No one has written poetry about the Egyptian city of Alexandria since Constantine Cavafy, way back in the first three decades of the C20th. Alex, as locals fondly call their coastal paradise, is anything but Cairo's poor cousin - it is decadent, friendly, cosmopolitan and, though its ancient past is basically under the Mediterranean, oozes history. I lived and worked in the city for four years - not as an ex-pat hidden away from the real Egypt, but as a local who travelled on the tram, shopped in the street market at Cleopatra and argued with plumbers (in my basic, quaint Arabic) over their...

'The No-Mask Mask Book' is a practical handbook of over 40 exercises for teachers of acting and directors. The exercises - clear and simple to follow - come from the author's tried and tested classes and workshops. The book's aim is to show how masks are invaluable tools in the creation and development of conventional, mainstream, naturalistic characterisation - and not just implements solely intended for mask work. The book discusses many types of masks - and, as well as the exercises, there is a section on mask history, mask making and a collection of illustrations showing the various types...