Preparation for a play is notoriously private affair. Here five acclaimed actors and the director Richard Eyre share their experiences

The directors of The Full Monty, In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton pay tribute to the actor, who died on Saturday, along with David Hare, Richard Eyre, John Madden, Jonathan Pryce, Jay Roach, Justin Theroux, Harriet Walter, Cathy Tyson, Christopher Eccleston, Peter Webber and Marion Bailey

Despite being panned as ‘a dirty act done publicly’ on its London premiere, the tragedy is now regarded as a classic – here are three productions that radically shifted our perspective

Richard Eyre’s production of the father-and-son drama has some strong performances but is too light to really probe the play’s plaintive depths

The theatre director remembers his friend and mentor, a titan of the stage whose productions revolutionised the art form

How does it feel to go back on stage night after night in a play that’s been mauled by critics and deserted by audiences? Richard Eyre and other directors and actors relive their trauma

A lovely physical performance by Saunders brings moments of joy to an otherwise unsettled production of Noël Coward’s comedy

Richard Eyre, Anne-Marie Duff, Ken Stott and Hugh Hudson pay tribute to the screen and stage actor who died on Friday

Katori Hall gave us a miracle, Caryl Churchill delivered a dark quartet and Tom Hiddleston astounded in Betrayal. But the year’s highlight was a breathtaking Ibsen with Hayley Atwell