WRITING FOR TV AND RADIO

Bloomsbury have announced the publication in November of Writing for TV and Radio: A Writers' and Artists' Companion.

It's written by the formidably experienced team of Sue Teddern and Nick Warburton. It also includes short contributions by a number of writers including my own thoughts on the pitfalls of creating historical characters on radio: "The name's Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach".

ADVANCED RADIO DRAMA COURSE

Early next year I will be teaching my course in advanced radio drama for New Writing South in collaboration with the distinguished radio producer Martin Jenkins.

Details of the course and how to book are on the NWS website and in their latest brochure out very soon.

FINLANDIA

Three very productive days this week in the crumbling BBC Maida Vale Studios recording Finlandia, my play about Sibelius, directed by Tracey Neale with an excellent cast headed by Tim Pigott-Smith. The play broadcasts in December on Radio 3 as part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Sibeiius' birth.

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER: PRIDE IN LONDON

Page 77 of the Pride in London free magazine is devoted to Told Look Younger.

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER: GALA NIGHTS

Very enjoyable Gala performance last night in aid of Opening Doors UK with a stimulating discussion afterwards hosted by the inimitable Richard wilson.

There's another Gala night in aid of Pride in London coming up on Tuesday 23rd June. There is a item in the "silent" auction organised by Pride in London offering tickets to the show together with  a voucher for £100 for supper at the Bar Boulud at the Mandarin Oriental after. Why not check it out?

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER: Reviews

Among the early mostly very favourable reviews, this from Stewart Trotter:

Men sit round a table, drinking wine and talking about the nature of love - physical and spiritual. No, it's not Plato's 'Symposium' - it's Stephen Wyatt's beautiful, wry and challenging play 'Told Look Younger.' Three gay 'friends' in their sixties - a repressed academic, Oliver (Robin Hooper) an aggressive property developer, Jeremy (Michael Garner) and an aesthetic architect, Colin, (Christopher Hunter) meet in a series of extraordinary restaurants and are served by a series of extraordinary waiters (all played by the extraordinary Simon Haines). Colin's long-term lover has died and he reveals to his friends he plans to marry Ahmed, a twenty year old Turk of three months' acquaintance. Consternation round the table - followed by time's inevitable fluctuations of friendship and love. This glorious play - which openly admits there are no answers - is directed with warmth and vigour by the legendary Sue Dunderdale and must be seen beyond the gay community. It runs at the Jermyn Street Theatre till the 4th July.

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER: INTERVIEW FOR "THE STAGE"

Stephen's interview about Told Look Younger is in this week's issue of The Stage.

TOLD LOOK YOUNGER: MEET THE CAST

Some excellent photos of the cast in rehearsal taken by Simon Annand.

PRIX MARULIC

Turns out the Prix Marulic got their maths wrong when counting the votes, and we really came second!

So a promotion of sorts!   A little embarrassing for the organisers though...