Theater Voices

Book excerpt: According to Sir Peter Hall, "The theatre's been dying for two thousand years, and I'm sure will continue to." In the meantime, Hall and other leading figures of the stage have continued to influence theater productions throughout the world. In this collection of interviews, twenty-seven theater artists explore issues of theater theory and practice, illuminated by their wide range of perspectives. From traditional attitudes toward theatre to more avant-garde approaches, every facet of stage performance is addressed. Taken as a whole, these interviews reveal both the strength and extraordinary mutability of theater, as expressed by some of the most honored and well-regarded names of the stage, including Julie Harris, Quentin Crisp, Spalding Gray, Martin Sherman, Karen Finley, Eddie Izzard, Alan Ayckbourn, Robert Brustein, Uta Hagen, John Lahr, Stephen Daldry, and Edward Albee.