Show Books

Spring Awakening, a groundbreaking and multi-award winning show, is being produced all over the United States as well as in 28 countries around the world. Now, 13 years after Steven Sater first conceived the radical notion of creating a rock musical from Frank Wedekind’s notorious symbolist drama Frühlings Erwachen, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books publishes Sater’s notes on his famously evocative, poetic lyrics. A Purple Summer: Notes on the Lyrics of Spring Awakening (March 13, $9.99) is an ...

THE ART OF THEATRE: A CONCISE INTRODUCTION, Third Edition, explores issues of cultural diversity and creativity, presents a full day-in-the-life of theatre, and offers briefer coverage of theatre history. The authors make timely and relevant connections between theatre and the familiar world of television and film to help students understand how the living art of theatre relates to and influences today's screen entertainment.

This is the first comprehensive survey of approaches to genre in Shakespeare's work as represented in and accross a wide spectrum of media. The distinguished contributors from many disciplinary backgrounds probe deeply into genre theory and genre history by relating Renaissance conceptions of genre to contemporary ones, reading Shakespeare through genre and genre through Shakespeare. They include David Bevington, Samuel Crowl, David Crystal, Lawrence Danson, Peter Donaldson, Stephen Greenblatt,...

Theatregoers are increasingly aware of the growing use of object and figure animation throughout the performing arts. Puppetry offers engaging contemporary perspectives on this universal art-form. It provides an account of puppetry's different facets, from its demands and techniques through its uses and abuses to its history and philosophy.

In 'Moving to Los Angeles: The ABC's of Getting an Agent,' top Hollywood executive Alec Shankman writes an informational guide for talent that breaks down the process of securing an agent into a series of simple steps. Alec was an agent & department head at a Top 10 talent agency in Los Angeles by the age of 23 and subsequently the CEO of the industry's largest online talent resource, GotCast.com, by the age of 30. He references his own personal journey from Ohio to success in the entertainment ...

A feel-good play that tackles some serious issues. A perfect play choice for amateur or semi-professional drama societies. The stage is set for a happy weekend as Chris Hedges takes his girlfriend, Tanya, home to meet his mother and announce their engagement. Things start to go wrong when the identity of Tanya's father is revealed. It seems that he and Chris's mother knew each other many years before. As the weekend unravels Tanya's father is drawn in to enlist his support. It looks as if every...

Performance in the Time of Terror is an important investigation of the ways in which performance has given shape and form to "wars of terror," past and present, and as a strategy and tactic of violence. Focusing on an array of performances that caused a stir during the "war on terror" of the first decade of the twenty-first century, Hughes also explores the use of performance by counterinsurgents during the "war on terrorism" in Northern Ireland (1969-1998). Offering original discussions of the...

Critical Essays on British South Asian Theatre marks a major contribution to the understanding of one of the most remarkable examples of diasporic artistic activity in recent history. The second volume on British South Asian theater compiled by Graham Ley and Sarah Dadswell, this volume provides detailed critical analyses of theater practice and performance from the last thirty years.

The Study of Drama by Harley Granville-Barker was published as part of the Cambridge Miscellany series in 1934. It contains the text of a lecture delivered by the author in Cambridge in 1934 on the study of 'drama as drama, considered in relation to the theatre'. The lecture is printed together with extensive notes, which were added subsequently.

The Art of Clowning is the first book on clowning technique and offers a step-by-step process for actors and other theatrical enthusiasts to discover their "inner clown." This fun and accessible guide expands on theories and exercises to help students and beginners develop solo and group performances. Using twenty years of teaching experience, Simon reveals a complete system of clowning that is a must-have for amateurs and experts alike. Now with even MORE ways to find your inner clown!

Mae West, Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel Barrymore and Helen Keller are perhaps among the best known women to appear on vaudeville stages. Each came to vaudeville by a different path and with a different offering: Mae West entered vaudeville with a song and dance routine when she was 13 years old. Ethel Barrymore dropped in on the Palace Theater to present one-act plays. Sarah Bernhardt was being celebrated by the British for her fifty years on the dramatic stage when she agreed to appear in the U.S. H...

MasterClass in Drama Education explores drama teaching, drawing directly on international research and practice, presenting effective and engaging approaches for drama learning and focussing on the skills, knowledge and understanding for researchers teachers and M level students. Michael Anderson explores the history, practice and research in drama education to create a foundation for effective learning and teaching. Examples of international practice and research support an evidence-based disc...

This book is the second part of an important experimental trilogy in text archaeology of all the various ideas about the 1664 and later versions. Tartuffe ou L'Imposteur, (Tartuffe or the Hypocrite), is Molière’s most famous play and was first performed at Versailles in 1664. It attacked religious hypocrisy and as a result caused much scandal and was then banned. Tartuffe means "hypocrite" especially one who shows affected religious piety and exaggeratedly feigns virtue. Revised versions of Tar...

Albert Bermel writes comedies with a dark twist. The Times of London hailed Bermel's Workout as "one of the most expert pieces of comic writing to come out of America for some time." This volume includes nine witty, suspenseful plays - six of them full length, three short. Bermel's plays and translations have been performed throughout the world, including the Royal Court Theatre in London; Spoleto Festival, Italy; and on Broadway. Thrombo, a food farce, is set in a fictional African nation; Sho...

‘Molière on Stage’ takes the reader onstage, backstage and into the audience of Molière’s plays, analyzing the performance of his works in both his own time and in ours. Written by a professional stage director with over fifty years’ experience directing and translating Molière, this text explores how the playwright strove to create a communal experience of shared laughter, and investigates four key topics relating to this achievement: Molière’s early experiences that lead to his later theater ...

Simple instructions, clear diagrams, full-size traceable patterns for creating delightful paper-bag puppets, rod puppets for shadow plays, and papier-mache puppets with cloth costumes. Special instructions for dressing and handling puppets, setting up a stage, and writing and producing your own original show.

Remarkable conversations you want to listen in on.

Now in its fifth edition, An Actor's Guide to Getting Work is an invaluable resource which provides students and young actors with an insider's advice to prepare them to navigate the world of professional theatre. Written with honesty, humor and thoroughness, Simon Dunmore's book anticipates and addresses the numerous problems that actors are bound to face at some stage in their career. Competition for acting work is fierce and, although talent is important, actors need all the help they can ge...

Funny: The Book is an entertaining look at the art of comedy, from its historical roots to the latest scientific findings, with diversions into the worlds of movies (Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers), television (The Office), prose (Woody Allen, Robert Benchley), theater (The Front Page), jokes and stand-up comedy (Richard Pryor, Steve Martin), as well as personal reminiscences from the author's experiences on such TV programs as Mork and Mindy. With allusions to the not-always-funny Carl Ju...

From “Blue Moon” to “Where or When,” and “My Funny Valentine,” Lorenz Hart, together with Richard Rodgers, created some of the most beautiful and witty songs ever written. Here is the story of the strikingly unromantic life of this songwriting genius.His lyrics spin with pinwheel brilliance and sophistication, yet at their core is an unmistakable wistfulness. The sweetness of lyrics such as “My Romance” and “Isn’t It Romantic?” is unsurpassed in American song. But Hart’s lyrics could also be cy...

Stagecraft Fundamentals Second Edition tackles every aspect of theatre production with Emmy Award-winning author Rita Kogler Carver's signature witty and engaging voice. The history of stagecraft, safety precautions, lighting, costumes, scenery, career planning tips, and more are discussed, illustrated by beautiful color examples that display step-by-step procedures and the finished product. This second edition offers even more in-demand information on stage management, drawing and drafting (bo...

It's not an exaggeration to say that The Sound of Music is the most beloved film musical of all time. It has touched more than one generation, as over the years, many parents have shared the magic of this wonderful movie with their children. Seven very special children experienced The Sound of Music firsthand: the seven young actors cast as the von Trapp children. Now, for the first time, they tell their stories about making this celebrated film, from their auditions to rehearsals in Los Angeles...

Upon its 2011 debut, Andrew Lloyd Webber's spectacular new stage production of The Wizard of Oz dazzled London audiences and embarked on a course for productions around the world. Building upon the original story and the classic movie score with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Lloyd Webber masterfully transforms the work by contributing more than a half-dozen new, original songs that at last successfully adapt the world's most beloved movie musical for live theatre. This collec...

We’re off to see the wizard! The magic of Scanimation meets the wonderful Wizard of Oz, bringing to life 10 memorable scenes from the movie that’s enchanted generations of viewers. It’s the gift book of the fall, and includes: • Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto dancing down the Yellow Brick Road • Dorothy’s farmhouse flying upward in a twister • Miss Gulch, on her bicycle in the tornado, transforming into a witch on a broomstick • The Lollipop Kids struttin...

This book explores the creation of the popular Broadway musical Wicked through an examination of draft scripts, interviews with major figures, and the study of primary musical sources such as sketches, drafts, and completed musical scores.

Something's Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination takes a critical, comprehensive look at one of the most inventive, influential, and internationally beloved Broadway musicals of all time - from its inception by a brilliant quartet of creators (Robbins, Bernstein, Sondheim, and Laurents) to its smashing success on film, to its ongoing popularity on stages around the world and its potent impact on the Great American Musical. Featuring intriguing chapters on West Sid...

Celebrating its 66th year, Theatre World is the most comprehensive record of the theatrical season on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre. Each of the 1,000-plus entries includes photos, a complete cast listing, producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and plot synopses. Theatre World also features the year's obituaries, a listing of all nominees and winners of the major theatrical awards, the longest-running shows on and Of...

"May is one of the foremost authorities on writer James Michener. In this book he takes you inside the creation of Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and the musical South Pacific May fascinates us with his detailed accounts of key players like Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Josh Logan, and many others."--Ken Womble, director of James Michener: An Epic Life "Stephen J. May confirms his reputation as James Michener’s most pertinent, sensitive, and accessible biographer with Michener’s So...

In West Side Story: Cultural Perspectives on an American Musical, Wells presents a major scholarly study of the famous American musical West Side Story, viewing the work from cultural, historical, and musical perspectives. From the 'mambo craze' of the 1950s to the work's ongoing permeation of popular culture, Wells looks at the myriad ways in which this canonic musical reflects and refracts American culture. Drawing on primary documentary sources, oral history_including interviews with members...

What is unique and essential about theater? What separates it from other arts? Do we need "theater" in some fundamental way? The art of theater, as Paul Woodruff says in this elegant and unique book, is as necessary - and as powerful - as language itself. Defining theater broadly, including sporting events and social rituals, he treats traditional theater as only one possibility in an art that - at its most powerful - can change lives and (as some peoples believe) bring a divine presence to ear...

The performance of female characters by male Noh actors sparks a deeply researched, lovingly detailed, and obsessive discourse on the nature of feminine beauty by award-winning novelist and essayist Vollmann (Imperium). The book charts an increasingly peripatetic path through the meticulous yet ineffable art of Noh drama from the perspective of an enthusiast, all the while groping toward some definition of beauty and the feminine. But the feminine, and even the label female, is something widely...

Theatregoers' favorite history of Broadway is back in an updated and expanded 2010 edition including more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened in the ten years since the popular 2000 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life. This unique chr...

Here is the story, told firsthand through electric, deeply engaged writing, of America's living theater, high and low, mainstream and experimental. Drawing on history, criticism, memoir, fiction, poetry, and parody, editor Laurence Senelick presents writers with the special knack "to distill both the immediate experience and the recollected impression, to draw the reader into the charmed circle and conjure up what has already vanished." Through the words of playwrights and critics, actors and d...

A once-in-a-decade performance of The Passion Play comes to life in this richly illustrated book. Every decade a small village in Germany continues a tradition that dates back four centuries to the time of the Plague. 2,000 villagers, nearly one-half the town s population, stage a retelling of the life of Christ. Each production draws millions of visitors to the town of Oberammergau to experience the performance. This official companion volume to the world-renowned event captures the d...

Broadway Musicals is a richly illustrated, and information-packed celebration of the most popular and enduring Broadway shows of all time. Each show is featured in a detailed, photo-filled chapter that includes expert commentary, special features on the creators and performers, plot synopses, cast and song lists, production details, and backstage anecdotes. Also included are sidebars on Broadway flops, advertising posters, the greatest scores, and more. This edition includes several shows not i...

The kids in McKinley High School’s glee club, New Directions, might not be the most popular, but Glee is unquestionably a runaway hit. Since its premiere in May 2009, Glee has exploded as one of the most popular hours on TV, earning an astounding 19 Emmy nominations in its first season. In addition to the show’s staggering success, Glee’s songs have been heating up the music charts, with 25 tracks on the 2009 hot 100 list, a hit-rate topped only by the Beatles when they had 31 hits in 1964. Don'...

The tumultuous decade of the 1960s in America gave birth to many new ideas and forms of expression, among them the rock musical. An unlikely offspring of the performing arts, the rock musical appeared when two highly distinctive and American art forms joined onstage in New York City. The Theater Will Rock explores the history of the rock musical, which has since evolved to become one of the most important cultural influences on American musical theater and a major cultural export. Packed with c...

Everything you need to know about plays and playwrights in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has had one of her 8 musicals produced in the West End and teaches musical theater. Covering everything from the top playwrights through the centuries to a comprehensive A-Z listing of plays from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with factboxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject.

Everything you need to know about musical theater in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has herself created 8 musicals and teaches musical theater. The Pocket Guide to Musicals covers everything from the composers and lyricists to a comprehensive A-Z listing of musicals from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with fact boxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject. The Pocket Guide to Musicals is compulsory reading for anyone studying musical t...

The hilarious story of the longest-running musical revue in the world - 30 years! "The funniest show in New York!" - The New Yorker Forbidden Broadway is a no-holds-barred chronicle of the revue that has enthralled and delighted audiences in New York City, Los Angeles, London, and all around the world for three decades, spoofing shows from Les Miserables to Wicked and stars from Ethel Merman to Hugh Jackman. It is a whimsical inside glimpse at the evolution of the show in its 20 incarnations to ...

Despite an often unfair reputation as being less popular, less successful, or less refined than their bona-fide Broadway counterparts, Off Broadway musicals deserve their share of critical acclaim and study. A number of shows originally staged Off Broadway have gone on to their own successful Broadway runs, from the ever-popular A Chorus Line and Rent to more off-beat productions like Avenue Q and Little Shop of Horrors. And while it remains to be seen if other popular Off Broadway shows like St...