Oliver Ford Davies Books

Set in 1657, the story explores the political turmoil surrounding Oliver Cromwell's impending death and the struggle for succession. Parliament proposes a monarchy to unify the nation, which contradicts Cromwell's republican ideals and would elevate his inept son, Richard. Alternatively, a military dictatorship under John Lambert looms. The play offers a nuanced, human portrayal of Cromwell, highlighting the tensions between personal ambition and political duty, featuring a cast of two women and six men.

The ideal gift for fans of the Lionesses ahead of the World Cup in the summer of 2023.

A theme that obsessed Shakespeare in over 20 plays from Titus Andronicus to The Tempest was the relationship between a daughter and her father. This study traces chronologically the development of this theme, relating it to the little we know of his own two daughters, and sheds new light on his exploration of the family that so dominated his approach to drama. Drawing on a lifetime's experience of playing Shakespearean roles, Oliver Ford Davies, a former university lecturer and now an Honorary Associate Artist of the RSC and Olivier Award winner, has written an engaging and deeply researched study of a topic that has intrigued him from playing Capulet in 1967, King Lear in 2002, to Polonius in 2008.

Drawing on a lifetime's experience of playing Shakespearean roles, the author offers advice to actors, directors and drama students on a variety of scenes, characters, speeches and individual lines from Shakespeare's plays. He takes us through the process of Preparation, Rehearsal and Performance.

A Christmas fancy-dress ball, a concert performed by a stoic orchestra covered in bandages, church services held in a marquee and letters from Blighty all keep spirits up in camp, as wounded soldiers suffer terribly with quiet dignity on the makeshift wards, and nurses rush round tirelessly to make them as comfortable as possible.