Kirjahaku

Inside accounts of the making of some of the most influential theatre productions of the last four decades. Max Stafford-Clark has been at the cutting edge of theatre in Britain for more than thirty years. Taking Stock draws on diaries, photos and interviews to recreate the evolution of nine of his most famous and influential productions: Fanshen by David Hare Epsom Downs by Howard Brenton Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill Rita, Sue and Bob Too by Andrea Dunbar Serious Money by Caryl Churchill Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker The Steward of Christendom by Sebastian Barry Some Explicit Polaroids by Mark Ravenhill Macbeth by William Shakespeare The result is one of the richest, most intimately informative books on the making of theatre.

A truthful, personal and insightful exploration of the state of arts funding and carrying on in the face of adversity, by the renowned founder of Out of Joint. One March morning, out of the blue, Max Stafford-Clark learned that the Arts Council had drastically cut their grant to his theatre company, Out of Joint, leaving it in danger of imminent collapse. Journal of the Plague Year is his account of what happened next, as he sets out to contest the cut, make the case for public funding of the arts, and continue producing the work for which he and his company are renowned. Max's journal often takes on an autobiographical flavour, including the unexpectedly moving story of his two fathers, his surreal encounter with the New York theatre world, and the shocking details of what it is to suffer a massively debilitating stroke. By turns funny, alarming and deeply personal, Journal of the Plague Year offers a fascinating exposé of the often Kafkaesque workings of arts subsidy in England, and the financial and artistic manoeuvrings which are a fact of life for every arts organisation today. It is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the state of our arts, from students to theatregoers, and from struggling arts workers right up to the Secretary of State for Culture.

A unique insight into the working methods of one of today’s most influential directors. When Max Stafford-Clark, then artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre, took the unusual step of choosing to stage a classic - George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer - he decided to keep a rehearsal diary. Each night he returned home to write a letter to Farquhar, reporting on the day's work and commenting on the challenges of putting the play on the stage. The result, Letters to George, is an entertaining account of the rehearsal methods of one of the most influential directors at work in the British theatre. ‘A director’s handbook of techniques’ The Times 'Written from inside the theatre, this is a wise book from which outsiders will learn' Michael Billington, Guardian ‘A fascinating book ... An absolutely comprehensive case study, divulging every aspect of a well-researched, rigorously rehearsed production’ Listener

Max Stafford-Clark, former artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre and founder of the award-winning company Out Of Joint, touches on the highs and lows of a fascinating fifty-four-year career in a series of letters, both professional and personal.

Page to Stage series – highly accessible guides to the world's best-known plays, written by established theatre professionals to show how the plays come to life on the stage. 'Modern classic' was the fitting accolade bestowed on Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good soon after its premiere in 1988 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. The play tells how a company of convicts staged George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer in the early days of the Australian penal colony. Having directed the premiere, Max Stafford-Clark brings his own unrivalled insights to this in-depth study of how it actually works on stage. Sections include an introduction about the creation of the play, a discussion of its action moment by moment, the historical context, the characters and how the production was rehearsed and designed for its original production. The result is an invaluable and authoritative guide for anyone studying, teaching or performing the play.