Stitches on stage

Maria Falconer considers…

‘I accepted the commission partly for the money, and partly because I have long wanted to try my hand at this sort of music,’ wrote Tchaikovsky to Rimsky-Korsakov. For the sum of 800 roubles (around £

Hannah Betts says a glammed-up version of yourself is best for Yule

The second, and longest, of Tchaikovsky’s three ballets, Sleeping Beauty was first performed in St Petersburg in 1889. Again, the theme of good versus evil is to the fore, in the form of the character

Sitting in an American diner in Derbyshire seven years ago, Caroline Thompson had a brainwave. The mum of two had recently retrained as an NHS Talking Therapist, and while she loved her new role, she

Tell us about yourself... I’m Italian and live in Modena, a charming town full of tradition, fragrance and colour. I’m a wife, mother and grandmother, three roles I cherish deeply that bring joy and m