Writing Travel

Discounted tickets for London Theatre Week 2009 on sale August 24 through September 4

Here I sit, wishing I could run off to London for a long weekend of theatre. Travel discounter lastminute.com is sponsoring a week-long special on tickets to London shows during London Theatre Week, August 24 until September 4. Prices for discounted tickets are set at just £15, £25 and £35 for some of the best shows in the West End this summer—with every £1 booking fee donated to London radio station 95.8 Capital FM's Help A London Child.

If you're lucky enough to be in London, or traveling there soon, you can take advantage of the sale for shows until October 17. Just book your tickets through lastminute.com between August 24 and September 4.

For more information, take a look at TimeOut's excellent London Theatre Week guide.

Dramatis persona: Gerald Berkowitz at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Gerald Berkowitz,  a theater critic who taught at Northern Illinois University during my years there,  is primed and ready for his annual play-watching binge in Edinburgh. This year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe opened yesterday

He is mentioned in Matt Wolf's August 3 Muse column on Bloomberg.com and interviewed here on-site in Edinburgh by The Stage.

In 1979, Mr. Berkowitz set the Guinness World Record as the world's most avid playgoer for seeing 145 plays during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Retired for several years now, Mr. Berkowitz was an acclaimed teacher whose colorful personality lit up the drear institutional hallways of the NIU English department. I'm glad to see he is still in fine fettle and enjoying his passion for theater.

The official Edinburgh International Festival begins August 10; the Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs August 5 through August 27.