Many of today’s leading actors and directors began their careers in the far less exalted world of local rep. In this nostalgic and often hilarious book Kate Dunn draws on theatre people’s first-hand experiences to trace the great days of this renowned British institution.

Not very long ago every provincial town had its own repertory theatre. Productions were usually done on a shoestring, so great ingenuity was required from the lowly and ill paid assistant stage managers, who often had to double as actors too. Bernard Cribbins remembers having to take charge of a prop goat which he brought to work on the bus with him; Phyllida Law recalls “being in costume, prompting, lying on the floor to work the dimmer board which had great big handles that you pushed up and down with your feet”. Theatrical digs could also be somewhat unusual - at one the landlady’s dead father was discovered in a coffin under the bed.

At theatres like the Birmingham Rep, the Liverpool Playhouse and the Bristol Old Vic standards were high, and provincial theatres give a kick-start to many arrears. Derek Jacobi, Alan Ayckbourn and Peter Hall all described how they learned their craft in local rep. In Exit Through the Fireplace Kate Dunn brings together the experiences of the famous and of the less well-known - actors, writers, directors, designers and those who made up the audience - to give an irresistible account of a great theatrical tradition.

“This is truly a complete picture of the repertory movement and what we have lost.” Robert Hardy Mail on Sunday

“There’s some lovely stuff and… many of the stories made me laugh out loud.” Charles Spencer Sunday Telegraph