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Another Year, Another Red Carpet // 1 May 2013
What it's like to manage arrivals at the theatre industry's biggest annual event.
You’d think it would be oh so simple. A person gets out of a car, walks from one end of a red carpet that stretches half the length of Bow Street to the other, and goes inside. On the way they stop for autographs, an interview or two, some photos. One last wave to the fans and they’re gone. Let’s just see that again in slow motion...
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How TFL turned me into the Incredible Hulk // 4 April 2013
Marketing intern and first-time TFL user Alex ponders the epidemic of London commuter rage
When I started university in 2011 and made the decision to stay at home, I began a daily trek by train and tube to Swiss Cottage to attend my classes. However, after a month or so, I started notice an unnerving change occurring, almost like the development of a strange illness.
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Jazz hands, t**s and teeth // 19 February 2013
Why it doesn't get any better than a stonkingly good musical
It is no secret that I am, and have always been, a massive fan of musical theatre. For as long as I can remember, I have immensely enjoyed prancing around my living room listening to all the greatest hits.
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Ten Do's and Don't's of Social Media // 6 February 2013
Whether you want to 'sing like a canary' or watch for shiny nuggets like a magpie, social media can be useful and enjoyable if you follow some simple rules...
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Cultural Bypass // 21 January 2013
How do you define a good holiday?
I have recently spent two weeks in Sri Lanka. I know it was Sri Lanka because that is what it said on the e-ticket from the airline company. Indeed, the airline was Sri Lankan airlines, which is a bit of a giveaway. However apart from these details I might as well have been anywhere.
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Lumped Together in Paradise // 14 January 2013
You can't choose who chooses to go on holiday at the same time and to the same place as you, but you can put them off the idea of talking to you.
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The Fall and Fall of Christmas Advertising // 20 November 2012
When you watch this year's crop of Christmas ads on TV you have to wonder what century it is, and try not to get your turkey in a twist!
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Voting With My Feet // 8 November 2012
On the evening of the US election, appropriately enough, I voted with my feet and walked out of a show.
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My Word is My Bond // 5 November 2012
Why Skyfall is the movie event of the decade.
I am feeling a bit left out at the moment. Everyone has seen Skyfall except me.
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What's the point of theatre programmes? // 12 October 2012
Most souvenir programmes for shows are over-priced, ill-designed and uninformative vehicles for the selling of advertising space. What do you want from yours?
What do you really want from a theatre programme? I know what I don't want: to be charged £3 upwards for an ugly piece of print which is either a bit of shameless self-promotion for the show for which you've already bought a ticket, or an ill-designed and uninformative vehicle for the selling of advertising space.
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Words Speak Louder Than Actions // 14 September 2012
Why the work of Shahir Zag is so much more than a bunch of slogans.
There’s nothing more satisfying to me than a beautifully laid out sequence of words, writ large on a blank piece of paper. It marries the two things I most enjoy in my job: great copy and great design.
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Babylon Business // 20 August 2012
Why taking a train in New York became a trip highlight.
It's not every day you hear the following directions 'take the train to Babylon and change at Jamaica'. To New Yorkers there's absolutely nothing unusual in it, but every time the Long Island Rail Road announcer reminded us 'This is the train to Babylon', I failed to suppress a giggle.
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The Sharpe end of PR // 26 July 2012
So. Here's the thing. The thing is. Right. What we're going to do is. This.
Why Twenty Twelve's "Head of Brand" might be closer to home than you think.
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Desk Seeks Person In Need of Desk... // 7 June 2012
for hard work, good fun and lots of biscuits
How, and where, do you find the ideal person to share your work space?
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The Pages of a Book // 24 May 2012
The tale of one man's resistance to the electronic book reading experience
'We had been away for a few days. Time for eating, a lot of eating, time for sleeping, time for walking and time for reading......'
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Georgian Gentleman // 11 May 2012
Suits you Sir!
A peak behind the closed doors of a very fitting location.
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To BT or not to BT // 27 April 2012
that is the question
Just when our General Manager, Hannah Schmitz, thought the service from this national institution could get no worse, guess what - it did!
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Retail Therapy - A Narrative For Our Time? // 14 April 2012
Guest blogger Juliana Farha writes about the fine line between 'harmless' marketing speak and the cynical pillaging of language.
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Critical Analysis? It's child's play. // 4 April 2012
Question: What’s the best way to get a frank and insightful response to whatever your work of art may be?
Answer: Ask a 5 year old.
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The Joy of the Unexpected // 2 March 2012
Chichester is a ‘grande dame’ of a town - elegant, self assured and good company.
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More than just fluff. // 20 February 2012
How the story at the end of The News can be profound as well as silly.
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What Is Wrong with Pretending? // 3 February 2012
The art of wrestling and how it can teach actors a thing or two.
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Ever find yourself not getting the joke? // 20 January 2012
Ever find yourself not getting the joke? Maybe it's because you're a bit stupid and they are a bit annoying. Ha!
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Before the show begins.... // 6 December 2011
......please make sure your mobile phones are switched ON.
The introduction of Tweet Seats at a variety of performances in the US has prompted a debate about whether or not there is a way of enhancing the live entertainment experience, and attracting new audiences, by encouraging live tweeting from selected areas of the auditorium.
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Do you speak OED 2012? // 28 November 2011
The English language continues to evolve, but who decides what gets an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary?
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Top 5 Away Days // 16 November 2011
How getting away can bring you closer and other stories
A week last Friday saw The Corner Shop’s annual Away Day take place in the very sedate and respectable surroundings of The Crown Inn in Amersham.
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On Yer Bike! // 10 November 2011
..or not as the case may be
Everyone knows there are pros and cons to cycling in London, here are just some of them for your consideration.
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Don't be Anti-Social (Media) // 27 October 2011
A late adopter's guide to utilising this thing people call Social Networking.
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Boo Who? A sob story about crying at the theatre // 10 October 2011
I have a vivid childhood memory from when I was knee high to a grasshopper (so, pre-heel-wearing days, maybe 12 yrs old?) and I saw my dad cry for the very first time.
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One Day, we all read the same book // 21 September 2011
London is like an overcrowded party. The trick, according to One Day author David Nicholls, is to get people to notice your arrival.
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An Idiot's Guide To: Applying for a Job // 9 September 2011
10 basic rules to getting your CV on the yes pile
So, The Corner Shop is recruiting (again). It’s an entry level position which means there are a lot of applicants, and I mean a lot.
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Fringe benefits // 19 August 2011
I always get in a bit of a huff when trying to pack for my annual trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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Discovering the art and soul of London // 10 August 2011
I’ve never been that keen on contemporary art. It’s always been a sense of obligation rather than enjoyment that’s kept me from fleeing galleries five minutes after entering - an awareness that the experience should be edifying, but a secret frustration with myself for not quite ‘getting it’.
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Foggy and Far From Home // 4 August 2011
The weekend before last saw Ben and I heading down to beautiful Cornwall for the beginning of Kneehigh’s summer season at The Asylum .
 (CREDIT - Steve Tanner) 3048.jpg)
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Kenya: Cricket and Much Less Frivolous Matters // 20 July 2011
I’ve a feeling that if I ever try to apply for a visa to visit Kenya again, I might be asked a couple of tricky questions.
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Mud & Music // 28 June 2011
Intrepid reporter Hannah Schmitz makes her Glastonbury debut.
I had never been to a festival before. I love music and going to gigs but camping and not washing for six days whilst being covered in mud didn’t really appeal.
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High Heels and Green Carpets // 15 June 2011
Everyone was so wonderfully, glamorously turned out for the Shrek The Musical Opening Night last night.
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Sassy Gay Friend vs Madam Butterfly // 9 June 2011
We at The Corner Shop are huge fans of the Sassy Gay Friend Youtube Phenomenon.
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Sounding Off // 23 May 2011
After a protracted hiatus from the work of Filter Theatre, having seen their debut Faster a whole 8 years ago at BAC, I went to see their new show last week.
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Pitch perfect // 18 May 2011
When it comes to Twitter, I’m a little ashamed to say that I’m more a taker than a giver.
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A moment of passion // 5 May 2011
It is 5am. The alarm has just gone off. And I'm thinking, what the hell am I doing in Port Talbot, South Wales, getting up at the crack of dawn?
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When to stop shooting // 28 April 2011
Creating an image that sums up a love story was always going to be a challenge.
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Green shoots of recovery // 19 April 2011
Of all the things I imagined I would find myself enthused by on coming to work for a West End theatre PR agency, gardening wasn’t one of them.
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A match made in Docklands // 18 April 2011
Was anyone else puzzled by the announcement of the collaboration between AEG (the entertainment company behind The O2) and Robert Redford’s Sundance institute, to stage an arts festival next year?
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The spirit of the game // 14 April 2011
Summer officially started last week with the beginning of the English cricket season, but why is there such a cross-over between cricket fans and playwrights?
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A foot in the door // 12 April 2011
Nick Clegg was right to criticise unfair work experience recruitment, but internships themselves have a lot going for them.
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A royal invitation of our own // 8 April 2011
I’m not going to lie, I did get a little excited when I received an invitation to Kensington Palace for an afternoon reception with the Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts.
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The politics of picking a plus one // 1 April 2011
Working in theatre PR has its perks, one of which is the frequent offers of free tickets to shows for yourself and a plus one. But when it comes to picking your plus one, it’s a minefield out there.
