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Covering Shakespeare: An Actor's Saga of Near Misses and Dogged Endurance

Covering Shakespeare: An Actor's Saga of Near Misses and Dogged Endurance

by David Weston (Author)

  • New

    Hardcover 2014

    $36.52
Synopsis

David Weston has spent a lifetime acting in Shakespeare's plays, and has been directed by Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn and Simon Croft. Chosen as Ian McKellen's understudy in the RSC's King Lear, he toured the world and recorded his experiences in his diary, which became the award-winning Covering Shakespeare: An Understudy's Tale, called 'Salty, evocative and informative' by the Daily Mail. It went on to win the prestigious I.T.R. Theatre Book of the the Year Prize for 2012. With Covering Shakespeare he goes even further, tracing his sixty-two year association with the Bard. He has appeared in twenty-nine of the thirty-seven plays, many several times, and has worked with all the major companies to the outmost limits of the Fringe, from Hollywood to Hong Kong, with the great, the mediocre and the forgotten. He has stories and reminiscences about them all, written in his inimitable style. 'Should be in the pocket of every young actor - and also those of us who are not so young.' Patricia Hodge 'A most enjoyable and informative book - very distinctive and very entertaining. I like it a lot and am sure many others will.' Benedict Nightingale 'Mr Weston writes trippingly off the tongue and should be well proud of himself.' Ian McShane

$36.52

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 296
 Publisher: Oberon Books
Published: 10 Jul 2014
ISBN 10: 1783190647
ISBN 13: 9781783190645

Media Reviews
'a mixture of theatrical history, opinionated views and personal reminiscences. Sharp insights, anecdotes and vibrant character sketches pour from [Weston's] pen, as do dismissive put-downs... His book should be compulsory reading for any aspiring actor still labouring under the delusion that the profession is in any way glamourous... Weston may never have played Hamlet during his long career, but he has achieved something possibly more valuable. He has become, in Hamlet's phrase, one of the abstract and brief chroniclers of the time.' Mail on Sunday 'After the success of his first book, I look forward immensely to reading this one.' Dame Judi Dench '[An] excellent book' Michael Billington, Guardian 'Should be in the pocket of every young actor - and also those of us who are not so young.' Patricia Hodge 'Weston gives the readers a front row seat as well as fascinating backstage glimpses.' Martin Jarvis 'It's a real pleasure to spend a few hours in the company of Mr Shakespeare and Mr Weston.' Ian McShane
Author Bio
David Weston is an English actor, director and author. Since graduating from RADA in 1961 he has acted in numerous film, television and stage productions, including twenty-nine plays in Shakespeare's canon. With Michael Croft he was a founder member of the National Youth Theatre. Much of his directing work has been for that organization; he has directed also at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and a number of other theatres in London. He wrote and narrated a series of non-fiction audio books, including Shakespeare His Life and Work which won the 2001 Benjamin Franklin Award for best audio non-fiction book. Covering McKellen: An Understudy's Tale won the 2011 Theatre Book Prize. His recently published novel Dodger Down Under was described by the Mail on Sunday as 'a delightful Dickensian pastiche which will definitely have the readers clamouring for more.'