It’s not a get-out,” he says. “But an understanding, yes.” Then he goes on, “I always used to feel that my father and his violence is what had the biggest impact on my life. There have been times when I have been violent. Rarely to other people, and never to my children. But I can get angry. And it comes from my father.” But the real reason I became devoted to Mr Dormand was that he was the man who introduced me to the works of William Shakespeare. One day, early in the term, he placed a copy of The Merchant of Venice on every desk. At the time, I did not know that Mr Dormand was also an amateur actor and director. Nor did I have any idea what the hell The Merchant of Venice was. I’ve got ideas. I’d like to do more comedy. Laughter is glorious’: with his wife Sunny Ozell. Photograph: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images Performed with limited staging conditions and costumes, these fascinating rehearsals are only available for Highly entertaining... You don’t need to be a fan of Stewart the man of stage and screen to be as beguiled by the decades of professional acting that follow’ – The Times

Making It So: A Memoir – Special Edition with Postcard

Although I primarily bought this book to find out more about Stewart's time as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek The Next Generation I absolutely loved his tales of his early theatre work. This part of the book was so good I didn't want it to end & it reminded me of meeting my wife over 30 yaers ago when we were both members of an amateur dramatic company. Much of the first two thirds is dedicated to his formative years living in very humble, and at times harrowing circumstances, in northern England as well as starting out as a classically trained Shakespearean actor in the UK and beyond, so don't let the title mislead you into thinking this is a book with a lot of emphasis on his years working on Star Trek: The Next Generation in California. This disclaimer aside, Stewart is a fabulous raconteur and I found the book delightful, neither overly triumphalist or self-deprecating, with moments of true humour and pathos along the way.

Table of Contents

In his memoir, Stewart describes his relationship with his children as “a work in progress”. When I ask how things are now he looks briefly rattled and casts his eyes downwards. “It’s very sad,” he says. “I love my children. But our relationships, they haven’t worked out.” Stewart maintains strong links to his grandchildren – less so their parents, though in the book he seems on good terms with his son, Daniel, who followed him into acting. He goes on, “It will always be a place of sadness in my life.”

Patrick Stewart | Official Making It So Audiobook by Patrick Stewart | Official

Highly entertaining... You don't need to be a fan of Stewart the man of stage and screen to be as beguiled by the decades of professional acting that follow' - The Times All right,” said Mr D, “start reading.” We all bent our heads over the strange-looking columns of print and started reading. Silently. A moment passed before Mr D erupted: “Not to yourselves, you idiots, out loud! This is a play, it’s action, it’s drama, it’s life. Start again.” To Stewart the discovery was a breakthrough. I ask now if becoming aware of his father’s illness made it easier to comprehend, if not excuse, his actions? If I do have a quibble, it is an odd one for a Star Trek fan. I really wanted more about the time BEFORE TNG. I really wanted to read more about the RSC, the films and all the other productions. Full disclosure: I am a HUGE Star Trek fan. I can remember watching one episode of the TOS when it first came out, and then watching reruns as a teenager after school.

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Thanks for reading, and if you have a favourite Jean-Luc Picard GIF be sure to share in the comments! Making It So is dedicated to Dormand and another teacher, Ruth Wynn Owen, once an understudy to Peggy Aschcroft and later a voice coach, who developed Stewart as an actor and is responsible for his received pronunciation. When I ask if he would have achieved what he has done without the confidence given to him by these adults, he says, “I think something would have happened, but it would have taken much longer.” I wonder if that underplays their impact. Had he not been advised to apply for a scholarship to drama school, he would not have gone – there was no other money. “Here I was, a secondary school boy, getting everything paid for,” he says. “My schooling, the goods I needed, tights, ballet shoes, work clothes, scripts, all of that. [The scholarship] paid for everything.” His time at drama school went well, but still Stewart didn’t walk into a job. At repertory auditions early in his career he would turn up in a wig, then whip it off halfway through to reveal his bald head, hoping to impress on directors that if they hired him into their company they were getting two actors for the price of one. (It worked, eventually.)

Making It So by Patrick Stewart

Mr Dormand was tall and handsome, with an informal manner that put us kids at ease. He wasn’t too informal with us – if he caught a pupil glazing over with an inattentive stare, he wouldn’t hesitate to nail this pupil in the head with a piece of chalk. We actually loved him for this. If you somehow managed to think fast enough to catch the piece of chalk he’d aimed your way, you received a “Bravo!” from Mr Dormand and a round of applause from the rest of the class. I have followed his career since from a respectful distance, and when I learned he was writing his memoir, I was over the moon with excitement. I also wasn't as thrilled with the episodic recaps of TNG. I enjoyed his takes on the episodes on later viewing, but more on the actual production would have been nice. He glosses over the very real conflicts with Roddenberry, the mess with Gates McFadden and the clear inability to connect as an actor with Diana Muldaur. He also revealed that a book tour is in early development, where he expects to travel around promoting Making It So; more details are expected to become available closer to the book’s October release date.

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Patrick Stewart ‘Making it So: A Memoir’ | Royal Tickets | Patrick Stewart ‘Making it So: A Memoir’ | Royal

British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted performances & tours are designed to provide access to theatre for Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself. It finally came out, and I was fortunate enough to experience it as an audiobook read by the author. Because I didn’t do enough to protect my mother,” he says. “Because I didn’t respect my brothers enough, though I liked them very much.” He is even ashamed, he says, of skipping the entrance exam to grammar school, deciding instead to roam Mirfield’s hills alone. “I suspect that might just have been fear. Fear that I might pass, be elevated into this different world, which I couldn’t have handled, I know I couldn’t have handled it. Perhaps I did myself a big favour.”Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of a driven artist whose astonishing life - from his humble and hardscrabble beginnings in Yorkshire, to the dizzying heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim - proves a story as exuberant, definitive and enduring as the author himself. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: Stylist Warren Alfie Baker; grooming Peter De Oliveira; photographer’s first assistant Jesse Belvin @gangganggenhis; second assistant Wacunza Clarke @dinbaedin; prop stylist Chloe Kirk @cb kirk; shot at Dust Studios ‘Read it out loud, you idiots!’