Exploring Shakespeare

A Director's Notes from the Rehearsal Room

Bill Alexander

$36.99

Paperback

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English

Nick Hern Books
18 May 2023

Theatre direction & production; Shakespeare studies & criticism

'Theatre is the greatest of collaborative art forms, and Shakespeare its greatest exponent: he used the form better than anyone else ever has to speak truth about the world.'

In Exploring Shakespeare, acclaimed theatre director Bill Alexander takes us inside the rehearsal room to reveal – in unprecedented and captivating detail – exactly what happens there. He examines the key relationship between the actors and the director, how they work together to bring Shakespeare's vision to life, and how choices are made that will shape every aspect of the play in production.

Full of acute observations and perceptions drawn from a long and brilliant career, the book covers the essential aspects of any Shakespeare production, from understanding the world of the play, to preparing and cutting the text, deciding on costumes and set design, handling soliloquies, and considering character and backstory.

There are detailed studies of eight plays spanning the full length and breadth of the Shakespearean canon, from Titus Andronicus and The Shrew to The Tempest, via Othello, Hamlet, Lear, The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. Alexander also provides first-hand case studies of three of his own productions, including his famous Richard III starring Antony Sher.

Personal, forthright, and full of pragmatic advice, Exploring Shakespeare is a masterclass for directors and actors, and a fascinating insight for anyone interested in Shakespeare.

Bill Alexander was an Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and then Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep. His landmark productions include Richard III and The Merry Wives of Windsor (both Olivier Award-winners), The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus and King Lear with Corin Redgrave.

'Bill Alexander is a brilliant director, whose work has powerfully shaped my understanding of Shakespeare's plays, Richard III most of all' James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare

'An accessible read, in absorbing detail, from someone who has seen it all. This is a personal perspective that will surely be of use to all who read it, and may well make you see your favourite Shakespeare play in quite a different light'

— Broadway World

'A primer for the Shakespeare director, packed full of wisdom, pithily expressed… [This book] is a fine achievement – a necessary and timely one – and I cannot recommend it highly enough'

— Stagetalk Magazine

'Insightful, practical and down to earth... Bill Alexander is a companionable writer to spend time with. He is never abstruse or over-academic. He simply wants us to understand how theatre can tell stories once it has negotiated the many text-driven decisions which have to be made on the way'

— Ink Pellet Magazine

By: Bill Alexander
Imprint: Nick Hern Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 319g
ISBN: 9781848429819
ISBN 10: 1848429819
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 18 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Bill Alexander is a British theatre director. He was an Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and then Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep. His landmark productions include Richard III with Antony Sher and The Merry Wives of Windsor (both Olivier Award-winners), The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus and King Lear with Corin Redgrave. He is the author of Exploring Shakespeare: A Director's Notes from the Rehearsal Room.

Reviews for Exploring Shakespeare: A Director's Notes from the Rehearsal Room

'An accessible read, in absorbing detail, from someone who has seen it all. This is a personal perspective that will surely be of use to all who read it, and may well make you see your favourite Shakespeare play in quite a different light' * Broadway World *