A new book gives a snapshot of theatre in the 20th century, from Gielgud to Miller. Laura Davis meets its author

YOU would expect a former director of the National Theatre to take centre stage in a history of his profession. But Sir Richard Eyre decided to stay in the wings.

His new book is a collection of interviews he carried out 10 years ago, when he was making a BBC documentary about the last half of the 20th century.

Everyone from actors to set designers, Sir John Gielgud to Willem Dafoe, are included in the hardback.

Eyre, who will be discussing Talking Theatre at Chester Literature Festival tomorrow, ran the National for 10 years following a successful decade in regional theatre, TV and film work.

“I’ve written quite a bit about theatre and there was a lot of me and my opinions in the original documentary,” he says.

“In the book I just thought I should act as the conduit rather than as the principal.”

It takes a true insider to write a book like this.

Although the interviews are presented in question and answer form, and Eyre largely keeps his own opinions out of it, his influence is present throughout.

Instead of creating a series of potted autobiographies, he has asked his subjects for their opinions on writers and acting styles, as well as in-depth details about plays they have been involved in.

Dame Judi Dench reveals the best way of speaking Shakespeare, producer Cameron Mackintosh claims the secret to a good musical is mythical quality and Alan Bennett admits he quite liked the old fashioned revues that Beyond the Fringe aimed to undo.

“What’s interesting is how you feel you could be talking to someone who’d run a theatre 300 years ago.

“That’s one of the things I like about theatre.

“It hasn’t substantially changed in its form from several hundred years ago, it’s got the same interaction of audience and actor. Human beings haven’t changed that much.”

Deciding who to approach for the documentary was an easy task.

“I wanted a kaleidoscope so it’s a history of three generations of theatre from a lot of different angles,” says Eyre, 66.

“Choosing who to interview wasn’t too difficult.

“I was making an ideal shortlist and pretty well everyone I asked agreed.”

The one person who didn’t was Marlon Brando, who serenaded the documentary’s Glaswegian producer with a Scottish song down the phone line but didn’t want to talk theatre.