In Darkening Mirrors, Stephanie Leigh Batiste examines how African Americans participated in U.S. cultural imperialism in Depression-era stage and screen performances. A population treated as second-class citizens at home imagined themselves as empowered, modern U.S. citizens and transnational actors in plays, operas, ballets, and films. Many of these productions, such as the 1938 hits Haiti and The "Swing" Mikado recruited large casts of unknown performers, involving the black community not only as spectators but also as participants. Performances of exoticism, orientalism, and primitivism are inevitably linked to issues of embodiment, including how bodies signify blackness as a cultural, racial, and global category. Whether enacting U.S. imperialism in westerns, dramas, dances, songs, jokes, or comedy sketches, African Americans maintained a national identity that registered a diasporic empowerment and resistance on the global stage. Boldly addressing the contradictions in these performances, Batiste challenges the simplistic notion that the oppressed cannot identify with oppressive modes of power and enact themselves as empowered subjects. Darkening Mirrors adds nuance and depth to the history of African American subject formation and stage and screen performance.
Steven Lutvak's final composition, 'Topeka!,' celebrates individuality and leaves a lasting legacy. Discover the story behind the Tony Award-winning composer's heartfelt new song.
Trapeze Music & Entertainment Limited/Acrobat Music has announced the release on July 5, 2024 of the 3-CD 73 track album Judy Garland: A Celebration, selections of which are included on the first volume of an LP of the same name. C
Dr. Valarian Couch's new book, CYBER HEROES: KIDS DEFENDING THE DIGITAL REALM, empowers children to navigate the internet safely through interactive stories, engaging activities, and essential cybersecurity knowledge.
PS CLASSICS will release Parting Gift: The Songs of Gerald Ginsburg, featuring stars from Broadway and opera with a 17-piece orchestra. Learn when you can download the album!
Jennifer Ashley Tepper, writer of BroadwayWorld's Broadway Deep Dive series, has revealed that her next book is in the works. Titled 'Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy That the History Books Left Out', the book will be published by Applause on November 19, 2024.
CLUB44 RECORDS' The Colors of My Life: A Cy Coleman Songbook – the new album from ten-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Janis Siegel and internationally recognized pianist, arranger, and composer Yaron Gershovsky – will be released on CD and streaming and digital formats on Friday, June 7.
Cellist John-Henry Crawford has released a new album featuring works by Dvořák and Tchaikovsky, performed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra under the direction of Martin West.
International stage director Nancy Rhodes brings Mary’s Story to life, exploring the poignant narrative with depth and creativity. Discover the compelling journey of Mary through this captivating production.
Award-winning Turkish-American writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand - who recently produced the critically acclaimed albums for Tony award nominee Mary Bridget Davies and Windsor Castle’s resident sextet The Queen’s Six - will release his debut poetry collection, 'Self-Imposed Exile – Poems of Queer Beginnings.'
Discover the latest release from TCG Books, CLYDE’S by Lynn Nottage, exploring themes of redemption and resilience in a gripping new narrative. Learn how to purchase.
Visiting Mr. Green, one of the most produced plays in the world in the past 25 years, is now available in its 2nd revised version from leading play publisher and licensor Dramatists Play Service, a division of Broadway Licensing.
Algos Music has announced that vintage vocalist extraordinaire ALLYSON BRIGGS will release her new album Promises, Prayers, and Raindrops: Allyson Briggs Sings Burt Bacharach on Friday, July 12. It will be available on CD and in digital and streaming platforms.
Concord Theatricals Recordings has released the original cast recording of Here We Are, David Ives and Stephen Sondheim’s new musical, on CD and digital platforms worldwide.
Award-winning jazz musician and educator, HAYES GREENFIELD, released a new book, CREATIVE SOUND PLAY FOR YOUNG LEARNERS, offering innovative techniques for enhancing classroom communities and supporting children's social-emotional learning.
Experience the 1970s New York rock scene with the album release of BLISS STREET MUSICAL. This Off-Broadway show recording celebrates the legacy of legendary bands like KISS, The Ramones, and Blondie, and the iconic Coventry rock club.
Discover the new book, UNLIKELY JAPAN AND OTHER PLAYS, a collection of ten one-act plays from a decade of the LaBute New Theater Festival, published by St. Louis Actors' Studio and renowned playwright Neil LaBute.
The Original Broadway Cast Album of Gutenberg! The Musical! featuring GRAMMY® Award winners and Tony Award® nominees Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells has been released digitally on Friday, May 3. Listen to the album here!
Dan Landon was a Broadway theatre manager for nearly 40 years, working on more than 9000 performances of 50 shows. He has written his memoir, From the Back of the House, which will be published by Ibis Books on June 13, 2024.
Natalie Tenenbaum is a composer, pianist, and music producer recognized equally on the stages of Carnegie Hall, SXSW and Broadway for breaking the boundaries between classical composition, popular storytelling, and improvisational jazz to create acoustic and electro-acoustic concert music for a wide scope of artists.
Are We Dreaming The Same Dream? - a new album from Akropolis Reed Quintet, composer and pianist Pascal Le Boeuf, and drummer Christian Euman - is out now on Bright Shiny Things.
Roy Schreiber has announced the release of his latest book, A Coat of Many Colors: Putting Jewish Characters on Stage. Published by Bookbaby on February 1, 2024, the book is a collection of five diverse plays challenging traditional stereotypes of Jewish characters.