For generations, residents of New York's Capital District have flocked to the region's numerous theaters. The history behind the venues is often more compelling than the shows presented in them. John Wilkes Booth brushed with death on stage while he and Abraham Lincoln were visiting Albany. The first exhibition of broadcast television was shown at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, although the invention ironically contributed to the downfall of theaters across the nation. A fired manager of the...
Theater of the Ridiculous is a significant movement that highlighted the radical possibilities inherent in camp. Much of contemporary theater owes this form a great debt but little has been written about its history or aesthetic markers. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the important practitioners, along with critical commentary of their work.
Beginning with Ridiculous' most recognizable name, Charles Ludlam, the author traces the development of this campy, queer genre, from the B ...
One of the most beloved film musicals of all time, The Wizard of Oz represents an enduring family favorite and cultural classic. Yet there is much more to the story than meets the eye, and the MGM movie is just one of many ways in which it has been represented. In this lively and wide-ranging book, editors Danielle Birkett and Dominic McHugh bring together insights from eleven experts into the varied musical forms this great American myth has taken in the past century. Starting with the early a...
A troubled teenager and her estranged mother-an undocumented immigrant from Mexico-embark on a road trip and strive to mend their fractured relationship along the way. From the writer of the book for the musical In the Heights comes Miss You like Hell, a musical adaptation of Hudes' play 26 Miles that was inspired by her own experience on a road trip with her mother. Combined with the musical talent of Erin McKeown, Hudes artfully crafts a story of the barriers and the bonds of family, while al...
Penned by one of America's best-known daily theatre critics and organized chronologically, this lively and readable book tells the story of Broadway's renaissance from the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, via the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark through the unparalleled financial, artistic and political success of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. It is the story of the embrace of risk and substance. In so doing, Chris Jones makes the point that the theatre thrived by finally figurin...
In 1933 choreographer George Balanchine and impresario Lincoln Kirstein embarked on an elusive quest to found a ballet company and school in the United States. Though their efforts would eventually result in the creation of the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet, the first decade of their collaborative efforts was anything but assured. Tracing the tangled histories of two of the most important figures in twentieth-century dance, Balanchine and Kirstein's American Enterprise ...
From the creator and star of Hamilton, with beautiful illustrations by Jonny Sun, comes a book of affirmations to inspire readers at the beginning and end of each day.
Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!
Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end ...
“Pipeline confirms Dominique Morisseau’s reputation as a playwright of piercing eloquence.” —Ben Brantley, New York Times
With profound compassion and lyricism, Morisseau brings us a powerful play that delves into the urgent issue of the “school-to-prison” pipeline that ensnares people of color. Issues of class, race, parenting, and education in America are brought to the frontlines, as we are left to question the systematic structures that ultimately trap underserved communities.
From his writing of Godspell 's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit musical Wicked and beyond, Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked takes readers into the world of the legendary Broadway and film composer-lyricist. In this authorized biography, drawing from her interviews with Schwartz and his collaborators, author Carol de Giere focuses on the behind-the-scenes stories for Schwartz's hits and disappointing flops. Readers will find colo...
Lulu is a little girl with a very big dream: she wants to be on Broadway. She wants it more than anything in the world. As it happens, she lives in Broadway's Shubert Theatre; so achieving her dream shouldn't be too tricky, right? Wrong. Because the thing about Lulu? She's a little girl mouse.
When a human girl named Jayne joins the cast of the show at the Shubert as an understudy, Lulu becomes Jayne's guide through the world of her theatre and its wonderfully kooky cast and crew. Together, ...
A lively and inspired biography celebrating the centennial of this master choreographer, dancer, and stage director
Jerome Robbins (1918–1998) was born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz and grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey, where his Russian-Jewish immigrant parents owned the Comfort Corset Company. Robbins, who was drawn to dance at a young age, resisted the idea of joining the family business. In 1936 he began working with Gluck Sandor, who ran a dance group and convinced him to change his name to ...
From ballet and Balanchine to tap and hip-hop, two centuries of rich and eloquent writing about the beauty and magic of American dance.
Like American speech, American dance has from the beginning been a fusion of many different tones and inflections, with European traditions of ballet and social dancing encountering Native American rituals and African American improvisations to create something altogether new, and extraordinary. Now, in this landmark anthology, dance critic Mindy Aloff (Hipp...
A dozen vocal selections are included in this songbook featuring music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki for his off-Broadway musical adapted from the 2005 fantasy-adventure novel of the same name. Includes: Bring on the Monsters * D.O.A. * Drive * Good Kid * Killer Quest! * Lost! * My Grand Plan * Prologue/The Day I Got Expelled * Put You in Your Place * Son of Poseidon * Strong * The Tree on the Hill.
The second volume in this series brings together some of the best new writing from contemporary American playwrights. Each play is introduced by critically acclaimed writers themselves. The volume includes: THE EDGE OF OUR BODIES by Adam Rapp, Introduced by AM Homes THE COWARD by Nick Jones, Introduced by Marsha Norman THE BOOK OF GRACE by Suzan-Lori Parks, Introduced by Oskar Eustis WHAT ONCE WE FELT by Ann Marie Healy, Introduced by Paula Vogel
Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, founded in 1983 by impresario Harvey Lichtenstein, gathered performances in which genres mixed and traditions were upended. Events held in downtown lofts were given larger venues at BAM. Choreographers, directors, artists and musicians now had access to bigger audiences. The first festivals included New York artists Trisha Brown, Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Laurie Anderson, Robert Rauschenberg, Lucinda Childs and Robert Wilson. International comp...
What begins as a chance encounter in a New York nightclub leads drag performer Arnold Beckoff on a hilarious yet touching pursuit of love, happiness, and a life he can be proud of. From a failed affair with a reluctant lover to a committed relationship with the promise of a stable family, Arnold’s struggle for acceptance meets its greatest resistance when he faces off against the person whose approval is most important to him: his mother.
This edition contains for the first time ever both th...
A legendary beauty, hailed as one of the greatest singing actors of her time, Jarmila Novotná (1907–1994) was an internationally known opera soprano from the former Czechoslovakia. Best known for her performances in Der Rosenkavalier, The Marriage of Figaro, and La Traviata, she was a celebrated performer at the Metropolitan Opera and other theaters across Europe and the United States. A "natural screen actress," Novotná also appeared in Hollywood hits such as The Search (1948) with Montgomery ...
Could a treasure trove of 400-year-old letters constitute a previously unknown "diary" written by William Shakespeare? After 25 years of research, we believe the astonishing answer is yes. We learn that Shakespeare left home bound for the New World, where he hoped to restore is family's fortunes, but knowing how risky the journey would be, he wanted to create a record for his two-year-old son (Hamnet) so that, one day, Hamnet would know why his father left home (especially in case Shakespeare w...
New York Times bestselling author and daughter of Judy Garland tells the story of A Star Is Born -- at once the crowning achievement and greatest disappointment in her mother's legendary career. This is a vivid account of a film classic's production, loss, and reclamation.
A Star Is Born -- the classic Hollywood tale about a young talent rising to superstardom, and the downfall of her mentor/lover along the way -- has never gone out of style. It has seen five film adaptations, but none compare...
Few actors have had a career as dynamic as that Kathleen Turner's; success has followed her from the television screen to major blockbusters, from indie films to the theater stage. Over her forty-year career, Turner has developed an instinctual knowledge of what it takes to be a successful actor, and, in her conversations with esteemed film professor Dustin Morrow, she shares these lessons with the world.
With her iconic wit on full display, Turner dazzles readers with her shrewd insights on...
For the past several years, the American musical has continued to thrive by reflecting and shaping cultural values and social norms, and even commenting on politics, whether directly and on a national scale (Hamilton) or somewhat more obliquely and on a more intimate scale (Fun Home). New stage musicals, such as Come from Away and The Band's Visit, open on Broadway every season, challenging conventions of form and content, and revivals offer audiences a different perspective on extant shows (Ca...
For the past several years, the American musical has continued to thrive by reflecting and shaping cultural values and social norms, and even commenting on politics, whether directly and on a national scale (Hamilton) or somewhat more obliquely and on a more intimate scale (Fun Home). New stage musicals, such as Come from Away and The Band's Visit, open on Broadway every season, challenging conventions of form and content, and revivals offer audiences a different perspective on extant shows (Ca...
In 2012, Sarah Ruhl was a distinguished author and playwright, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Max Ritvo, a student in her playwriting class at Yale University, was an exuberant, opinionated, and highly gifted poet. He was also in remission from pediatric cancer.
Over the next four years?in which Ritvo’s illness returned and his health declined, even as his productivity bloomed?the two exchanged letters that spark with urgency, humor, and the desire for connection. Reincarnation, bo...
Olivier Award-winners Mischief Theatre have taken the world by storm with their well-crafted and hilarious productions that continue to delight audiences and capture new fans night after night.
As a company dedicated to creating engaging and exciting improvised and scripted theatrical comedy their productions have now been seen in every continent except Antarctica and translated into numerous languages.
Combining well-honed improvisational and comedic technique with strong theatrical ense...
(Book). Singers and actors who can learn music quickly and accurately have an enormous advantage in today s increasingly competitive field. With Music Essentials for Singers and Actors, award-winning composer and music director Andrew Gerle has written a music theory text especially for singers, focused exclusively on topics and techniques that will help them in the rehearsal room and on stage. Gerle leads readers step by step through every aspect of written music, using over one hundred real-w...
A friendly and practical guide to the stage, The Essentials of Theater will prepare actors and crew for their next show. Perfect for college students in theater programs, as well as community theater troupes, this book covers all the bases?from a brief history on theater over the centuries and basic terminology to tips on interpreting scripts, developing characters, and utilizing props. Lisa Mulcahy’s helpful explanations and examples take readers on a backstage tour, introducing the tasks and ...
Celebrate 50 years of America's favorite teddy bear with a brand-new, classically illustrated picture book by Academy Award winner Viola Davis.
When Lisa takes Corduroy to the theater for the very first time, it’s so magnificent and exciting that he just can’t help heading out on his own to explore. From the orchestra pit to the prop table to the dressing rooms, Corduroy sees it all. Could there be a place for Corduroy on stage, too?
Fifty years after this lovable, inquisitive teddy bea...
A witty and wicked new guide to the world of theater from the anonymous Twitter sensation and cult London theater figure West End Producer. Packed with mischievous insider know-how, this is the ultimate guide for anyone who's ever been to the theater, or who thinks they might like to try it one day.
Look back at the 33-year history of the world’s longest-running musical: Les Miserables. This book is an ideal companion for anyone who loves the show.
Ever since its first performances in 1985, Les Misérables has been a smash success, and is now the longest-running musical in the world with an award-winning Hollywood movie to its name. Les Misérables: The Official Archives takes a look back through the storied life of this monumental show. Benedict Nightingale examines the entirety of the ...
The music of Broadway is one of America's most unique and popular calling cards. In Broadway to Main Street: How Show Tunes Enchanted America, author Laurence Maslon tells the story of how the most beloved songs of the American Musical Theater made their way from the Theater District to living rooms across the country.
The crossroads where the music of Broadway meets popular culture is an expansive and pervasive juncture throughout most of the twentieth century--from sheet music to radio bro...
The spotlight shines on Broadway! This special book by Cory Jensen celebrates eight show-stopping Broadway Sensations with superb acting ability, fabulous style and powerhouse vocal talent! Whether a demure secretary longing for recognition or a witch defying gravity and demanding justice, these paper dolls represent women who are pop culture icons.
With a combined total 35 Tony nominations and 15 wins, this book features Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters, Hea...
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore. Howard Beale, news anchorman, isn’t pulling in the viewers. In his final broadcast he unravels live on screen. But when the ratings soar, the network seize on their newfound populist prophet, and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV. Adapted for the stage by Lee Hall from the Paddy Chayefsky film, Network premiered at the National Theatre, London, in November 2017.
The riveting story of the rivalry between the two most renowned actresses of the nineteenth century: legendary Sarah Bernhardt, whose eccentricity on and off the stage made her the original diva, and mystical Eleonora Duse, who broke all the rules to popularize the natural style of acting we celebrate today.
Audiences across Europe and the Americas clamored to see the divine Sarah Bernhardt swoon—and she gave them their money’s worth. The world’s first superstar, she traveled with a chimpanz...
In 1996, tickets to see the Broadway musical Rent were selling like hotcakes. The show was so popular that many folks saw it multiple times and even dressed up like their favorite characters. Some Rent heads even slept overnight on the sidewalk in order to be sure of getting a ticket for the next performance. Everything about the show was new and exciting. This book not only tells the story of Rent's journey to Broadway, it will also help readers understand why the show was so successful and wh...
Everybody knows The Lion King, the story of a little cub that grows up to become the king of the Pride Lands. Few, however, know the story of how The Lion King came to be the king of all musicals. It is the highest-grossing show on Broadway, earning over 1.3 billion dollars at the box office. This book takes you on the journey that began with the modest idea of an animated movie about lions and hyenas. You'll see for yourself why this musical has played on every continent except Antarctica to m...
In theater, some shows succeed and some fail. Cats, which opened in London on May 11, 1981, and in New York City on October 7, 1982, was a success that changed history. The Hamilton of its time, and a winner even now, Cats has become one of the great landmark musicals of British and American theater. Treat your readers to the real story of the show. Covering the show's roots in the comic poetry of T. S. Eliot through to the musical's modern revivals, this book traces the history of an iconic Br...
Annie is a landmark play that has made many contributions to musical theater, including the song Tomorrow. The original play was staged more than two thousand times on Broadway, and it has been presented continuously around the world by touring companies and local theater groups. It has been made into big-screen and television movies and has gone through several revivals. Its greatest achievement was to restore the musical to prominence, opening the way for the staging of the greatest blockbust...
In July 2008, playwright and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda bought a book to read on vacation. Little did he know that his random choice would eventually help him change the face of Broadway. The book was Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton, an original Founding Father of the United States. Seven years later, Miranda's revolutionary hip-hop musical opened to tremendous reviews, sold-out performances, and record-breaking awards. What inspired Miranda to tell Hamilton's story using twenty...
Dance in the Mirror is an ultimate celebration of dance, and not least ballet, in all its many guises. In particular, it pays homage to Danish ballet photographer John R. Johnsen (1945-2016), whose work is presented here in collected form for the first time. Artistically, Johnsen towers above the vast majority of his contemporaries, and in the period 1967-96, during which he photographed the Royal Danish Ballet and leading international companies such as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey Americ...
Jonathan Shandell provides the first in-depth study of the historic American Negro Theatre (ANT) and its lasting influence on American popular culture. Founded in 1940 in Harlem, the ANT successfully balanced expressions of African American consciousness with efforts to gain white support for the burgeoning civil rights movement. The theatre company featured innovative productions with emerging artists—Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, and many others—who would become giants of stage, ...
In his five decades of work in theatre, Richard Foreman has become known as the figurehead of the “downtown” scene, the king of all things experimental and unconventional. This brand new anthology is a tribute to his mammoth acclaim, including such memorable works as The Gods are Pounding My Head, Idiot Savant, and Old-Fashioned Prostitutes.
Richard Foreman is an avant-garde theatre pioneer and founder of the Ontological-Hysteric Theater. He has written several dozen works for the stage, ope...
As one of the most beloved and beguiling genres of entertainment, the film musical wears its style ostentatiously. The genre allows for hyperbolic expression, extravagant sonic and visual décor, and extremely stylized forms of movement and performance. By staging a glittering spectacle, by releasing a current of lush sentiment, by unveiling a world of elegance and romance, the film musical woos us with patterns, textures, finesse and sensory display.
In this book, author Chip Whitesell asks ...
The Costume Supervisor’s Toolkit explores the responsibilities of a Costume Supervisor within a theatrical, opera or dance production company. Rebecca Pride provides an insight into all manner of processes, beginning with a definition of the role, and offers explanations of the timeline from the first design meetings, leading all the way up to managing fittings and final rehearsals. This how-to guide outlines best working practices, including building a team and creating a Costume Bible, whilst...
Peggy Ramsay (1908-1991) was the foremost play agent of her time. Her list of clients including Alan Ayckbourn, Robert Bolt, Caryl Churchill, Joe Orton, Howard Brenton and many more, shows her to have been at the centre of British playwriting for several generations from the late 1950s on. To her remarkable array of clients; her letter writing was notorious, marked by searing candour, both a wondrous motivation and an unforgiving scrutiny to be feared. Revelations in the book of her letters Peg...
Contextualizing the techniques and methods of the incredibly rich and vital genre of site-specific performance, author Bertie Ferdman traces the evolution of that term. Originally used for experimental staging practices and then later also for engaged situational events, site-specific is no longer sufficient for the genre’s many contemporary variations.
Using the term off-site, Ferdman illustrates five distinct ways artists have challenged the disciplinary framework of site-specific theatre:...
Did Les Misérables make you miserable? Or did it inspire you? When Sarah Whitfield was a teenager, her Dad frequently embarrassed her with his love of this musical above all others. So, after he was diagnosed with late stage cancer, Whitfield set out to find out why this musical meant so much to him and to its worldwide following.
In this new book, she asked her Dad and 350 other people how they felt about this musical, exploring people’s personal connections with the show. In the middle of ...
"I'm writing one great song before I..."
When Jonathan Larson died, he left behind a musical poised to become a world-spanning phenomenon. When RENT struck, Larson became a legend - and his work legendary.
But legends and overnight successes are never spawned from nothing, and the story of how Jonathan Larson became a Tony Award winning composer and Pulitzer Prize winning dramatist has never been covered in depth - until now.
By looking at Larson's entire 16-year output, Boho Days look...
This book offers a wealth of resources, critical overviews and detailed analysis of Ivo van Hove's internationally acclaimed work as the foremost director of theatre, opera and musicals in our time. Stunning production photos capture the power of van Hove's directorial vision, his innovative use of theatrical spaces, and the arresting stage images that have made his productions so popular among audiences worldwide over the last 30 years. Van Hove's own contribution to the book, which includes a...
This book offers a wealth of resources, critical overviews and detailed analysis of Ivo van Hove's internationally acclaimed work as the foremost director of theatre, opera and musicals in our time. Stunning production photos capture the power of van Hove's directorial vision, his innovative use of theatrical spaces, and the arresting stage images that have made his productions so popular among audiences worldwide over the last 30 years. Van Hove's own contribution to the book, which includes a...
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shocked audiences and critics alike with its assault on decorum. At base though, the play is simply a love story: an examination of a long-wedded life, filled with the hopes, dreams, disappointments, and pain that accompany the passing of many years together.
While the ethos of the play is tragicomic, it is the anachronistic, melodramatic secret object?the nonexistent "son"?that upends the audience’s sense of theatrical normalcy. The mean and vu...
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