Fight a pigeon for your seat! Unforgettable theatre encounters

Susan Wokoma recalls plays backed by birdsong, Tallulah Brown found a fairytale in the reeds and Gregory Doran takes a trip back to LancasterRead the rest of our series on the theatres that made us Tallulah Brown’s play When the Birds Come was at the E…

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Edinburgh festival fringe sets stage for summer of online shows

Organisers prepare for ‘weird’ visitor-free season including weekly variety performanceEdinburgh festival fringe is preparing for a “weird” visitor-free summer with a package of online initiatives including variety shows streamed every Friday.The world…

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Tim Minchin: ‘Closest brush with the law? Nude run, 1996’

The Australian comedian and musician on social media, the anxiety of love and Abba hitsBorn in Western Australia, Tim Minchin, 44, began his career as a comedian, winning the 2005 Perrier best newcomer award at the Edinburgh festival fringe. In 2009, t…

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Can I go clubbing? Only in New Zealand! Your guide to easing and the arts

Are seatless, stroll-through shows the future of theatre? Can one-way dancing save nightclubs? Could budding indie bands storm Wembley stadium? Scientists imagine the arts after Covid-19The day before museums began closing in Britain, I saw Aubrey Bear…

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This week’s best culture at home, from Paul Weller to a new Rite of Spring

The Observer’s critics recommend the best art, theatre, music and more on TV and online this weekMusicPaul WellerDelayed by the pandemic, On Sunset finally comes out this week, offering both familiarity and experimentation from the restless, evergreen …

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‘There’s no such thing as a socially distanced mosh pit’: artists on the thrill of the crowd

Poet laureate Simon Armitage and comedian Lolly Adefope love the buzz of performance. Here’s what we’re all missingReady, steady… Oh: Olympics, Glastonbury and Euro 2020 stars on the summer we’ve lost There can be no such thing as a socially distance…

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Honk if you like my arias: the summer of drive-in culture

With venues locked down, entertainment-starved audiences are getting in gear for a season of opera, comedy shows and movies experienced from your own car seat – but is it an artistic cul de sac? Britain has never been good at drive-ins. Historically ou…

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Edinburgh international festival announces citywide Ghost Lights celebration

The festival will roll out a series of ‘artistic interventions’ across the Scottish capital in AugustA series of “artistic interventions” has been announced by the Edinburgh international festival (EIF) to take place across the Scottish capital in Augu…

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Cancelled! Cancelled! Cancelled! Stars on the shows that couldn’t go on

How does it feel to see a show you’ve spent years working on being pulled? From Love Islanders to Foals, Laura Wade and Wayne McGregor, artists reveal their darkest days – and deepest worriesIain Stirling, voice of Love Island, standup comedianIf this …

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Coronavirus poses huge threat to entertainment industry

The sector is wrestling with issues such as staging plays with social distancing, or running rollercoasters half fullThe row between cinema chains and Universal Studios over the digital-only release of Trolls World Tour is one of may crises racking the…

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