Michael Billington has written about theatre for the
Guardian since 1971. His books include
The 101 Greatest Plays and
State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945.
His latest book is
Affair of the Heart: British Theatre from 1992 to 2020.
At the
Guardian Billington tagged his top ten books "on the fugitive art" of theatre, including:
The Empty Space by Peter Brook
This is arguably the most influential theatre book of modern times. Generations of students and practitioners have absorbed Brook’s division of theatre into four categories – deadly, holy, rough, immediate – but this is also a book for the playgoer. Time and again I am struck by Brook’s practical wisdom: that high prices often deter young theatregoers, that a permanent company is doomed to deadliness without a philosophy, that what remains after a performance is a central image. Brook says at the end that his book is already out of date: I’d say it is as topical as ever.
Read about
the other entries on the list.
--Marshal Zeringue
Michael Billington has written about theatre for the Guardian since 1971. His books include The 101 Greatest Plays and State of the Nation: British Theatre Since 1945.
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