The week in theatre: Great Expectations; Infamous; That Face – review
That Face review – stunning revival will tear right through you
April 2022
Is Jerusalem still the play of the century? Top playwrights give their verdicts
As Mark Rylance returns to the West End stage as the rambunctious Rooster in Jez Butterworth’s shaggy state-of-the-nation play, six writers consider its power and legacy
June 2018
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; Julie; Machinal – review
Julie review – Polly Stenham's modern take on Strindberg misses the mark
May 2018
Polly Stenham on rewriting Strindberg: 'I wanted to go for the jugular'
As her explosive update of the sex-and-class classic Miss Julie hits the stage, playwright Polly Stenham explains why liberal hypocrisy is her new target
July 2017
Brutal! Vulgar! Dirty! Mae West and the gay comedy that shocked 1920s America
Mae West was taken to court for writing The Drag – a play about a closeted gay socialite that ended up banned. Polly Stenham, who’s directing a revival, celebrates the star who took a limo to jail
June 2016
Observer New Review Q&A
Polly Stenham: ‘The more experience I have, the harder writing gets’
The 29-year-old playwright talks about the pressures of early success, hanging out with Lena Dunham – and co-writing a horror film set in the LA fashion world
July 2014
The hot tickets
The hot tickets
Lenny Henry is back on home turf, the Arnolfini tarts up Bristol, plus Polly Stenham goes on holiday
June 2014
Hotel; Dmitry Krymov Lab: Opus No 7 – review
Hotel review – Polly Stenham aims high but misses
October 2013
National Theatre at 50
How I'd run the National theatre
Gladiatorial combat, Othello toys, golf in the foyer … as the National theatre celebrates its 50th birthday, we ask Polly Stenham, Jake Chapman, Billy Bragg and other cultural players what they'd do with Britain's flagship venue
January 2013
Mark Lawson's theatre studies
Which theatre audiences are the most demanding?
Mark Lawson: Are rich patrons easier to entertain? And are those in the cheap seats more discerning?
No Quarter; The Silence of the Sea; Not Until We Are Lost – review
Polly Stenham impresses again with her third play about dismayed middle-class youth, while The Silence of the Sea just can't keep quiet, writes Susannah Clapp
No Quarter – review
Polly Stenham gives us another play about the world of privileged despair that she portrays so well – though perhaps a change of scene is in order, writes Michael Billington
May 2012
Trailer trash
Trailer trash
Ken Loach's latest brings tartan to Cannes while Victoria Wood may soon take her place in the director's chair, writes Jason Solomons
February 2012
Doctor Who's Matt Smith interview: 'I'm itching to come back to theatre' - video
Theatre blog
Theatre of absurd ageism: why won't theatres support playwrights over 30?
January 2012
Top artists reveal how to find creative inspiration
Guy Garvey, Isaac Julien, Martha Wainwright and other artists give their top tips for unleashing your inner genius
October 2011
What to see this week
What to see: Lyn Gardner's theatre tips
Lyn Gardner: From the opening of the new Bush Theatre in London to Glasgow's Glasgay! festival, it's an exciting week ahead
