Bloody Good Shakespeare: How Pop-up Globe made audiences fall back in love with the Bard

— —

Miles Gregory

Bloody Good Shakespeare

How Pop-up Globe made audiences fall back in love with the Bard

Miles Gregory

$77.95 $66.63

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Henslowe Irving Press
09 May 2025

Theatre direction & production; Theatre: technical & background skills

For too long, Shakespeare has been tamed - trapped in academic reverence, smothered by tradition, and stripped of its raw theatrical power. But at Pop-up Globe, something different happened.

Between 2015 and 2020, this radical theatre experience exploded onto the world stage, playing to 750,000 people with productions that were dangerous, hilarious, and wildly popular. Audiences stood, cheered, laughed, and wept as Pop-up Globe reignited the raw energy of Shakespeare's plays in ways not seen for centuries.

Now, for the first time, Dr. Miles Gregory - founder and artistic director of Pop-up Globe - reveals the creative vision, bold artistic choices, and radical techniques that made these productions an international sensation. Part manifesto, practical guide, and behind-the-scenes exploration, this book offers directors, actors, and theatre-makers the tools to create Shakespeare that grips audiences and refuses to let go.

How to direct Shakespeare with impact. From casting to staging, from unlocking the power of verse to making the text pulse with life, this book lays out a blueprint for productions that thunder with immediacy. The secrets behind Pop-up Globe's success. What made these productions different? How did a replica 1614 playhouse create an electric actor-audience connection? How did the company sell out theatres night after night? How to make theatre dangerous, unpredictable, and thrilling. Shakespeare's original audiences were rowdy, vocal, and deeply engaged. Discover how to shatter the fourth wall and make your audiences part of the show. Why Shakespeare still matters today - and how to prove it. Whether in theatres, classrooms, or experimental spaces, this book reimagines how Shakespeare can ignite modern audiences.

A must-read for directors, actors, teachers, and anyone who believes Shakespeare should be alive, immediate, and unforgettable. It challenges old assumptions, overturns stale conventions, and proves that Shakespeare - done right - still electrifies audiences today.

By: Miles Gregory
Imprint: Henslowe Irving Press
Edition: Hardback ed.
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 472g
ISBN: 9780473746698
ISBN 10: 0473746697
Pages: 162
Publication Date: 09 May 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr. Miles Gregory is a theatre director, scholar, and cultural entrepreneur whose groundbreaking work has transformed how audiences experience Shakespeare today. He is the founder and former Artistic Director of Pop-up Globe (2015-2020), the world's first full-scale touring reconstruction of Shakespeare's second Globe Theatre. Under his leadership, Pop-up Globe became the largest theatre company in the Southern Hemisphere, performing to 750,000 audience members across Australasia and winning fifteen major theatre awards.He was educated at King's College, Auckland, before reading for a BA in Modern History at Durham University, an MFA in Staging Shakespeare at Exeter University, and a PhD in Shakespeare in Performance at Bristol University.Dr. Gregory has directed over fifty professional Shakespeare productions worldwide. At 23, he became the youngest director in London's West End, staging Hamlet and Twelfth Night at the Westminster Theatre. He has founded, led and advised state funded theatres and independent Shakespeare festivals around the world, and served as a visiting lecturer at London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. In 2018 he was recognized for his leadership in New Zealand's arts and culture sector with the prestigious Blake Leader Award.Beyond theatre, Dr. Gregory has pioneered immersive storytelling and digital innovation, co-founding HyperCinema, an AI-driven interactive storytelling platform, in 2023. He is married to historical costume specialist Bob Capocci, formerly Head of Costume Design at Pop-up Globe. Together they have created dozens of productions over the last twenty-five years.