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In a career that spans six decades, John Gielgud has become recognized as one of the great classic actors of our time. He has not only played most of the leading Shakespearean parts, but has also created roles in plays by David Storey, Edward Bond and Harold Pinter, and has taken many varied roles in film, television and radio productions. In 1978 Sir John Gielgud made a series of broadcasts for the BBC when he was interviewed by John Miller on his life in the theatre. This series, produced by John Powell, aroused great interest and provided the basis for the book An Actor And His Time. This recording is an abridged version of the BBC broadcasts. In it he tells us of his life in the theatre, the plays he starred in and directed, of the actors and actresses he worked with, and of the theatres in which he has played. Here is not only a fascinating account of Sir John's own life but also an intriguing record of the last fifty years of the British theatre. ... Read more

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This is the second volume of essays by actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Fourteen actors describe the Shakespearean roles they played in productions between 1982 and 1987. A brief biographical note is provided for each of the contributors and an introduction places the essays in the context of the Stratford and London stages, and of the music and design for the particular productions. ... Read more

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This collection of Richard Nelson's plays brings together for the first time five of his major works in one volume. From the hilarious and poignant tale of an American school group in England in Some Americans Abroad to the emotional complexity of the relationship between two nineteenth-century actors in Two Shakespearean Actors, Nelson demonstrates the full range of his talent, creating works that are accessible, eloquent, amusing, and deeply moving, often all at once. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Incisive Observations
This is a thoughtful and scholarly look at the history of the Black Shakespearean actor - a topic that will seem to many people to be thin and inconsequential, but which in reality is rich and varied in a long and eventful history. Illustrated by period photographs and drawings, Hill outlines the beginnings with James Hewlitt and Ira Aldridge in the early 19th century, moves to surprising discoveries such as the native performer Takatanke, up to the late triumph of Orson Welles' Voodoo Macbeth in 1936.

A must for those who admire the depth and passion of such performers as Paul Robeson, Earl Hyman, and James Earl Jones, there is also a videotape available based on this book, information for which can be found...In the tape, Hill's talk is based on this book, published by the University of Massachusetts Press. Professor Hill's brief talk is then brilliantly illuminated by the performances of black actors of today. Each takes a famous scene from Shakespeare and enacts it, introduced with a sense of its context by Professor Hill. Scenes represented are:

Hal Scott - Prologue to Henry V & Puck's Farewell
Charles Dutton - Finale of Othello & the meeting with Anne from Richard III
Lorraine Toussaint - Queen Margaret's disgrace from 2 Henry IV and
Juliet's anticipation from Romeo & Juliet
Earle Hyman - Prospero's Farewell from The Tempest
At the end of the performance, members of the audience pose questions to the panel, giving further insight to the subject. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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In this issue of "The Shakespearean International Yearbook", the special section treats "Shakespeare and Montaigne Revisited." The essays in this section demonstrate and consider various approaches to the interrelated questions of Montaigne's and Shakespeare's use of skepticism, of their reading, and of the philosophical contexts of their work. The guest editor for the section is Peter Holbrook, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Queensland. Dr Holbrook is the author of "Literature and Degree in Renaissance England: Nashe, Bourgeois Tragedy, Shakespeare" and co-editor with David Bevington of "The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque". "The Shakespearean International Yearbook" continues to provide an annual survey of important issues and developments in contemporary Shakespeare studies. Contributors to this issue come from the US and the UK, Canada, Sweden, Japan and Australia. In addition to the section in Montaigne, essays in this volume consider questions of empire, of misogyny, and of language appropriation and adaptation.The volume also includes an interview with veteran American actor, Alvin Epstein during his recent acclaimed performance of King Lear for the Actors' Shakespeare project in Boston. ... Read more

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In this issue of "The Shakespearean International Yearbook", the special section surveys various means of 'Updating Shakespeare'. The section treats a variety of attempts and strategies, including by artists in Japan, China and Brazil, to adapt Shakespeare's works into local and present circumstances. The guest editor for the section is Tetsuo Kishi, Professor Emeritus in English at the University of Kyoto, co-author of Shakespeare in Japan (2006)."The Shakespearean International Yearbook" continues to provide an annual survey of important issues and developments in contemporary Shakespeare studies. Contributors to this issue come from the US and the UK, Poland, Japan and Brazil. In addition to the section on 'Updating', essays in this volume treat Shakespeare's poems, his narrative strategies, his relation to ideas such as tolerance and representation, and the afterlives of his work in writers such as Gay, Slowacki and Becket, and in theatrical relics. ... Read more

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The Rose, The Globe, The Red Bull... London was like living on Broadway with no movies and no television!The great social intersection of the theatre -going classes had kings and Queens in the same theatre with commoners!Read the history of the playhouses that were, in fact, the stage for the world's greatest comedies and tragedies!No serious Shakespeare library is complete without this book. ... Read more

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Edmond Malone (1741SH1812) was the greatest early editor of Shakespeare's works, the first historian of early English drama, the biographer of Shakespeare, Dryden and Reynolds, and a relentless exposer of literary fraud and forgery. Yet he was also a gregarious man, attracting many friends--and enemies--among his contemporaries. This first modern full-length biography of Edmond Malone illuminates in a unique way both the intensely private world of the scholar and the highly public world of the late eighteenth-century artistic, intellectual and political elite, including Johnson, Burke, Reynolds, Siddons and Boswell. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Captured Magic
For anyone fortunate enough to have seen the Histories with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the opportunity to have that fantastic, exhilirating, magical experince captured is one that is not to be resisted. Reading Exit Pursued by a Badger was like reliving the whole delicious experience - making the ephemeral concrete, the fleeting permanent.

Of course even if you were not one of the lucky audience members then Asbury's chatty prose, amusing anecdotes and flashes of poignancy make this book pretty much un-put-downable (if that is actually a word)


Buy the book.
Capture the magic.

I'd recommend it to anyone
Even if all you want is to spend some time reading a likable author with a knack for engaging prose and a good story to tell, then this book is already a winning proposition.Buy it now.

But if you might also like, along the way, to learn a bit about acting, English life/culture, and even Shakespeare's history plays from the production perspective, then this is absolutely essential reading.

There have been plenty of actors' memoirs over the years -- indeed there have been some written in the diary format (like this one) by classically-trained Shakespearean actors.Many of these memoirs are very good reading.But this one, for me, takes Best in Show.Why?Because of what this project is about and who Asbury is.The book's genesis was as a blog on the website for "The Histories," a multi-year, ensemble production.So Asbury is not the kind of actor who headlines Hollywood movies in between plays, some star regaling his fan base with reverie and a behind-the-curtain schtick.Instead, this is an in-the-trenches, for-the-love (and frustration)-of-it look at the what ensemble acting is supposed to be.This is about a friendly and intelligent working actor in rural(-ish) England showing and sharing his experience of the art, its culture, and sometimes life in general.

That Asbury writes with such a cozy but versatile style is another treat.He has no trouble ranging from boyishness, to sweetness, to insightful commentary--sometimes within pages.What he doesn't ever do (thankfully) is get overblown or pompous.

I should clarify that this is not an "academic" book, per se.The drama student reviewers here are right that this book can be--in addition to being fun--useful and inspiring to young actors.I, myself, am an English literature professor, and it's been very useful to me, both in the classroom and for my work on Shakespeare in performance.But I would recommend this book to ANYONE.Give it as a gift, add it to your book club list: whatever.It'll fit in.

In keeping with its blogger beginnings, the book retains the diary format -- so there's no thematic structure; the reader is simply carried along through the experience as Asbury records it.There is talk of a new book coming by Asbury, by the way...here's hoping...

Brilliant insight for all!
This book is a detailed, intriguing and an enlightening read. Asbury takes you on a wirlwind adventure from table tennis, tech rehearsals to the jolly times in the Dirty Duck. And without doubt you feel like one of the company by the end, so much so you feel proud of the performance. I am an actor, and I read this book during my training. It was beneficial to me in so many ways, both in terms of the approach to my career and also as an eager fan of the RSC. This book truly conveys the life of the working actor. It is not all about living the high life. And Nick Asbury shows the true work and committment acting requires in a warm, humorous and honest way. I would reccommend this book without doubt. Whether you like the theatre or not the process and life of an actor is something unknown and often speculated about. Here Nick Asbury reveals the true story. Therefore it appeals to all. Thank you Nick for a wonderful insight in the workings of the History Cycle...also showing that, although actors love the pub, we work bloody hard too. Katie

Insightful, engaging and fascinating read
Nick Asbury has written a must read book for any professional actor and "lay" person about his journey through History with Shakespeare.In an engaging, down to earth, yet extremely insightful style, he has created a compelling account that is worth every page of reading.Can't recommend this book enough! ... Read more

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Pageantry on the Shakespearean Stage ... Read more