Steven Berkoff Libri

Steven Berkoff has been variously described as controversial, thrilling, electric and dynamic. A Renaissance man of the theatre, he is known equally for his writing, directing and acting. Collecting together nineteen one-act plays, this volume presents never-before-published material. Abusive, shocking and endlessly surprising, these sharply written pieces showcase Berkoff's trademark controversy, black humour and dramatic dialectics. Themes that haunt much of his work are present: his luxurious verbosity; his counterpoint of crude street-patter and elegiac proclamation; sex wars; class wars; dislocation and abandonment of love in a thankless and unyielding world. The selection of plays allows the performer and reader to experience Berkoff's fluid anarchic poetry at its most profane within the complete and pithy structure of the one-act play. Established plays such as The Biblical Tales (which enjoyed success in their 2010 run at the New End Theatre, Hampstead) stand alongside previously unpublished material, giving the range of Berkoff's work full expression, from his established thematic concerns to his new and unseen work. Perfect for student and amateur performances, this volume contains a full introduction by Geoffrey Colman, Head of Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

Written with characteristic Berkoff flair and an understanding of the subtle power and violence of the English language, this second collection of his plays includes Decadence, described by the Guardian as being 'enthused with Berkoff's violent, imagist, vivid wordplay'.

There is no other like Berkoff and there'll never be another.' Daily Mail This volume marks Steven Berkoff's eightieth birthday by bringing together two of his greatest plays from the 1980s, Greek - an audacious take on Oedipus - and Decadence, a visceral satire of the upper classes and the social divide in Britain. With a preface by the playwright and an introduction by Aleks Sierz. 'The least remarked upon achievement of Berkoff is his influence.' Dominic Dromgoole, The Full Room

This first collection of his plays includes East, described by Berkoff as 'an outburst or revolt against the sloth of my youth and a desire to turn a welter of undirected passion and frustration into a positive form'. schovat popis

This is a collection of three history plays, each displaying the sparkling muscularity of language that marks Berkoff out as one of the foremost wordsmiths in the English language. Finally, Berkoff offers a sharp and accessible adaptation of Sophocles's Oedipus tragedy. schovat popis

Hamlet and Ophelia express the infinite variety of their passion in a work which takes the form of an epistolary play in verse. schovat popis

A collection of autobiographical short stories that chart the author's journey from youthful enthusiasm and success to raging despair, anger and final self- destruction.