There's been a lot of fringe theatre on Londonist of late and while we've been seeing and reviewing a lot, there must also be time for London Theatre Talks 2010. And so, the London Festival Fringe (which had us a bit baffled at their launch) has gathered guest speakers from the London theatre scene to discuss hot topics of the day.
Head to the Phoenix Artists Bar on Tuesday evening to hear the following statement discussed: "Banks are more important to society than theatre." Writer and broadcaster Aleks Sierz will chair a panel with ex-Time Out Arts Editor Nina Caplan, New Black Magazine editor Shaun Hutchinson and ex-City boy turned actor and writer Ben Holland, tackling this subject inspired and fired up by recent theatre hits Enron and The Power of Yes, among others.
On Wednesday, also chaired by Sierz, the panel is on the question "Is Spectacle in Theatre Killing The Story?" There's no doubt big shows with huge set pieces are popular at the moment, but is this any good for audiences and theatre-makers in the long run? The speakers are Alistair Smith and Paul Vale from The Stage and Shunt co-founder Louise Mari as well as Mike Bradwell, former artistic director of the Bush Theatre. The debates are free to attend, both start at 7pm at the Phoenix Artists Bar, be prepared to have your mind prodded quite a bit.
Image shows the Sultan's Elephant, in London, 2006. Is it spectacle or theatre? Discuss. Image author's own.
