A superlative account of how theatre is made, in the words of the very people who make it.

In Talking Theatre, Richard Eyre uses his unrivalled access to leading theatre people to allow us to eavesdrop on the stories behind many of the most important productions and performances in the theatre of recent times:

John Gielgud • Peter Brook • Margaret 'Percy' Harris • Peter Hall • Ian McKellen • Judi Dench • Trevor Nunn • Vanessa Redgrave • Fiona Shaw • Liam Neeson • Stephen Rea • Stephen Sondheim • Arthur Laurents • Arthur Miller • August Wilson • Jason Robards • Kim Hunter • Tony Kushner • Luise Rainer • Alan Bennett • Harold Pinter • Tom Stoppard • David Hare • Jocelyn Herbert • William Gaskill • Arnold Wesker • Peter Gill • Christopher Hampton • Peter Shaffer • Frith Banbury • Alan Ayckbourn • John Bury • Victor Spinetti • John McGrath • Cameron Mackintosh • Patrick Marber • Steven Berkoff • Deborah Warner • Willem Dafoe • Simon McBurney • Robert Lepage • John Johnston (Britain's last Theatre Censor)

'A rich, stimulating treasure trove. Eyre's interviews exactly hit the spot: in revealing themselves, his subjects also give the reader a panoramic view of modern theatre' Michael Billington

'A mine of first-hand theatrical information and insight and, better still, a wonderful compendium of high-grade gossip' — Daily Telegraph

'Truly various and never less than fierce critical thinking condensed into one endlessly entertaining volume' — Sunday Times Theatre Book of 2009

'Fascinating... Talking Theatre is a must' — Exuent Magazine