Showing Tag: "v" (Show all posts)

Fall Back!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Sunday, October 6, 2024, In : Nick Hennegan

Or Autumn, as we call it in London. We're obviously often busy in the summer, but the Autumn is a great time in London. The leaves start turning colour and falling and there's no better time to retreat to a cosy British Pub... often by a fire.

Richard, our current writer/guide LOVES our literary Pubs. To the point where it's probably best to plan to spend the whole evening with us! Even after the pubs have closed, we are friendly with some of the private members clubs in Soho. So the night can...
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Edinburgh Fringe Literary Pub Crawl. The Parting Glass!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Tuesday, September 3, 2024,

We had a great time at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. It's the biggest open arts festival in the world! Writer of our London Literary Pub Crawl, Nick Hennegan, wrote one for Edinburgh. And we had a blast. And like our regular weekly London Pub Crawl he met some great new people!

Most of the Posts are now?yola-link-is-coming=true on www.Bohemi anBritain.com. Go have a look!

Some of the London writers featured on the London Literary Pub Crawl.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Thursday, February 9, 2023, In : Bohemian Britain

London has been home to some of the most revered writers in history. Here are five of the most famous writers who have lived and worked in the city:

1.  Charles Dickens: The renowned English author was born in Portsmouth, but moved to London in his early twenties and wrote most of his beloved classics, such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, while living in the city. 

2.  George Orwell: The author of Animal Farm and 1984 spent much of his life in London and his novels we...

The Chiswick Book Festival party Part 3 - and new writing venue TheSpaceUK in Edinburgh!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Thursday, October 13, 2022,

Nick Hennegan was at the 14th Chiswick Book Festival, at the local author's party, where the writers have 2 minutes against the clock to talk about their books - or get ‘horned’ off! This is the final part. And we hear from the founders of The Space UK - enterprising venues at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Listen at BohemianBritain.com
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REVIEW... No Ghosts In Gabriel Byrne’s House!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, In : British Theatre

🍷🍷🍷🍷 - 4 out of 5 (non alcoholic) glasses.

Gabriel Byrne is an international superstar but was born to a poor working-class family just outside Dublin. Watching him perform in a comfortable, up-market West End Theatre in London, I was hugely relieved he was there. As a working-class artist myself, it’s very important that these stories are told, particularly when the arts, and theatre, in particular, seem to be heading back to levels of privilege not seen since the John Gielgud ...

Much Ado About Nothing.’ (The First Half!) Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022,

From www.BohemianBritain.com

Three flamboyantly dressed people standing on a raised dais flanked by a crowd — Photo; RSC

It’s a big, bombastic, futuristic and vibrant Messina is this latest ‘Much Ad...

The Shark Is Broken - Theatre Review

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Thursday, October 28, 2021, In : Bohemian Britain

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the theatre... oh, sorry... that should be water. Jaws analogies abound with the lovely little production that was postponed when Covid hit. Now they're back! See what our writer, Nick Hennegan thought about it on BohemianBritain.com

The Cast of The Shark Is Broken

The Edinburgh Festivals 2021 - new blog

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Monday, August 9, 2021, In : Travelers Tips

Writer Nick Hennegan is at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, just for a week - a different experience after the last few, full-on years. Follow him on our new website - Bohemian Britain

London. It’s about community, stupid! (Leave your baseball bat at home…!)

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, In : London Life

Love of the common people. Some of the team behind the Fitzrovia Arts Festival.

Virginia Woolf: writing death and illness into the national story of post-first world war Britain.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, March 27, 2021, In : Writers

Another interesting piece from The Conversation, by Jess Cotton, Lecturer at the School of English, Communication and Philosophy, Cardiff University.

Illness, unlike war, as English academic and writer Elizabeth Outka brilliantly demonstrates in her book Viral Modernism(2019), is a story that easily slips out of cultural and historical memory.

In illness, the modernist writer Virginia Woolf observed, “We cease to be soldiers in the army of the upright; we become deserters.” Woolf, writing i...

The End of the beginning?

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Monday, June 29, 2020, In : Nick Hennegan

Well! Who could have seen, even at Christmas this year, what was coming down the line for Europe, the USA and, in fact, the whole world!

This time last year I was in a cottage in Wales, (for free - thank you so much, the Morris family!) writing my adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for the Edinburgh festival in August. It was performed in daily rep with the same cast, with my original play, P.A.L.S.

They both went well in August and both shows garnered 5 * reviews. Very unusual for t...

Five novels from the Victorian era to give comfort in troubled times.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, In : Writers

In these troubled times, I thought these books, suggested by Pam Lock, a Lecturer in English Literature (Specialist in Victorian Literature and Alcohol) from the University of Bristol, in the Conversation, might be of interest.

The evolution of the novel and short story in the 19th century brought us one of the greatest human sources of comfort, besides food and a nice hot bath. When someone tells me they are planning to “curl up with a good book”, I am filled with a sense of peace on thei...

We're on hold till the end of April. Probably.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, March 20, 2020, In : Nick Hennegan

Well, what a start to the new year. The corona virus has taken everyone by surprise. And obviously, with the travel restrictions, bookings for our crawls have been cancelled from all over the world! If you have already booked a ticket, don't worry. As a small writers charity we're not able to do cash refunds, but your ticket will be valid for 10 years! And its transferrable so you can always gift it. Or, as lots of people are doing in the UK and the USA at the moment, you can 'gift' the ...
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Phew! 2019. Dickens in the USA and Romeo & Juliet in Edinburgh! Bring on Oliver, Knopfler and the Rolling Stones...

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Monday, December 30, 2019, In : London Life

It’s been an incredible 2019 in all sorts of ways. The worlds of politics on both sides of the pond have seen incredible events. I’m sure George Orwell is smiling, wherever he is. Or maybe grimacing! On a more domestic note, we sold out in the summer and I was at the Edinburgh festival fringe again with not one, but TWO new plays. Well, one new adaptation - a footballing version of Romeo and Juliet with a feisty Juliet - and a comedy (some would say tragi-comedy) I wrote a few years a...

Women in the world and the Women’s World Cup: extra time to reflect on the broader injustices women and girls face

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, May 31, 2019, In : Nick Hennegan

USA vs Spain in a 2019 friendly. EPA/MANUEL LORENZO

I'm preparing to take PALS and Romeo and Juliet to the Edinburgh Festival fringe this August. I want to try and redress the traditional male and female role balance a bit, particularly with Romeo and Juliet, so this article in The Conversation caught my eye...

Few events in women’s sport generate more attention than the football World Cup. Around 750m people watched the last tournament and, in June, France will host the 2019 competition, fe...

Brexit? What's that? No problem...!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Monday, April 8, 2019, In : Nick Hennegan

It looks like the UK might be exiting the European Union - So a British Exit - Brexit! I love the wordplay, if not the concept. I won't get into the politics here (nah, I don't think it's a great idea to leave, and I do remember when I was a kid we were known as the 'poor man of Europe' hence us joining the EEC, but...!) however, we have people from around the world come on our literary pub celebration, and one or two people have mentioned they'd heard stories of rationing and hoarding and w...
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, December 29, 2018, In : Simon Says.

We hope we'll see you in 2019. The highlights of 2018? Without doubt, presenting three classic plays at the Edinbugh Festival. Nick Hennegan's version of A Christmas Carol with Guy Masterson wowing the UK on tour. And this review from the Sunday Telegraph...

"WE DRIFT OFF INTO THE SOHO EVENING, COMFORTED THAT A VIVID APPROACH TO THE LIFE'S WORK OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS AUTHORS SHOWS THAT THERE IS AS MUCH TO BE LEARNT IN THEIR PUBS AS THEIR PAGES." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH.

Kizzy is King of Edinburgh. And Queen. And Prince...

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, July 27, 2018, In : Nick Hennegan

I've just realised I've not been on here since May. It's mainly the fault of my writing a new verison of Hamlet. Called, Hamlet-Horatio's Tale, it's a one-man show, played by a woman, Kizzy Dunn, pictured below. And with Sir Derek Jacobi as the voice of Old Hamlet. And I've got to get back to rehearsals now, so more later. Come and see us at the Assembly Rooms on George Street. You won't regret it. And you can buy me a drink...! x

Happy Valentine's Day!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, February 14, 2018, In : Nick Hennegan

Happy Valentine' Day.

I think Anthony Burgess, a writer we feature in our show, summed up the day perfectly in 'The Paris Review.' He wrote, "The world has so much solace to offer: love, food, music, the immense variety of race and language, literature, the pleasure of artistic creation."

Yep!

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What are your Sounds and Sonnets of Summer?

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Monday, July 3, 2017, In : London Life

Peoples Choice 1.

This is a rare occasion where our Podcast and Blog come together!

We've celebrated the Summer Solstice recently in the UK. In response to numerous emails and other requests, writer and presenter, Nick Hennegan has complied an hour of poetry and music special to him to start things off. But he'd like to hear your faves! Please send us YOUR list of summer songs and poems to summer@mavericktheatre.co.uk with a line about why they are special to you.

Here's Nicks list and memo...

Don't understand Shakespeare? You need Dylan Thomas Day!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, In : Nick Hennegan

Dylan Day - a celebration of the work of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas - is a great idea for a number of reasons. Firstly it's always a good idea to celebrate art and literature. In a world full of Trump, May, Brexit, Syria and conflict, it's a very good idea to remind ourselves of the real reason we are all really here. For the sweet, satisfied moments of family, friendship, kindness, vision and imagination. I can’t remember who said a civilised society is only measured by the success of it...

If you are planning on coming to London, check out this creative guide.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, February 10, 2017, In : Hennegan's Best Bohemian Literary Pubs

Good Areas for Creative Pubs in London.

1. CHISWICK, LONDON, W4.
Chiswick (Listeni/ˈtʃɪzᵻk/ chiz-ick) is a district of West London, England.

Chiswick, or ‘leafy Chiswick’ as it seems to be known colloquially throughout London, is an interesting area for many reasons. Not least of which is the fact the London League of Irish Writers was established here in the 20th Century. This may have had something to do with the fact W.B. Yeats made his home here, as did the poet Alexander Pope, ...

David Bowie - another London star, in the tradition of Beethoven?

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, January 11, 2017, In : London Life

We're used to writers, artists and stars in London. In the last few months, we've literally bumped into a Doctor Who, a Beatle, a Downton Abbey Lady and the most famous female author in the world! We've also been asked not once, but twice, to provide a 'secret' performance tour for A-list Hollywood actors and their teams!
But Nick, our writer, remembers early days of Bowie in South London and we thought this might be of interest.

It's by Andrew Frayn, a Lecturer in Twentieth Century Literat...

A Modern Dickensian Celebration this Christmas

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, December 2, 2016, In : Nick Hennegan

As you will know if you've been on the London Literary Pub Crawl, we are passionately enthusiastic about our unique bit of central London. Soho and Fitzrovia are arguably unique in the world. They are part city-centre, part artists enclave, part architectural delight and part hedonistic hot-spot.

Fitzrovia, once known as East Marylebone or North Soho, is particularly attractive to us. One hundred yards from the busiest shopping street in the world I love the fact that some Saturday afternoon...

Autumn in the Pub with Hemingway.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Sunday, November 6, 2016, In : London's Literary Pubs

So the clocks have gone back in the UK, marking the end of British Summer Time. It used to depress me a bit - the long dark nights and lack of sunshine. But actually, London takes on a different quality in the winter. But it is still quality! It's a good time for walks around some of our fantastic parks and heaths and pub wise there's a few little gems to check out.

Favourites have got to include The Dove on the riverside in Hammersmith in West London. You will have seen this pub if you've eve...

The Edinburgh festivals: how they became the world's biggest arts event

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, August 6, 2016, In : British Theatre

Our writer Nick Hennegan has taken numerous productions to Edinburgh and on our Podcast Page you can hear reports from 2015. As the fringe opened this week, we thought you might find this of interest.

By Kenneth Wardrop, Edinburgh Napier University and Anna Leask, Edinburgh Napier University

The Edinburgh Festival is upon us again, a three-week spectacular that turns the Scottish capital into the biggest arts destination on the planet. It is in fact a number of different festivals, with ...

Visit London -Ten Things You Should Know About the British Exit from Europe. ‘Brexit'

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, June 24, 2016, In : Nick Hennegan

1. Brexit is a word that has become used as a shorthand way of saying the UK leaving the EU - merging the words Britain and exit to get Brexit, in a same way as a Greek exit from the EU was dubbed Grexit in the past. A referendum took place in the UK on Thursday 23rd June, 2016. Everyone in the UK (almost) was eligible to vote, just like in a general election. But on the ballot paper were just two questions. Should the UK leave the EU or remain in the EU.

2. The E.U. - short for the Euro...

Literary Festivals in London and the UK

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, January 23, 2016, In : Writers

It's the New Year and you should come and visit us in London as soon as you can. Outside of town, check out some of the Literary Festivals we host in the UK.

There are now literary festivals throughout the year in most areas of the country. The largest ones include:

The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, at the end of March
The Hay Festival, in late May
Edinburgh International Book Festival, in August (Hear Nick Hennegan at the 2015 Festival on our podcast page)
Cheltenham Festival of Literatu...
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Raymond Briggs and Creative Socio-paths!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, November 21, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

As you know, life in the arts here in Soho is a constant financial struggle and I’ve been looking at an author Crowdfunding platform called Unbound as a way of helping out. As I have both Charles Dickens AND William Shakespeare lined up to provide an introduction to my next book - more about that later perhaps - I’m thinking of using the service, if they’ll have me.
I was checking them out and came across this, from Raymond Briggs’ pitch of a book he’s hosting on the platform. For ...
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The Wind Doth Blow and the Leaves Do Fall. Lots of news.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Thursday, October 22, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

If we don’t do a newsletter, Maddie, Princess of Soho, (wrong sex and too young yet to be A Queen!) will shout at Nick Hennegan. Me. So, lots to share with you.

If you are in London this weekend, check out The Bloomsbury Festival. Full of great stuff, they’re back after a break. Find our podcast about it here.

In our Maverick Theatre/Literary Pub Crawl world, our sponsorship with the lovely Fitzrovia Partnership comes to an end this month. We love them and we think we h...

Autumn Events in London. And Spreadsheets. Our Friends.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, October 2, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

I should be writing here more often, but to be honest, running the London Literary Pub Crawl takes a chunk of time. We've done incredibly well over our first year or so, but I've decided we could do much better, so we're looking to raise £30k for marketing. It'll make us a real attraction in London and my Chinese actors stand poised, ready to go.

But we're writers, not accountants. Fortunately I've found a brilliant accountant who is able to frame my terms of reference in accounting speak ...
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Defying the norm? Hardly, the Edinburgh Fringe defines it.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Sunday, August 9, 2015, In : British Theatre

This is interesting if you are performing or considering visiting the Edinburgh Festival. We personally love it, but understand the sentiment expressed here, by Stephen Greer, Lecturer of Theatre Practices at Glasgow University. Reprinted from The Conversation, with permission.

This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe slogan – “defying the norm since 1947” – might make for good marketing. But it hardly reflects the role of the world’s largest arts festival accurately. Far from suppo...
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We've moved! The Fitzroy Tavern closes!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, July 17, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

The roots of the Literary Pub Crawl lie in the Fitzroy Tavern. I was doing my Masters at the University of London and looking for a cheap pint. My mate from Birmingham, filmmaker Andy Bloom, suggested I could get a cheaper pint at the Fitzroy, as the pub was run by the Sam Smiths Brewery and they were considerably cheaper than other pubs in the area. He also told me about the Writers and Artists Bar at the pub, which certainly appealed.

So I was nursing my cheap pint downstairs and couldn't ...
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Interview With An Actor.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, In : Simon Says.

She's the Queen of Kings at the moment - the star of Henry V - Lion of England at The Wheatsheaf Pub in Fitzrovia, London W1. Produced by our theatre company Maverick, and written by our writer Nick Hennegan, we asked Simon Plant to go talk to star, Eleanor Dillon-Reams about being Shakespeare's most famous King.

Eleanor Dillon-Reams.

Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s biggest plays. How come you are the only actor?

The piece has been partly rewritten, edited and chopped up to a short and snap...

OLIVIER AWARDS 2015 WITH MASTERCARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Sunday, April 12, 2015, In : Theatre News

This just in....

The Young Vic’s A View From The Bridge takes home Best Revival, Best Actor for Mark Strong and Best Director for Ivo Van Hove.
Hampstead Theatre’s West End transfer of Sunny Afternoon wins the most awards for any single production and is crowned MasterCard Best New Musical
Dame Angela Lansbury receives her first Olivier for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Blithe Spirit and Penelope Wilton is named Best Actress for Taken At Midnight
Mike Bartlett takes home two prizes ...

Who will be the next Dr Who...?

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

...sorry... Henry V! It only occurred to me whilst talking to a former Dr Who actor, that for our Henry V we will be recruiting the fifth actor to reincarnate the role since we first performed it back in 1992 - a bit like the famous BBC series does!

We're actively searching now for a new actor to take on the huge role! It's always been a big ask! The actor is onstage constantly for over an hour, has to play twelve characters with conviction and fight the Battle of Agincourt at the end!

Injur...
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Neville Owen, a Boy's Man! RIP.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, March 7, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

Forgive my indulgence. This post isn't really anything directly to do with The London Literary Pub Crawl, other than the fact I wrote the tour and the journal/diary I wrote in 1997 (How To Make a Crisis Out Of A Drama) is being released by Maverick Theatre to celebrate its 21st Birthday. Although booze plays a part, because this is about the first time I got drunk! And Neville Owen died last month and I went to his funeral, so I wanted to mark his passing. I wrote this in 1997 and I hope it ...
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That's (Animal Farm) showbiz!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Thursday, February 5, 2015, In : Nick Hennegan

Bummer! We had the rights to perform George Orwell's Animal Farm for all of 8 weeks, till the 'principle agent' changed their mind and decided to cancel our license. It probably means a commercial theatre producer has decided to try a production. Which is good for us fans of Orwell, but not so good for WE fans of Orwell.

A bit like when we performed 'Under Milk Wood' in the Wheatsheaf in Fitzrovia, London, the pub where Dylan Thomas met his wife. It was commercially stupid to mount such a...
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Merry Christmas (Part Deux) and a Happy New Year!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Wednesday, December 31, 2014, In : Nick Hennegan

From all of us here at Lit Pub Crawl towers. May you have a happy and fulfilling Christmas and a peaceful New Year. We loves ya, you know that, don't ya...!

Nick, Katie and all the Charles Dickens' and Virginia Woolfs'
x
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Dylan, my Dylan.

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, November 8, 2014, In : Nick Hennegan

So the Dylan Thomas in Fitzrovia Festival is now over. Although only really on the periphery of the organisation it's been a part of my life and certainly large in my thoughts for most of this year.
Pub crawl walks were part of Griff Rhys Jones' original thinking for the festival which he conceived with Dylan's granddaughter, Hannah Ellis and actor Jason Morrell. It became far more than a tour of Dylan Thomas' Fitzrovia Pubs of course. And I have to say the final, fantastic Gala Performa...

London Writers and Poverty. How the Lit Pub Crawl started. Part One

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Friday, August 15, 2014, In : Nick Hennegan

It's me birthday! Thanks! Feel free to send cards. Or cash... :-)

Birthdays are often a time for reflection. When I first got the idea for the London Literary Pub Crawl, it was because I was taking my M.A. and I was flat broke. In spite of never having received a grant for education, for reasons known only to the Education Dept I had to fund everything myself. It was tough - not only the fees, but living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. But I don't think we'd have done t...
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Referee!

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Sunday, July 20, 2014, In : Nick Hennegan

So the world cup is over. But here in London, things are still buzzing! The weather has been fantastic and looks like staying so. And we've been nominated as one of the Top Ten Cultural things to do in London! That's fantastic. So if you are thinking about visiting London this year, come and see us. We've been somewhat overwhelmed by demand and so we're training up some new actors and we've added extra dates. We're looking at a new box office system too. At the moment director Katie and ...
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Famous Writers of London

Posted by Nick Hennegan on Saturday, June 14, 2014, In : Writers

Over the years, London has been the home of many famous writers. Whilst not all of London’s writers were born in the city, many considered it to be the place where they belonged. Here we will talk through some of the famous writers that resided in London and their well-known works of literature

Showing Tag: "v" (Show all posts)

London has been home to some of the most revered writers in history. Here are five of the most famous writers who have lived and worked in the city:

1. Charles Dickens: The renowned English author was born in Portsmouth, but moved to London in his early twenties and wrote most of his beloved classics, such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol, while living in the city.

2. George Orwell: The author of Animal Farm and 1984 spent much of his life in London and his novels we...

From www.BohemianBritain.com

Love of the common people. Some of the team behind the Fitzrovia Arts Festival.

"WE DRIFT OFF INTO THE SOHO EVENING, COMFORTED THAT A VIVID APPROACH TO THE LIFE'S WORK OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS AUTHORS SHOWS THAT THERE IS AS MUCH TO BE LEARNT IN THEIR PUBS AS THEIR PAGES." SUNDAY TELEGRAPH.

Our writer Nick Hennegan has taken numerous productions to Edinburgh and on our Podcast Page you can hear reports from 2015. As the fringe opened this week, we thought you might find this of interest.

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