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Where are all the plays about today's hyper-connected world?The internet has changed the way we experience the world, and theatre is at last catching up. Playwright Alistair McDowall argues it needs to embrace eclecticism -
Maxine Peake's Hamlet to be screened in cinemasFilmed version of Sarah Frankcom’s cross-gender production to be released in 2015 -
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Miriam Margolyes: ‘I do say things possibly other people don’t say'She doesn’t like Tony Abbott’s swimwear or policies, thinks Nigel Farage is frightening, loves Australia – mostly – and thinks Israel can be blind to its own faults. Anything else to add to the list? -
Made in Dagenham review – brassy Gemma Arterton musical lacks passionDirected by Rupert Goold, this stage version of the film suffers from its caricatures, relentless jokiness and functional score, writes Michael Billington -
Bryony Lavery: ‘The miners’ strike is still lodged within our DNA’In researching my play Queen Coal I wanted to explore the vanishing of a once thriving industry. It all came into focus after Margaret Thatcher’s effigy was burned on a bonfire
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Kevin Berry obituaryOther lives: Arts journalist whose passion for dance led to him working for the Stage and Dancing Times
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Dad Dancing review – fathers and daughters bond on dance floorGirls and dads strut their stuff in this warm-hearted show about family relationships, writes Lyn Gardner
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Three Wise Monkeys review – cheeky chimp fable for childrenHiccup Theatre’s energetic show comes with songs, visual tricks and an eco-message – and the performers really bond with the audience, finds Andrew Pulver
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Queen Coal review – raking the embers of Thatcher’s bonfire of the minesInjustices nursed by a Yorkshire pit community since the 1984-85 strike lurk beneath one woman’s homecoming in this powerful and evocative play, writes Alfred Hickling
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Stewart Lee: The Imaginary Liberal Comedy Cabal will crush the Ukips into dustNigel Farage and the comedian Andrew Lawrence have accused a ‘politically correct comedy clique’ of targeting Ukip and favouring talentless women and ‘ethnics’. The gloves are off, says founding member Stewart Lee
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DV8’s John review – a thrilling descent into chaosPhysical theatre group DV8’s new piece explores abuse and intimacy – but an unbalanced narrative dulls the impact, writes Lyn Gardner
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The Voice Thief review – an angry, alarming lesson in girls’ emancipationAn engaging Wonka figure hides a dark purpose in this impressively rebellious children’s promenade show, writes Mark Fisher
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Climate change play 2071 aims to make data dramaticDirector Katie Mitchell, playwright Duncan Macmillan and scientist Chris Rapley let the facts speak for themselves in new Royal Court show
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Ford fiesta: Made in Dagenham musical opens in West End – in picturesAssembly lines meet chorus lines in the new musical Made in Dagenham, starring Gemma Arterton and based on the hit British film. Go behind the scenes
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The Dreary Coast review: immersive theatre on a boat goes adriftA mythical exploration of one of Brooklyn’s most polluted waterways had enchanting moments, but left those on the shore narratively marooned
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Shakespeare on demand: Globe theatre launches digital playerCompany will allow viewers to watch and download more than 50 productions on desktop computers, mobiles and tablets
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Prima ballerina Sylvie Guillem prepares to take her final bowFrench dancer to end spectacular 39-year career at Paris Opera Ballet and Royal Ballet with last world tour
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The Dreary Coast: a theatrical tour of Brooklyn's most polluted canal
Jeff Stark's The Dreary Coast is staged on the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in Brooklyn. Take a tour of this interactive theatre piece, which incorporates elements of several Greek myths, Dante's Inferno and a smattering of other classical and modern references, in order to tell the story of Charon, the mythical boatman who ferries souls through Hades. Read our review of the performance
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Renée Asherson obituaryVersatile actor who combined grace with gravity in her many roles over 65 years
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Sylvie Guillem's career, step by step – in picturesSylvie Guillem has announced that she will present her final dance programme at Sadler’s Wells in 2015. Revisit her journey from Parisian ballerina to global dance sensation
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Dad Dancing review – fathers and daughters bond on dance floorGirls and dads strut their stuff in this warm-hearted show about family relationships, writes Lyn Gardner
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Three Wise Monkeys review – cheeky chimp fable for childrenHiccup Theatre’s energetic show comes with songs, visual tricks and an eco-message – and the performers really bond with the audience, finds Andrew Pulver
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Queen Coal review – raking the embers of Thatcher’s bonfire of the minesInjustices nursed by a Yorkshire pit community since the 1984-85 strike lurk beneath one woman’s homecoming in this powerful and evocative play, writes Alfred Hickling
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DV8’s John review – a thrilling descent into chaosPhysical theatre group DV8’s new piece explores abuse and intimacy – but an unbalanced narrative dulls the impact, writes Lyn Gardner
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The Voice Thief review – an angry, alarming lesson in girls’ emancipationAn engaging Wonka figure hides a dark purpose in this impressively rebellious children’s promenade show, writes Mark Fisher
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The Dreary Coast review: immersive theatre on a boat goes adriftA mythical exploration of one of Brooklyn’s most polluted waterways had enchanting moments, but left those on the shore narratively marooned
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Torobaka review – Akram Khan and Israel Galván’s duet is more like a duelCircling each other, arms whirling, these two superb dancers combine their kathak and flamenco styles with ferocious intensity, writes Judith Mackrell
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Are You With Us? review – theatrical group therapy is painfully funnyGob Squad raid the dressing-up box for a four-hour, interval-free show that questions as much as it counsels, writes Lyn Gardner
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Grand Guignol review – ghoulish tribute to Montmartre’s terror theatreParis’s famous factory of stage frights liked its audiences to faint with shock; this cheerfully gory celebration thrills best when it concentrates on mind games, writes Lyn Gardner
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Hippolytos review – V&A stages Greek tragedy in a tunnelAntic Face’s frantic, inventive staging of the Euripides play is worlds away from the corseted passion of Racine, writes Michael Billington
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Dance ’Til Dawn review – Strictly Come Dancing stars dazzle but lose the plotVincent Simone and Flavia Cacace impress with a sexy tango in this film noir pastiche, writes Michael Billington
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Colquhoun & MacBryde review – a raucous portrait of rebel artistsJohn Byrne’s story of two Glasgow painters ahead of their time is a touching study of men defeated by forces beyond their control, writes Mark Fisher
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First Episode review – Oxford drama proves Rattigan was born dramatistTerence Rattigan’s debut from 1934 captures the hedonistic irresponsibility of privileged prewar student life, writes Michael Billington
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Spill festival review – riotously entertaining with plenty of surprisesA gender-bending Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and destruction of Holyroodhouse contributed to a challenging, questioning, pleasurable festival, writes Lyn Gardner
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See the Music, Hear the Dance review – Adès provides exhilarating inspirationCrystal Pite’s audacious choreography showed her working with exceptional confidence in this mixed bill exploring the music of Thomas Adès, writes Judith Mackrell
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Who Do We Think We Are? review – true stories set to a backdrop of warAn international cast share their own moving, first-hand accounts of Vietnam, Nagasaki and Treblinka By Kate Kellaway
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Camera Lucida review – a static and wilfully moribund study of deathA dead body poses questions of absence and existence, but is at risk of leaving the audience cold too, says Kate Kellaway
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Dad Dancing review – slaves to the rhythmThe fathers of three contemporary dancers were invited to learn more about their daughters’ craft – the results are quite something, writes Luke Jennings
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The Witch of Edmonton review – is it a comedy or a tragedy?Outstanding performances from a cast led by Eileen Atkins, but the play is a case of too many playwrights spoiling the plot, writes Kate Kellaway
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Stewart Lee: The Imaginary Liberal Comedy Cabal will crush the Ukips into dustNigel Farage and the comedian Andrew Lawrence have accused a ‘politically correct comedy clique’ of targeting Ukip and favouring talentless women and ‘ethnics’. The gloves are off, says founding member Stewart Lee
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Climate change play 2071 aims to make data dramaticDirector Katie Mitchell, playwright Duncan Macmillan and scientist Chris Rapley let the facts speak for themselves in new Royal Court show
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‘I can never get that photo back’: play for teens explores explicit imagesThe story of Amanda Todd, who at 15 killed herself after being blackmailed and harassed online, is evoked in Girls Like That at London’s Unicorn theatre, writes Matt Trueman
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Ronan Keating: ‘Acting the role of a singer does my head in’The ex-Boyzone singer-songwriter talks to Liz Hoggard about the challenge he faces taking on the lead role in hit West End musical Once
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Life With Father: the long-lost daddy of BroadwayLife with Father, about a sexist patriarch and submissive wife, holds the record for the longest-running non-musical play in New York. Now, 75 years after it premiered, Mark Lawson asks what it says about American theatre in the 20th century
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‘The very pineapple of politeness!’: Gemma Jones and Wendy Craig on playing Mrs MalapropRichard Sheridan’s grande dame from The Rivals is best known for her flamboyant word-mangling, but what lies behind the desperate desire to impress? Two actors who’ve played the role doff their bonnets to a great autodidact and survivor
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Togo Igawa: how I became the RSC’s first Japanese actorSean Bean whispered when we passed each other in the corridor: ‘Togo, the Queen laughed at your twitching.’
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Death, drugs and survival: DV8 Physical Theatre tells the story of JohnLloyd Newson’s latest production uses movement and the spoken word to stage one man’s harrowing yet extraordinary life
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Camera Lucida: a truly spine-tingling experienceWith Victorian theatrics, disembodied voices and a low-frequency generating infrasound device, Dickie Beau’s multimedia seance will be felt as much as heard, writes John O’Mahony
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Judi Dench and John Kander: how we made CabaretJudi Dench and musicals legend John Kander on how paper eyelashes, unsingable songs and a flop called Flora created a classic
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Ricky Tomlinson on picketing, prison and new play United We StandThe Royle Family star was jailed after the national construction workers’ strike of 1972. As a show about the ‘Shrewsbury 24’ arrives in Shropshire, he talks to Alfred Hickling
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Clash of the Gyllenhaals: Maggie v Jake on BroadwayThe famous siblings are making their Broadway debuts this autumn. Matt Wolf wonders who will take home the acting honours
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Carnage by candlelight: Michael Longhurst on ’Tis Pity She’s a WhoreWith its incest and gore, John Ford’s 17th-century tragedy was not an obvious choice for the director of Constellations. He talks to David Jays about the allure of the play – and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
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The implications of the alliance between ENB and the theatre are so significant that the news even overshadowed the announcement of Sylvie Guillem’s farewell shows, writes Judith MackrellEnglish National Ballet’s leap to Sadler’s Wells: Tamara Rojo deserves applause
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The 10 best things to see at the New York comedy festivalFrom topical gameshows to controversial standup, with some ‘minor nudity’ along the way, New York offers a comedy smorgasbord this week – here’s the pick
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National Dance awards nominations give young artists a chance to shineNominations for the 15th National Dance awards promise a vintage list of eventual winners as traditional boundaries crumble and the spotlight falls on younger rising stars, writes Judith Mackrell
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Curtains for the drama GCSE? That would be a tragedy
Lyn Gardner: Is drama GCSE an irrelevance as the National Youth Theatre's Paul Roseby has suggested?
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Plan your week's theatre: top tickets
Antony Sher plays Falstaff in Bath, the lives of female Muslim boxers are examined in Manchester, one-on-one performance is big in Liverpool, and La Soirée sashays back into London
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Wigged out: why ballet’s bad hair day is ruining the showDance depends on wigs but, as with the Royal Ballet’s all-Ashton programme, fake hair can be a distraction from choreographic riches, writes Judith Mackrell
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Why the National Theatre must make itself a truly national service
Residents of Detroit could have seen more of the NT last year than people living in Sunderland. Is so much touring overseas in the National's interests?
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Plan your week's theatre: top tickets
In Sheffield, women take to the frontline of the miners' strike, while Tom Stoppard's best play is revived in Nottingham – and check out the half-term happenings all over the country
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Fred Herko: the life and dramatic death of an avant-garde heroWhen Fred Herko jumped naked out of a window aged 28, he had help found Judson Dance theater and performed in three Warhol films. Now, a festival celebrates a pivotal figure in the 60s New York underground
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DIY theatre (because nobody else will)
Lyn Gardner: Is it an aesthetic? A political statement? Or just the best way to get things done? Do-it-yourself theatre is all around us
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Barry Humphries and Barry Spurr are a comedy double act no one needsHow can Barry Humphries support freedom of speech for Barry Spurr when censorship is just fine for his international cabaret festival? Maeve Marsden withdraws her application
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Publishing standups’ one-liners is cheap clickbait that does comedians – and their gags – no favours, writes Brian LoganGiving away comedians’ jokes is no laughing matter
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Tweet Bitterness: how Forced Entertainment took over Twitter
Lyn Gardner: Streamed live from Berlin on Saturday night, Speak Bitterness proved that it's possible to have a communal experience watching theatre in your own home
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Plan your week's theatre: top tickets
Lyn Gardner: Hunt out stories on the streets of Deptford, see Sweeney Todd in London's oldest pie-and-mash shop or catch up with Mark Thomas's raw and angry Cuckooed out on tour
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Learning disabled theatre: where is the UK's answer to Back to Back?
Lyn Gardner: Ganesh Versus the Third Reich has been seen around the world. The Diverse Futures project is focusing on nurturing British equivalents to the Australian company
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Kevin Bridges: you can't be complacent in comedyIn an extract from his autobiography, We Need to Talk About … Kevin Bridges, the standup explains the gear changes he needs to navigate a show
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Pay-per-laugh: the comedy club that charges punters having funBrian Logan: Reportedly a riposte to the Spanish government’s tax on theatre tickets, one Barcelona club’s gimmick could be the harbinger of the comedy apocalypse
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Everyday Shakespeare quiz – match the popular expression to the play
Many of Shakespeare's lines are used in daily life – but do you know which plays feature these popular expressions?
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Cats or Pussycat Dolls? – lyrics quiz
As Nicole Scherzinger prepares to play Grizabella, can you tell which of these lyrics are sung in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical and which are sung by the Pussycat Dolls?
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"O, he will dissolve my mystery!" – which is Mrs Malaprop's right wrong word?
Taking its name from the misused words of Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals, a malapropism (AKA a dogberryism) is the use of an incorrect word in place of one with a similar sound. Can you guess the right wrong words?
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'You bull's pizzle': match Shakespeare's insults to his plays – quiz
Shakespeare wrote some of the most beautiful sonnets in history but he was also the prince of putdowns. How well do you know the Bard's barbs?
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Quiz: Is this acting advice from Laurence Olivier or @Tips4Actors?
Laurence Olivier had plenty of wise words for aspiring performers. Mind you, so does the moderate Twitter sensation @Tips4Actors. Can you tell whose lines are whose?
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Quiz: which Shakespeare characters speak these lines about love?
Do you know your Benedick from your Beatrice? Your Romeo from your Juliet? Match the quote to the character
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Gillian Anderson quiz: A Streetcar Named Desire or The X Files?
Can you tell which of these lines belong to Blanche Dubois and which are spoken by agent Dana Scully?
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Theatre quiz: which Shakespeare character is dying?
Shakespeare saved some fine lines for those characters drawing their last breath. Can you identify who speaks these words in their exit speeches?
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Quiz: match the stage directions to the play
Here are 10 striking stage directions – can you identify the plays they're taken from?
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Quiz: whose review is it anyway? Nancy Dell'Olio v Jeremy Paxman
Can you guess which of these two festival newbies the reviewers are writing about?
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Quiz: Who told these one-liners about education?
Here are 10 one-liners on the subject of education. Do you know which comedian is responsible for each of them?
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Quiz: Who told these one-liners about television?
Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of television. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Quiz: Who told these one-liners about conflict?
Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of conflict. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Can you identify these last lines of plays? – quiz
Were you paying attention before the curtain fell? See if you recognise these closing lines of 10 great plays
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Quiz: Who told these one-liners about money?
Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of money. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Which Shakespeare characters speak these lines? – quiz
Do you know your Lear from your Leontes? Your Macbeth from your Mercutio? Match these lines to the right characters
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Mean Girls or David Mamet? - quiz
As Lindsay Lohan prepares to make her West End debut in Speed-the-Plow, can you guess if these lines come from Mean Girls or David Mamet's plays?
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Quiz: Who told these one-liners about sex?
Here are 10 pithy gags on the subject of sex. Do you know which entertainer is responsible for each of them?
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Quiz: who told these one-liners about children?
Here are 10 one-liners on the subject of kids. Do you know which standup is responsible for each of them?
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Can you identify the first lines of these plays? – quiz
Do you know your Pinter from your Ibsen? Your Frayn from your Kane? See if you can recognise these opening lines of 10 classic plays
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Ford fiesta: Made in Dagenham musical opens in West End – in picturesAssembly lines meet chorus lines in the new musical Made in Dagenham, starring Gemma Arterton and based on the hit British film. Go behind the scenes
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The Dreary Coast: a theatrical tour of Brooklyn's most polluted canal
Jeff Stark's The Dreary Coast is staged on the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in Brooklyn. Take a tour of this interactive theatre piece, which incorporates elements of several Greek myths, Dante's Inferno and a smattering of other classical and modern references, in order to tell the story of Charon, the mythical boatman who ferries souls through Hades. Read our review of the performance
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Sylvie Guillem's career, step by step – in picturesSylvie Guillem has announced that she will present her final dance programme at Sadler’s Wells in 2015. Revisit her journey from Parisian ballerina to global dance sensation
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New Breed: five fresh Australian choreographers to watch – in picturesTake a sneak peek at Australia’s freshest choreographic talent rehearsing New Breed, Sydney Dance Company’s showcase of new contemporary dance at Carriageworks
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Strictly Tinseltown: Vincent and Flavia's Dance 'Til Dawn is ode to HollywoodTango champions and Strictly Come Dancing favourites Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone celebrate the golden age of American movies in their new West End show
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'A new language' Akram Khan and Israel Galván's Torobaka – in picturesChoreographers Akram Khan and Israel Galván dance to two different beats – kathak and flamenco. Their new project, Torabaka, is more than a fusion of the two. They tell us what it means and how they work
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Readers' pictures on the theme of 'magic'For this week’s photography assignment in the Observer New Review we asked you to share your photos on the theme of ‘magic’ via GuardianWitness. Here is a selection of our favourites
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Wicked witch of the West End: Jennifer DiNoia's Elphaba makeover – in picturesIts not easy being green – never mind defying gravity. See Jennifer DiNoia’s transformation into Elphaba for the magical musical at the Apollo Victoria theatre. Photos by Matt Crockett
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Melbourne festival 2014: the Aussie Rules of circus – video
Circus dominates at this year's Melbourne festival, but there's no big top, tiger or ringmaster in sight. Nancy Groves reports
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Hipbone Sticking Out at Melbourne festival: 'no story is neutral' – video
Scott Rankin and Trevor Jamieson discuss Hipbone Sticking Out, which covers thousands of years of Pilbara history, and the death in custody of John Pat, in a single performance
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Wendy Whelan's farewell to NYCB - a ballerina's career in picturesAfter 30 years, New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan will bid farewell to the company with a special performance on Saturday 18 October 2014. Leap back through her incredible career
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Ready to roar: backstage at The Lion King – in picturesDisney’s The Lion King celebrates its 15th anniversary at the Lyceum theatre in London on 19 October. Go behind the scenes at the award-winning musical
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Measure for measure: inside the RSC's costume department – in picturesShakespeare’s matching pair of romantic comedies, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Love’s Labour’s Won, have been reunited by the RSC. Take a look at the costumes designed by Simon Higlett
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Here Lies Love: Imelda Marcos puts on her disco shoes at the National Theatre - in picturesHere Lies Love, a musical by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim has opened at the National’s new Dorfman theatre after an award-winning run on Broadway
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Natalia Osipova in Giselle, the heartbreak ballet - video
Watch the former Bolshoi dancer's five-star performance in the lead role in Petipa's classic romantic ballet
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The many faces of John Bell's stage highlights - in picturesAs John Bell announces his retirement from Bell Shakespeare, the company he founded to make Shakespeare accessible to all Australians, we take a look back at his long career treading the boards
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John Bell's greatest roles from Lear to Richard III – video
Relive some of John Bell's greatest performances, from King Lear and Richard III to Faustus
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Natalia Osipova dances Manon for Royal Ballet – in picturesRoyal Ballet star Natalia Osipova made her much-anticipated appearance in Kenneth MacMillan’s acclaimed tragic ballet Manon at London’s Royal Opera House this week
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Fetch or flop? Lindsay Lohan in Speed-the-Plow – in picturesAfter the most-discussed previews in recent West End history, Speed-the-Plow has its official opening night on 2 October. Have a look at the production before the critics take their seats at the Playhouse theatre.
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Mayday: a short film starring Juliet Stevenson – video
Inspired by the Young Vic theatre's production of Happy Days, Natalie Abrahami directs a modern-day story of an isolated woman fighting to 'keep up the glamour'
Last dance for Sylvie Guillem, the supreme mover with a curious mind