Peter Hall's 'Bacchai' - The National Theatre at Work

Informationen zum Autor Jonathan Croall is a distinguished biographer and theatre historian. He is the author of over twenty-five books, notably the acclaimed biographies John Gielgud: Matinee Idol to Movie Sta r (Bloomsbury Methuen Drama) and Sybil Thorndike: A Star of Life . His other titles include The Coming of Godot: A Short History of a Masterpiece (short-listed for the 2005 Theatre Book Prize); The Wit and Wisdom (and Gaffes) of John Gielgud and In Search of Gielgud: A Biographer’s Tale ; two collections of his theatre journalism, Buzz Buzz! Playwrights, Actors and Directors at the National Theatre and Closely Observed Theatre: From the National to the Old Vic ; and three books in the series The National Theatre at Work – Hamlet Observed , Peter Hall’s ‘Bacchai’ , and Inside the Molly House . Sir Peter Hall was one of the greatest theatre, film and opera directors of our time. His extraordinary career spanned more than half a century. In his mid-20s he staged the English language premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot . In 1960, at the age of 29, he founded the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1973 he was appointed Director of the National Theatre and opened the new theatres on the South Bank. He later founded the Peter Hall Company, producing many West End and Broadway successes. Then in 2003 he founded the Rose Theatre Kingston. Sir Peter directed over two hundred productions, including his seminal The Wars of the Roses (1963) adapted with John Barton from Shakespeare's history plays, which was described as "the greatest Shakespearian event in living memory”. He directed the world premiere Peter Shaffer's Amadeus (1979), and the premieres of most of Harold Pinter's plays. He also directed at international opera houses, including Glyndebourne, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera and Bayreuth. Throughout his life, Sir Peter championed public funding for the arts. Sir Peter was diagnosed with dementia in 2011 and died on 11th September 2017, at the age of 86, surrounded by his family. Klappentext 'Bacchai is one of the top dozen plays ever written. Whenever it's performed, it seems extraordinarily timely. It's haunted me all my life.'Peter HallAfter huge successes with Aeschylus' The Oresteia and Sophocles' The Oedipus Plays, Peter Hall turned to Bacchai, Euripides' powerful tragedy about the cult of Dionysus. On the National's Olivier stage he presented a stunningly imaginative production played in masks, using a new translation by Colin Teevan, with original music by Harrison Birtwhistle, and designs by Alison Chitty.Jonathan Croall observed the rehearsal process in minute detail, regularly interviewing the actors and creative team as the production moved from readthrough to preview. His book offers an intimate and absorbing picture of how a team of world-class theatrical talents brought one of the masterpieces of Greek theatre to the stage.This new edition includes an extra chapter on the production's visit to the ancient theatre of Epidaurus in Greece, and a new foreward by Peter Hall. Vorwort Observation of the rehearsal process in minute detail, as a production moves from readthrough to preview. Zusammenfassung 'Bacchai is one of the top dozen plays ever written. Whenever it's performed, it seems extraordinarily timely. It's haunted me all my life.'Peter HallAfter huge successes with Aeschylus' The Oresteia and Sophocles' The Oedipus Plays, Peter Hall turned to Bacchai, Euripides' powerful tragedy about the cult of Dionysus. On the National's Olivier stage he presented a stunningly imaginative production played in masks, using a new translation by Colin Teevan, with original music by Harrison Birtwhistle, and designs by Alison Chitty.Jonathan Croall observed the rehearsal process in minute detail, regularly interviewing the actors and cr...

Product details

• Authors: Jonathan Croall
• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 14.02.2008
• EAN: 9781840028171
• ISBN: 978-1-84002-817-1
• No. of pages: 104
• Series: Oberon Classics; National Theatre at Work
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; DRAMA / General, Plays / Drama