Blog

Valenciennes passion play of 1547 illustration by Hubert Cailleau Featured in episode 53: Medieval Stage Effects Hubert Cailleau was a stage designer and miniaturist working in the town at the time and he made sketches of the stage designs and the…

The Martyrdom of St Apollonia by Jean Fouquet (c.1420 – 1481. Painted c1452. Featured in episode 52: Medieval Rehearsal and Performance. Jean Fouquet was a French painter and miniaturist working in the mid-fourteen hundreds and one of his wo…

Near to the ancient Greek theatre of Syracuse is a limestone cave known as ‘The Ear of Dionysius’. The name was given by the painter Michelangelo da Caravaggio (1571-1610), who heard the legend that local tyrant Dionysius 1st (432-367 BC…

Built in the first century the Roman amphitheater in Verona is still used for opera productions. When I visited in June 2010 the site was being set up with scenery and large props dotted around the outside of the walls. Judging from the Egyptian sty…

A visit to Verona will include a stop at ‘Juliet’s Balcony’ and statue. It’s nothing but a ploy, and a rather kitsch one at that, to attract tourists, but has to be admired for it’s success. Both times I have been there…

The programme from the Castle Theatre production of ‘Men Were Deceivers Ever’ by Marivaux in translation and adaptation by my Grandfather, Vivian Rowe. It is interesting to see the prices, which seem very low by today’s standards. …

This modern version of Salome by Oscar Wilde presented by Lazarus Theatre at the Southwark Playhouse features in a bonus episode on the main podcast. It was an exhilarating evening of theatre where we also had an opportunity to hear the actors thoug…

As featured in episode 54: The Home of the Cycle Plays: York, Chester, Coventry and Wakefield. Released 19th July 2021 This list represents the cycle plays as they were presented in the third quarter of the fifteenth century. The Bakers – Th…

There is no theatrical connection to Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh, but when I was there recently it really struck a chord with everything that I had been talking about on the podcast recently. The chapel was founded in 1446, so right in the heart…

Last Monday night marked a return to the theatre for me, socially distanced and masked it’s true, but I had the privilege of doing it in the company of Sir Ian McKellen and his fellow cast members who have taken up residence in my local theatr…