The Society for Theatre Research has announced its six-strong shortlist for this year's Theatre Book Prize, culled from more than 50 long-listed books submitted by publishers.
Judged by a panel of theatre and literary luminaries, the shortlist includes six titles ranging from the history of Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre to a candid account of the early career of actress Eileen Atkins. The shortlist is: Eileen Atkins: Will She Do? Act One of a Life on Stage (Virago); Stephen Bourne: Deep Are the Roots: Trailblazers Who Changed Black British Theatre (History Press); David Bratchpiece and Kirstin Innes: Brickwork: A Biography of the Arches (Salamander Street); Colin George and Tedd George: Stirring up Sheffield: An insider’s account of the battle to build the Crucible Theatre (Wordville); Dan Hutton: Towards a Civic Theatre (Salamander Street), and David Storey: A Stinging Delight: A Memoir (Faber)
This year is the 24th prize, the award having been established in 1998 to celebrate the Society’s Golden Jubilee with the aim of encouraging the writing and publication of books on British-related theatre history and practice. Recent winners include Black British Women's Theatre by Nicola Abram; Year of the Mad King: The King Lear Diaries by Antony Sher; Different Drummer: The Life of Kenneth Macmillan by Jann Parry; Margot Fonteyn by Meredith Daneman and Balancing Acts by Nick Hytner. The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on June 9.