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recommended reading

One of the questions I get asked the most by my students is what books and plays I recommend, because it can be a bit daunting if you don't know where to start. If I've left any off these lists that you think are incredibly important, feel free to get in touch.

ActinG

The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan

The Actor's Art and Craft by Damon DiMarco and William Esper

Actions: The Actor's Thesaurus by Marina Calderone and Maggie Lloyd-Williams

Tackling Text [and Subtext] by Barbara Houseman

The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart

Maybe I Don't Belong Here by David Harewood

DIRECTING

Different Every Night by Mike Alfreds

Notes On Directing by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich

The Director's Craft by Katie Mitchell

The Field of Drama by Martin Esslin

The Art of the Artistic Director by Christopher Haydon

Creating Worlds: How to Make Immersive Theatre by Jason Warren

A Director Prepares by Anne Bogart

Directing by Rob Swain

The Theatre and Its Double by Antonin Artaud

Taking Stage by Helen Manfull

Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal

Contemporary Women Stage Directors by Paulette Marty

WRITING

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver

100 Essays I Don't Have Time To Write by Sarah Ruhl

Playwriting by Stephen Jeffries

The No Rules Handbook For Writers by Lisa Goldman

Into the Woods by John Yorke

Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

How to Write It by Anthony Anaxogorou

Being A Playwright by Chris Foxon and George Turvey

Plays

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs by Iman Qureshi

Original Death Rabbit by Rose Heiney 

Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins 

Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins 

Sweat by Lynn Nottage 

People, Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan 

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Shook by Samuel Bailey 

The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer

This is War by Hannah Moscovitch 

Love Steals Us From Loneliness by Gary Owen 

Acceptance by Amy Ng 

Hookman by Lauren Yee 

Bottleneck by Luke Barnes 

No One Will Tell Me How to Start a Revolution by Luke Barnes 

Heroine by Nessa Muthy 

Freak by Anna Jordan

My Mum’s A Twat by Anoushka Warren 

Posh by Laura Wade 

Wolfie by Ross Willis 

The High Table by Temi Wilkey

Love and Other Acts of Violence by Cordelia Lynn

Skin A Cat by Isley Lynn

Blank by Alice Birch 

Betrayal by Harold Pinter 

Violence and Son by Gary Owen 

Julie by Polly Stenham (after Strindberg) 

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner 

I’m Not Running by David Hare 

A Hundred Words For Snow by Tatty Hennessy 

Blood Knot by Athol Fugard 

Downstate by Bruce Norris 

Ramona Tells Jim by Sophie Wu

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Scenes with girls by Miriam Battye

The Duke by Shôn Dale-Jones

Girls and Boys by Dennis Kelly

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

Midnight Movie by Eve Leigh

The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez

Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh

Bull by Mike Bartlett

Barbecue by Robert O'Hara

What I (Don't) Know About Autism by Jody O'Neill

Consent by Nina Raine

Linda by Penelope Skinner

The Funeral Director by Iman Qureshi

Poet In Da Corner by Debris Stevenson

Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind

Woyzeck by Georg Buchner

The Wild Duck by Henrik Ibsen

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov

Since U Been Gone by Tabby Lamb

The Mountaintop by Katori Hall

Lungs by Duncan MacMillan

Overflow by Travis Alabanza

Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon

The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman

Indecent by Paula Vogel

Rotterdam by Jon Brittain

An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch

PERSONAL FAVOURITES

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Opening Skinner's Box by Lauren Slater

This Modern Love by Will Darbyshire

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Whipping Girl by Julia Serano

Notes On A Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

What A Time To Be Alone by Chidera Eggerue

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

11.22.63 by Stephen King

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A Bear, A Backpack, and Eight Crates of Vodka by Lev Golinkin

Feminism, Interrupted by Lola Olufemi

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn

Books By My Mates

Maladaptive by Elle Dillon-Reams

Blackish by Tyrone Lewis

Applied Mathematics  by Dan Simpson

Totally Cultured by Dan Simpson

My Broken Vagina by Fran Bushe

Since U Been Gone by Tabby Lamb

Tales From the Other Box by Rick Dove

Tiny Badger by Broccan Tyzack-Carlin

Luke Barnes - too many to list

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