ABSTRACT

This is the inside story of the Royal Shakespeare Company - a running historical critique of a major national institution and its location within British culture, as related by a writer who is uniquely placed to tell the tale. It describes what happened to a radical theatrical vision and explores British society's inability to sustain that vision. Spanning four decades and four artistic directors, Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company is a multi-layered chronicle that traces the company's history, offers investigation into its working methods, its repertoire, its people and its politics, and considers what the future holds for this bastion of high culture now in crisis. Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company is compelling reading for anyone who wishes to explore behind the scenes and consider the changing role of theatre in modern cultural life. It offers a timely analysis of the fight for creative expression within any artistic or cultural organisation, and a vital document of our times.

part |1 pages

A Short History of Four Decades

chapter |28 pages

All in a State of Finding

chapter |26 pages

In the Marketplace of Now

chapter |19 pages

The Age of Expansion

chapter |20 pages

Barbican Bound

chapter |17 pages

Crisis and Modernisation

part |79 pages

Staying Alive

chapter |25 pages

Beyond the Bard

chapter |25 pages

Shots in the Dark

chapter |14 pages

Public Account

chapter |13 pages

Company or Corporation?