Talking Theatre: Interviews with Theatre People by Richard Eyre SIGNED BY RICHARD EYRE ON THE TITLE PAGE (without dedication); Nick Hern Books 2009 1st ed, 331pp., text generally in decent order albeit with very slight creasing to the very top of pages 159 thru' 170 (not affecting text) + one very small red mark (ditto), minute scuffing the the page extremities at the very bottom of pages 211 thru' 222 (ditto), tiny crease to right hand/left hand margins of pages ix/x, very slight staining to the front end papers, boards slightly warped, bumping & rubbing to the top right hand corner of the front board, bump/dent to right hand edge of same board further down, bumping & rubbing to the top, bottom & sides of boards - heavier to the top of the spine & heavier still to the base, elsewhere both boards slightly marked, the dust jacket has slight internal browning, is rubbed & creased at top & bottom with a tiny tear to the front top right hand corner, rear top left hand one + a couple of minute ones to the top of the spine, some scuffing to the corners & to the top & bottom of the spine, creasing to the front left hand/rear right hand sides, both front & rear are heavily marked & scratched. Shortly after he left the directorship of the National Theatre, Richard Eyre embarked on a series of interviews with people who had played a significant part in making and influencing the theatre of the second half of the 20th Century. Forty of these interviews threaded through with Eyre's own commentary are published here for the first time. Because the interviewees, however famous, are talking to a fellow theatre practitioner - one who was also often a friend and colleague - they are engagingly candid in their opinions, offering rare insights behind the scenes. The majority, well over 30, are actors or writers. The actors range from John Gielgud, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Vanessa Redgrave to Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea and Fiona Shaw; the writers from Arthur Miller, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard and Alan Bennett through David Hare and Christopher Hampton to Tony Kushner and Patrick Marber. There are also directors, such as Peter Brook and Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn and Robert Lepage, three designers, a composer (Stephen Sondheim) and a producer (Cameron Mackintosh). An appendix gives voice to Britain's last Theatre Censor. The topics Eyre sets out to cover are Shakespeare; Brecht and Beckett; Ireland and America; the British Theatre before and after 1956; and the future ... What emerges is a fascinating account of how theatre is made by the very people who made it. With unrivalled access, Eyre has allowed us to eavesdrop on the stories behind many of the most important productions and performances in the theatre of recent times. Will ship by Royal Mail 1st Class Signed for, well packaged. (£5.99/neben/shawn)