TGC Honors American Theatre Magazine, Publishes The American Theatre Reader

To mark AMERICAN THEATRE magazine's 25th Anniversary in April 2009, Theatre Communications Groups (TCG) honored the publication by publishing The American Theatre Reader, a 640-page compilation of significant and insightful articles, essays and interviews from the magazine's first quarter century.

"This is truly a special occasion," said Teresa Eyring, TCG Executive Director. "The magazine's coverage over 25 years offers a depth and diversity of perspective that goes unmatched in any single theatre publication. To be able to draw from that remarkable body of work to create The American Theatre Reader is a special gift that can't be replicated."

The American Theatre Reader is a compendium of the best essays and interviews from the magazine's history. It is an intimate look at the people, plays, and events that have shaped American theatre over the past twenty-five years. This one-of-a-kind collection includes more than a hundred artists, critics, and theatre professionals, from the visionaries who conceived of a diverse and thriving National Theatre community to the practitioners who have made that dream a reality. The American Theatre Reader captures their wide-ranging stories in a single compelling volume, essential reading for theatre professionals and theatergoers alike.

The Reader includes articles and essays by Eric Bentley, Peter Brook, Eisa Davis, Zelda Fichhandler, Athol Fugard, Tyrone Guthrie, David Henry Hwang, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Robert MacNeil, Marsha Norman, Suzan Lori-Parks, Hal Prince, Frank Rich, Wallace Shawn, José Rivera, and Studs Terkel.

The Reader includes conversations with Anne Bogart, Olympia Dukakis,

Lorraine Hansberry, Jonathan Larson, Arthur Miller, Joseph Papp, John Patrick Shanley, Sam Shepard, Stephen Sondheim, Wole Soyinka, Luis Valdez, and August Wilson.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, exists to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Its programs serve nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 12,000 individuals nationwide. As the US Center of the InterNational Theatre Institute, TCG connects its constituents to the global theatre community. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre.

TCG is the publisher of AMERICAN THEATRE magazine, ARTSEARCH, and books on theatre and performing arts. Please visit our website and online bookstore at www.tcg.org.

The American Theatre Reader
Essays and Conversations from AMERICAN THEATRE Magazine
Edited by the Staff of AMERICAN THEATRE Magazine
Paperback 640pp
$24.95
978-1-55936-346-4
April 2009

TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. Orders: 800-283-3572. SAN number: 63170X. Individuals may call 212-609-5900 or visit our online bookstore at www.tcg.org. For postage and handling, please add $5.00 for the first book and $.50 for each additional copy.