Greg Doran for Walking Shadow

A blend of memoir, travelogue and investigation, Walking Shadow sheds light on the past while the author emerges from the darkness of loss.

After the death from cancer of his husband, Antony Sher, Greg Doran stepped down from his role as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. In the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's First Folio, and inspired by the surprising history of the company's own copy, he set out to see how many of these important volumes he could find. Walking Shadow relives the months leading up to Sher's death, told via the two men's raw and loving diaries, and maps Doran's quest to track down folios worldwide.

The journey took him to Japan, where he met the emperor, and to New Zealand and South Africa where the legacy of Shakespeare has become entwined with the story of colonialism. In Europe, his trip to Frankfurt takes him to the place where the First Folio was initially offered for sale in 1622. While in England, he visits the places where Shakespeare and his actors once walked.

By this journey's end, Doran had seen more than 200 First Folios, over 90 per cent of all the surviving copies, including one whose existence was previously unknown. He had also gained a greater understanding of Shakespeare and his times, as well as his global impact.

Greg Doran has been described as 'one of the supreme Shakespeare directors of our era.' He was the Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director and has directed and/or produced every play in the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays at Stratford-upon-Avon. He was awarded the Sam Wanamaker Prize for pioneering work in Shakespearean theatre in 2012, and in 2024, he was knighted for his services to the arts.