Stage Right: How to Run an Amateur Theatre Group by Brian Matthew
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some books are classics for a reason. When it comes to theatre, this is one of them.

I admit, I wasn’t aware of this volume’s existence until I saw it on the library shelf at The Other Place in Stratford-Upon-Avon. But I sought it out and immediately understood why it’s a classic reference for community/amateur theatre.

While some of the techniques (e.g., LP records for sound effects, gel lights, etc.) have been supplanted by modern colored LEDs and downloads, the principles for how to run a successful amateur theatre company have not.

The instructions are broken out into thematic chapters, and all of them contain anecdotes from the author as he served as both actor and producer over the years.

Highly recommended.

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Shakespeare in a Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us about Our Past and Future by James Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was not an easy read, but it is one I recommend for scholars of both Shakespeare’s work and U.S. history.

James Shapiro explores a number of themes along the way, with each chapter examining a particular play in a given era. Sometimes Shakespeare’s work is reflected in a positive way; apparently, Abraham Lincoln was so taken with the Bard that he would recite ad nauseum, or engage in critical conversations about a given play.

Two incidents stood out to me in the text. The Astor Place Riots surrounding two different productions of Macbeth, and the Delacorte Theatre production of Julius Caesar.

In both cases, American exceptionalism on high display. In the case of Macbeth, the arguments were over whether a British actor was automatically superior. Twenty people died in the riots. The case of Julius Caesar, rather than examining the fact that conspirators were what destroyed the Republic, many right-wingers — among them Laura Loomer — insisted that the show was encouraging assassination attempts against Donald Trump. Actors, producers, and even sponsors associated with the show received death threats.

At the end of the day, what matters about this book is that it shows how pertinent Shakespeare’s work is to modern audiences, and how intertwined it is even in political matters.

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All Our Yesterdays by Joel H. Morris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is yet another re-telling of Macbeth, from the perspective of characters only referred to as The King, The Lady, and The Boy (Macbeth, Gruoch, and Lulach … from a historical perspective).

We start with The Lady as a child, interacting with her cousin Macduff and numerous other well-known names from Shakespeare. But we also get an interesting look at medieval Scottish politics and mores in the process.

As with so many tales better known from Shakespeare than from the annals of history, we tend to think of the Macbeths as brutal, cruel, and ruthless. This book shows us a very different perspective, based in what little we know about the couple from contemporary sources: well-liked, compassionate, and yes … victims of both circumstance and superstition.

I admit, I’m a little obsessed with the tale of Macbeth, and Lady M in particular, since seeing a production at the RSC last fall that tore my understanding of the play wide open and put it back together in a different way. This book fills in some of the pieces even further, as a well-researched work of historical fiction should.

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Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The historic person of Gruoch inge Boedhe is not often discussed. But yes, Lady Macbeth is based on a real person. This novel imagines her life right up to her marriage to Macbethad.

Gruoch is a Pict (we don’t know her actual ethnicity in reality) who is brought up in Druidism. She is an excellent foil for the 12th century Christians into whose world she is thrust due to political marriage practices of the time.

We also see her surround herself with strong women (a wee callout to Shakespeare’s three witches/weird sisters): Sinna, Donalda, and Ardith. They provide different types of personal and even political support to Gruoch as she makes her way through the world of Alban politics.

The book doesn’t hide from the brutalities of the period, and the author has clearly done her homework. Highly recommended.

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