Theatre

If theatre were a religion, explains David Mamet in his opening chapter, 'many of the observations and suggestions in this book might be heretical'. As always, Mamet delivers on his promise: in Theatre, the acclaimed author of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed the Plow, calls for nothing less than the death of the director and the end of acting theory. For Mamet, actors are either good or they are non-actors, and good actors generally work best without the interference of a director, however well-intentioned. Issue plays, political correctness, method actors, impossible directions, Stanislavksy, and elitists all fall under Mamet's critical gaze. To students, teacher, and directors, who crave a blast of fresh air in a world that can be insular and fearful of change, Theatre throws down a gauntlet that challenges everyone to do better, including Mamet himself. From iconic and idiosyncratic director and playwright David Mamet, a mischievous manifesto designed to defrock the high priests and challenge the holy bibles of the theatre world.

David Mamet is a director and the author of numerous acclaimed plays, books and screenplays. His play Glengarry Glen Ross won the Pulitzer Prize, and his screenplays for The Verdict and Wag the Dog were nominated for Academy Awards. He has also received an Obie Award, and has written a collection of poems, five collections of essays, and books on acting and directing, most recently Theatre (2010). His first novel, The Village, was published by Faber in 1994, followed by the publication of The Old Religion in 1998 and Wilson in 2000.