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National Theatre All About Theatre
An exciting collaboration with the world-famous National Theatre which explores how plays are staged, from first idea to final curtain. Go backstage at the National Theatre and hear from experts on every aspect of stagecraft, from acting and directing to set building, costume design and prop-making. Focusing on famous National Theatre productions, like War Horse, and packed with interesting tricks of the trade and ideas to try at home, this is the definitive theatre book for anyone interested in theatre.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1800
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 3, 2017
This is such a great introduction to all things theatre related that it’s just perfect for anyone interested in acting or the many other roles you can have within the theatre. The paperback book is around A4 in size, though a bit wider, and is filled with lots of thick glossy and very colourful pages. It has a text book feel to it given its weight but unlike so many text books I’ve had to read in the past for school and study, this is definitely very fun and far more interesting.
The book tells you everything you could possibly want to know about how theatre works, explained by the National Theatre who put on so many amazing shows every year. The book is broken up into chapters about the different aspects of the theatre such as the different roles that are in theatre (actor, director, etc.), acting, props, costumes to name a few. Each section or chapter goes into more details and you really learn so much and in such an exciting way.
What you learn about theatre is actually very interesting and there’s a lot of information even I didn’t know about, despite being interested in theatre and acting. It’s too much information to explain in this review but for example you learn about how the set is created: from deciding what kind of stage to use (I didn’t know there were so many types such as the traverse stage- where people sit either side of the performance area) to the initial sketches of the set design, storyboarding and even building a model of the set before the real thing is built. I didn’t know so much effort and work went into just one aspect of the theatre and this book talks about every aspect of theatre!
Along with the main information about theatre there are also fun little extra snippets of text which teach you things such how the terms ‘crew’ and ‘rigging’ came to be (more interesting than you may think) and there are lots of tricks of the trade revealed or try this at home bits where they tell you how you can recreate some of the tricks on your own performances at home. There are also lots of short messages from people who work in theatre, real directors, designers, producers, etc. which is very interesting to read as you find out some more about how theatre works. There’s even snippets from some very well known actors and it was fun to learn a bit more about what they think or some of the mishaps they have had while on stage.
What makes this book so fun and easy to read is the way it is presented. Every page is a burst of different colours and the text is broken down into short sections with lots of little bubbles of text or boxes of extra information added around the page rather than just large blocks of paragraphs. There are pictures on each page, a lot of them photographs of the various departments or productions at the National Theatre. I especially love seeing images of war horse or famous actors. There are also lots of pictures of other things such as sketches of set designs and costumes which are all fun and make this far more interesting to read. Each page also has a unique look to the others so it’s always fun to turn the page and see what else there is to read. It’s this broken down and very colourful page layout that has really made this a fun read for me and I’m not sure I would have absorbed all the information with as much interest or enthusiasm if it had all been more text based or less colourful or less illustrated.
I would really recommend this book to anyone interested in the theatre. Of course it is aimed at older kids and teens but I think anyone, even adults, will find this book interesting to read. It will certainly inspire some kids towards the theatre if they already had an interest and may even spark an interest in some who didn’t before. What I love most about this book though is that it shows you just how many different ways you can be involved in the theatre and with such interesting chapters and a great introduction to the National Theatre itself (including its history), plus all the pictures and photos, I really don’t know who wouldn’t like to read this book.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
The book tells you everything you could possibly want to know about how theatre works, explained by the National Theatre who put on so many amazing shows every year. The book is broken up into chapters about the different aspects of the theatre such as the different roles that are in theatre (actor, director, etc.), acting, props, costumes to name a few. Each section or chapter goes into more details and you really learn so much and in such an exciting way.
What you learn about theatre is actually very interesting and there’s a lot of information even I didn’t know about, despite being interested in theatre and acting. It’s too much information to explain in this review but for example you learn about how the set is created: from deciding what kind of stage to use (I didn’t know there were so many types such as the traverse stage- where people sit either side of the performance area) to the initial sketches of the set design, storyboarding and even building a model of the set before the real thing is built. I didn’t know so much effort and work went into just one aspect of the theatre and this book talks about every aspect of theatre!
Along with the main information about theatre there are also fun little extra snippets of text which teach you things such how the terms ‘crew’ and ‘rigging’ came to be (more interesting than you may think) and there are lots of tricks of the trade revealed or try this at home bits where they tell you how you can recreate some of the tricks on your own performances at home. There are also lots of short messages from people who work in theatre, real directors, designers, producers, etc. which is very interesting to read as you find out some more about how theatre works. There’s even snippets from some very well known actors and it was fun to learn a bit more about what they think or some of the mishaps they have had while on stage.
What makes this book so fun and easy to read is the way it is presented. Every page is a burst of different colours and the text is broken down into short sections with lots of little bubbles of text or boxes of extra information added around the page rather than just large blocks of paragraphs. There are pictures on each page, a lot of them photographs of the various departments or productions at the National Theatre. I especially love seeing images of war horse or famous actors. There are also lots of pictures of other things such as sketches of set designs and costumes which are all fun and make this far more interesting to read. Each page also has a unique look to the others so it’s always fun to turn the page and see what else there is to read. It’s this broken down and very colourful page layout that has really made this a fun read for me and I’m not sure I would have absorbed all the information with as much interest or enthusiasm if it had all been more text based or less colourful or less illustrated.
I would really recommend this book to anyone interested in the theatre. Of course it is aimed at older kids and teens but I think anyone, even adults, will find this book interesting to read. It will certainly inspire some kids towards the theatre if they already had an interest and may even spark an interest in some who didn’t before. What I love most about this book though is that it shows you just how many different ways you can be involved in the theatre and with such interesting chapters and a great introduction to the National Theatre itself (including its history), plus all the pictures and photos, I really don’t know who wouldn’t like to read this book.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.
September 3, 2017
From the first to the last curtain this book really does tell you everything you could ever think to ask about Theatre. Anything you've every wondered about the production behind the scenes, from Wicked to War Horse, this book details some of the best well known and some secret facts about various popular productions; from how to do your make up to look like Elphaba to the props, lighting and music behind all the magic.
I think this book is best described as the tricks of the trade behind theatre - I absolutely love the theatre, but this book has shown me so many things I genuinely didn't know where going on behind the scenes. There are even some things you can try at home if this might be an area you're interesting in pursuing.
Definitely an amazing read for theatre fans or future stars! There is so much to learn before you don your jazz hands.
ARC provided free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
I think this book is best described as the tricks of the trade behind theatre - I absolutely love the theatre, but this book has shown me so many things I genuinely didn't know where going on behind the scenes. There are even some things you can try at home if this might be an area you're interesting in pursuing.
Definitely an amazing read for theatre fans or future stars! There is so much to learn before you don your jazz hands.
ARC provided free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2023
I love reading about the theatre and one of the best in the UK is certainly the National Theatre. This is a really inspiring guide for young people and theatregoers alike to get a flavour behind the scenes. I loved the various different sides that this book covered and it was a really enjoyable read.
December 27, 2016
Very nice read for anyone interested in theatre, no matter what area. Clearly laid out with tips and tricks throughout.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews