A book for actors, for would-be actors and for everyone who has a curiosity about theatre as it is on the inside. The bareback performance of the histrionic art as it has been since the Greeks. This is one actor's experience over 60 years as a professional, including roles in The Avengers, Dr Finlay's Casebook, Jason and the Argonauts and This Man Craig.
"'This book is about the sweat and tears of getting started, working under a director, nerves on the first night, facing the critics, coping with type- casting, and worrying about old age. In spite of all the angst, through it all is the inner dynamic of sheer pleasure in the work and satisfaction in the results, and, above all else, the relationship all actors build up with their audience. This, to me, is the kernel of the book and its main thrust, that theatre in the end doen't belong just to the actor but to the audience as well.'" JUDI DENCH
John Cairney is one of Scotland's leading actors. He has been described as a living embodiment of Robert Burns, perhaps best known for writing and starring in the 1968 Scottish Television adaptation Burns. Since then, he has written and performed on all media and at festivals and Burns night suppers around the world.