Spotlight on: Society for Theatre Research Book Prize 2024
The headlong fall of a theatrical disaster can be an enthralling tale, and that is certainly the case in Chris Adams’ book, Out for Blood, which was announced today as the winner of the 26th annual Theatre Book Prize.
The prize is presented annually for a book on British theatre – or related to British theatre – published in the previous year.
Publishers can submit any book that qualifies by subject and, in this case, by being published in 2023. Each year, a trio of judges is appointed to select a shortlist from these submissions, and eventually a winner. This year’s judges were: Dr Kate Dorney, University of Manchester; Clive Davis, Chief Theatre Critic of The Times and Kevin Wilson, theatre Press Rep.
Introducing the shortlisted titles, Kevin Wilson shared his enjoyment of the stories and “waspish gossip” in Judi Dench’s Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent. He went on to encourage anyone “with even a passing interest in those three auditoria on the South Bank” to read Richard Pilbrow’s all encompassing history of the National Theatre, A Sense of Theatre. He then paid tribute to Michael Ball’s “entertaining and readable” account of the attempt to revisit a musical in Different Aspects.
Clive Davis then took the floor and explained the innovative approach taken by Sophie Duncan in exhaustive guide to all things Juliet, from origin stories to new research. In Searching for Juliet she is, he said, “an excellent tour guide with clarity and humour.” In the second shortlisted title focused on our national playwright, Bill Alexander takes us inside the rehearsal room in Exploring Shakespeare. Davis described him as a “veteran who has worked day in and day out” but with “a rare sense of humility.”
He then described Chris Adams’ Out for Blood, the winner of the 2024 Theatre Book Prize, a study of “the gruelling business of putting on a musical” with much insight on the combined worlds of art and commerce. The book features contributions from cast, creatives, crew and audience, all of whom contribute to the story of Carrie, the RSC musical which was supposed to be the successor to Les Miserables. Not just a story of a show which became a byword for musical theatre flops, this is also a surprising tale of resurgence and rediscovery, thanks to the efforts of loyal fans and supporters.
Unfortunately, the winning author, Chris Adams, was out of the UK and unable to attend – and, perhaps surprisingly, his publishers did not send anyone either to accept the award, but theatregoers and those involved in the original production will enjoy this rollercoaster of a ride through theatrical history.
Details of the shortlisted books, and all those submitted for the prize this year, can be seen on the Society for Theatre Research website here.
Chris Abbott