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7%OFFAngela V. John - The Actors' Crucible: Port Talbot and the Making of Burton, Hopkins, Sheen and All the Others - 9781910901687 - V9781910901687
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The Actors' Crucible: Port Talbot and the Making of Burton, Hopkins, Sheen and All the Others

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Description for The Actors' Crucible: Port Talbot and the Making of Burton, Hopkins, Sheen and All the Others Paperback. The town of Port Talbot has long been seen (quite literally) as synonymous with the steel industry. Yet it also has another claim to fame as the actors' capital of Wales. It has produced a remarkable number of actors since the inter-war years. BIC Classification: 1DBKWS; ANB; APB. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 218 x 139 x 17. Weight in Grams: 226.
The town of Port Talbot has long been seen (quite literally) as synonymous with the steel industry. Yet it also has another claim to fame as the actors' capital of Wales. It has produced a remarkable number of actors since the inter-war years. Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen head the glittering cast but there are many others including early stars such as Ronald Lewis and Ivor Emmanuel, more recent figures like Rob Brydon and Di Botcher as well as a cluster of exciting young actorsstarting to make their names in the West End and on the big and small screen.This book suggests explanations for this phenomenon. Its author is a historical biographer who hails from Port Talbot and has done extensive research including numerous interviews. It explores the provision of educational and cultural facilities for young people over the years and demonstrates a commitment to drama that is deeply embedded in the town's history.It tells in some depth the stories of the super-stars but in a novel way, focusing on how they emerged and on those who nurtured their talent, presenting the actors as part of a tradition that was set in motion even before Richard Burton began to make his mark. It surveys the careers of fifty actors from Port Talbot and it considers what its most famous stars have put back into their community, culminating in the spectacular three-day event of Easter 2011 when Michael Sheen resurrected Port Talbot's pride and hopes through the immersive theatrical experience of The Passion.Written at a time of mixed fortunes for actors when funding for training is threatened yet opportunities for theatre and film work are expanding within Wales, this book puts centre-stage a town, its actors and those who guide them and so offers a new kind of cultural history. Such an approach also raises wider questions about the importance of the arts and of drama in particular to the wellbeing of communities.

Product Details

Publisher
Parthian Books
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2016
Condition
New
Number of Pages
300
Place of Publication
Cardigan, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781910901687
SKU
V9781910901687
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50

About Angela V. John
Angela V. John is a widely published historian and biographer living in Pembrokeshire but originally from Port Talbot. For many years she held the chair in History at the University of Greenwich, London. She is now an Honorary Professor at Aberystwyth University. Her previous biographical subjects include Lady Charlotte Guest, Elizabeth Robins, Henry W. Nevinson and, most recently, Margaret Haig Thomas, otherwise known as Lady Rhondda. She is a vice-president of Llafur, the Welsh People's History Society.

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