Updating Shakespeare – Part 1: Modern perspectives on staging ‘The Taming of the Shrew’
How does a director present ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ to a post-feminist audience? A romantic romp that has …
The Theatre of a Propaganda War: The Playhouse in the Marprelate Controversy
This obscure theological debate, this grubby little propaganda war, may have had far greater consequences for the Elizabethan theatre than …
A Bouquet of Sweet Nothings
There was once a time when I actually thought I could make a living from my writing. The trick was …
Suburban Terrors Part Two: The Urban Witch
When I began work on my short story collection, Suburban Terrors, I never intended to connect the stories, but a …
A Deep Dive into Classic and Historical Fiction
As a way of promoting my first novel, The Slave, I set up a website called The Romance of History, …
Don’t judge a book by its cover
How often are we seduced by the cover and let down by the contents? You remember the old proverb. …
A Glimpse into Shakespeare’s World
The image many people have of William Shakespeare is of the poetic genius writing his plays all alone in his …
Il Bisbetico Domato: an Italian Take on ‘The Taming of the Shrew’
What would a modern Italian take on Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ look like? The trope of a …
The Troublesome Reign of James Burbage – Part 3
James Burbage’s conflict with his sister-in-law, Margaret Brayne, would not only have personal consequences for his family, but also wider …
More Random Thoughts on Life and Culture
The advantage of having my own website is that I can pursue and publish on whatever random subject takes my …
Somerton Man: the perfect murder or a tragic love story?
The Somerton Man has been called ‘one of Australia’s most profound mysteries’. All sorts of solutions and theories have been …
The Troublesome Reign of James Burbage – Part 2
Why did James Burbage’s partnership with his brother-in-law, John Brayne, cause him such turmoil and heartache? As we saw …