To coincide with the 70th anniversary of its present home on Beaumont Street, Oxford, this account traces the history of the Oxford Playhouse from its earliest roots--a production of Agamemnon in 1880--and the founding of the Oxford University Dramatic Society to the rebuilding of Oxford's New Theatre and, eventually, the launch of the Playhouse itself. Recalling actress Jane Ellis' early desire for a venue where she might play decent roles, as well as her efforts to make it happen, the book also celebrates a galaxy of stars who have acted there, including Flora Robson, John Gielgud, Maggie Smith, Ronnie Barker, Judi Dench, and Helena Bonham Carter, and records the first steps of students such as Rowan Atkinson. In addition to chronicling developments in the theater's management and architecture, this comprehensive tribute explores its highbrow and lowbrow programs, its period of prosperity and postwar collapse, and its unique and vital relationship with the University of Oxford.

This is an account of the origins, development and current state of the repertory theatre movement in Britain. The movement had its roots in ideas, experiments and traditions stretching back into the nineteenth century, and first found its voice in 1907 with Miss Horniman's company in Manchester. Since then it has played a vital - often a dominant - role in British twentieth-century theatre. As a method of theatre organisation, repertory refers to those theatres based primarily in the regions, housing a resident acting company and seeking to maintain each season a programme of plays catering for the tastes of the whole community. But the theory has never been dogmatic and the movement has evolved from a gamut of complex factors, not least the visions of particular personalities. Major landmarks in the history include the effects of the two World Wars, the advent of substantial state funding for the Arts, the growth of cinema and television and the renewal of theatre's link with the community in the form of such initiatives as Theatre- in-Education. The history concludes with a detailed study of six representative regional theatres: The Nottingham Playhouse; The Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow; The Salisbury Playhouse; The Victoria Theatre, Stoke; The Everyman, Liverpool; and The Royal Exchange, Manchester. Appendixes include a Chronology, sample repertory programmes from the period, audience attendance figures and some comparative statistics about funding. Interspersed through the text are photographs of selected theatre exteriors, auditoria, stages and productions.

Insight Great Breaks Guides: pocket-sized books to inspire your on-foot exploration of the best of the British Isles. Explore the best of Oxford with this indispensably practical Insight Great Breaks Guide. From making sure you don't miss out on must-see attractions like Magdalen College, the Ashmolean Museum and the Bodleian Library, to discovering hidden gems, including Treacle Well and the Painted Room, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking routes will save you time, help you plan, and enhance your Great Break in Oxford. · Practical, pocket-sized and packed with inspirational insider information, this is the ideal on-the-move companion to your trip to Oxford · Features 12 detailed walking tour itineraries, including Quads, Meadows and Gardens and Where Town Meets Gown · Overview section features concise insider information covering everything from landscape and location, to history and culinary highlights · Top Ten section takes you to the heart of your destination, from Christ Church to the Sheldonian Theatre · Rainy Day recommendations offer plenty of options, whatever the weather · Invaluable itinerary maps and practical Travel Tips section ensure effortless exploration · Inspirational colour photography throughout About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Underneath the dreaming spires of Oxford’s world-famous university, generations of women have lived their lives, fighting for the right to study there, and for a role within the city’s educational, political and social spheres. Although a few of these women’s names have been recorded for posterity, they have been largely because of their association with worthy or famous men; in this book, though, their own lives are detailed, along with those who have been largely omitted from history. Women’s lives have always been less recorded than those of men; where a woman helped her husband with his business, this help may not have been formally recorded in the census returns, and the details of jobs recorded there might not reflect the full-scale of women’s work and responsibilities. So here, learn about the variety of work women undertook; their education, their social lives, and their attempts to carve out a valuable role for themselves. Learn too of the problems they faced in living their lives: poverty, prison, suicide, or even murder. This is no pretty picture of Oxford life designed for tourist brochures; instead, it aims to take a snapshot of the varied experiences of the city’s female population over the course of a century.

Who made modern Britain? This book, drawn from the award-winning Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, tells the story of our recent past through the lives of those who shaped national life. Following on from the Oxford DNB's first supplement volume-noteworthy people who died between 2001 and 2004-this new volume offers biographies of more than 850 men and women who left their mark on twentieth and twenty-first century Britain, and who died in the years 2005 to 2008. Here are the people responsible for major developments in national life: from politics, the arts, business, technology, and law to military service, sport, education, science, and medicine. Many are closely connected to specific periods in Britain's recent history. From the 1950s, the young Harold Pinter or the Yorkshire cricketer, Fred Trueman, for example. From the Sixties, the footballer George Best, photographer Patrick Lichfield, and the Pink Floyd musician, Syd Barrett. It's hard to look back to the 1970s without thinking of Edward Heath and James Callaghan, who led the country for seven years in that turbulent decade; or similarly Freddie Laker, pioneer of budget air travel, and the comedians Ronnie Barker and Dave Allen who entertained with their sketch shows and sit coms. A decade later you probably browsed in Anita Roddick's Body Shop, or danced to the music of Factory Records, established by the Manchester entrepreneur, Tony Wilson. In the 1990s you may have hoped that 'Things can only get better' with a New Labour government which included Robin Cook and Mo Mowlam. Many in this volume are remembered for lives dedicated to a profession or cause: Bill Deedes or Conor Cruise O'Brien in journalism; Ned Sherrin in broadcasting or, indeed, Ted Heath whose political career spanned more than 50 years. Others were responsible for discoveries or innovations of lasting legacy and benefit-among them the epidemiologist Richard Doll, who made the link between smoking and lung cancer, Cicely Saunders, creator of the hospice movement, and Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans. With John Profumo-who gave his name to a scandal-policeman Malcolm Fewtrell-who investigated the Great Train Robbery-or the Russian dissident Aleksandr Litvinenko-who was killed in London in 2006-we have individuals best known for specific moments in our recent past. Others are synonymous with popular objects and experiences evocative of recent decades: Mastermind with Magnus Magnusson, the PG-Tips chimpanzees trained by Molly Badham, John DeLorean's 'gull-wing' car, or the new British Library designed by Colin St John Wilson-though, as rounded and balanced accounts, Oxford DNB biographies also set these events in the wider context of a person's life story. Authoritative and accessible, the biographies in this volume are written by specialist authors, many of them leading figures in their field. Here you will find Michael Billington on Harold Pinter, Michael Crick on George Best, Richard Davenport-Hines on Anita Roddick, Brenda Hale on Rose Heilbron, Roy Hattersley on James Callaghan, Simon Heffer on John Profumo, Douglas Hurd on Edward Heath, Alex Jennings on Paul Scofield, Hermione Lee on Pat Kavanagh, Geoffrey Wheatcroft on Conor Cruise O'Brien, and Peregrine Worsthorne on Bill Deedes. Many in this volume are, naturally, household names. But a good number are also remembered for lives away from the headlines. What in the 1980s became 'Thatcherism' owed much to behind the scenes advice from Ralph Harris and Alfred Sherman; children who learned to read with Ladybird Books must thank their creator, Douglas Keen; while, without its first producer, Verity Lambert, there would have been no Doctor Who. Others are 'ordinary' people capable of remarkable acts. Take, for instance, Arthur Bywater who over two days in 1944 cleared thousands of bombs from a Liverpool munitions factory following an explosion-only to do the same, months later, in an another factory. Awarded the George Cross and the George Medal, Bywater remains the only non-combatant to have received Britain's two highest awards for civilian bravery.

The new full-colour Rough Guide to Britain is the definitive guide to Rough Guides' home patch. Discover the best of what Britain has to offer, with detailed accounts of the country's world-class attractions, from the British Museum to Edinburgh Castle, aided by crystal-clear maps and plans. Get insider tips on Britain's vital, restless cities, from Bristol to Glasgow, and enjoy the bucolic attractions of its countryside, hiking along its walkers' trails or relaxing on its sometimes spectacular beaches. We also steer you towards all the best places to stay, from boutique hotels to cool campsites, and to eat and drink, from Michelin-starred restaurants and gourmet gastropubs to budget cafés and traditional pubs, giving you clear, balanced reviews for all budgets. You'll find lavish photography and colour maps throughout the guide, too, helping you to make the most of your trip with The Rough Guide to Britain.

A gripping portrait of life in wartime Berlin and a vividly theatrical study of how paranoia can warp a society gripped by the fear of the night-time knock on the door. Based on true events, Hans Fallada's Alone In Berlin follows a quietly courageous couple, Otto and Anna Quangel who, in dealing with their own heartbreak, stand up to the brutal reality of the Nazi regime. With the smallest of acts, they defy Hitler's rule with extraordinary bravery, facing the gravest of consequences. Translated and Adapted by Alistair Beaton (Feelgood, The Trial Of Tony Blair), this timely story of the moral power of personal resistance sees the Gestapo launch a massive hunt for the perpetrators and Otto and Anna finding themselves players in a deadly game of cat and mouse. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at Royal and Derngate Theatre in February 2020.

“Look. no one cares. no one cares what we do as long as we’re here, doing what we’re told” Welcome to Fiji Land. Things are very simple here. Follow orders. Fight the good fight. You can even take photos. Grainer’s new. He asked to come over here. Wolstead likes to watch people while they sleep. Meanwhile, Tanc’s here to do what he’s told and do it proper. Fiji Land is a surreal and incisive play about the very real things that happen when cell doors shut and the world looks away. “as long as we’re safe, we don’t want to know what’s going on to keep it that way, do we?”

Provides information for traveling in England, Wales, and Scotland, including travel tips, recommended accommodations, historic sites, and annual events.