Drama Book Shop Hosts Talkback 12/15 In Conjunction With The American Theatre Wing Presents The Play That Changed My Life

The Drama Book Shop will host a talkback in conjunction with The American Theatre Wing's just released and highly praised new book, The American Theatre Wing presents The Play That Changed My Life: America's Foremost Playwrights on the Plays that Influenced Them. The conversation will include Howard Sherman, Executive Director of the Wing and the book's conceiver, and Ben Hodges, Editor of the book, at the Drama Book Shop (250 west 40th Street) at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15th.

The discussion will focus on the process of creating the book and assembling the contributing playwrights, a who's who of American theater, including David Auburn, Charles Fuller, A.R. Gurney, Tina Howe, David Ives, Donald Margulies, Sarah Ruhl, ReGina Taylor, Doug Wright and several others. The discussion will be followed by a book signing.

From Edward Albee's 1935 visit to New York's Hippodrome Theatre to see Jimmy Durante (and an elephant) in Rodgers and Hart's Jumbo, to Diana Son's twelfth-grade field trip in 1983 to see Diane Venora play Hamlet at The Public Theater, from David Henry Hwang's seminal San Francisco encounter with Equus to a young Beth Henley's epiphany after seeing her mother in a "Green Bean Man costume," The Play That Changed My Life offers readers a unique peek into the theatrical influences of some of the nation's most important dramatists on stages both professional and amateur, in New York, across the country and overseas.

Praise for The Play That Changed My Life:

"Once you pick up this book, you can't put it down!"
- Kathy Henderson, Broadway.com

"A stirringly, marvelous book!"
- Peter Filichia, TheaterMania

"A marvelous new book...amazing and insightful...a must-have for anyone interested in the art and craft of playwriting!"
- John Rowell, Show Business Weekly

"A fascinating and revealing reading that provokes memories of one's own!"
- Frank Rizzo, Hartford Courant

Ben Hodges is editor-in-chief of Theatre World, the most comprehensive annual pictorial and statistical record of the American theatre and the recipient of a 2001 Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. His other publications include The Commercial Theater Institute Guide to Producing Plays and Musicals (with FrEd Vogel), Forbidden Acts: Pioneering Gay and Lesbian Plays of the Twentieth Century and Out Plays: Landmark Gay and Lesbian Plays of the Twentieth Century.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) is best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. The Wing sponsors many activities, all dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, including "Downstage Center," "Working in the Theatre," "In the Wings," "Guides to Careers in the Theatre," the Theatre Intern Group, SpringboardNYC, the Jonathan Larson® Grants, "Masters of the Stage" and "This is Broadway" with The Broadway League. All ATW media is available on americantheatrewing.org and on iTunes.

Applause Theatre & Cinema Books is America's foremost publisher of books on the performing arts. Applause books cover the full range of film and theatre topics, including biographies, librettos and scripts, reference books, film and theatre history, critical analysis, and more. An imprint of Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group, Applause is based in New York. For additional information, visit www.applausepub.com.