Books set in the theatre

Books help set the scene

Picture the scene. You’re sitting in the dark, the curtain infront of you is about to rise up, the music is building, people are ryustling packets of sweets they have smuggled in. This is the most magical of moments for anyone who loves a story. The anticipation for what you are about to see builds and yo feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up….

What you experience next is an immersive experience of story, adventure, mystery and music. A story being played out in front of you. Actors appear from the darkness at the side of the stage, music comes from an invesible band in the pit below, scenery lands from above and then the curtains close to hide all that has come before…

A place of magic….and of secrets. Theatres are known as places of mystery and sometimes hauntings. A maze of corridors lie beneath your feet. An attic of possibilities sits above you. But yoy uonly see a tiny snippet of all that lingers here …

So, books set in a theatre……

The Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth

The tagline is Behind the spectacle there are always secrets. Ooooh imagine! We meet Zillah, an orphan from the slums of St Gilesand she is on the rise. However, when a new stage act disappears, Zillah is haunted by a feeling that something is amiss. Is the woman in danger?

Watch her Fall by Erin Kelly

Very strong scene setting here. Gloriously gothic!

A classy theatre visit here when we are transported to the performance of Swan Lake. Except….well this is Erink Kelly and there are some dark swans afoot.  Dancers would kill to get the lead part in this theatre performance….

Now I have never seen a ballet and didn’t know the stories of Swan Lake so this was a  gamble for me.However this was so worth it! Who knewe ballet could be so dark?

A Girl made of Air Nydia Hetherington

More of a  circus performance than a theatre but the theatrics are the same.  This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived…and boy was this a spectacle of a read. Epic and vivid to the extreme! Gliorious.

I am Dust by Louise Beech

I Am Dust by Louise Beech

Oh my goodness. If you want the truth of what goes behind the scenes of a theatre you have to read this book! Most of the action takes place in the corridors and rooms beneath the stage and wow, what a depiction of a play haunted by someone who once starred in a play.

This is the kind of story that kingers and makes you shiver long after you have left the world of the treatre.

You really need to read this!

Somnabulist by Essie Fox,

Oh and for the show of shows, get a copy of The Somnabulist by Essie Fox,

This is set in Wilton’s usic hall which is real lif theatre in London. This is old school theatre and the scene setting is so strong you can smell the greasepaint and hear the actors from years ago whisper on stage.

The novel follows seventeen-year old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton’s Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, and due to her love of the theatre is drawn to a stranger who could ruin everything she has ever know..

Whichever book you read, enjoy the show!