Lovely publicity photo of Zoë

30 August 2015 18:48

I have permission to share with visitors to this website a relatively recent publicity photo of Zoë. The lovely picture below was taken by the talented photographer Jillian Edelstein, who has photographed Zoe a number of times before. (In fact, one of Edelstein's previous photos of Zoë is in the National Portrait Gallery's collection.)

Click on the image to see a larger version.

You can also see another photo from this photoshoot on Jillian Edelstein's blog (see the blog post dated 21 November 2014). In that image Zoe recreates a pose from a photoshoot over twenty years ago.

With thanks to Zoe's PA, Vanessa, for her help.

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Zoë to recreate Stevie Smith's 'unforgettable' performance at Cheltenham Literature Festival

27 August 2015 20:05

This year's prestigious Cheltenham Literature Festival, which runs from 2 to 11 October, will feature a music and poetry performance by Zoë, in the role of quirky poet Stevie Smith. Zoe will recreate the poetry reading that was given by Smith at the same festival, fifty years ago, and described by the organisers as 'unforgettable'.

The news is sure to delight anyone who had the pleasure of watching Zoë portray the Palmers Green poet in Hugh Whitemore's play, Stevie, which was performed at Chichester and Hampstead in 2014 and 2015 respectively. When the production opened at Chichester, the Guardian's Lyn Gardner emphasised that 'Zoë Wanamaker is so perfectly cast [...] that you don't feel so much that she's acting as simply channelling the mid-20th century poet and novelist.'

The Stevie Smith event will take place on the Festival's final day, at 6:15pm in The Inkpot, Imperial Square. In addition to the performance, the event will include what is sure to be an insightful discussion between Zoë and academic Will May, the editor of the soon-to-be-published Collected Poems and Drawings of Stevie Smith.

Cheltenham Festivals members can book tickets now; public ticket booking opens on 2 September at 1pm (UK time). For full details, see the booking info on the Festivals' website.

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Zoë rehearsing Branagh Theatre's Rattigan double-bill

27 August 2015 18:32

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company announced on Twitter yesterday that rehearsals have begun for Harlequinade and All On Her Own, the double-bill of Terence Rattigan plays in which Zoë is set to star at London's Garrick theatre.

Let's hope we will soon be treated to rehearsal photos of Zoe and her fellow cast members – including Kenneth Branagh, Jessie Buckley, Miranda Raison and more – in action.

The plays will run from 24 October to 13 January; tickets are available now.

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Celebrating the website's 13th anniversary!

30 July 2015 01:40

Time flies when you're having fun – today is the thirteenth anniversary of this website, the official site for Zoë Wanamaker and her fans. It's reached its teenage years!

I am grateful to everyone who visits the website or helps me to keep up-to-date with the latest interviews, articles, news about projects, etc. My aim for the site's thirteenth year is to greatly expand the content about Zoë's film, stage and TV work.

The next twelve months look set to be very exciting for Zoë's fans, with Zoë set to star in All On Her Own and Harlequinade, the double bill of Terence Rattigan plays that the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company will stage at London's Garrick Theatre later this year.

Whether you're a huge fan of Zoë or a casual admirer, and whether you discovered her work years ago or last week, thank you for supporting this website.

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Video: watch an extended version of Zoë's Muse of Fire interview

28 July 2015 19:56

The Globe Player, from Shakespeare's Globe, now features an extended version of the interview with Zoë that was seen a couple of years ago in the Muse of Fire documentary. Zoe is among a host of well-known actors who were invited to talk about their approach to Shakespeare's work and what it means to them.

During the fascinating interview, which runs to almost fifty minutes, Zoë and the documentary-makers, fellow actors Dan Poole and Giles Terera, discuss how Shakespeare's work can be made as accessible as possible to actors and audiences alike. In order to perform one of Shakespeare's plays well, Zoë emphasises, 'you have to relish it'. Thorough research about the play and your character is important, as is making sure you understand 'the psychology of the character'.

Zoë concludes: 'If you find the character, then you can speak the language' – and successfully convey the meaning of what Shakespeare wrote to the audience.

For this and more insights about reading, rehearsing, performing and watching Shakespeare's work, see Zoë's interview in the Globe Player's free content section.

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