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Robert Butler
Robert Butler

205 Followers

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ART OF DARKNESS: STAGING THE PHILIP PULLMAN TRILOGY.
ART OF DARKNESS: STAGING THE PHILIP PULLMAN TRILOGY.

The behind-the-scenes story of this theatrical epic

2003

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Robert Butler
Robert Butler

Stories

May 18

If You’re Not Making Mistakes, You’re Not Doing It Right

Just watch what artists do. Just watch what children do — Last night I rewatched the movie Traffic (2000), in which Michael Douglas plays a conservative judge who gets appointed as the president’s guy in charge of the war against drugs. Michael Douglas flies to El Paso to learn about the full extent of the problem. …

Creativity

3 min read

If You’re Not Making Mistakes, You’re Not Doing It Right
If You’re Not Making Mistakes, You’re Not Doing It Right
Creativity

3 min read


Apr 29

When Shakespeare’s Twins Are Shipwrecked by Warmer Seas

Two scholars take opposing sides on Twelfth Night. But there’s a third option — The sea can get pretty rough off the coast of Albania and Croatia. One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Twelfth Night, takes place after a shipwreck along that coastline. Two of the passengers on board ship – a brother and a sister – are twins. …

Drama

3 min read

When Shakespeare’s Twins Are Shipwrecked by Warmer Seas
When Shakespeare’s Twins Are Shipwrecked by Warmer Seas
Drama

3 min read


Apr 26

How to Blow Up a Pipeline Shows the New Yorker Was Wrong

An old argument explodes in 104 riveting minutes — A while ago, the New Yorker made a clear and unequivocal statement about movies. It said the idea of eco drama was “a contradiction in terms”. It’s a view that has been widely shared in the entertainment industry. Changing light bulbs, not flying, not eating meat, not buying fancy new…

Movies

3 min read

How to Blow Up a Pipeline Shows the New Yorker Was Wrong
How to Blow Up a Pipeline Shows the New Yorker Was Wrong
Movies

3 min read


Apr 23

The Crisis that Made Van Gogh an Artist

He went to preach. He stayed to paint. What happened? — At the age of 25, Vincent Van Gogh went to the Borinage, a coal-mining region in west Belgium. He went to preach and his duties there included Bible readings, teaching and visiting the sick. Coal mining had taken place in the Borinage for 500 years, but the industry had expanded…

Art

3 min read

The Crisis that Made Van Gogh an Artist
The Crisis that Made Van Gogh an Artist
Art

3 min read


Apr 12

We Believe in a Healthy, Smoke Free Environment! Except We Don’t!

One bank is the best at holding two opposing ideas — The London offices of JPMorgan Chase — one of America’s Big Four banks — are in the City of London, close to the River Thames. I was walking past the entrance when I saw a sign. It read: JPMorgan Chase believes in a healthy, smoke free environment, including our outdoor…

Economy

2 min read

We Believe in a Healthy, Smoke Free Environment! Except We Don’t!
We Believe in a Healthy, Smoke Free Environment! Except We Don’t!
Economy

2 min read


Jul 31, 2022

From 42nd Street to Billy Elliot

How “A Drop of Fred” came back after 30 years — Two metal plates: one on the front, one on the heel. Out of that combination came a dance form where sound and movement merge as a double-act. The title of a recent history of tap dancing, What The Eye Hears, captures this perfectly. For the general public, the golden age…

Musicals

5 min read

From 42nd Street to Billy Elliot
From 42nd Street to Billy Elliot
Musicals

5 min read


May 20, 2022

This Is What “Resilience” Looks Like

The best definition that theatre has offered so far — It’s a word that could mean almost anything. But in Steve Waters’ double-bill The Contingency Plan (2009), one of the characters gives the best definition of “resilience” that has so far appeared on stage. The setting is a cabinet room in Whitehall. Colin Jenks, the government’s chief scientific advisor, is…

Climate Change

3 min read

This Is What “Resilience” Looks Like
This Is What “Resilience” Looks Like
Climate Change

3 min read


Apr 14, 2022

Discarded, It Finds Its Way

From rubbish on a plane to wrapping paper in prison — Each person who heard the funny remark at the barbecue heard it in their own way and, if prompted, would have given their own account of it. Imagine someone passing the remark on to someone who passes it on to someone else — a single moment could go through a…

Unintended Consequences

3 min read

Discarded, It Finds Its Way
Discarded, It Finds Its Way
Unintended Consequences

3 min read


Apr 13, 2022

Joke Flies Back to Where It Came From

Only this time in black and white — He had forgotten to do his homework. The assignment he had been given was to come up with an example of wordplay which could be included in the school magazine. When the teacher asked him for his homework, he had to think of an example there and then, so he…

Climate Change

3 min read

Joke Flies Back to Where It Came From
Joke Flies Back to Where It Came From
Climate Change

3 min read


Apr 12, 2022

A Bit of Wordplay is Still a Thing

Danger comes when things travel too far — In its way, a pun is as much a thing as any other object. It does stuff. It moves around in the world. Sometimes what it does has unintended consequences. For instance, there’s a movie from the 2000s where there’s a pun — just an averagely amusing play on words…

Climate Change

3 min read

A Bit of Wordplay is Still a Thing
A Bit of Wordplay is Still a Thing
Climate Change

3 min read

Robert Butler

Robert Butler

205 Followers

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Tell me who to read. Just no-one explaining how to get 1000 followers in half a day

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