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 twentieth 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 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 unrivaled 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.