Individual actors Books

Book SynopsisEvery artist has a dream project an enterprise that he or she has continuously taken up but never completed. Via archived notes and drafts, a retrospective reconstitution of such projects can serve as a key for better understanding the authors artistic corpus. The present study reaches out to the authorship of Paul Claudel, Jean Genet, and Federico Fellini. Claudel deferred and never completed the fourth segment of his Trilogie des Coufontaine. The only indication of the existence of this prospective fourth part of the theatre sequence is a brief entry in his Journal. In 1949, he began writing a third version of his first great work Tête d'Or. Like the unfinished fourth section that was to be added to the trilogy, the draft of the third version of Tête d'Or reveals a dialogue between the Old and New Testaments a theme that appears to be central to Claudel's entire corpus. Genet labored over La Mort for many years. At the conclusion of Saint Genet, comédien et martyr (1952), Sartre mentions this final work of Genet. Genet discussed his progress on La Mort in correspondence and even published Fragments of La Mort in the literary magazine Les Temps Modernes. While the project never came to fruition, it nevertheless remains an important means through which to understand Genets work. The aborted production of Fellinis Voyage de G. Mastorna has become a legend. After 8" and Giulietta degli spiriti, Fellini wrote a screenplay that he began to film but subsequently abandoned, much to the chagrin of producer Dino de Laurentiis who had already invested in sets and costumes. Fellini would often revisit this project, but never completed it. This book also examines additional dream projects taken from different art forms: poetry (Mallarmés Le Livre); literature (Vignys Daphné); painting (Monets Nymphéas); music (Schoenbergs Moses und Aron); and various films (Clouzots LEnfer, Viscontis La Recherche, Kubricks Napoleon, etc.).

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Book SynopsisAudrey Hepburn was one of the most admired and emulated women of the twentieth century, an Oscar-winning actress, a model and humanitarian. But Hepburn also had huge sadness in her life: two failed marriages, a broken engagement, and the crushing disappointment that occupied her triumph in My Fair Lady. Chronicling Hepburn's life, from her nearly dying in Hitler's occupied Europe, to her conquering, in just one year, the New York stage and the Hollywood screen, this fascinating tribute illustrates and illuminates all things Audrey Hepburn.While trapped in the Netherlands at the end of WW2, Audrey and her family received critical food and medical relief from UNICEF – an act of charity she never forgot, as later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to UNICEF, becoming a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. From her early years as an ingénue to her status as an icon of elegance, in her Oscar-winning performance for Roman Holiday and the career high of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Hepburn's star quality resonates across the globe – even so long after her death. Few stars before or since are as beloved as Audrey Hepburn and The Little Guide to Audrey Hepburn details why.'My appearance is accessible to everyone. With hair tied in a bun, big sunglasses and black dress, every woman can look like me.' Audrey Hepburn'For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.' Audrey Hepburn'Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: The first is to help yourself, the second is to help others.' Audrey HepburnTable of ContentsThe Young Audrey • Screen Legend • Style Icon • The Private Audrey • Fairy Godmother • The Inimitable Audrey.

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Book SynopsisWhy we're all crazy about Keanu.When even your name is beautiful (Keanu means "cool breeze over the mountains"), it's no surprise that Keanu Reeves was destined to become one of world's biggest and most enduring film stars. Bursting onto our screens in eighties in River's Edge and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, his run of smash hits continued through the next decade with Point Break, Much Ado About Nothing, Speed, and his groundbreaking role as Neo in The Matrix. Then, in 2014, his sensational comeback in the John Wick films catapulted him right back to the top of the Hollywood A-list.No stranger to tragedy in his personal life - his baby was stillborn and his partner died in a car accident two years later - Keanu is as famous for his kindness, wisdom and philanthropy as he is for his film career. He has secretly donated large sums to children's hospitals, given generous gifts to crew members on set and made headlines for his kindness to fans. Join us in a celebration of the man widely known as "the Internet's boyfriend"."If you can make a woman laugh, you're seeing the most beautiful thing on God's earth." Keanu Reeves on womenBorn in Lebanon and raised in Australia, the USA and Canada, Reeves is of Chinese, English, Irish, Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. (But he's Canadian, OK?)Table of ContentsThe Many (Gorgeous) Faces of Keanu Reeves - How do we love thee? Let us count the ways... • Youngblood - Keanu's early days • Bill & Ted to John Wick and beyond - A life in film, Keanu's greatest hits • Triumph and Tragedy - The highs and heartbreak of Keanu's personal life • The Wisdom of Keanu - Unforgettable quotes from the enigmatic Mr Reeves • The Nicest Guy in Hollywood - The random acts of kindness that have broken the Internet

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Book SynopsisAn all-access pass to the record-breaking star''s life and career.From her Nickelodeon years as Cat Valentine and subsequent teen idol status to her chart-topping music career, Ariana has marked herself as an all-round performer, solo super-talent and an artistic collaborator. With facts and stats on her childhood and family, her Broadway and TV appearances, her songs, albums and tours - as well as that incredible four-octave voice - this is a must-have purchase for all fans. Includes over 100 facts, trivia and quotes about Ariana?s life and career, drawn from her interviews and social media.An excellent gift or self-purchase pick-up for the superfan, the book is full of the singer?s inspirations, influences, beliefs and thoughts on everything from romance and self-empowerment to climate change and the tragedy of the Manchester Arena Bombing.Gemini PocketsFrom little guides to soothe your soul to all-access passes to the lives of pop icons, and from quizzes and puzzles for literature lovers to books on food, nature, fashion and more, Gemini Pockets are the perfect fit for your life and interests.

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Book SynopsisWilfrid Brambell was one of Britain’s most loved and complex character actors. As Albert Ladysmith Steptoe, the unscrupulous rag-and-bone man with questionable habits in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson’s long-running Steptoe & Son, he quickly became a household name with co-star Harry H. Corbett. But despite scores of other successes in roles on stage, TV and film, Brambell died a sad and lonely man.Alongside fame and fortune, ‘You Dirty Old Man!’ reveals how Brambell suffered unbelievable personal heartache, battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink as his marriage collapsed in the most deceitful circumstances imaginable. His torment led to a secretive life off camera where he did everything possible to stay out of the public eye.Featuring original interviews with film directors Richard Lester, Terence Davies and Tony Palmer, as well as recollections from his own family members, the family of Harry H. Corbett and those who worked alongside him, author David Clayton seeks to re-examine the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.

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Book Synopsis‘Hershman has managed to gather a huge amount of information and distill it into a book that is not only respectful but full of insights into what makes this unstarriest of stars able to produce brilliant work without appearing to break a sweat.’ - Kathryn Hughes, Mail on SundayHe was a Salford-born, homework-hating bookie’s son who broke the social barriers of British film. He did his share of roistering, and yet outlived his contemporaries and dodged typecasting to become a five-time Oscar nominee and one of our most durable international stars. Bon vivant, perennial rebel, self-effacing character actor, charismatic charmer, mentor to a generation of working-class artists, a byword for professionalism, lover of horseflesh and female flesh – Albert Finney is all these things and more.Gabriel Hershman’s colourful and riveting account of Finney’s life and work, which draws on interviews with many of his directors and co-stars, examines how one of Britain’s greatest actors built a glittering career without sacrificing his integrity.Trade ReviewHershman has managed to gather a huge amount of information and distill it into a book that is not only respectful but full of insights into what makes this unstarriest of stars able to produce brilliant work without appearing to break a sweat. -- Kathryn HughesA great read . . . It’s about time Finney’s career was placed in the biographical spotlight. -- Greg JamesonThe book is strong . . . in its evaluation of Finney’s extraordinary career, and for an introduction to the work, it’s invaluable. -- Paul T. Davies

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Book Synopsis Fondly remembered as Spike Dixon in Hi-De-Hi, Jeffrey Holland is one of our best-loved situation comedy actors. An invaluable member of the repertory company of writer and director David Croft, his many other television credits include Are You Being Served?, Dad?s Army, It Ain?t Half Hot Mum, Oh, Doctor Beeching!, and You Rang, M?Lord? Written in collaboration with Britain?s foremost comedy historian, Robert Ross, producer and presenter of the hugely successful touring show Jeffrey Holland: Comedy Friends and Heroes, this unique memoir reveals the hilarious tales from Holland?s long and illustrious career, through the comedy greats that have inspired him, to the comedy colleagues with whom he has worked. There will be heart-warming stories from his twenty-year association with Paul Shane and Su Pollard: BBC?s comedy ?A? Team of sitcom. There will be poignant and deep reflection on his all-time favorite comedian, Stan Laurel, and revealing stories of working with the great and good of variety theatre ? from understudying Frankie Howerd in pantomime, to unforgettable encounters with Ben Warriss, the no-nonsense straight man of Jewel and Warriss fame, via many happy years as part of Russ Abbot?s Madhouse. Not to mention blissful thoughts on the joy of The Goon Show, and the thrill of stepping into the huge shoes of Peter Sellers, when the crazy characters were resurrected for Goon Again! Filled with the enthusiasm and affection, The First Rule of Comedy..! is a life told through the eyes of one of the true greats of the genre.

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Book SynopsisIt was love at first taste for fifteen-year-old Tadhg Hickey when he drank a can of Scrumpy Jack on the night of his exam results. Straight away it provided a cure for that constant feeling of 'something wrong, something not quite right', a way of numbing anxiety and childhood trauma. He realised he was extraordinarily good at drinking and energetically threw himself into a life of pubs, parties and staying pissed, while also managing to become a comedian. But alcohol had the last laugh ...A Portrait of the Piss Artist as a Young Man shows us the often-hilarious lengths of self-deception an alcoholic will go to, the horrific consequences of addiction and the redemptive process of recovering from this deadly but ultimately treatable illness, and remaining sober. A deeply touching memoir and with a side of self-help, Tadhg's easy-going writing style belies his serious message - that each of us has the power to change our lives.

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Book Synopsis'Well-researched ... I was fascinated' Roger Lewis, Daily MailFrom its debut in 1962, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was a wild success and a cultural lightning rod. The play transpires over one long, boozy night, laying bare the lies, compromises, and scalding love that have sustained a middle-aged couple through decades of marriage. It scandalised critics but magnetised audiences. Then, Hollywood took a colossal gamble on Albee's sophisticated play and won. Co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the sensational 1966 film won five Oscars. How this scorching play became a movie classic-surviving censorship attempts, its creators' inexperience, and its stars' own tumultuous marriage, is one of the most riveting stories in all of cinema. Acclaimed author Philip Gefter traces Woolf from its hushed origins in Greenwich Village, through its tormented production process, to its explosion onto scree

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Book Synopsis''We come for the glitter, but instead we get the grit, in stories told with insight, tenderness and joy.'' - Russell T DaviesWith a foreword by Steph McGovern''I never thought I''d write a memoir. I never thought I''d do a lot of the things I have done in my thirty-four years, but life has a wonderful way of surprising us.''Well-known as the winner of the third series of The Great British Bake Off and runner up of Strictly Come Dancing with his same-sex dance partner Johannes Radebe, John Whaite''s personal story is a complicated narrative of contradictions, highs and lows, told with tenderness, joy, insight and wit, but also unflinching honesty.A shy little boy from rural Lancashire, who was sacred to sleep alone and danced a little ''too gay'' at family weddings, he was also an unruly teen who shaved a checkerboard pattern into his hair and refused to conform.From childhood his life has revolved around food - his parent

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Book Synopsis''Kept me laughing my ass off'' Joanne McNally ''Delightful, complicated'' Jerry Seinfeld ''It's insane to me, that Sarah became famous for miming, when her own voice is so hilarious, unique and important! We should have been listening to her this whole time'' London Hughes Sarah Cooper is an expert in the business of being embarrassed.Whether it's in auditions, on dates, at work in the Google offices, or on the set of her very own Netflix special, she knows what it's like to feel a little bit foolish.From tech to comedy, marriage to divorce, Jamaica to Hollywood, Sarah's journey to stardom has not been the straightest road, and along the way she has perfected the fine art of trying, failing, giving up and then trying again.And what has she learnt? Periwinkle blue is NOT her color.In this hilariously messy collection of musings, Sarah Cooper looks back on a li

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Book Synopsis1971 was a great year for cinema. Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Dario Argento, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Sergio Leone, George Lucas, Sam Peckinpah, Roman Polanski, Nicolas Roeg and Steven Spielberg, among many others, were behind the camera, while the stars were also out in force. Warren Beatty, Marlon Brando, Michael Caine, Julie Christie, Sean Connery, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Steve McQueen, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino and Vanessa Redgrave all featured in films released in 1971.The remarkable artistic flowering that came from the New Hollywood' of the '70s was just beginning, while the old guard was fading away and the new guard was taking over. With a decline in box office attendances by the end of the '60s, along with a genuine inability to come up with a reliable barometer of box office success, studio heads gave unprecedented freedom to young filmmakers to lead the way.Featuring interviews with cast and crew members, bestselling author Robert Sellers explores this landmark year in Hollywood and in Britain, when this new age was at its freshest, and where the transfer of power was felt most exhilaratingly.

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Book SynopsisThe unique story of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise – British television's most iconic double act. 'A warm and sympathetic portrait of two pals who conquered the world simply by radiating hilarious friendship' Sunday Times 'Barfe lifts the lid on the lives of TV's most iconic double act... and gets to the heart of what made them so loved by a nation' Sunday Post 'Set to be the definitive account of the television age's funniest pair' New European 'Colour about the characters of [Morecambe and Wise] is mixed with Barfe's usual forensic research' Chortle The Morecambe and Wise Show was the crème de la crème of TV light entertainment from the late 1960s until the early 1980s. The hardy perennial comedy duo at its heart had even greater longevity, spanning five decades and becoming a national institution whose shows drew audiences in excess of twenty million. They also loved each other like brothers, and the audience repaid that love; they were the nation's best friends. In Sunshine and Laughter, Louis Barfe tells the touching story of Morecambe and Wise, and explores how it is that thirty-seven years after their last television show, the tall handsome one with glasses and the one with the short, fat, hairy legs continue to work their unique brand of comedy magic.Trade ReviewA warm and sympathetic portrait of two pals who conquered the world simply by radiating hilarious friendship * Sunday Times *Barfe lifts the lid on the lives of TV's most iconic double act [...] and gets to the heart of what made them so loved by a nation * Sunday Post *Britain's best-loved double act have a superb chronicler in Louis Barfe... This looks set to be the definitive account of the television age's funniest pair * New European *Written with affection... Such colour about the characters of [Morecambe and Wise] is mixed with Barfe's usual forensic research * Chortle *Louis Barfe is becoming a polymathic guide to British show business * Sunday Times *Countless TV programmes have paid tribute to 'the boys' [...] and there's a veritable library of books. So do we need a new one? The answer – if you're a fan – is a resounding yes. And comedy historian Louis Barfe [...] is just the man to do it. A safe pair of hands, his Sunshine and Laughter is the perfect companion piece to Graham McCann's excellent 1998 biography. His research is exemplary * Camden New Journal *The comedy continues * Devon Life *

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Book Synopsis"Ranging across the years, In Search of Jerusalem conjures up the spirited encounters of Michael Kustow's many-sided life: a tender evocation of his parents; portraits of actors, stage directors, painters, film-makers; vivid descriptions of post-war and modern Paris, Mumbai, Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank; the early days of Channel 4 television; and new insights a moment of challenge and change. A life shaken up is re-assembled in Kustow's cavalcade of survival and renewal."Trade Review"""One of the biographies of our generation - richly layered, funny, argumentative, moving and intellectually admirable. A great achievement"" Melvyn Bragg "

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Book SynopsisIntimacy with Strangers offers a dazzlingly original, thought-provoking approach to celebrity interviewing. Ciaran Carty draws upon a career involving many of the world’s leading writers, artists, actors and directors as they explore intimate concerns, ranging from love and rejection to the smallest physical sensations of pleasure and pain, and to the great issues of politics and war, God and atheism – the big and small of the human condition. Interweaving recent cultural and social history, Carty exposes unexpected affinities shared by his eclectic cast of subjects. Through chains of happenstance and six-degrees-of-separation, Intimacy with Strangers mirrors the cinematic cuts, fades and dissolves of its author’s sensibility as film critic and writer. By creating this magical memoir, Ciaran Carty offers an idiosyncratic portrait of a kaleidoscopic Ireland in a global setting.Trade Review‘…this anthology from veteran arts journalist Ciaran Carty is a hybrid creation. He seeks to blend serious art and populism, but, it is the searing insights from his more highbrow interviewees that most command our interest.’ – Alan Murdoch, Sunday Times ‘Intimacy With Strangers is rich and rewarding; there is definitely a filmic quality to the narrative (to be expected from a writer who has devoted much of his life to the big screen) but it also has plenty of unexpected moments from an eclectic career spent talking with the greats’. – Joe O’Shea, Irish Independent

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Book SynopsisShe's Hollywood's highest-paid female star with millions of fans all over the world and she's barely out of her teens. Emma Watson's life has been an incredible story, one in which a girl whose parents divorced when she was very young ended up finding stability on a film set among the cast and crew of the Harry Potter movies. A film set that became her home for the next ten years. Like her fellow stars of the franchise, she has had to live her early years out in public. As a nine-year-old, she had never acted professionally before she was cast as Hermione Granger - the character that author JK Rowling based on herself. These days Emma Watson has grown up to be a sleek, international star dealing with being part of a global phenomenon that shows no sign of diminishing even as it reaches its story's end. As much at home at a fashion show as she is at a film premiere, Emma Watson's every utterance is news - even her hairstyle makes headlines around the world. She's already been the face of Burberry and her passion for fashion runs very deep.

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Book SynopsisHugh was born in Oxford, and his father, WGRM 'Ran' Laurie, was a doctor who won a gold medal in the coxless pairs at the 1948 Olympics. Hugh followed in his father's footsteps as a rower at Cambridge, but when he was forced to hang up his oars he joined the famous Cambridge Footlights and there began a career in comedy. It was at university that he met Stephen Fry, and the pair forged a hilarious partnership that continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Hugh has also enjoyed great success on the big screen; starring in Sense and Sensibility, 101 Dalmatians, Monsters vs Aliens and the three Stuart Little films. But it is the character of irascible doctor Gregory House, in the US TV drama House, that has brought global fame. He has won two Golden Globes for the role and received a prestigious Emmy nominations in 2005, and continues to receive critical acclaim for his performance in the show - especially for his near-perfect American accent. With worldwide fame and an OBE to his name, Hugh Laurie is undoubtedly one of Britain's best-loved actors.

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Book SynopsisBest known for her role in cult comedy TV hit, Benidorm and for playing Maggie Conlon in Ken Loach's remarkable film Ladybird Ladybird, Crissy Rock is a hugely popular actress and comedienne. But Crissy's path to success was far from easy and her life has been plagued by trauma and turmoil. Never has there been a more honest and disturbing biography ever written; never has there been so much to tell. Crissy Rock's poor but idyllic young life was plunged into darkness at the age of eight, when her grandfather began to abuse her both physically and sexually. Pregnant and married to a violent bully at sixteen it seemed that trouble and turmoil would always stalk her. Having finally escaped her violent marriage, Crissy began to turn her life around. Having firmly established herself on the comedy circuit she was then cast in Ladybird Ladybird for which she won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. This is one of the most astonishing books you will ever read.

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Book SynopsisThis illuminating study provides a comprehensive reassessment of Deborah Kerr's career, highlighting lesser-known aspects of her star persona. Sarah Street traces the specific qualities of Kerr's screen performances, paying close attention to facial expression, gesture, voice and costume. Covering many iconic films, including The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, From Here to Eternity, An Affair to Remember, The Innocents and Bonjour Tristesse, this book follows Kerr’s journey from her foundational image as an 'English rose' to her performances of challenging roles in which she was cast against type. Illustrated with images from Kerr’s films, this unique case study contributes to the critical understanding of film stars and screen performance.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements.- Introduction.- The Rise to Stardom.- The Height of Deborah Kerr's Career.- Deborah Kerr's Later Years.- The Stardom and Significance of Deborah Kerr.- Notes.- Select Bibliography.- Filmography.- Index.

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Book SynopsisWhen Tony Roper discovered at the age of twenty- seven that acting could be a proper job, it changed his life forever. Having drifted from occasional schooling to various adventures on the bread vans, down the mines and in the shipyards, Tony then saw an advert in the newspaper for part-time actors to star opposite glamorous actresses. He liked the sound of that, and it was to be the start of a whole new life. Now, for the first time, Tony tells his colourful life story. There's his large extended family which had more than its fair share of characters, his father's secret war record, the incident with the bread knife and his brother, his narrow escapes from death, and plenty of unexpected family revelations. Then there's his time as the legendary Jamesie Cotter in Rab C. Nesbitt , his enduring friendship (and the odd fallout) with Rikki Fulton, hilarious appearances in Only an Excuse?, Scotch & Wry and Naked Video , in-depth discussions with Billy Connolly about who really makes the best pies, how he came to write his classic play The Steamie - and why it nearly didn't make it to the stage. Tony also describes his shocking recent health scares and his agonising decision about whether to go for a life-saving operation or play one last game for Dukla Pumpherston. I'll No Tell You Again is the inspiring and hilarious autobiography of one of our funniest and best-loved actors, known to millions as Tony Roper and to his family as... well, read it and you'll find out!

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Book SynopsisThe hardback of this first and authorised biography received very good reviews and immediately reprinted. It tells the story of one of the heroines of post-war British comedy, on radio, film and TV. Hattie Jacques is known as the billowing, imposing Matron in the Carry On films, as the star of such BBC radio classics as ITMA, Educating Archie and Hancock’ s Half Hour, and as the fictional sister of Eric Sykes in his long-running TV sitcom. But the formidable, frumpy galleon-in-full-sail screen persona could not have been more at odds with the real-life woman, as this biography reveals for the first time. She had a tempestuous wartime affair with an American officer, and then a strange marriage to the actor John le Mesurier (Corporal Wilson in Dad’ s Army) whose dissatisfactions she circumnavigated by moving her lover, a flashy Cockney car dealer, into the matrimonial home. But as well as being warm and sexy and generous she was also, owing to her lifelong struggle with her weight, needy and melancholic, and rueful that her size persistently typecast her and excluded her from many roles. This biography has been written with full co-operation from Hattie’ s son, and show business friends like Barbara Windsor, Clive Dunn, Galton and Simpson and Ian Carmichael.Trade Review"* 'What an altogether good book this is - excellently researched and infused with a love of its subject' Daily Telegraph * 'An affectionate salute to a lost talent' The Herald * '[A] convincingly warm-hearted portrait' Spectator"

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Book Synopsis'You had to decide to let yourself be turned upside down, you had to accept to see the idea you had forged about yourself progressively shatter.' In the summer of 1969, at 19 years old, Didier Mouturat gave up on college, shattering his parents' hopes that he follow a safe and conventional course. Fresh from the wild Parisian student revolt of 1968, with its street battles and slogans, he set out to find a life that would be truly alive, deciding to be a classical actor. When he met Cyrille Dives, however, the universe of masks quietly turned his world upside down. This book describes Mouturat's apprenticeship to a unique theater artist. In the 1970s and early 80s, Dives created a theater of masks, a Western parallel to Japanese Noh. Dives was a true bohemian artist, a sculptor of masks, a painter and theatrical director. Cyrille Dives was also a spiritual master. Mouturat's apprenticeship encompassed everything from walking in a way that brings a mask to life to cultivating a beginner's mind. Slowly and subtly, the theater apprenticeship became an encounter with the deeper truth of his own being. 'I am speaking of an intimate, progressive discovery that we are not masters of our own being -- that it is only the result of a system of reactions that tyrannize us.' Mouturat becomes Dives's right-hand man, helping establish a theater and a school of masks. That work is evident here in enchanting illustrations, as well as words. Yet as translated by the scholar and author Roger Lipsey, Mouturat also offers a pithy chronicle of a search for meaning and inner being.

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Book SynopsisIn this much-anticipated autobiography, Raymond Gubbay brings to life his extraordinary fifty-year career as one of the most experienced and well-connected impresarios in British music and entertainment. With a provenance rich in history and talent, he retraces the musical legacy of his family, growing up in a liberal Jewish household in 1950s post-war London with the challenges he faced while embarking on his musical journey after a few failed attempts at corporate conformity. Beginning his career at the Royal Albert Hall, his introduction to the entertainment industry commenced under the guidance of the late Victor Hochhauser – Britain’s foremost promoter of Russian ballet and classical music. Passionate and enigmatic, this memoir delves right into the heart of 1960s performing arts, with Gubbay absorbingly recounting both the stress and excitement that came with marshalling three coach loads of Russian performers around the country at a time of conflicting traditions, theatrical decline, amid Soviet tensions – and this was only the beginning… Setting up on his own, he started with a handful of performers touring to modest venues around the country, building a brand and a style which seemed very much in tune with the times. Later, working alongside some of the most prestigious classical and popular artists of our time – from Yehudi Menuhin, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Luciano Pavarotti and the English National Ballet to Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Andrew Lloyd-Webber – Gubbay has witnessed and played a hand in promoting and producing some of the most iconic performances of opera, ballet and classical music ever staged in some of the largest music venues in Britain, the Royal Festival Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham – and not least of all the Royal Albert Hall. He was in at the start of the Barbican in the City of London and provides a keen insight into the early years there. Lowering the Tone is rich with stories of showbusiness and the behind-the scenes business of the great musical venues, with appearances from a wealth of household and international names. This is the story of achievement, imagination and a desire to bring happiness and entertainment to generations of music lovers.Trade ReviewA rollicking account of a unique working life and as such, hard to put down.Open, honest and funny, this book is a very good read indeed.It affords an insider’s glimpse behind the scenes and is fascinating for anyone with an interest in music-making in the UK over the past 60 years. It is told with love, wit and recalls a time when classical music was part of the country’s fabricIf there’s one thing he understands, it’s how to please an audience. People love fireworks? Give them fireworks.The legendary impresario has worked with some of our greatest performers and transformed the UK’s musical scene.Raymond Gubbay is widely recognised as the promoter and events producer who’s brought classical music to more people in the UK than anyone elseIconic impresario Raymond Gubbay shares incredible memories from his colourful careerThe legendary impresario is known up and down the landRaymond Gubbay, the impresario with a flair for spectacle

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Book SynopsisPeter Bowles was born in London to parents who were servants to two of the most influential families in Britain. From New York''s Broadway in 1956 to London''s Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2006, Peter has starred in many successful plays, whilst playing villains in such iconic TV series as THE SAINT, THE AVENGERS, THE PERSUADERS, SPACE 1999 and THE PRISONER. He has also starred in many hit TV series including RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY, ONLY WHEN I LAUGH, THE IRISH R.M., LYTTON''S DIARY and, of course, TO THE MANOR BORN. ASK ME IF I''M HAPPY is the personal story of an actor who was told on leaving drama school that he would never play an Englishman (and didn''t), to becoming known as the quintessential Englishman (and isn''t).

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Book SynopsisThe son of a deranged Italian immigrant, Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) was the most celebrated of English clowns. The first to use white-face make-up and wear outrageous coloured clothes, he completely transformed the role of the Clown in the pantomime with a look as iconic as Chaplin's tramp or Tommy Cooper's magician. One of the first celebrity comedians, his friends included Lord Byron and the actor Edmund Kean, and his memoirs were edited by the young Charles Dickens. But underneath the stage paint, Grimaldi struggled with depression and his life was blighted with tragedy. His first wife died in childbirth and his son would go on to drink himself to death. The outward joy and tomfoolery of his performances masked a dark and depressing personal life, and instituted the modern figure of the glum, brooding comedian. Joseph Grimaldi left an indelible mark on the English theatre and the performing arts, but his legacy is one of human struggle, battling demons and giving it his all in the face of adversity.Trade ReviewA wonderful book: beautiful, heartbreaking and absolutely fascinating -- Amanda Foreman * * author of The Duchess * *A round of applause is due to this exuberant, impassioned portrait, for bringing the great Grimaldi, 'Joey the Clown', into the limelight again -- Jenny Uglow * * Observer * *Grimaldi's is a story of comedy mixed with pathos, endurance with absurdity. It is exceptionally well told here -- Sam Leith * * Daily Mail * *This interesting and entertaining book gives a real insight into how much professional comedy has changed over the last 250 years, and how much it hasn't changed -- Frank SkinnerAlways vivacious and engaged, Stott's writing is earthed in research that gives resonance to the amplitude of detail he provides, tactfully tucking away documentation of sources in endnotes that are a pleasure in themselves -- Jennie Renton * * Sunday Herald * *A round of applause is due this exuberant portrait for bringing Grimaldi into the limelight again * * Observer New Review * *Splendid * * Sunday Telegraph * *Superb * * The Telegraph Review * *A dazzling yarn * * The Independent * *McConnell Stott's engaging book...presents a fantastic panorama of stage history, tracing how pantomime rose to be the most popular British art form at a time when the rest of Europe was convulsed by the Napoleonic wars * * The Sunday Times * *Full of wonderful descriptions of how this manic yet poignant clown beat off competition ... to be the "supreme comic being, part child, part nightmare" * * Guardian Review * *[A] great big Christmas pudding of a book, almost over-stuffed with rich and colourful life -- Simon Callow * * Guardian 'Book of the week' * *Fascinating, informative and compelling, this is essential reading for lovers of theatre and comedy * * Waterstones Book Quarterly * *As a portrait of London life in all its mutinous and anarchic variety this book would be hard to beat * * Spectator * *The biographer once did a comic turn himself and it animates his account. Stott doesn't just bring the man to painful life but his world as well * * Scottish Review of Books * *Sad though his decline was, his story, as McConnell Stott tells it, conveys an overwhelming impression of verve and ingenuity. . . [McConnell Stott] recounts these wonders with infectious brio -- John Carey * * The Sunday Times * *Rich in detail... [Stott] succeeds in evoking the London theatrical world of the time in all its riotous energy -- Patrick O'Connor * * Times Literary Supplement * *In this attractively written, well-illustrated and well-researched biography Andrew Stott brings this extraordinary genius vividly before us, in the process richly evoking the tumultuous life of the London theatre -- Michael Slater * * Literary Review * *Stott has had fun with this life * * Irish Times * *

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Book Synopsis'God put me on this earth to raise sheer hell.' Richard Burton'I was a sinner. I slugged some people. I hurt many people. And it's true, I never looked back to see the casualties.' Richard Harris'Booze is the most outrageous of all drugs, which is why I chose it.' Peter O'Toole'I don't have a drink problem. But if that was the case and doctors told me I had to stop I'd like to think I would be brave enough to drink myself into the grave.' Oliver ReedThis is the story of four of the greatest thespian boozers who ever walked - or staggered - off a film set into a pub. It's a story of drunken binges of near biblical proportions, parties and orgies, broken marriages, drugs, riots and wanton sexual conquests. They got away with it because of their extraordinary acting talent and because the public loved them. They were truly the last of a breed, the last of the movie hellraisers.Trade ReviewA rollicking read * Sunday Express *Sellers' biography is a jaw-dropping account of their twisted, tortured, politically incorrect lives * Daily Record *Robert Sellers gleefully follows the seedy lives of the four liver-abusing actors as they drink, brawl and shag their way through the decades into eventual oblivion * Metro *The best book we've ever read involving binge drinking, botched stage entrances, Hollywood floozies and British movie stars . . . Sometimes the form of a piece so perfectly fits its content you can actually hear the angels of accordance purr. Such is the case with Hellraisers . . . The sprightly smash 'n dash of the prose so wonderfully captures the wanton belligerence of both bingeing and stardom you almost feel the guys themselves are telling the tales * GQ *Unputdownable ... Sports book of the half-century, you might even say -- Frank Keating * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA unique collection of everything that Chekhov wrote about the theatre. Chekhov started writing about theatre in newspaper articles and in his own letters even before he began writing plays. Later, he wrote in detail about his own plays to his lifelong friend and mentor Alexei Suvorin, his wife and leading actress, Olga Knipper, and to the two directors of the Moscow Art Theatre, Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Collected for this volume, these writings reveal Chekhov's instinctive curiosity about the way theatre works – and his concerns about how best to realise his own intentions as a playwright. Often peppery, passionate, even distraught, as he feels his plays misinterpreted or undermined, Chekhov comes over in these pages as a true man of the theatre.Trade Review'Chekhov is an acute observer who could easily have made his way as a director or dramaturg judging by his ability to spot strengths and weaknesses in not only his own writing but that of others. This book builds a strong picture of theatrical life in Moscow and St Petersburg just before and at the turn of the last century, with vast amounts of bitching seemingly a commonplace. It can also serve as a tangential autobiography since, through its pages, it is possible to learn much about its subject's life and work.' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisA superlative account of how theatre is made, in the words of the very people who make it. In Talking Theatre, Richard Eyre uses his unrivalled access to leading theatre people to allow us to eavesdrop on the stories behind many of the most important productions and performances in the theatre of recent times: John Gielgud • Peter Brook • Margaret 'Percy' Harris • Peter Hall • Ian McKellen • Judi Dench • Trevor Nunn • Vanessa Redgrave • Fiona Shaw • Liam Neeson • Stephen Rea • Stephen Sondheim • Arthur Laurents • Arthur Miller • August Wilson • Jason Robards • Kim Hunter • Tony Kushner • Luise Rainer • Alan Bennett • Harold Pinter • Tom Stoppard • David Hare • Jocelyn Herbert • William Gaskill • Arnold Wesker • Peter Gill • Christopher Hampton • Peter Shaffer • Frith Banbury • Alan Ayckbourn • John Bury • Victor Spinetti • John McGrath • Cameron Mackintosh • Patrick Marber • Steven Berkoff • Deborah Warner • Willem Dafoe • Simon McBurney • Robert Lepage • John Johnston (Britain's last Theatre Censor) 'A rich, stimulating treasure trove. Eyre's interviews exactly hit the spot: in revealing themselves, his subjects also give the reader a panoramic view of modern theatre' Michael BillingtonTrade Review'A mine of first-hand theatrical information and insight and, better still, a wonderful compendium of high-grade gossip' -- Charles Spencer * Daily Telegraph *'Truly various and never less than fierce critical thinking condensed into one endlessly entertaining volume' * Sunday Times Theatre Book of 2009 *'Fascinating... Talking Theatre is a must' * Exuent Magazine *

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Book SynopsisAn alternative autobiography of the well-loved actor and man of the theatre, winner of the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography. In My Life in Pieces Simon Callow retraces his life through the multifarious performers, writers, productions and events which have left their indelible mark on him. The story begins with Peter Pan – his first ever visit to the theatre – before transporting us to southern Africa and South London, where Callow spent much of his childhood. Later, he charms his way into a job at the National Theatre box office courtesy of his hero, Laurence Olivier – and thus consummated a lifetime’s love affair with theatre. Alongside Olivier, we encounter Paul Scofield, Michael Gambon, Alan Bennett and Richard Eyre, all of whom Callow has worked with, as well as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness, David Hare, Simon Gray and many more. He writes too about figures he did not meet but who greatly influenced his life and work, figures such as Stanislavsky, Nureyev and Cocteau, as well as Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. And he even makes room for not-quite- legit performers like Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howard – and Mrs Shufflewick. The result is a passionate, instructive and beguiling book which, in tracing Simon Callow’s own ‘sentimental education’, leaves us enriched by his generosity and wisdom. 'first rate... the best writer-actor we have' David Hare 'Simon Callow combines zest, originality and passion and has elegantly turned his views and life in the theatre into an astonishing memoir' Richard EyreTrade Review'An engaging passionate book which will augment Callow's growing status as a national treasure' * Guardian *'Not simply a terrific actor who happens to write. You could as well call him a terrific writer who happens to act' * The Times *'Essential... [Callow has] a gift for transforming personal experience into blazingly intelligent, objective, critical appreciation' * Observer *

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Book SynopsisA truthful, personal and insightful exploration of the state of arts funding and carrying on in the face of adversity, by the renowned founder of Out of Joint. One March morning, out of the blue, Max Stafford-Clark learned that the Arts Council had drastically cut their grant to his theatre company, Out of Joint, leaving it in danger of imminent collapse. Journal of the Plague Year is his account of what happened next, as he sets out to contest the cut, make the case for public funding of the arts, and continue producing the work for which he and his company are renowned. Max's journal often takes on an autobiographical flavour, including the unexpectedly moving story of his two fathers, his surreal encounter with the New York theatre world, and the shocking details of what it is to suffer a massively debilitating stroke. By turns funny, alarming and deeply personal, Journal of the Plague Year offers a fascinating exposé of the often Kafkaesque workings of arts subsidy in England, and the financial and artistic manoeuvrings which are a fact of life for every arts organisation today. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the state of our arts, from students to theatregoers, and from struggling arts workers right up to the Secretary of State for Culture.Trade Review'Fascinating... reads like an unpublished work by Franz Kafka... both horrifying and startling' * British Theatre Guide *'Eloquent... Combative, wry and stimulating throughout' * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book Synopsis'A part we have played is like a person we once met, grew to know, became intimately enmeshed with and finally moved away from. Some of these characters remain friends, others are like ex–lovers with whom we no longer have anything in common. All of them bring something out in us that will never go back in the box.' In a varied and distinguished career, Harriet Walter has played almost all of Shakespeare's heroines, notably Ophelia, Helena, Portia, Viola, Imogen, Lady Macbeth, Beatrice and Cleopatra, mostly for the Royal Shakespeare Company. But where, she asks, does an actress go after playing Cleopatra's magnificent death? Why didn't Shakespeare write more – and more powerful – roles for mature women? For Walter, the solution was to ignore the dictates of centuries of tradition, and to begin playing the mature male characters. Her Brutus in an all–female Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse was widely acclaimed, and was soon followed by Henry IV. What, she asks, can an actress bring to these roles – and is there any fundamental difference in the way they must be played? In Brutus and Other Heroines, Walter discusses each of these roles – both male and female – from the inside, explaining the particular choices she made in preparing and performing each character. Her extraordinarily perceptive and intimate accounts illuminate each play as a whole, offering a treasure trove of valuable insights for theatregoers, scholars and anyone interested in how the plays work on stage. Aspiring actors, too, will discover the many possibilities open to them in playing these magnificent roles. The book is an exploration of the Shakespearean canon through the eyes of a self-identified 'feminist actor' – but, above all, a remarkable account of an acting career unconstrained by tradition or expectations. It concludes with an affectionate rebuke to her beloved Will: 'I cannot imagine a world without you. I just wish you had put more women at the centre of your world/stage… I would love you to come back and do some rewrites.' 'A glorious reminder that genuine diversity on stage offers astonishing creative benefits… Harriet Walter is mesmerising in one play after another, bringing her classical training to bear as a conflicted Brutus, then a Henry IV who wears his crown heavily, and finally a Prospero who knows that the steel bars of prison are resistant to all magic… this is genuinely art to enchant' The Guardian on the Donmar Warehouse's Shakespeare Trilogy Trade Review'Intelligent, thoughtful… a strong combination of actor's guide to interpreting text and more general reflections on Shakespeare, but it's the book's element of female empowerment - whether through cross-casting or making judicious choices - which makes this such a potent read… an invaluable tool for actors, but more than that, this is a battle cry for us all to demand better' * Broadway World *'An entertaining, informative and interesting read for anyone involved with acting, language and performance, but above all Shakespeare' * Word Matters (Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech & Drama) *'Illuminating… provides fascinating insights that come out of researching, rehearsing and performing the roles… will be of interest to scholars as well as actors of either gender playing those characters' * BritishTheatre.com *'Delightful... intelligent, entertaining and informative' * British Theatre Guide *'A quiet jewel of a book… perhaps only a great actress with a lot less narcissism than average could write such an intelligent, hard-nosed book about Shakespeare, and about gender… any actor who wants to master their art should read it and take notes' * The Australian *'Enlightening and entertaining… Harriet Walter has a real gift for an account which is part personal journey and part practical analysis of Shakespeare’s words and how they can be interpreted – by someone who really knows... if you want insights into playing Shakespeare’s roles for women in the widest sense then look no further than this penetrating, very readable book' * Ink Pellet *'One of those startling one-offs that seem to resist categorisation… [asks] lively questions, and Walter is restless and intelligent in pursuit of answers... this is a clever, energetic, principled mind at work' * The Oldie *'Walter understands Shakespeare’s language instinctively… drama students approaching these parts themselves will find it a helpful textual guide' * Spectator *'No book has given me a greater insight into the mind of an actor and I thoroughly enjoyed flicking through the pages to find out about the next character to sink her teeth and magnificent mind into' * Female Arts *'What Harriet Walter has to say about acting and the insight into the roles she has played will be of interest not only to actors but to anybody studying Shakespeare and searching for clues about the characters' * Mature Times *

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Book SynopsisA bold and exciting new approach to Bertolt Brecht, making his theories and ideas about theatre accessible to a new generation of actors, directors, students and theatre-makers, and showing how they can be put into practice. Theatre practitioner and academic David Zoob demystifies Brecht’s theories, and offers an approach to study and performance that can be applied to a wide range of texts and theatre styles. With close analysis of texts by writers including Shakespeare, Chekhov, Miller, Pinter, and of course Brecht himself, the author demonstrates how Brechtian techniques can provide practical pathways to exploring plays across the canon, as well as non-traditional forms of theatre. Also included are dozens of exercises to help turn theory into practice, and explore what Brecht’s ideas mean for actors and directors, both in training and rehearsal. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, an actor or a theatre-maker, this book will change the way you view and work with Brecht. `Zoob has engaged with Brecht’s many and varied principles for a politicised theatre and channelled them into a wide range of novel and innovative exercises that are applicable to a great many dramas and can equally interrogate devised material… Excellent ’ --David Barnett, Professor of Theatre, University of York, and author of Brecht in PracticeTrade Review'Brilliant… a fresh, energised approach [with] comprehensive exercises, playful games, script interpretations and plentiful opportunities for learning' * Drama Magazine *'Where David Zoob makes his mark is in demystifying the terminology and the practice, turning the unintelligible into the practical and allowing readers to gain a really good and deep understanding of what Brecht was trying to achieve and how his ideas can be applied to theatrical performances today… such is the breadth of Zoob's knowledge that anyone wishing to gain a greater understanding of acting and/or directing would do well to pick up a copy since they are just about guaranteed to learn something that will help them to work more effectively in future' * British Theatre Guide *'Demystifies Brecht in a straight-talking, deeply informed way… a fresh, energised approach' * Teaching Drama *

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TWO MEN Tom Crean, the Kerryman, whose phenomenal feats of bravery in the unexplored Antarctic earned him a rare medal for valour, pinned on him by King George. Aidan Dooley, the Galway man, who rejected a job in the bank for a life on the stage. ONE STORY In this enthralling, funny and moving account, actor Aidan Dooley tells the story of his journey with Tom Crean. His one- man show about this unsung hero grew from an unknown play with an unknown actor into an award-winning hit that has been performed from Dublin to Dubai, and from Broadway to the Antarctic ice. This is a tale of fortitude and courage – on stage and in the savage beauty at the bottom of the world.

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Book SynopsisJessie Kesson is forever associated with her first novel, the fictionalised autobiography of her early years, The White Bird Passes. Born illegitimate in a Workhouse and raised in an Elgin slum, she was removed from her beloved but neglectful mother and sent to an orphanage in Kirkton of Skene. There she throve and shone, but was refused any chance of higher education, and ended up a year in a mental hospital. After marriage, she became a cottar wife around North East Scotland, before moving to London, where she combined writing novels and radio plays with jobs from cleaning a cinema to producing Woman's Hour. The first edition of her authorised biography won the National Library of Scotland/Saltire Research Book of the Year in 2000. It revealed an extraordinary woman making her life and art out of all life threw at her, overcoming and transforming it all. This second edition at last reveals the truth about her ever-absent father, here named.

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Book SynopsisDuring the eighteenth century, theatrical writing developed as a genre. The publishing market responded to a seemingly insatiable appetite for accounts of the personalities, social lives and performances of celebrated entertainers. This series features actors who were significant in their development of new ways of performing Shakespeare.

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Book SynopsisFeatures actors who were significant in their development of new and innovative ways of performing Shakespeare. This title contains extracts from diaries, memoirs, private letters, and obituaries that present a contemporary account of their acting achievements and personal lives.

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Book SynopsisThe classic manifesto on popular theatre by the founder of the 7:84 Theatre Companies. John McGrath's manifesto is as relevant today as it was when first published in 1981. Looking at the ways different classes take their entertainment, he puts the case for what theatre could be doing for the populace instead of walling itself up in subsidised fortresses for the well-to-do.Trade Review'The classic statement of the aims of the counter-theatre movement in this country' * Financial Times *'Ebullient, provocative and, above all, life-enhancing' -- Michael Billington

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Book SynopsisAn unrivalled unofficial history of the rise – and partial fall – of fringe theatre, Mike Bradwell's deadpan account of his adventures is one of the funniest and angriest books to come out of theatre today. Winner of the 2010 Theatre Book Prize awarded by the Society for Theatre Research. As he travels through a counterculture peopled by nutters, chancers, dreamers and prophets, Bradwell makes us marvel at his resilience and creativity, captured in a succession of vivid – and often laugh-out- loud – episodes such as: creating a character with Mike Leigh; enjoying the onstage mass orgasms of The Living Theatre; eating fire with Bob Hoskins; becoming an underwater escapologist (reluctantly) in the Ken Campbell Roadshow; creating Hull Truck; and doing battle with the Health and Safety brigade, the funding bodies and a Polish heavy-metal disco during his ten years running the famous Bush Theatre in West London. Bradwell is a passionate champion of the alternative as well as an admired and successful director. He makes a compelling – and urgent – case for preserving the true and subversive spirit of theatre from castration at the hands of bankers, consultants, stakeholders, cultural-diversity compliance monitors and the Arts Council. 'Towards the end of this brilliant account of his epic forty-year journey, Mike tells us, 'I don't believe that theatre is safe in the hands of grown-ups', and it is his healthy, eternal youthfulness that makes the book so inspiring' Mike Leigh, from his ForewordTrade Review'Inimitably filthy, achingly funny... Bradwell is one of the most colourful figures in theatre today' -- Ian Herbert * The Stage *'Both a history and a pointer to the future of theatre, written by one of its most courageous and effective champions' * Theatres Magazine *'Funny and rude, bloody-minded and undervalued, much like the theatre to which he has given his all' * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisHarriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting. 'Acting is what I do with who I am', writes Harriet Walter. And in this book she takes us step by step through the processes involved in performance. Each step of the way is illuminated with brilliantly precise examples from her own career. So we are introduced to the Workshop, the Rehearsal, and the Roots and Pathways into a role. Then follows the main meat of the book: six Keys to the Development and Exploration of character. The closing section deals with Performance on stage and screen. Every insight, every suggestion is firmly rooted in the author's own experience. Harriet Walter's book is full of unparalleled insights into the everyday working life of an actor, and into quite how much hard work is needed before they can convincingly put themselves in other people's shoes. 'My advice to a young actor: read this book' Richard EyreTrade Review'Buy it, and be delightfully and unhectoringly informed about exactly what it is that actors get up to and why... Harriet Walter is sharp, clear, elegant, sturdily sensitive' * Observer *'A fascinating insight into the working life of an actor... very enjoyable' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisOther early 'stand-out' roles came in the premieres of Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine (1979) and Mike Leigh's Goose Pimples (1981). He was Malcolm Bradbury's History Man on TV (1981) before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982, where he has played a huge variety of leading role in modern plays such as David Edgar's Maydays (1983) and Peter Flannery's Singer (1989) but chiefly in Shakespeare. He was the Fool to Michael Gambon's Lear, a famous Richard III, Shylock, Malvolio, Leontes, Macbeth with Harriet Walter, and, currently, Iago. For the RSC he was also Cyrano and Tamburlaine and the Malcontent. Interspersed with these were appearances at the National Theatre - as Astrov to Ian McKellen's Uncle Vanya, as Stanley Spencer in Pam Gems's play and as Titus Andronicus, which he originated at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. In October 2004 he will appear at the National again in his own play based on Primo Levi's This was a Man. Following his debut as a writer with Year of the King, he has written four novels - Middlepost, Indoor Boy, Cheap Lives and The Feast - as well as an autobiography, Beside Myself (2001), and a play, I.D. (premiered at the Almeida, 2003).Trade Review"'One of the finest books I have ever read on the process of acting' Time Out; 'This is a most wonderfully authentic account of the experience of creating a performance' Sunday Times; 'A brilliant compulsive account' Michael Billington, Guardian; 'It is very funny... The drawings are miraculous too. Is there no end to the man's talent, damn him?' Evening Standard"

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