{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Theatre Book Prize was established to celebrate the Jubilee of the Society for Theatre Research (founded in Britain in 1948), and to encourage writing and publication of books on theatre history and practice—both those that present the theatre of the past and those that record contemporary theatre for the future. It was first awarded in 1998 for the best new theatre title published in English during 1997. It is now presented annually for a book on British or British related theatre that an independent panel of judges considers the best published in the preceding year.

The judges

There are three judges, who are different each year. They are drawn from the ranks of people working in theatre: performers, directors, theatre critics, senior academics concerned with theatre, and theatre archivists.

Criteria

All new works of original research first published in English are eligible, except for play texts and studies of drama as literature. The Prize embraces all aspects and genres of theatre from opera and ballet to circus and music hall, mime and puppetry as well as 'legitimate' forms and, as the list of previous winners shows, entries are drawn from right across the publishing spectrum.

Prize Winners

''By year of publication'' * 2021 ''Stirring up Sheffield'' by Colin and Tedd George
Wordville
* 2020 ''Black British Women’s Theatre'' by Nicola Abram (

Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...

) * 2019 ''Dark Star: A Biography of Vivien Leigh'' by Alan Strachan (I B Tauris) * 2018 ''Year of the Mad King: The Lear Diaries'' by

Antony Sher Sir Antony Sher (14 June 1949 – 2 December 2021) was a British actor, writer and theatre director of South African origin. A two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner and a four-time nominee, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982 a ...

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Nick Hern Books Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988. History Nick Hern Books was founded in June 1988,Sara ...

) * 2017 ''Balancing Acts'' by

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include '' Miss Saigon'', ''T ...

( 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 University of Exeter Press (UEP) is the academic press of the University of Exeter, England. In 2013, Liverpool University Press Liverpool University Press (LUP), founded in 1899, is the third oldest university press in England after Oxford ...

) * 2014 ''Oliver!'' by Marc Napolitano (

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

) * 2013 ''The National Theatre Story'' by Daniel Rosenthal (Oberon) * 2012 ''Mr Foote’s Other Leg'' by Ian Kelly (Picador) * 2011 ''Covering McKellen: An Understudy's Tale'' by David Weston (Rickshaw Publishing) * 2010 ''The Reluctant Escapologist'' by

Mike Bradwell Mike Bradwell (born July 11, 1986) is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. He began playin ...

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) * 2009 ''Different Drummer: The Life of Kenneth Macmillan'' by

Jann Parry Jann Parry is a British ballet critic and writer. She was ballet critic of ''The Observer'' from 1983 to 2004. Her biography, ''Different Drummer: a Life of Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a ...

( 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) * 2006 ''John Osborne: a patriot for us'' by John Heilpern (Chatto and Windus) * 2005 ''1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare'' by James Shapiro (Faber & Faber) * 2004 ''Margot Fonteyn'' by Meredith Daneman (

Penguin/Viking Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

) * 2003 ''National Service'' by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Mar ...

(Bloomsbury) * 2002 ''A History of Irish Theatre 1601-2000'' by Christopher Morash (

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

) * 2001 ''Reflecting the Audience: London Theatregoing, 1840-1880'' by Jim Davis &

Victor Emeljanow The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

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University of Iowa Press The University of Iowa Press is a university press that is part of the University of Iowa. Established in 1969, thUniversity of Iowa Pressis an academic publisher of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. The UI Press is the only universit ...

/ University of Hertfordshire Press) * 2000 ''Politics, Prudery and Perversion.... Censorship 1906-68'' by

Nicholas de Jongh Nicholas de Jongh is a British writer, theatre critic and playwright. He served as the senior drama critic of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1991 to 2009. Prior to that, he had worked for ''The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British dail ...

(Methuen) * 1999 ''Garrick'' by Ian McIntyre ( Allen Lane) * 1998 ''Threads of Time'' by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

( Methuen) * 1997 ''The Life of Margaret Ramsay, Play Agent'' by Colin Chambers (

Nick Hern Nick Hern Books is a London-based independent specialist publisher of plays, theatre books and screenplays. The company was founded by the former Methuen drama editor Nicholas Hern in 1988. History Nick Hern Books was founded in June 1988,Sar ...

)

External links

Society for Theatre Research
Awards established in 1998 1998 establishments in the United Kingdom British non-fiction literary awards