My Shakespeare : A director's journey through the first folio / Greg Doran.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Doran, Greg, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. .

Shakespeare, William.

 English literature --History and criticism--Early modern, 1500-1700 .

 English literature .

English drama.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (393 pages)

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023.

Place of Publication:

London : Methuen Drama, 2023.

System Details:

text file

HTML/PDF

Summary:

This book charts the personal and professional journey of Greg Doran, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2012 until 2022 and "one of the great Shakespearians of his generation" (Sunday Times). During his illustrious career, Doran has directed or produced all of the plays within Shakespeare's First Folio -- a milestone reached in the same year that the world celebrates the 400th anniversary of its original publication. Each chapter looks at a different play, considering the choices made and weaving in both autobiographical detail and background on the RSC, as well as giving insights into key collaborations, including those with actors such as Judi Dench, David Tennant, Harriet Walter, Patrick Stewart, Simon Russell Beale, Paterson Joseph and Doran's husband, the late Antony Sher, as well as seminal practitioners such as Cicely Berry, John Barton and Terry Hands. The book also includes 16 striking pages with stills from some of the RSC plays. Through Doran's account of this extraordinary journey, we see how Henry VIII, initially regarded as a poisoned chalice, became his lucky break; how the tragedy of 9/11 unfolded during a matinee of King John and how the language of the play went some way in helping to articulate the unfathomable; how a RSC supporter bequeathed their skull to the company to be used as Yorick in Hamlet; how meeting Nelson Mandela inspired the production of Julius Caesar; how Falstaff was introduced to China for the very first time; and how arachnophobia informed the production of Macbeth. This book uniquely captures the excitement, energy, surprises, joys and agonies of working on these greatest of plays; sheds new light on these plays through Doran's own research and discoveries made in the rehearsal room; and gives unprecedented access into the craft, life and loves of this exceptional director..

Contents:

Chapter Page Introduction 8 1 Romeo and Juliet: A Prologue 9 2 Titus Andronicus 23 3 Henry VIII, or All is True. 31 4 The Merchant of Venice 39 5 The Winter's Tale 45 6 Timon of Athens 50 7 Macbeth 55 8 As You Like It 65 9 King John 69 10 Much Ado About Nothing 75 11 The Taming of The Shrew 85 12 All's Well That Ends Well 92 13 Othello 98 14 Venus & Adonis 110 15 A Midsummer Night's Dream 116 16 Antony & Cleopatra 127 17 Merry Wives: The Musical 134 18 Coriolanus 139 19 Hamlet 144 20 Love's Labour's Lost 153 21 Twelfth Night 161 22 Julius Caesar 168 23 Richard II 176 24 Henry IV Part One 183 25 Henry IV Part Two 200 26 Henry V 203 27 King Lear 209 28 The Tempest 217 29 Troilus and Cressida 225 30 Measure for Measure 231 31 The Comedy of Errors (a lockdown chapter) 235 32 Henry VI Part One 240 33 Henry VI Part Two 249 34 Henry VI Part Three 253 35 Richard III 255 36 Cymbeline: An Epilogue 268.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9781350330221

1350330221

9781350330214

1350330213

9781350330207

1350330205

OCLC:

1368205527