The Latest Breaking News from John McGrath

Ian McKellen to star in UK premiere of ‘mixed reality’ play – but not in person

Audiences in Manchester will be asked to wear smart glasses for An Ark, which debuted in New York this year

The Guardian - UK · Oct 13

‘When the knife came up through the pool table, audiences gasped’: how Iraq war epic Black Watch conquered the world

It was the play that rocked a nation. The makers of the devastating drama, which transported audiences from a Fife pub to a war zone, recall how it grew and grew

The Guardian - UK · Apr 8

Robot surgery on humans could be trialled within decade after success on pig organs

AI-trained robot carries out procedures on dead pig organs to remove gall bladders without any human help

The Guardian - UK · Jul 9, 2025

John Byrne obituary

Playwright and artist who wrote the BBC series Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin’ Heart, and plays including The Slab Boys

The Guardian - UK · Dec 1, 2023

24 hour party precinct: inside Manchester’s Aviva Studios – where even the loos are a stage

As long as a jumbo and as tall as four double-deckers, the giant arts venue will host everything from dance shows to all-night raves. But can the £240m colossus put its troubled birth behind it?

The Guardian - UK · Oct 18, 2023

Brand aid: have Britain’s arts venues sold out to The Man?

Manchester’s Aviva Studios is the latest venue to give its naming rights to the highest bidder. Is corporate sponsorship a necessity for the survival of the arts?

The Guardian - UK · Aug 24, 2023

Half Of Humans Will Have Mental Health Disorder By This Age: Study

Half of us will have had a mental health disorder by the time we are 75, a new study shows.

Zenger · Aug 5, 2023

Review: They at Manchester International Festival

The afterhours performance by Maxine Peake at John Rylands Library is what Manchester International Festival is all about

Manchester Evening News · Jul 7, 2023

Galway serve up 'pure grit' for Henry Shefflin to send Tipperary packing

'We knew whatever was going to happen today, we were going to give a good performance and I think we did that. And we could have obviously hurled a bit better. But just for pure grit, determination, I think it was very, very strong.'

Irish Mirror · Jun 25, 2023

Galway edge out Tipperary to set up semi-final showdown with Limerick

Galway 1-20 Tipperary 1-18

Irish Mirror · Jun 24, 2023