An insiders' view of life on stage; A new book gives a snapshot of theatre in the 20th century, from Gielgud to Miller. Laura Davis meets its author.

Byline: Laura Davis

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.

But although Brando wouldn't give an interview, he appears several times in the book.

Gielgud recalled helping the US movie star with his speeches in Joe Mankiewicz's film of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

"I didn't know he was really listening, but the next morning he'd put in all the things that I'd suggested to him immediately," he said.

"He was as bright as a button." The interview with Gielgud was Eyre's favourite.

"He was such an extraordinary man and he was very very old at the time.

"I knew him quite well but it was fantastic to spend two hours talking with him."

Gielgud, who acted all the major Shakespearean roles and was instrumental in introducing Chekhov to English audiences, provides the most touching moment in the book.

He confessed, after feeling unable to perform Prospero's last speech at Eyre's request: "I'm terrified now that if I tried to act a part I would dry up immediately. It's very alarming."

Eyre says this was a sad moment.

"I knew most of the people so I knew roughly what I was going to get from them," he says.

"I was surprised by how much people gave to me.

"And it's very difficult to write about theatre because you're writing about an experience which is vanishing in front of you. It's a one off.

"That's the paradox. You want to talk about it and keep the memory alive but by definition it's only going to be in the eye of the beholder."

Creating the documentary also gave the director an opportunity to ask some burning questions.

"I'd wanted to ask Arthur Miller about a lot of things I hadn't heard him talk about at first hand," he says.

"Like going in front of the Un-American Activities Committee (which heavy-handedly investigated left-wing activities) and what it was like for the first time doing Death of a Salesman.

"He was really the most formidible character in the book."

The interview took place over a period of two hours, in the playwright's New York apartment.

Miller, whose work The Crucible was influenced by the McCarthy Witch Hunts, believed he was targeted because his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, from 1956-61, had increased his public profile.

"Had I not done that, they would never have thought of me," he said of their engagement.

"Once I became famous as her possible husband, this was a great possibility for publicity.

"My lawyer received a message from the chairman of the Committee, saying that if it could be arranged that he could have a photograph taken with Marilyn, he would cancel the whole hearing."

A much gentler form of restriction affected the theatres in Britain, where the Lord Chamberlain was fulfilling his role as Master of the Revels, or in other words the official censor.

Eyre experienced his hand when staging John McGrath's Events While Guarding the Bofor's Gun in 1966. Various words, including some swearing and "the late King George VI", were banned from the play.

Talking Theatre includes an interview with Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Johnston MC, who was the last person to carry out the now defunct role.

"Censorship really did affect theatres because it inhibited their choice and it inhibited writers and what theatres commissioned," explains Eyre.

"He was an interesting man - cheery, rather gentle, and obviously embarrassed about the role he played.

"He'd been in the army and then went to work in the Queen's household, so that was part of his duties."

Sadly, many of those who shared their memories of the theatre 10 years ago have since passed away.

In some ways, the book doubles as a tribute to those, including Sir John Gielgud, John Johnston, Harold Pinter and Arthur Miller, who are no longer here.

"That in itself justifies doing the book," says Eyre, softly.

* SIR Richard Eyre: Talking Theatre with Emma Lucia Hands takes place tomorrow at Grosvenor Museum, Chester. Tickets pounds 7.50, 0845 241 7868.

CAPTION(S):

Dame Judi Dench Sir Richard Eyre's interviewed everyone from Harold Pinter to Willem Dafoe Sir John Gielgud and Vanessa Redgrave were interviewed for Talking Theatre Former National Theatre creative director Richard Eyre