Stafford at War is a vivid many-sided portrait of a county town during one of the extraordinary periods in English history. In his wide-ranging narrative Nick Thomas looks at the impact of the Second World War on the townspeople
- how it affected their daily lives their work their families. & he recalls the contribution Stafford made to the war effort at home & abroad. The story he tells gives a fascinating insight into wartime life & it is a moving record of the sacrifices made by local people. His detailed & fully illustrated account will be fascinating reading for everyone who knows Stafford & wants to find out about its history.
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The Stag & Hen Weekend is the story of Phil & Helen a couple in their thirties about to commit their lives to one another.. .that is of course if they can just manage to get through their respective stag & hen weekends (his: Amsterdam; hers: a country house & day spa in the Peak District) without falling apart. Told in the unique form of two separate stories that have common characters as well as themes & conclusion The Stag & Hen Weekend can be read from front to back or from back to front putting the reader in the drivers seat as to which story they wish to read first. Feisty fun & thought provoking. ...

Stags Leap" Sharon Olds stunningly poignant new sequence of poems tells the story of a divorce embracing strands of love sex sorrow memory & new freedom. In this wise & intimate telling
- which carries us through the seasons when her marriage was ending
- Sharon Olds opens her heart to the reader sharing the feeling of invisibility that comes when we are no longer standing in loves sight; the surprising physical passion that still exists between a couple during parting; the loss of everything from her husbands smile to the set of his hip. Olds is naked before us curious & brave & even generous toward the man who was her mate for thirty years & now loves another woman. As she writes in the remarkable title poem When anyone escapes my heart / leaps up. Even when its I who am escaped from / I am half on the side of the leaver. Olds propulsive poetic line & the magic of her imagery are as lively as ever & there is a new range to the music
- sometimes headlong sometimes contemplative & deep. Her unsparing approach to both pain & love makes this one of the finest most powerful books of poetry Olds has yet given us."


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Stage technicians or techies dont read books they seek information on the basis of the need to know." This is a practical guide to stage lighting covering equipment lighting a performance space special effects & lighting design. It can be read cover-to-cover but also used as reference manual which provides easy access to the content through the use of tabulated sections & keywords. The information in each chapter is presented at three levels:
- A quick start
- basic information providing enough to get started
- More info
- more detailed knowledge
- Extras!
- extended technical information & data The three strands run visually throughout the guide enabling students to mix & match their own personal level of study or to fast track through to the information they need on stage. This handy accessible guide is packed with illustrations pictures diagrams plans & technical data. In addition a DVD is included using unique video clips to illustrate the text show the practical use of equipment & examples of different lighting techniques & effects. The differentiated format makes it equally suitable as a quick start for school students or at an extended level for aspiring theatre technicians teachers amateur dramatic enthusiasts or anyone needing a quick on-the-job reference."





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In this volume Neil Fraser who teaches the subject at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art provides a comprehensive guide to designing effective & appropriate stage lighting. Assuming no previous knowledge the book guides the reader through the various aspects involved in this craft. The text is accompanied by practical exercises to encourage the reader to explore & try out the concepts discussed. These exercises are designed to allow the reader to discover the reality of what works at a technical level & at an artistic level & can be used within a limited budget. The emphasis is on the practical & each exercise is followed by an analysis of expected results lessons learnt & conclusions drawn. ...

Douglas Wilmer is one of the finest character actors the British theatre has ever produced. Remembered for playing Sherlock Holmes in the 60s BBC TV series many consider his to have been the definitive portrayal. In a long career beginning just after the War Wilmer conquered stage television & film appearing in many of the great epic movies including El Cid" " The Fall of the Roman Empire" & " Cleopatra". He will also be recalled for his role as Nayland Smith in the " Fu Manchu" movies. His range encompassed everything from light comedy to the classics to heavy drama. He is acknowledged as one of Britains most versatile theatre & character actors of the 50s 60s & 70s. Beginning with a RADA scholarship his spread of roles would be extraordinary & embrace everything from Shakespeare to Jason & " The Argonauts" from " The Pink Panther" to Bond movies. His circle of friends & colleagues included many of the notoriously hard-drinking hard-loving & hard-working stars of the day including Sir Laurence Olivier Richard Burton Elizabeth Taylor Christopher Lee Charlton Heston Sofia Loren Alec Guinness & Richard Harris. Whilst pursuing his career Wilmer witnessed first-hand the breakdown of Burtons marriage & the development of his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor worked with the extraordinary & mercurial Olivier & partied with Sofia Loren. Their dramas were part Wilmers life & his fascinating story is intricately interwoven with their successes & tragedies joys & heartbreaks. Beautifully written " Stage Whispers" is a wonderful memoir packed with intriguing controversial & compelling detail spiced with revealing recollections of the many thespian giants whom he encountered." ...

Contains practical information & advice both in the text & in the illustrations to help smooth the path of the simplest or most complex production. This book aims to enable even the most inexperienced amateur group to attain professional standards. The contents include directing stage management acting set design lighting costumes administration & make-up. Other areas covered include the workshop which deals with all the equipment necessary for the work of most amateur theatre companies as well as step-by-step instructions on scenery building & prop making. In addition many different types of play
- from Shakespeare to cabaret & revue
- are discussed with details of the size of cast & technical resources required. Finally the book offers advice on three major areas of theatrical activity
- festivals touring & competitions.


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Resting actress Vena Burford is far from idle: shes found work as an interior decorator refurbishing a stately home recently occupied by Hollywood bad boy Toby Frensham now taking a lead role with the RSC in nearby Stratford-upon-Avon. Not everyone loves Toby as much as she does however
- & maybe someone hates him. Vena also works part-time for her estate agent brother showing potential buyers around upmarket Warwickshire country houses. Shes done this so often she smells a rat when couples who dont fit the usual client profile begin to visit the properties. Vena is initially curious then indignant & finally alarmed. Why should these curiously unnerving characters who patently have no intention of buying demand to explore every nook & cranny of the houses? It would have been better not to ask questions. When someone starts to tail Venas car leaving some silent but deeply threatening messages its clear that a very modern crime is being played out against the idyllic background of Shakespeares picturesque county.
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In a poor district on the outskirts of Cape Town Grace lives with her adoptive mother Martha. Of mixed race Grace dreams about what her unknown natural mother might be like fantasizes about finding her & is plagued by an intense sense of dislocation. Rebelling against her adoptive mother's smothering influence Grace turns to close friend Shardonnay & her sister Crystal. In contrast Crystal is a teenage mum & has had to drop out of school bitter that her future has been decided by one mistake. Tired of being the responsible example Grace hits the nightclubs with the younger mixed-up pop-idols crazy Shardonnay. All the while though she keeps a protective eye on Crystal. Is the baby Ricardo the reason Crystal suffers black moods & anger? Or is there a deeper problem? In the wake of searing tragedy Grace finally comes to understand the qualities that make a caring & decent mother. Stained is a real page-turner. Gritty honest & hard-hitting it is packed with drama & emotion from one page to the next. Prior to being developed for the Cutting Edge series it was short-listed for the Sanlam Award for Youth Literature in South Africa. Cutting Edge is a highly contemporary fiction series for young adults. The series features fast-paced quick reads. Each book focuses on difficult topics & situations that many teenagers will have experienced first-hand or through friends. Cutting Edge is ideal for readers aged 14+ with a reading age of 12+. ...

The best stained glass windows are masterpieces of colour & narrative. They tell Biblical & didactic tales display images of saints & armorial crests memorialise the dead & enhance the devotional ambience of Englands churches & cathedrals. Roger Rosewell here traces the history of stained glass from the rare extant Anglo-Saxon works through to some major examples from the last fifty years exploring the various styles & contexts & affording the reader fascinating insights into how medieval people saw stained glass. Illustrated with a hundred breathtaking photographs & a helpful gazetteer of outstanding examples this book is indispensable reading for anyone interested in church or art history. ...