I cannot believe it’s already over. Five days, four shows and seven posts later I’m almost on my way out of the SOLT offices again. The week has taken me from Islington to Drury Lane, from comedy and drama to musical theatre.

It has been such a pleasure to work as part of the media and marketing team, getting an insight into the daily work of this creative hub. Apart from the reviews, I’ve been helping out with research, and just getting to speak to members of the team covering all sorts of different areas has been insightful and interesting.

The week has flown past and as I get ready for the journey back home, I already cannot wait for the next trip to London, whenever that might be. I hope you’ve enjoyed my posts here as well as on Twitter and Facebook. Keep following us and happy theatregoing!

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

I have since graduated from the University of St Andrews, where I studied English and Film Studies. Apart from writing for student publications and working in student radio, I stage managed a bunch of student theatre productions and really discovered my passion for theatre.

Whilst I’m now looking for a job, I will be spending a week here in London on a work experience placement. Among other things, I will be seeing a few shows throughout the week, so keep your eyes open for more updates and posts.

Now, back to work!

Cordula Schnuer TheatreFix Guest Editor

I can’t wait, not only to add my own voice, but to encourage YOU to add yours. The theatre is something I feel passionately about and I have no doubt that my feelings are mirrored by more out there than I could count. I’ll be reviewing, of course, and making sure you’re all up to date with the best and most innovative theatre out there, but I’ll also be considering the theatre in relation to the rest of ‘it’; the rest of ‘life’, the rest of anything and everything you can think of and more. I’m interested in why we’re interested, and how we can make the theatre an experience that everyone can relate to and enjoy.

I hope you’ll join me. You can keep up to date with us here, of course, but also don’t forget to find us on both Facebook and Twitter. We’re trying to be everywhere at once, so why not keep checking in and see how we do!

Kate Richards TheatreFix Guest Editor

Today’s workshop was a dance one.  Now, I am in no way dance literate and I have no real dance background, unless of course you count being forced into a ballet costume from a very young age until I was old enough to protest otherwise, but I did not want to miss out on the opportunity to take part in this theatre dance workshop lead by Mamma Mia’s West End dance Captain Tim Stanley – who by the way was absolutely captivating! 

I was surprised to see such a vast range of people attending, from your luscious dancer-types to, in fact, one man in a business suit. Obviously in any social situation where asked to take part in something out of your comfort zone it can be quite nerve-racking, but as soon as the session started Tim’s  energizing and motivational approach had us all dancing to the official Mamma Mia finale routine, and a few even signing along to the soundtrack –  though some louder than others! The moves were challenging but not dauntingly so. Throughout the session Tim readily gave us useful pieces of performance knowledge and invaluable insights on how to really ‘perform’ to an audience.  

By the end of the workshop this eclectic group of people had performed the routine to a T! The atmosphere after the workshop was buzzing and everyone left in very high spirits. The only one question I wanted to ask was “where do I sign up for the next one!?”

Useful piece of info for anyone who might like to come and experience a workshop for themselves, this week Time Out are offering 25 free tickets to participate in an acting workshop. Interested? Go to www.timeout.com/offers and if you’re sat twiddling your thumbs why not have a look at the offers Get into London Theatre have on at the minute at www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk. There are tickets available from £10 for over 55 top London shows until 12 February!

Lauren Elphick TheatreFix Guest Editor

Greetings theatregoers! Welcome to a new chapter in the TheatreFix blog history. My name is Simon Stockley and I am the new intern at the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) offices in Covent Garden. I am a 23 year old Theatre Arts graduate and one of my great loves is plays. Whether seeing comedy, drama or avant-garde self-expressionism, I relish the opportunity to drink in the heady, cultural atmosphere of London’s theatrical landscape.

Over the coming weeks, I will be giving reports on what I hope will be resplendent, voluptuous and inspirational productions from various venues in London. Many talented individuals (both established and up-and-coming) are currently at work in today’s London theatres and the sheer scope of it all is staggering. Unfortunately, I will only be able to see a handful of these plays but those that I do see I will take no small amount of pleasure in discussing with you. Also, for the purposes of leaving my comfort zone, I will be covering some musical theatre to sample as much of the gamut as I can!

As well as reviews, there will be discussion topics for TheatreFixers to debate, articles on current theatre issues, news features and, hopefully, some interviews with theatre-related persons (such as actors, directors, producers, writers and the general public). Please feel free to use the message board to post any comments you have, whether they are positive, critical or merely curious. Also, make sure you register for the TheatreFix newsletter, to keep up to date with all our latest offers and receive a 50% off voucher for the Bella Italia restaurant chain.

Simon Stockley

TheatreFix Guest Editor

I spent the first day finding my feet making up a list of suggestions I had for the TheatreFix website. Some of these have already been developed! The website has changed its look so it’s more user-friendly and has a more pleasant background and I have developed an ‘Essential Guide’ section, with a ‘Five steps to plan your trip’ page, a theatre glossary page for all that jargon you may not know the meaning of and more useful information about where to eat and how to get to the theatre.

So far, I’ve managed to see a few shows and I’m putting what I think of them on this blog, so keep reading. You can also comment on any entries on the blog, so let me know what you think!

Winston Yap
TheatreFix Guest Editor

There’ll also be a discussion on theatre etiquette – to text or not to text?! –, features on shows I’ve seen while here, regular updates on TheatreFix news and of course special offers! We want to know what you think too, so if you’ve seen a show you loved recently, disagree or agree with anything I’ve said, let me know about it!

Don’t forget, register for the TheatreFix newsletter to hear about all the latest offers and you’ll receive a 50% off voucher for Bella Italia. It’s really simple, just click on www.theatrefix.co.uk/register

Winston Yap
TheatreFix Guest Editor