I’m so happy to share that my first book of essays, Thinking Through Theatre: Essays on Playwrights, Performance, and the Art of Paying Attention, is now available on Amazon in paperback and as a Kindle eBook.

Buy the paperback | Buy the Kindle edition

I first saw Shadowlands in a movie theater when I was fifteen, and one line has stayed with me ever since: “We read to know we’re not alone.” It shaped how I teach, how I direct, and why I write. We do theatre to know we’re not alone. This book comes from the same place.

Many of you have read early versions of these essays here. I’ve revised and gathered twenty-five of them into one book, arranged in four parts: what theatre is for, the actor’s craft, the playwrights, and the classroom. Each essay now includes ten questions for discussion and rehearsal.

What’s inside

• Close readings of Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, Tom Stoppard, Lanford Wilson, David Mamet, August Wilson, Timberlake Wertenbaker, and Annie Baker
• Essays on the actor’s attention, drawing on Sanford Meisner and Uta Hagen
• An introduction to Meta-Absurdism, the framework my students and I developed for theatre in an age when everyone is shouting their answers at once
• Discussion questions about particular scenes, plus exercises to try on your feet

I wrote it for actors and directors, for theatre teachers and their students, for book clubs, and for anyone who loves a good play.

You can read more about the book, including the full table of contents, on its book page.

If you’ve followed these essays over the years, thank you. Your reading helped make this book possible. And if you read it, a short review on Amazon would mean a great deal. Reviews help new readers find the book.

Peace to you,
Jill