The Society for Theatre Research is delighted to reveal the shortlist for the Theatre Book Prize 2025.

Judged by performer and director Tricia Thorns, theatre critic Gary Naylor, and Professor Lucy Munro of King’s College London on a panel chaired by STR Committee Member Howard Loxton, the shortlist includes six titles ranging from a study of queerness and Shakespeare, to an assessment of prolific British playwright James Graham, to the recollections of celebrated actor Simon Russell Beale, a book sparked by research in the Royal Collections, a survey of the theatre design work of a theatre consultancy, and a look at how eighteenth century acting can inform twenty-first century rehearsal.

The shortlist is (in alphabetical order):

• A Piece of Work: Playing Shakespeare & Other Stories by Simon Russell Beale (Abacus)
• Charcoalblue: Designing for Performance by Hugh Pearman (Lund Humphries)
• James Graham: State of the Nation Playwright by Maryam Philpott (Palgrave Macmillan)
• Shakespeare and the Royal Actor: Performing Monarchy 1760-1952 by Sally Barnden (Oxford University Press)
• Straight Acting: The Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare by Will Tosh (Sceptre)
• What Would Garrick Do? Or, Acting Lessons from the Eighteenth Century by James Harriman-Smith (Methuen Drama)

The winner will be announced at a reception at the Royal Court Theatre on the morning of 20th June when the judges will speak about the books and the prize will be presented by playwright April De Angelis.

Members wishing to attend the prize giving should contact theatrebookprize@str.org.uk