A celebration of the craft of thirteen of the UK and Ireland's top women theatre directors Taking Stage follows the careers and approaches of thirteen women directors who have risen to the top of their profession in the British and Irish theatre. The various stories told here in candid interviews show just how hard the path and journey has been for women ambitious to have a career in what has always been a male preserve. They talk about their own working methods and their most celebrated productions from preparation, to working on a text, to casting decisions, rehearsals, defining space and learning to take charge. We learn about their influences, their network of support and the mutual respect each of these women has for the other.I recommend this book to anyone, male or female, who wants to know what it's like to be a director. These women speak candidly about the perils and pleasures of their own lives and along the way give us pointers towards a different kind of future (Genista McIntosh, Executive Director, Royal National Theatre)