Seven Stages

A theatrical insight… Geoffrey Trease’s two books, The Seven Queens of England and Seven Kings of England have been captured the imagination and detailed all there is to know about many of our most famous monarchs. This time he has chosen the world of the theatre as the background for his lively portraits. Why Seven Stages? Because there is no one convenient word for everybody who works in the theatre, whether as playwright or composer, producer or manager, actor, singer or dancer. Why these particular great figures whose stories are told in these pages? First, because they represent between them all the arts of the theatre. Secondly, because these men and women from different countries remind us that the stage-door stands open to both sexes and all nationalities. And thirdly, these seven lives link up to give an outline of theatrical history at all its greatest and most colourful periods: our celebrated characters are seen against famous settings — among them the Elizabethan playhouse, the Paris and Versailles of Louis the Fourteenth, and Drury Lane in the eighteenth century. But perhaps the best reason of all for selecting these great men and women, is that as human beings, they held a great interest and their lives, both in and outside the theatre, are truly fascinating. Geoffrey Trease (1909-1998) was the author of more than one hundred books, including children’s books. He revolutionised children’s literature and was one of the first authors to deliberately appeal to both boys and girls through strong leading characters of both genders. In 1966 Trease won the New York Herald Tribune Book Award for This is Your Century. Geoffrey Trease was educated at Oxford University and travelled widely in Europe and beyond. He lived in Herefordshire on the slopes of the Malvern Hills.