 2013 - ScripTease

Once again, I'm delighted to be taking part in another 'Scriptease' rehearsed reading event in Guildford with Lynchpin Productions. All the relevant information should be included in the 'e-flyers' above and below.

The Electric Theatre Café Bar

with John Banks, Edie Campbell, Oliver Church, Joy Collins, David Helmy 

and Andrew Hodson

Have you ever read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Ariticle 1:  We are all born free and equal. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.*

In our 6th colaboration with Amnesty International Guildford Group, we are taking the Thirty Articles of the Universal Delcaration of Human Rights, written and adopted by the United Naitons in 1948, as the frame for this evening's rehearsed readings.  

Article 10:  If somone is accused of breaking the law, they have the right to a fair and public trial.*

Come and hear the stories and poems of international writers as we focus on the 'successes' when the human spirit endures and prevails against all odds. 

Article 29: We have a duty to other people, and we should protecct their rights and freedoms.*  

*Taken from the simplified version by Amnesty International. For full version see http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

MONDAY 22 April   7:45pm   

£6,  £5 concession

prebook tickets on 07913 289 360

Do come along!

Dr Who: Short Trips

In some ways, I ought to apologise for posting the two audio clips below, primarily because they are only available in their entirety to Big Finish subscribers and might therefore be regarded as a tease too far. My excuse is that I've only just heard them myself and the combination of anticipation and relief has brought me to the point of wanting to 'share'...

Sometime last summer, Big Finish asked if I'd like to record a collection of Dr Who: Short Trips. The stories featured two Doctors, a variety of their respective Companions and a few other characters thrown in for good measure - along with the narration of course.

Having been asked, I felt flattered - indeed honoured - excited and, not least, a bit terrified! But thanks to the tremendous support of Producer David Richardson and Director Ken Bentley, recording went very well and our time together in the studio was great fun.

To date, two of the stories have been released as audio downloads, Only Connect by Andy Lane and Breadcrumbs by James Moran.

Tricky to select extracts without giving too much away or spoiling the story, but here goes:



If you are a BF subscriber, perhaps you've already listened to the stories, in which case, I very much hope you enjoyed them.

Only Connect and Breadcrumbs are exclusively available to Big Finish subscribers, so the saying is true:

 “ Subscribers get more at Big Finish!”

The Blind & The Intruder - Update

Just a quick update on my friend and colleague Rachel Illingworth; for the last several weeks, she's been working as Assistant Director on two rarely performed Maeterlinck plays, The Blind and The Intruder for Tarquin Productions at The Old Red Lion. The production officially opens tonight, so best wishes to all for a successful run. Here are the details:

Maurice Maeterlinck's 1911 Nobel laureateship cited THE BLIND and THE INTRUDER as two of his seminal works. A proponent of the Symbolist movement, with an unprecedented awareness of the human condition enveloped in a black sense of humour, Maeterlinck's simple but effective style of writing is rarely performed in the UK.

Two plays. Two views of the world. One terrifying subject: the blindness of humankind to the mysteries of our existence.

 A recent 'tweet' from Michael Billington: 

 'Maeterlinck double-bill at Old Red Lion till the 27th. Do give it a go. Fascinating evening.'

"Not to know where one is, not to know where one has come from, and always darkness, darkness! I would rather not live."

Tuesday 2nd April to Saturday 27th April 2013 at 7:30pm

Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00pm

Old Red Lion Theatre

418 St John Street
London

EC1V 4NJ 

 Rachel with Designer Jacob Hughes. Directed by Benji Sperring.

"This is connoisseur's theatre at its best "    - That's Theatre Darling review blog

 "...a gem of a production"                      - views from the gods review blog

Monday 8th April Update: Today's Guardian review by Michael Billington: 3 stars out of 5

The Blind &The Intruder – review

Old Red Lion, London

• 

 Terrifying void … The Blind.

 Photograph: PeterLangdown





It's a good bet that not many British theatre-goers are intimate with the work of Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949). Yet in his day this Belgian playwright and symbolist poet, who won the 1911 Nobel prize for literature, pioneered drama built out of stasis, silence and lack of overt conflict. While these two short plays dating from 1890 now seem like historical curiosities, you can detect their influence on the work of Beckett.

The Intruder, played first, is a spooky piece in which a family is gathered to await the arrival of a sister of mercy to attend an ailing woman: the flickering light, the silence in the garden and the blind grandfather's sense that death has entered the room put me in mind of the ghost stories of MR James as much as the theatrical avant garde.

What Maeterlinck understood was that waiting is itself inherently dramatic. In The Blind, we see a group of sightless people apparently abandoned on a desolate island clifftop by the priest who cares for them: filling the terrifying void with fractious argument and speculation, they suddenly stumble across the corpse of their protective pastor.

You can measure how much times have changed by contrasting The Blind with Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney: to Maeterlinck, the sightless were symbolic victims living in unrelieved darkness, where Friel focuses on his heroine's rich interior life. But, if you strip away the gothic element in Maeterlinck, you can see that he was edging towards a new kind of drama in which waiting was as important as arrival, and the image mattered as much as the word. And it is the images I shall remember from Benji Sperring's production: vividly designed by Jacob Hughes, The Blind shows white-uniformed characters sitting on a floor strewn with paper and domestic detritus, as if survivors of some natural disaster. In an eight-strong cast, John Canmore as the tetchy grandfather and Gina Abolins as a wistful romantic stand out.

While this revival is a fascinating collector's item, it also demonstrates that Maeterlinck suffered the fate of many artistic revolutionaries – seeing his ideas absorbed into the mainstream.

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

...so, very well done to Rachel and all those involved in the production!

The Horus Heresy: Burden of Duty & Grey Angel

 Released on April 11th from The Black Library:

Burden of Duty 
 by James Swallow

As the renegade forces of the Warmaster storm across the galaxy, a very different kind of war rages in the shadows of the Imperium – the Knights Errant, chosen of Malcador himself, move quietly in the dark places where others cannot. Battle-captain Nathaniel Garro makes his way to the Imperial Fists’ mighty starfort Phalanx, seeking out another kindred soul for his elite band of warriors. Meanwhile, on a distant world, former Luna Wolves undertake a mission to ascertain the true loyalties of a Space Marine Legion.

Grey Angel

 by John French

On a distant world of the Imperium, an agent of Rogal Dorn finds himself the prisoner of a Legion whose loyalties may be divided. Shackled and bound, the former Luna Wolf must fight a battle of wits with his captor, lest the course of the Horus Heresy take an unexpected turn. Will his very presence drive his erstwhile allies into the arms of the Warmaster or will maintaining the status quo prevent another Legion from turning traitor? And just who is the mysterious Space Marine aiding him from the shadows?

Performed by Toby Longworth, Ramon Tikaram & John Banks

Directed by Ken Bentley

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 A quick guide to 'who plays who in what':

                              Grey Angel                            Burden of Duty                      Sword of Truth

 Toby:                        Loken                                 Narrator - Garro              Narrator - Garro - Malcador

 Ramon:               Narrator - Qruze                        Dorn - Servitor                     Varren - Khorarin

 John:            Luther - Cypher - Watcher                     Masak                       Rubio - Rakishio - Hakeem

Big Finish Day 4

Well, here's a bit of breaking news; following on from last weekend's Big Finish gathering, BFD4 has just been announced along with details of the new venue!

No idea who the guests might be yet for obvious reasons; nevertheless, thanks to the support and dedication of Big Finish fans, the demand for another convention clearly exists. Here's some artwork and some information to publicise the event:

"Hot on the heels of the success of Big Finish Day 3, we're delighted to announce Big Finish Day 4 - and in a brand new venue!

For the next Big Finish Day, we're taking a trip to Slough and the Copthorne Hotel. The date is Saturday 18 January, and the day will start at 10am and run through until 6pm. The guests will be announced closer to the date, but you can already order tickets through the Tenth Planet Events website. Just follow this link.

If you want to fly in, it's near Heathrow Airport, and for those staying for the whole weekend, it's close to gorgeous Windsor Castle. If you had a great time at a previous Big Finish Day, come again! And if you've never been, come and see what all the fuss is about! Book now!"

Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh

...well, The Axeman is actually coming in June, but Big Finish have just released the cover art, which has been created by Anthony Lamb. Anthony has done some amazing covers for BF and 'in my humble...' etc, this piece of work is original and arresting and very much captures the essence of The Mervyn Stone Mysteries.

I really ought to wait before publishing details of The Axeman Cometh, but I've had enough of deferred gratification for the time being, and so, here it all is and no doubt here it all will be again in June!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh stars Big Finish's most capped player John Banks as Mervyn Stone and Doctor Who legend Nicola Bryant as Vanity Mycroft."

"Dear Mervyn,

If you want to prevent a murder, then you must attend the recording at the Sounderama studios on Thursday. 

Signed: a friend."

Vixens from the Void is back!

After twenty-five years, the popular leather-clad astro-erotic sci-fi television show is returning!

Well, sort of.  Actually, some devoted Vixens fans have got the licence to do some audios on CD featuring the original cast, and they've invited Mervyn Stone to write an episode.

But that's not the only thing he's been invited to do.

Mervyn has also been invited to solve a murder.                   
                
He arrives at the studio, and who should he find recording her autobiography in the very next booth? Only the TV boss who cancelled Vixens from the Void twenty-five years ago.

No prizes for guessing the murder victim...

 John Banks as Mervyn Stone & Nicola Bryant as Vanity Mycroft

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: Patric Kearns

Scriptease

So, 'another opening, another show' - this time, a rehearsed reading as outlined in the information below. I'm delighted to be working with Lynchpin Productions again on another of their Scriptease projects. For one night only! Do come along if you can, The Electric Theatre, Guildford - it should be a fun event.

presents rehearsed readings of 2 one-act plays at The Electric Theatre Café Bar Tuesday 26 March   7:45pm    £6,  £5 concession prebook tickets on 07913 289 360 Trifles  John Wright has been found dead.  His wife, Minnie, is suspected of the murder. The men come to investigate, telling the women to stay out of the way and remain in the kitchen. The women discover the truth by piecing together the trivial evidence the men ignore. Based on an actual murder case in 1916, Glaspell later rewrote it as a TV drama which was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock as A Jury of Her Peers. The play is considered an important contribution in the development of American realism. & The People  An allegorical tale set in a newspaper office during the last year of  WWI, in Mid-West, USA. It explores the relationship between artist and audience while being a call for all to listen to their higher purpose during a similar era of a widening economic divide we are in today. Characters include The Artist, The Philosopher, The Light Touch and The Earnest Approach. Susan Glaspell  (1882 - 1948), was an influential playwright, novelist, poet and journalist and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1930 for her play Alison's House, loosely based on the life of Emily Dickinson. Join us for another ScripTease event as we bring to life two plays by an important writer influential in the development of modern American theatre.

Thanks, thanks and ever... thanks!

...And yes I have just been re-watching The Dresser !

Firstly, a big 'thank you' to all the Big Finish fans who braved the elements yesterday and helped to make BFD3 such a resounding success. I had great fun meeting everyone, re-meeting in some cases and found myself sitting next to the genuinely lovely and profoundly glamorous Chase Masterson as we chatted together and signed autographs.

Our Vienna panel was well attended and great fun to take part in and I learned quite a bit about the genesis of the series and what its future development might entail. I know that further episodes have just been recorded and very much hope that I'll be asked back sometime to do more - working with Chase and the Vienna team is a real treat.





A delight also to catch up, alas all too briefly, with some former colleagues from Allo, Allo!, Sue Hodge, Kim Hartman and Richard Gibson, all of whom appeared to be exactly as they were when we'd last worked together back in 1989!





Because of a matinee and evening performance of Port at the National Theatre, I had to leave BFD3 soon after the panel discussion and I've just arrived home this Sunday evening having had a farewell drink with the company, as Port had its final performance this afternoon.




Sounds predictable I know, but I have to say, what a very talented company of actors they all are, and so, my second big 'thank you' goes to them and the truly fabulous stage crew at the NT - 'Team Thom' - headed by the extraordinarily calm, composed and super-efficient Shane Thom.



It's been a joy to work with everyone and after nearly five months together, it will seem strange not to be seeing people again, perhaps for quite a while. I shall especially miss my compadres from dressing room 007, Mr Mark Rose and Mr Aaron Foy - thanks lads, it's been FAB!

Mervyn Stone - Update!

As previously mentioned, the hyper-active quill of Mr Nev Fountain has been recently applied to the creation of the first Mervyn Stone audio-drama, The Axeman Cometh.

Mervyn Stone is back!

 
The crime-solving script writer and star of three books has returned to shine a light on the darkest of murderous deeds - and this time you can hear him!


Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh stars Big Finish's most capped player John Banks as Mervyn Stone and Doctor Who legend Nicola Bryant as Vanity Mycroft and is available now at a special pre-order price of only £5 on CD or download, which will increase on release.

Three Mervyn Stone novels are still available in leather bound, hardback and paperback formats and can be bought in the 'Books' section of the Big Finish web-site; just follow the links!

Mervyn Stone: The Axeman Cometh  &  Mervyn Stone Books

The Axeman Cometh is scheduled for release in June.

...more news just as soon as it happens!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *