Thespians - Michael Hasted

Thespians is about the lives of actors, especially actors of a certain age who worked in and remember the golden age of the British repertory system. Thespians recounts the stories of over forty actors, interwoven into relevant themes. Many of the actors are household names, some of them relatively unknown. Famous or not, their stories are equally engrossing and provide a glimpse into the hard, exciting but rarely glamorous life of actors working in provincial theatre in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Most of the actors in the book have careers going back over fifty years, some even longer. Thespians is essentially, but not exclusively, about the good old days of rep, establishments that have now largely disappeared except in the memories of those who grew up in them. Fifteen or twenty years from now sadly none of those actors will be around to pass on their fascinating tales. As someone who worked in rep and knows and worked with many of the actors who have contributed to this book, I have tried to provide, in an entertaining and informative way, a record of all aspects of those times so they will, hopefully, not be forgotten.