Sir Peter Hall is a legend throughout British theatre. He is Britain s foremost director of Shakespeare and has been an internationally celebrated figure in theatre, opera and film for the last 55 years. He was the founder and director of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1960 to 1968, director of the National Theatre from 1973 to 1988 (where he returns in January 2010 to direct Twelfth Night starring his daughter, actress Rebecca Hall), and artistic director of Glyndebourne Opera from 1984 to 1990. In these intimate diaries, Gall chronicles the eight frenzied years between 1972 and 1980 when he conducted the historic move of the National Theatre from the Old Vic to the South Bank, and then triumphantly consolidated its position as the leading showcase for theatre in Britain. With remarkable candour, here Hall describes his relationship with Lord Olivier, Alec Guinness, Jonny Gielgud, Albert Finney, Harold Pinter, John Osborne, Samuel Beckett, Howard Brenton and many more. In his startlingly frank, incisive style, he creates sometimes affectionate, sometimes acid portraits of his friends and enemies. Features new foreword casting a critical eye over the state of theatre today, and looking to its future. Sir Peter is much in the news at the moment, with a great deal of attention focused on him as later this year Sir Peter Hall celebrates his 80th birthday with great celebrations at the National Theatre and UK-wide media coverage. He was recently granted Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his services to drama and presented this month with the Golden Seagull award in recognition for his contribution to world theatre.