Simon Russell Beale's Books

A Piece of Work

Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories

By: Simon Russell Beale

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A Piece of Work

Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories

By: Simon Russell Beale

Simon Russell Beale is one of Britain's most recognisable and well-loved actors. He has played many roles on stage, film, television and radio - ranging from Winston Churchill to Stalin, George Smiley to King Arthur. But ever since his appearance at school as a glamorous Desdemona, complete with false eyelashes that rendered him half-blind, he has been captivated by Shakespeare. In A Piece of Work, Russell Beale tries to get under the skin of the playwright and find out what interested him. Was Shakespeare an instinctive 'conservative' or, rather, gently subversive? How collaborative was he? Did he add a line to Hamlet in order to accommodate his ageing and increasingly chubby principal actor, Richard Burbage? Did he suffer from insomnia and experience sexual jealousy? Russell Beale describes what it is to approach and live with some of Shakespeare's most famous characters. Some of the actor's inspiration comes from surprising sources. Watching Coronation Street gave him an idea for how Richard III might react on hearing of the death of the two Princes in the Tower; a visit to elderly patients in a local hospital gave him insights into King Lear's descent into madness; and the memory of childhood family holidays led him to a spectacular plunge into an ornamental pool in Much Ado About Nothing. Funny and touching about his family, Russell Beale also writes fascinatingly about some of the supremely creative people he counts as his friends - including Sam Mendes, Nick Hytner, Stephen Sondheim and Lauren Bacall. A Piece of Work is a brilliant account of an actor's life and work - and his relationship with our foremost dramatist.

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Page Count

334

Publisher

Abacus

Published Date

ISBN 10

0349147108

ISBN 13

9780349147109

A Piece of Work

Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories

By: Simon Russell Beale

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A Piece of Work

Playing Shakespeare and Other Stories

By: Simon Russell Beale

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334

Publisher

Abacus

Published Date

ISBN 10

0349147108

ISBN 13

9780349147109

War and Nation in the Theatre of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries

By: Simon Barker

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War and Nation in the Theatre of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries

By: Simon Barker

This original study explores a vital aspect of early modern cultural history: the way that warfare is represented in the theatre of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The book contrasts the Tudor and Stuart prose that called for the establishment of a standing army in the name of nation, discipline and subjectivity, and the drama of the period that invited critique of this imperative. Barker examines contemporary dramatic texts both for their radical position on war and, in the case of the later drama, for their subversive commentary on an emerging idealisation of Shakespeare and his work.The book argues that the early modern period saw the establishment of political, social and theological attitudes to war that were to become accepted as natural in succeeding centuries. Barker's reading of the drama of the period reveals the discontinuities in this project as a way of commenting on the use of the past within modern warfare. The book is also a survey and analysis of literary theory over the last tw

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Page Count

256

Publisher

Edinburgh University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0748631623

ISBN 13

9780748631629

The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre

By: Simon Trussler

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The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre

By: Simon Trussler

Written with style, imagination and insight, and packed with interesting illustrations, this authoritative book traces the development through the ages of plays and playwriting, forms of staging, the acting profession and the role of the actor - in fact all aspects of live entertainment. From satire and burlesque to melodrama and pantomime, this is a major history of British theatre from the earliest times to the present day. Shifting its focus constantly between those who played and those who watched, between officially approved performance and the popular theatre of the people, The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre will be invaluable to anyone interested in theatre, whether student, teacher, performer or spectator.

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Page Count

420

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521794307

ISBN 13

9780521794305

Harper Regan

By: Simon Stephens

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Harper Regan

By: Simon Stephens

If you go, I don't think you should come back. On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2006, Harper Regan walked away from her home, her husband and daughter, and kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back. From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion. It received its world premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2008.

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Page Count

132

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1472574680

ISBN 13

9781472574688

The Dolphin's Message

By: Lucy Coats,Anthony Lewis

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The Dolphin's Message

By: Lucy Coats,Anthony Lewis

From high in the skies - 'The Starry Hunter' tells the story of Orion - to deep beneath the waves - meet the god Poseidon in 'The Dophin's Message', here is a selection of 8 spellbinding stories vividly illustrated and told by a highly-acclaimed author/illustrator partnership. As well, THE DOLPHIN'S MESSAGE takes us through the fourth leg of Atticus the Stoyteller's quest to arrive in Troy in time for the storytellers' championship - but will he win? A perfect introduction to Greek myths, ideal for bedtime reading alone and sharing with friends at school.

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Orion

Published Date

ISBN 10

1409123286

ISBN 13

9781409123286

The Beasts in the Jar

By: Lucy Coats,Anthony Lewis

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The Beasts in the Jar

By: Lucy Coats,Anthony Lewis

Long ago, in ancient Greece, the gods and goddesses gave the gift of storytelling to men and women, and ordered that there should be a great storytelling festival, once every seven years, near Troy, which draws entrants from far and near. Atticus the Storyteller is determined to take part but finds himself diverted on his route by happenings large and small. Always, his diversions lead to wonderful stories - and here they are ...

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Orion

Published Date

ISBN 10

1409123227

ISBN 13

9781409123224

The Magic Head

By: Lucy Coats

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The Magic Head

By: Lucy Coats

Originally published: as part of Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek myths. 2002.

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Hodder Children's Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1409123243

ISBN 13

9781409123248

Book's by Simon Russell Beale

A Piece of Work

A Piece of Work

A Piece of Work

A Piece of Work

War and Nation in the Theatre of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries

War and Nation in the Theatre of Shakespeare and His Contemporaries

The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre

The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre

Harper Regan

Harper Regan

The Dolphin's Message

The Dolphin's Message

The Beasts in the Jar

The Beasts in the Jar

The Magic Head

The Magic Head

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