Articles written by Beverley Davies

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About me - Beverley Davies

After a career as a copywriter and all-round marketeer, Beverley Davies is now concentrating on creative writing. She has a special interest in show business, and has written a biography of the English eccentric Margaret Rutherford. Extracts from this can

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Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Effects of shortening the plays of Shakespeare: 1 of 5

Good old Will has been out of copyright for a very long time, which means that anyone can take a pair of scissors to his stage work and reissue it with impunity. It's been going on since the Restoration. The motives of editors and rehashers are many and varied. Yet overall, Shakespeare is revered. Bardolatry, Bernard Shaw ca...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Theatre etiquette tips: 5 of 15

The following incidents of infuriating behaviour have been reported in the British and Irish media. In 2005, Richard Griffiths, the corpulent British actor well known for his work on stage, TV and films, stopped a theatre performance to chastise a woman in the stalls when her mobile phone interrupted the show no less than th...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Thoughts on the Proscenium Theater: 2 of 4

Most people feel at home in the audience at a proscenium arch (pros.) theatre. Firstly, it is a familiar environment, even for someone who goes to the theatre only rarely. If we are fortunate, we have been taken to such a theatre at a very young age. In my country (Britain), huge numbers of primary school kids are introduced...
Arts & Humanities > William Shakespeare Book reviews: 1599 - A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, by James Shapiro: 1 of 1

This award-winning book may well inspire a spate of 'Shakespeare diaries'. The title is a little misleading, however, for it is not a journal of a single year, as such. Neither can the reader expect a swift journey through it. '1599' is a book on a potentially huge subject, by an author admirably keen to not to be drawn into...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Shakespeare's Globe Theatre keeps rare plays alive: 1 of 1

A vital part of the work of Shakespeare's Globe in London is education - not only for schools and students, but also for anyone with an interest in Elizabethan/Jacobean drama. Within the Globe's Education Centre in Bear Gardens (a few yards away from the Globe itself) is a tiny theatre. It seats about forty, so could not be ...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama The history of London's West End theater district: 2 of 3

Actors are a superstitious lot, and every self-respecting theatre likes to have a resident ghost or two. Several West End venues can report either violent deaths on the premises or guardian spirits, or both. John Buckstone was a comedian who became manager of The Haymarket in the second half of the 19th century. He is repute...
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Why Whodunit novels will remain popular as a mystery genre: 2 of 3

Are Whodunits a Dying Breed? The Agatha Christie style 'whodunit' is a distinctive genre of fiction, and remains popular although in some ways it is an outmoded form. While the writers of new crime novels strive to develop and revitalise their work, often with additional psychology, gore or horror, the classic whodunit survi...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama The history of musical theater: 5 of 7

John Gay's 'Beggar's Opera' The grand-daddy of ballad operas, within the musical theatre, is John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. Today it is virtually his only claim to fame, but Gay (1685-1732) had the active help and support of the greatest satirical wits of his day - Swift, Pope, Arbuthnot and others - and 'The Beggar's Opera'...
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama How the theater has been used to promote social change: 3 of 4

A Pragmatic View from the Mainstream: 'Propaganda' is an emotive word, conjuring up images of fascistic regimes indoctrinating armies of malleable agents to do their dirty work. But in a free and stable country, the distinctions between propaganda, public education, and simply being an opinionated individual with a talent fo...
Arts & Humanities > William Shakespeare Learning to appreciate Shakespeare: 7 of 7

A lot of anachronistic supposition is made about Shakespeare. Both his sexuality and his fitness to produce his poetry and plays have been constantly questioned in our conspiracy-mad times. But an understanding of his education sheds light on both questions. To paraphrase Dr Carol Rutter, speaking at the recent "Boys Event" ...