Book Reviews

Author: Max Hafler Reviewer: John Roberts Max Hafler has been teaching voice for well over a decade and his new book Teaching Voice - Workshops for Young Performers will easily become a go-to book for any theatre practitioner who works regularly with young people and or has to teach voice. The book is spilt into several sections - firstly there ...

Author: Bella Merlin Publisher: Nick Hern Books Reviewer: John Roberts “You’re standing on the stage in front of a packed auditorium. All eyes are on you. The lights. The darkness. The moment of glory. Then suddenly – out of nowhere – the dry mouth… the sweaty palms… the shaking knees… and the empty head. Lines well learnt - now lost ...

Author: Chris Duggan Publisher: Ancon Hill Publishing Reviewer: John Roberts Published to coincide with The Globe’s 20th year of performance and of course in the 400th year of Shakespeare Drawn to the Globe is a little gem of a book for any lover of theatre and indeed Shakespeare. Artist Chris Duggan has over the past 20 years stood through all ...

Author: Mel Gussow Reviewer: Glen Pearce   A writers life is often a solitary one and for their audience the only insight into the personality of playwrights is the work they share on stage. While Arthur Miller’s personal life may have been as interesting as his stage work, his life is somewhat overshadowed by his impressive catalogue of work, something ...

Authors: Louise Dearman &Mark Evans Publisher: Nick Hern Books Reviewer: John Roberts   Musical Theatre performers Louise Dearman and Mark Evans’ book Secrets of Stage Success is aimed at “anyone who’s seen a show and thought: “That could be me…’ While this might have been the original aim, the way the book is written and presented, one perhaps would change ...

Contributors: Juliet Barker, John Bowen, Rebecca Fraser, Bonnie Greer, Boyd Tonkin Reviewer: Dawn Smallwood It is one of many events part of the Bradford Literature Festival. The festival has a rich and exciting line up of events for their programme which explore themes relevant today through literary and historical celebrations. The panel chair, Boyd Tonkin, opens the discussion asking the ...

Author: West End Producer Publisher: Nick Hern Books Reviewer: Sharon MacDonald-Armitage If you love theatre or even if you do not, West End Producer's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Acting (But Were Afraid To Ask Dear) should be top of your list of reads for 2014. Funny, irreverent and insightful this book will have you chuckling out loud ...

Author: Daniel Rosenthal Publisher: Oberon Books Reviewer: John Roberts Upon first encountering Daniel Rosenthal’s The National Theatre Story you would be forgiven for taking in a deep inhale of breath, for here is one mighty large book at just under 1000 pages without footnotes (these are provided as a separate and also rather long but equally fascinating additional download.) However ...