The Society for Theatre Research was delighted to award the 2024 Theatre Book Prize to:

Out for Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical by Chris Adams (Bloomsbury)

The award was made at a reception at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London. The prize was judged by theatre critic Clive Davis, lecturer Dr Kate Dorneyand PR rep Kevin Wilson on a panel chaired by STR Committee Member Howard Loxton.

Featuring contributions from over eighty original cast members, creatives, crew and audience members, Out For Blood pieces together the inside story of Carrie The Musical to discover how this ‘horror of a Broadway musical’ lived, died and was subsequently resurrected.

Judge Clive Davis said of Out for Blood:

‘Out for Blood is the kind of book, entertaining yet thoroughly researched, that ought to appeal to several different kinds of audiences. For one thing, it’s a detailed insider account of the grueling business of putting on a musical. If you ever had any doubts about how much sweat and blood actors and technicians devote to their craft, you’ll learn lots here. There are insights, too, into how art and commerce can go to war with each other. Most of all though, it’s a book that appeals to our perennial guilty instinct for reading about disasters.’

A Sense of Theatre by Richard Pilbrow (Unicorn)

The story of the creation of the National Theatre, told by someone who, uniquely, was there from the start, participated in its realisation and has been creatively engaged in the Theatre over the subsequent five decades. A Sense of Theatre bridges an insightful account of the evolution of an architectural masterpiece with a deep exploration of how the building has shaped later theatre making.

Different Aspects by Michael Ball (Blink Publishing)

In 1989, a young Michael Ball landed the lead role in the musical Aspects of Love. It was a moment that changed his life forever.  Over three decades later, Michael returned to a new production of the same show. In Different Aspects, Michael takes us backstage inside the making of a West End hit, while also diving back into his memories to  explore a career that has made him a household name.

Exploring Shakespeare by Bill Alexander (Nick Hern Books)

Theatre director Bill Alexander takes us inside the rehearsal room to reveal – in unprecedented detail – exactly what happens there. He examines the key relationship between the actors and the director, how they work together to bring Shakespeare’s vision to life, and how choices are made that will shape every aspect of the play in production. There are detailed studies of eight plays spanning the full length and breadth of the Shakespearean canon.

Out for Blood by Chris Adams (Methuen Drama)

How did a show that was supposed to fill the RSC’s coffers become the by-word for musical theatre flops? Patching together memories, archive material and contemporary reports, Out For Blood dives into the origins and development of this infamous show and examines how a promising entertainment product can swiftly gain a notorious reputation, what makes or breaks a Broadway show, and how even the most unlikely of musicals can find its place in the hearts of fans around the world.

Searching for Juliet by Sophie Duncan (Sceptre)

Searching for Juliet takes us from the Renaissance origin stories behind Shakespeare’s child bride to enslaved people in the Caribbean, Italian fascists in Verona, and real-life lovers in Afghanistan. From the Victorian stage to 1960s cinema, Baz Luhrmann, and beyond. Drawing on rich cultural and historical sources and new research, Sophie Duncan shows  why Juliet is for now, for ever, for everyone.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench (Michael Joseph)

Judi Dench opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. She reveals her behind the scenes secrets; inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour and striking honesty.

Submissions are the choice of their publishers. They are not limited in number but must meet the criteria outlined above.

Click on a book cover image below for a direct link to the publisher’s own information about that title.

2022- An Actor’s Life in 12 Productions by Oliver Ford Davies (Book Guild)

2021 – Stirring Up Sheffield by Colin and Tedd George (Wordville)

2020 – Black British Women’s Theatre by Nicola Abram (Palgrave Macmillan)

2019 – Dark Star: A Biography of Vivien Leigh by Alan Strachan (I B Tauris)

2018 – Year of the Mad King: The King Lear Diaries by Antony Sher (Nick Hern Books)

2017 – Balancing Acts by Nicholas Hytner (Jonathan Cape)

2016 – Stage Managing Chaos by Jackie Harvey with Tim Kelleher (McFarland)

2015 – The Censorship of British Drama 1900-1968 by Steve Nicholson (University of Exeter Press)

2014 – Oliver! by Marc Napolitano (Oxford University Press)

2013 – The National Theatre Story by Daniel Rosenthal (Oberon)

2012 – Mr Foote’s Other Leg by Ian Kelly (Picador)

2011 – Covering McKellen by David Weston (Rickshaw Publishing)

2010 – The Reluctant Escapologist by Mike Bradwell (Nick Hern Books)

2009 – Different Drummer: the Life of Kenneth Macmillan by Jann Parry (Faber & Faber)

2008 – Theatre and Globalisation: Irish Drama in the Celtic Tiger Era by Patrick Lonergan (Palgrave Macmillan)

2007 – State of the Nation by Michael Billington (Faber & Faber)

2006 – John Osborne: A Patriot for Us by John Heilpern (Chatto & Windus)

2005 – 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro (Faber & Faber)

2004 – Margot Fonteyn by Meredith Daneman (Penguin/Viking)

2003 – National Service by Richard Eyre (Bloomsbury)

2002 – A History of Irish Theatre 1601-2000 by Christopher Morash (Cambridge University Press)

2001 – Reflecting the Audience: London Theatregoing, 1840-1880 by Jim Davis & Victor Emeljanow
– (Iowa University Press/University of Hertfordshire Press)

2000 – Politics, Prudery and Perversions…. Censoring the English Stage 1901-1968 by Nicholas de Jongh (Methuen)

1999 – Garrick by Ian McIntyre (Allen Lane)

1998 – Threads of Time by Peter Brook (Methuen)

1997 – Peggy: the Life of Margaret Ramsay, Play Agent by Colin Chambers (Nick Hern)