In 2003, Nicholas Hytner took up his position as Director of the National Theatre. He would dedicate the next twelve years of his life to the job, and it would occupy nearly every waking thought. Balancing Acts is the story of those twelve years. It is a story about actors, writers and directors; about directing new plays like The History Boys and One Man, Two Guvnors; movies like The Madness of King George; musicals and operas. About probing Shakespeare from every angle and reinventing the classics. About coming up time and again against the challenge of reconciling art and commerce. About opening the doors of the National to a broader audience than ever before, and changing the public's perception of what the theatre is for. Its cast includes the likes of Alan Bennett, Arthur Miller, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Daniel Day-Lewis, John Gielgud and Mike Leigh. With candour, intelligence, humour and insight borne from experience of extraordinary successes and lunatic failures, Hytner explores the biggest questions facing the creative industries right now.
This is a book not just for theatre lovers, but for anybody interested in the future of our cultural landscape, and the role art plays in society today.
This is a book not just for theatre lovers, but for anybody interested in the future of our cultural landscape, and the role art plays in society today.
