Performing Shakepeare

Shakespeare

TheatreBooks carries a complete range of the plays of William Shakespeare, as well as other titles about his life, work and times.

Shakespeare's Texts

Shakespeare Criticism

Inspired by Shakespeare

Performing Shakespeare

Shakespeare's Life & Times

Teaching Shakespeare

Players of Shakespeare 5
Robert Smallwood
This is the fifth volume of essays by actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre on their interpretations of major Shakespearian roles. Included in this volume are Simon Russell Beale, Nigel Hawthorne, Antony Sher, Zoe Waites and more! Softcover, 234 pp. $34.95.

Performing Shakespeare: Preparation Rehearsal Performance
Oliver Ford Davies
Drawing on a lifetime's experience of playing Shakespearean roles, Oliver Ford Davies offers practical advice to actors, speeches and individual lines from almost every one of the plays. Performing Shakespeare is an authoritative, hands-on guide through the practical challenges involved in performing Shakespeare. Softcover, 274 pp. $27.95.

Once More Unto The Speech, Dear Friends: Monologues from Shakepeare's First Folio with Modern Text Versions for Comparison
Neil Freeman
To stay on top of his or her game, the Shakespearean actor needs more knowledge of what makes the play tick, especially since the early plays demand a different style from the later ones. Each genre (comedy, history, tragedy) has different requirements. This three-volume set will help actors discover the extra details of humanity that the original Folio texts automatically offer. It includes 900 separate audition possibilities, 600 more monologues than in any other series and is useful for beginners as well as more experienced actors. Softcover, 428 pp. $25.50.

Shakespeare's Advice To the Players
Peter Hall
Softcover, $20.95.

Playing Lear: An Insider's Guide from Text to Performance
Oliver Ford Davies
This is Oliver Ford Daivies's exhaustive account of playing King Lear. We follow him as he investigates the text, the four-hundred-year history of the play and the many previous Lears he has encountered. This marvelous book will help any actor, director, or theatre goers resolve the plethora of complexities encountered in this Everest among Shakespearean roles. Softcover, 211 pp. $37.95.

Actors on Shakespeare: Henry IV Part II
Simon Callow
These wonderful guides provide incomparable insight into the plays of Shakespeare, from an actor's point-of-view. Other titles in the series include: Othello by James Earl Jones, Henry VI Part I by David Oyelowo, and Much Ado About Nothing by Saskia Reeves. Softcover, 110 pp. $15.00.

The Shakespeare Sessions
with John Barton
Focusing on language as the way into the world of Shakespeare's plays, legendary directors and founders of the Royal Shakespeare Company, John Barton and Sir Peter Hall, have devised a series of workshops to help actors and directors illuminate the Bard's plays. This one-of-a-kind DVD features the American workshops, conducted with Kevin Kline, Dustin Hoffman, Cynthia Nixon, Harriet Walter, Charles S. Dutton and Liev Schreiber. Actors and directors of all ages and levels of experience will eagerly devour the overflowing wealth of hints, tips, notes, and advice contained on this remarkable resource. DVD. $199.95.

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Shakespeare For One: Men
Douglas Newell
At some point in their careers, all actors have to face the task of working up a classical monologue -- preferably one that's accessible, compelling, and not done to death. This volume collects virtually all of the monologues for men from Shakespeare's 37 plays. For actors, directors, students, and teachers, this volume is a treasure trove of the famous soliloquies plus many unfamiliar gems. Softcover, 298 pp. $25.95.

Instant Shakespeare: A Proven Technique for Actors, Directors, and Teachers
Louis Fantasia
Expanded and refined in performances and workshops throughout the world, Instant Shakespeare allows performers, directors, and teachers of all cultures and levels to demystify Shakespeare and perform his texts in ways that are clear fresh and unpretentious. Softcover, 213 pp. $20.95.

Shakespeare Lexicon
Volumes I and II
Alexander Schmidt
This is not a new title by any means but it is an essential tool for any serious study of the language of Shakespeare whether as a performer or as a scholar. No matter how detailed your edition of Shakespeare, the benefits of the Shakespeare Lexicon enrich your comprehension and appreciation. Every word defined and located, more than 50,000 quotations identified. $27.00 each.

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Harley Granville Barker's Prefaces To Shakespeare
Each book in this series contains a superb collection of notes, written to help the director work with staging. Insightful discussion about characters, sub-plots, motivation, and Shakespeare's use of verse and prose make these little volumes invaluable directorial aids. Pocket-sized Softcover, $14.95.

Series includes: Antony & Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, King Lear, Love's Labours Lost, Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream & Twelfth Night, Othello, Romeo & Juliet.

The Faber & Faber Actors On Shakespeare series
This series aims to provide a unique and accessible contemporary commentary to each of the plays through the top-class actors who have performed in them. A truly remarkable, well-written, and thought-provoking series. Softcover, $10.99 - $15.00 each.

Includes: Vanessa Redgrave on Antony & Cleopatra; Simon Callow on Henry IV Part One; Corin Redgrave on Julius Caesar; Harriet Walter on Macbeth; Al Pacino on Richard III; Emma Fielding on Twelfth Night.


Secrets of Acting Shakespeare: The Original Approach
Patrick Tucker
The Director of London's Original Shakespeare Company delivers a passionate and witty guide to performing Shakespeare by relying on the "ear" and the First Folio edition of the master playwright's works. $44.50.

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Last modified July 18, 2012.
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.