A heart-warming nostalgia memoir from a member of the world famous dance troupe, The Tiller Girls. Based in London in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Irene’s story will transport readers back to a more innocent, simple way of life.

A heart-warming nostalgia memoir from a member of the world famous dance troupe, The Tiller Girls. Based in London in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Irene’s story will transport readers back to a more innocent, simple way of life.

A heart-warming nostalgia memoir from a member of the world famous dance troupe, The Tiller Girls. Based in London in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Irene’s story will transport readers back to a more innocent, simple way of life.

A heart-warming nostalgia memoir from a member of the world famous dance troupe, The Tiller Girls. Based in London in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Irene’s story will transport readers back to a more innocent, simple way of life.

WHEN PAT STEWART POSED ON THE RAILINGS OF BLACKPOOL PROMENADE ON A BLUSTERY DAY, LITTLE DID SHE KNOW THE RESULTING PHOTOGRAPH WOULD BECOME AN ICONIC IMAGE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. IT WAS ALSO ONE THAT WOULD FOLLOW HER THROUGHOUT HER FIFTY-SIX YEARS IN SHOW BUSINESS. Pat was born to dance. From pulling on a pair of ballet shoes at three, she became a prestigious Tiller Girl at seventeen, and high-kicked her way from Blackpool Pier to the best (and worst) clubs in the West End. After her mother picked peas in a field to put her only daughter on the stage, Pat went on to perform with and befriend some of the greatest stars of our time, including Laurel and Hardy, The Beverley Sisters, Morecambe and Wise and many others. Finally retiring from performing herself, she went on to become a showbiz agent, in the process meeting the notorious Kray twins. This is the memoir of a lady who has led an extraordinary life. From being stranded in Africa and dancing for her supper, to suffering from stage fright live on the Benny Hill TV show – Pat has seen it all. Her remarkable story gives a unique insight into what happened behind the scenes when the final curtain fell.

This is a simple tale of a woman, her education, her career, and her family; but, interspersed and interwoven into the story are recurrent references to her life-long struggle to accept and come to terms with the frustrations and complexities of the relationship with her mother.

This third book from Southend journalist Ken Westell is an enthralling anthology containing twenty short stories, all inspired by life, the people and the places of his hometown of Southend-on-Sea, the sunshine seaside capital of Essex. Ken's tongue-in-cheek tales will delight, amuse, shock and surprise you in equal measure and will appeal to Southenders and non-Southenders alike.

The Routledge Companion to Dance Studies maps out the key features of dance studies as the field stands today, while pointing to potential future developments. It locates these features both historically—within dance in particular social and cultural contexts—and in relation to other academic influences that have impinged on dance studies as a discipline. The editors use a thematically based approach that emphasizes that dance scholarship does not stand alone as a single entity, but is inevitably linked to other related fields, debates, and concerns. Authors from across continents have contributed chapters based on theoretical, methodological, ethnographic, and practice-based case studies, bringing together a wealth of expertise and insight to offer a study that is in-depth and wide-ranging. Ideal for scholars and upper-level students of dance and performance studies, The Routledge Companion to Dance Studies challenges the reader to expand their knowledge of this vibrant, exciting interdisciplinary field.

This is a charming compendium of historical oddities, curious customs and strange events from across West Yorkshire. Laid out in an easy to use A-Z format it explores a vast range of subjects, from folklore and legends to Yorkshire's strangest buildings, artefacts and memorials (including a drinker's tomb made from a beer barrel). Here also are some of Yorkshire's most eccentric characters and famous former inhabitants, and the stories behind some of the oddest events that have occurred in the county - and perhaps even in the whole of the British Isles. With countless Civil War curiosities, tragic tales and hilarious happenings, 'tha couldna mak it up!'. Richly illustrated with both modern and archive images, it will delight residents and visitors alike.

Global in scope and featuring thirty-five chapters from more than fifty dance, music, and theatre scholars and practitioners, The Routledge Companion to Musical Theatre introduces the fundamentals of musical theatre studies and highlights developing global trends in practice and scholarship. Investigating the who, what, when, where, why, and how of transnational musical theatre, The Routledge Companion to Musical Theatre is a comprehensive guide for those studying the components of musical theatre, its history, practitioners, audiences, and agendas. The Companion expands the study of musical theatre to include the ways we practice and experience musicals, their engagement with technology, and their navigation of international commercial marketplaces. The Companion is the first collection to include global musical theatre in each chapter, reflecting the musical’s status as the world’s most popular theatrical form. This book brings together practice and scholarship, featuring essays by leading and emerging scholars alongside luminaries such as Chinese musical theatre composer San Bao, Tony Award-winning star André De Shields, and Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus. This is an essential resource for students on theatre and performance courses and an invaluable text for researchers and practitioners in these areas of study.