In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the romantic entanglements of her four sisters, and her feelings for a brooding gentleman.

In their hunt for a sex criminal known as the Necktie Murderer, the London police suspect an innocent man, who eludes them and proves his innocence by finding the real murderer.

John Barton guides members of the Royal Shakespeare Company in nine intensive acting workshops, demonstrating how the Company makes Shakespeare's classic plays accessible to modern audiences without compromising the text's integrity. The two traditions: Shakespeare wrote for a performance style that differs in many respects from modern, "naturalistic" acting. Barton urges the actors to marry both traditions for the richest, most faithful characterizations. Using...