So 2020 was a hell of a year. And 2021 is already shaping up to be much better! Two weeks ago I made my annual theatre review post ranking the top productions I saw in the year. I didn't see as many plays as I usually do (you know, the whole global pandemic thing) but did that leave me more time to read more plays and books?
Well...no. I was still busy working full-time for the first time in...many years. So between my artistic practice and producing full-time, even during a pandemic, I didn't read as much as I would like. However, I did get some great reading done and I'd like to share what I read in over the last twelve months.
I've been doing those theatre reviews for a few years now and I've decided 2020 is the perfect time to add to the ranks, so I'm now going to share all the books and plays that I read last year!
I have a loose goal to read 52 plays a year (one a week) and 26 books a year (about one every two weeks). In 2020 I very close to filling those quotas, thank you very much. I should note that I count audiobooks, audio play readings, as well as typical "word" books/plays. Since this is my first jump in, I'm not going to rate the whole list, but treat this more like a snapshot of what my year was like.
So here are all the books I read in 2020 in chronological order. I'll let the list speak for itself in terms of my tastes:
Notes on Directing by Frank Hauser, Russel Reich
The Tower of Swallows by Andrzej Sapkowsku
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
Fundamentals of Directing by Rick Knowles
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Green Thumb Collection: Plays for Children, Youth, and Young Adults edited by Green Thumb Theatre
True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
Mouse Guard: Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales by David Petersen
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allen Poe
The Future of Humanity by Michio Kaku
Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey
The Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts Organizations by Michael M. Kaiser
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Billions & Billions by Carl Sagan
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski
You Win or You Die: The Ancient World of Game of Thrones by Ayelet Haimson Lushkov
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
The Illustrated World of Tolkien by David Day
When I Grow up by Emma Dodd
The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs
Since I know you're dying to ask, yes I'll give you some recommendations. Here are my top five picks from last year for books:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
Billions & Billions by Carl Sagan
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman
And here is the list of plays I read in 2020. I should also note that some of these plays I read for work and some of them are from audiobooks/podcasts so they may be unpublished. Once again, glean from it what you will:
Donny's Brain by Rona Munro
Mustard by Kat Sandler
King Henry VI, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
Please Continue by Frank Basloe
The Boy in the Moon by Emil Sher, based on the book by Ian Brown
Photograph 51 by Anna Siegler
Blind Spot by Meghan Gardiner
King Henry VI, Part II by William Shakespeare
King Henry VI, Part III by William Shakespeare
Mistatim by Erin Shields
Instant by Erin Shields
Richard II by William Shakespeare
Crawlspace by Karen Hines
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Local Diva by Liam Salmon
The Two Gentleman of Verona by William Shakespeare
The Hobbit by Kim Selody, based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkein
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Things You Shouldn't Say After Midnight by Peter Ackerman
Suspension by Hayley Moorhouse
King John by William Shakespeare
Prime: A Practical Breviary by Heather Christian
Gather by Robert O'Hara
Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
The Message by Mac Rogers
Outtakes by Qui Nguyeb
Behind the Sheet by Charly Evon Simpson
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
A Dangerous View by Krista Marushy
Lola, Nanay, Anak by Maggie Mackenzie and Kodie Rollan
The Folly by Madeline Hunter Smith
The Xeno Station by Krista Marushy
NIGHTNIGHT by Lucas Hnath
Cowgirl Up by Anna Chatterton
The Explorers Club by Nell Benjamin
Carried Away on the Crest of a Wave by David Yee
Venus in Fur by David Ives
Boy Factory by Milo Cramer
The Edge of Night by Kristen Childs
Take D Milk, Nah? by Jivesh Parasram
Niitahtaastsi (The Rivers) by Troy Emery Twigg
Don't Get Me Startered by Mark Crawford
Raking Light by Jordan Tannahill
Of Human Bondage by Vern Thiessen
Einstein's Gift by Vern Thiessen
The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble by Beth Graham
Struck by Eric Rose
A Brotherhood of Man by Constantine X. Anastasakis
Angels in America: Millennium Approaches by Tony Kushner
Angels in America: Pereskroika by Tony Kushner
Act Without Words I by Samuel Becket
887 by Robert LePage, translated by Louisa Blair
Diving by Margaret Hollingsworth
You want to read more plays in 2021, don't you? I bet you do! So here are five recommendations for plays for you to read:
Einstein's Gift by Vern Thiessen
Venus in Fur by David Ives
Of Human Bondage by Vern Thiessen
Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Also, it's not on this list but I would be remiss if I didn't add that I think you should read my adaptation of Frankenstein. You can purchase the script though Canada Play Outlet here.
And that's it for this year! I am now officially done with 2002! I'd love to hear what you all recommend for reading from last year. Leave a comment below or shoot me a message on twitter. As you can guess, I'm always on the search for new books and plays to read. Now it's time to dive into 2021 and get to reading (and listening) all over again! Happy Reading to all of you!