Shakespeare's game

by William Gibson

Superficially the outgrowth of teaching a graduate seminar in playwriting, where the author realized Shakespeare could provide all the answers to anyone’s questions, this book is really the distillation of a lifetime’s reading combined with an insider’s knowledge of the hard facts of the playwright’s life in the theater.

Genres: Writing, Shakespeare

226 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1978

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

William Gibson was a Tony Award-winning American playwright and novelist. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1938.

Gibson's most famous play is The Miracle Worker (1959), the story of Helen Keller's childhood education, which won him the Tony Award for Best Play after he adapted it from his original 1957 telefilm script. He adapted the work again for the 1962 film version, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay; the same actresses who previously had won Tony Awards for their performances in the stage version, Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, received Academy Awards for the film version as well.

Reviews

[Marc Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understand this

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, you'll need to have read several works of Shakespeare to follow the logic of Gibson and his method to great playwriting.

Second, be patient, his examples make sense eventually.

Third, when you get to the end of the book, he explains what it all means in a few conclusive pages. In fact, if you just read this part alone I think you'll feel satisfied. But don't.

Gibson wrote my favorite play, The Miracle Worker, and after reading his one and only book on playwriting now I know why. He only has Sir W. Shakespeare to thank for his brilliant adaptation of Helen Keller's life story. There is something powerful to a play's performance that leaves you so genuinely fulfilled and glad you came!

[Rachelle Urist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm re-reading this fine book as an aid to teaching playwriting. I loved this book the first time I read it. It's great now, too, though for people (such as my students) who are not Shakespeare afficionados, I'm not sure the book would be useful. To people who know and love Shakespeare, the lessons learned from the bard are brilliantly culled, helpful and memorable.

[Marc]

Great read. Great blend of Shakespeare's genius and Gibson's tone.