Edited by Charon Williams-Ros, Curtain Up! is a vibrant and highly practical guide to the process of making theatre, designed with schools, colleges, youth groups and amateur companies firmly in mind.
Structured into nine clearly colour-coded chapters, the book is easy to navigate and invites readers to dip in as needed.
Each chapter is written by an experienced theatre professional, lending the handbook both authority and a reassuringly hands-on perspective.
The scope of the book is impressively wide. From directing, planning and scriptwriting to choreography and technical design, Curtain Up! demystifies the many moving parts that come together to create a successful production.
Alongside the core disciplines, there are sections on publicity, planning, and even puppet-making, offering readers a sense of theatre as a collaborative and imaginative whole rather than a collection of isolated tasks.
In every chapter, the book encourages reflection as well as action. Readers are prompted to consider, for example, the performative instincts of a lighting designer, the symbolic power of colour in costume, and the crucial role of visual cohesion in shaping an audience’s interpretation.
Practical advice on using music effectively, managing rehearsals, and supporting performers (who are, after all, not superhuman) grounds these ideas in real-world experience.
Passionate and accessible, Curtain Up! functions as an ideal beginner’s course in theatre-making.
It is a resource to return to repeatedly, whether searching for the perfect prop, solving a rehearsal problem, or discovering the small creative details that bring a production vividly to life.
It is also pleasantly diverse, accessible, and rewarding to read.
Curtain Up! is published by Nick Hern Books and is available now.