The Brecht Yearbook / Das Brecht-jahrbuch
Bertolt Brecht continues to be regarded as one of the twentieth century's most controversial and influential writers. His life and work raise important questions about the nature and function of literature and theater, about perception and commitment, about feminist approaches to politics and literature, and about intellectual property rights. The Brecht Yearbook is a venue for discussion about aspects of theater and literature that were of particular interest to Brecht, especially the politics of literature and the politics of theater in a global context. This volume includes a special section of five articles focused on Bertolt Brecht and Georg B羹chner, revolutionary playwright of an earlier era. Also featured are articles and keynote addresses from the International Brecht Society symposium held in Brazil in 2013, under the theme "The Creative Spectator." New research on Brecht and Puccini, Brechtand tragedy, and George Tabori's play Nathans Tod rounds out the volume, along with reviews of recent books and Jost Hermand's tribute to Werner Mittenzwei.
Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric
A practical, accessible and thorough guide to identifying and using rhetorical devices in drama, using examples from both classical and contemporary plays. An unprecedented reference and handbook for actors, directors, playwrights and teachers; written by practitioners for practitioners. Little has been written about how dramatists draw on rhetorical devices, and how a study of these can unlock a text for a performer or director, or indeed inspire contemporary playwrights. This book addresses in detail - yet in straightforward terms - the many different rhetorical forms used in drama, and enables the reader to identify and analyse them. Dramatic Adventures in Rhetoric may be read cover to cover, or it may be dipped into; it is both an analytic tool and a reference aid for use in the classroom or rehearsal room, revealing how careful study of language is one of the best ways of accessing the richness of texts both classical and contemporary.
You Can Act on Camera
From the big issues to the fine points, this book gives you what you need to know when they call "Action!" D. W. Brown is one of the world's leading experts on the subject and he provides his invaluable 31 Principles for Acting On Camera, as well as key advice on how to come through in the clutch. In addition, he incisively interviews directors of major acclaim for their insights on the unique art of acting for the camera.
Future Theatre Research
Eli Rozik explores the principles that generated the theatre medium, and its possible roots in the preverbal imagistic mode of thinking. This mode characterises the remnants of preverbal thinking, such as unconscious thinking (dreaming), the embryonic speech of toddlers, and their imaginative play and drawings prior to mastering verbal thinking. The book is a recapitulation of major findings regarding the nature of the theatre, its medium, fictional creativity and origin, and includes new unpublished studies. It address the principles of imagistic, metaphoric, symbolic and fictional thinking, which characterise the theatre, as well as reception and acting. The work has been designed to fit the structure of a university course, and will appeal to people interested in broadening their knowledge and understanding of theatre art.
The Hateful Eight
Academy Award-winning screenwriter Quentin Tarantino returns with his most infamous, most brilliant, most masterful screenplay yet??繞 At the end of the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. Bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive captive Daisy Domergue race toward the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter Major Marquis Warren, a former Union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter; and Chris Mannix, a renegade who claims to be the town's new sheriff. Lost in a blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren, and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover. When they arrive, they are greeted by four unfamiliar faces: Bob, who takes care of Minnie's in the owner's absence; Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock; cow-puncher Joe Gage; and Confederate general Sanford Smithers. As the storm overtakes the mountainside, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all ... The Hateful Eight is a Tarantino master class in tension-filled atmosphere, singular characters, and razor-sharp dialogue.
Behind the Scenes
"Mick has been the catalyst for the most messed-up, funny, smart, low-budget, loud, subversive, hilarious, mind-expanding improv shows of his time." Bob Odenkirk, star of "Better Call Saul." In this follow-up to his highly regarded book "Improvise. Scene from the Inside Out", globally acclaimed improviser, director, and instructor Mick Napier focuses on the complexities and theories of long-form improvisation. This extended form of improvisation invites performers to be inspired for at least thirty minutes by a single suggestion as they push their creativity to the limit. Napier taps into more than 30 years of experience and distills his tools for success into practical, engaging lessons: -The art of introductions and edits -Different approaches to openers -Pros and cons of the backline -Why it's okay to be funny -Finding the dominant energy -Sustaining a solid character
Children on Screen
A guidebook for child and teen actors and their parents on the UK and US TV and Film industries from top Hollywood talent manager Frederick Levy. - Training- The Tools (Headshots, CV)- The Players (Agents, Managers)- Auditions- Booking the Job- Working on set- Publicity- Child Labor Laws- Education- Parents in the Biz- Building a Career Filled with anecdotes about working in the business, the book is an entertaining and informative read, offering firm, practical advice not just from the author but also from other actors, acting coaches, agents and casting directors from both sides of the Atlantic.
The Lady in the Van
The screenplay edition of the major motion picture adaptation, starring Maggie Smith, of Alan Bennett's acclaimed story "The Lady in the Van." This edition features an introduction by director Nicholas Hytner (Miss Saigon, The History Boys), and a new preface and film diary by the author. From acclaimed author and playwright Alan Bennett, whose smash hit The History Boys won a Tony Award for Best Play, comes the screenplay of The Lady in the Van-soon to be a major motion picture starring Dame Maggie Smith. The Lady in the Van is the true story of Bennett's experiences with an eccentric homeless woman, Miss Mary Shepherd, whom he befriended in the 1970s and allowed to temporarily park her van in front of his Camden home. She ended up staying there for fifteen years, resulting in an uncommon, often infuriating, and always highly entertaining friendship of a lifetime for the author. Read the screenplay of the film destined to be among the most talked about of the year, and discover the unbelievable story of one of the most unlikely-yet heartwarmingly real-relationships in modern literature.
The Director Actor Relationship
Vivid tales and anecdotes about the theatre told by John D. Mitchell, founder of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Theatre Arts.
Music in Range
Music in Range explores the history of Canadian campus radio, highlighting the factors that have shaped its close relationship with local music and culture. The book traces how campus radio practitioners have expanded stations from campus borders to sur-rounding musical and cultural communities by acquiring FM licenses and establishing community-based mandates. The culture of a campus station extends beyond its studio and into the wider community where it is connected to the local music scene within its broadcast range. The book examines campus stations and local music in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Sackville, NB, and highlights the ways that campus stations--through music-based programming, their operational practices, and the culture under which they operate--produce alternative methods and values for circulating local and independent Canadian artists at a time when ubiquitous commercial media outlets do exactly the opposite. Music in Range sheds light on a radio sector that is an integral component of Canada's musical and cultural fabric and positions campus radio as a worthy site of attention at a time when connectivity and sharing between musicians, music fans, and cultural intermediaries are increasingly shaping our experience of music, radio, and sound.
Trauma-tragedy
Trauma-tragedy investigates the extent to which performance can represent the 'unrepresentable' of trauma. Throughout, there is a focus on how such representations might be achieved and if they could help us to understand trauma on personal and social levels. In a world increasingly preoccupied with and exposed to traumas, this volume considers what performance offers as a means of commentary that other cultural products do not. The book's clear and coherent navigation of complex relations between performance and trauma and its analysis of key practitioners and performances (from Sarah Kane to Soc穫etas Raffaello Sanzio, Harold Pinter to Forced Entertainment, and Phillip Pullman to Franco B) make it accessible and useful to students of performance and trauma studies, yet rigorous and incisive for scholars and specialists. Duggan explores ideas around the phenomenological and socio-political efficacy and impact of performance in relation to trauma. Ultimately, the book advances a new performance theory or mode, 'trauma-tragedy', that suggests much contemporary performance can generate the sensation of being present in trauma through its structural embodiment in performance, or 'presence-in-trauma effects'.
10-Minute Plays for Kids
In 10-Minute Plays for Kids, young thespians will find terrific plays by some of our most prominent playwrights - such as Sharyn Rothstein, Alex Broun, Jenny Lyn Bader, Claudia I. Haas, and Mark Harvey Levine, and by others less well known but equally terrific such as Sharai Bohannon, Suzanne Bailie, and Shirley King. The characters and situations portrayed are perfect for the kid actor. Some of the plays explore relatable tales of friendship and family, while others allow the actors to take on the personas of nonhuman characters, such as fish and chess pieces! 10-Minute Plays for Kids is ideal for theater students, youth groups, and acting classes.
Playing Scenes from Classic Literature
This rich collection of 68 scenes from 54 famous authors reflects more than 30 years of experience Joellen Bland has had skillfully adapting scenes from the classics. From Dickens to Bram Stoker, from Louisa May Alcott and Jane Austen to Henry David Thoreau and Robert Louis Stevenson, these scenes may be read for pleasure, used to enrich literature classes, acted out in performances or practiced for auditions and acting exercises. The broad selection includes 16 monologues, 20 duet scenes, 16 scenes for three and 18 scenes for four or more. The scenes are short five to ten minutes and is prefaced with a short description of the events preceding and surrounding the scene itself. Literature teachers especially will love bringing to life the characters and a scene from some of the world's most famous literature.
The Theater Dictionary
Wilfred Granville's Theatre Dictionary is an essential guide to the terms in British and American Drama, Opera, and Ballet, and this volume is of incomparable value for the student and practical theatre worker on either side of the Atlantic. It offers a fascinating compilation of technical jargon and colloquial slang pertaining to the business of the theatre, from the legitimate stage to vaudeville and road shows. For several years Wilfred Granville was actively engaged in the theatre as actor, stage director, and producer and speaks from firsthand knowledge of his subject. A specialist in glossaries, Wilfred Granville has treated theatre speech in a readable, unacademic way though there is no inadequacy in his treatment of etymologies of words and phrases recorded. Wilfred Granville was a British lexicographer known for his jargon and slang dictionaries and his military histories. He researched and wrote dictionaries on sea and naval slang and theatre terms as well as naval military histories.
Scenes and Monologs from the Best New Plays
This book is a practical resource for acting and directing students of all ages - middle through high school, college and professionals young and old. Its 30 duet scenes and eight monologues include a fair sampling of the late 20th century work of playwrights across the United States. These excerpts are highly original in that few people can claim to have read or seen them performed, though they have all been produced regionally. The gallery of characters contained in these pages offer readers an arresting and kaleidoscopic reflection of American society. The literary styles one encounters here demonstrate the range and power of American writers who will continue to shape theatrical technique for years to come. Overall, this anthology provides a generous sampling of vital and compelling treatments of our social, artistic and spiritual experiences of the late 20th century.
100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write
100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write is an incisive, idiosyncratic collection on life and theater from major American playwright Sarah Ruhl. This is a book in which chimpanzees, Chekhov, and child care are equally at home. A vibrant, provocative examination of the possibilities of the theater, it is also a map to a very particular artistic sensibility, and an unexpected guide for anyone who has chosen an artist's life. Sarah Ruhl is a mother of three and one of America's best-known playwrights. She has written a stunningly original book of essays whose concerns range from the most minimal and personal subjects to the most encompassing matters of art and culture. The titles themselves speak to the volume's uniqueness: "On lice," "On sleeping in the theater," "On motherhood and stools (the furniture kind)," "Greek masks and Bell's palsy."
Offstage Voices
An inside look at Twin Cities theater and how Minneapolis-St. Paul became home to one of the nation's most vibrant and innovative theatrical communities.
The Principles of Movement
Foreword by Cate Blanchett With contributions by Geoffrey Rush, Baz Luhrmann, Miranda Otto and Hugo Weaving amongst others. From the writings of Keith Bain, Michael Campbell has collated a step-by-step course for students and teachers on the principles and practice of Australia's great teacher of Movement. In simple language he lays out the secrets of self-knowledge that lie behind understanding the body and mind. 'Movement', says Bain, 'is both how we move and what moves us, Movement is the look in our eyes, the tensions and the tone in our muscles, our breathing, our thinking, our longings and fears. Movement has equal concern for the inner and outer aspects, with each clarifying the other.' Baz Luhrmann: 'He is one of the great mentors of my creative life.'Cate Blanchett: 'His teachings are the foundation of my technique.'
Theatre Sciences
Traditional theatre semiotics promoted a scientific approach to theatre studies, albeit viewing semiotics as the unique discipline of research. Theatre Sciences: A Plea for a Multidisciplinary Approach to Theatre Studies suggests instead a multi-disciplinary approach, including the following theoretical disciplines: narratology, mythology, pragmatics, ethics, theatre irony, theory of genres, aesthetics, semiotics, theory of non-verbal figures of speech, rhetoric, psychoanalysis, reception theory, history, and sociology -- with semiotics being only one among equals. These disciplines are presented from the perspective of their possible contributions to a sound methodology of theatre-texts analysis. Traditional theatre semiotics, moreover, holds the view that the actual performance on stage is the genuine text of theatre, instead of the play-script. Despite this paradigmatic shift, however, this viewpoint has failed to produce commendable analyses of such texts. The alternative presupposition put forward in this volume entails a series of novel perceptions of the theatre-text and its possible impact on the experiencing spectator, whose role in reading, interpreting and experiencing the theatre-text is not less crucial than that of the text itself. This view presupposes that the theatre-text is a description of a fictional world generated by the theatre medium. The author also contests the age-old view that a theatre/fictional-text reflects a simple narrative structure, and suggests instead a complexity that consists of seven layers: personified, mythical, praxical, naive, ironic, modal and aesthetic -- with each one of them re-structuring the previous layer. Professor Rozik also presents and describes a semiotic layer that lends communicative capacity to the description of a fictional world, and two additional metaphoric and rhetoric layers, which structure the theatre experience. The underlying purpose is to illustrate the application of the aforementioned disciplines to these fictional layers, and eventually their joint application to entire theatre / fictional texts. Organisation of the book reflects the structure of a university course.
The Art of Stillness
For over forty years, Tadashi Suzuki has been a unique and vital force in both Japanese and Western theater, creating and directing many internationally acclaimed productions including his famous production of The Trojan Women, which subsequently toured around the world. An intergral part of his work has been the development and teaching of his rigorous and controversial training system, the Suzuki method, whose principles have also been highly influential in contemporary theater. Paul Allain, an experienced practitioner of the Suzuki method, re-evaluates Suzuki's work, giving a lucid overview of his development towards an international theater aesthetic. He examines Suzuki's collaborators, the importance of architecture and environment in his theater and his impact on performance all over the world. The Art of Stillness is a lively, critical study of one of the most important and uncompromising figures in contemporary world theater.
Tradition!
Since it first opened on Broadway in September, 1964, Fiddler on the Roof has constantly been onstage somewhere, including four Broadway revivals, four productions on London's West End and thousands of schools, army bases and countries from Argentina to Japan. Barbara Isenberg interviewed the men and women behind the original production, the film and significant revivals-- Harold Prince, Sheldon Harnick, Joseph Stein, Austin Pendleton, Joanna Merlin, Norman Jewison, Topol, Harvey Fierstein and more-- to produce a lively, popular chronicle of the making of Fiddler. Published in celebration of Fiddler's 50th anniversary, Tradition! is the book for everyone who loves Fiddler and can sing along with the original cast album.
112 Acting Games
The second edition of this popular text includes twenty-five new bonus games! The revised introduction from the author emphasizes the versatility of these games, and explains how directors and instructors from many different fields have used these activities to promote success. The objective of this book is to give theatre teachers the tools they will need not just to play a game or teach an exercise, but also to actually understand the reasons they are doing so and the practical benefits of each exercise. This handy text will also enable teachers to hold a group discussion when necessary and guide them on how to ask leading questions. For each of the games, divided into skill categories sensory awareness, characterization, action and reaction, nonverbal communication and much more you ll find not only the description of the game, but also discussion guidelines, suggestions of variables and a clearly delineated purpose for the game.
Sci-fi Scenes and Monster Dreams
16 scenes for two to six (or more) players, all 5-10 minutes in length. Student actors will love playing a wide variety of characters: -Comical monsters -Socially awkward robots -Powerful wizards -Courageous superheroes -Mad scientists -Charismatic talking dogs -Adventurous space explorers -And many more! These hilarious scenes include spoofs of popular movies, television shows, and books, as well as original stories. A valuable resource for any group of actors, this laugh-out-loud collection also builds essential skills like pantomime, comedic timing, using accents, and physical characterization. All scenes are easy to stage with fun roles for everyone!
Improvise
This expanded and revised edition has a new foreword by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, additional advice and tips for success, and a full reproduction of Mick Napier's web journal from his time directing the famous show Paradigm Lost for The Second City that included Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Kevin Dorff. Renowned improv instructor and award-winning director Mick Napier has been at the heart of the professional improvisation community for more than 25 years. The first edition of Improvise. quickly earned its position as necessary reading for improv students across the country and around the world and gave birth to a new generation of performers who questioned "The Rules" of improvisation. In this entertaining and incredibly informative book, Napier will teach you the essentials of... --Why "The Rules" don't matter --How to take care of yourself in a scene --Using context to your advantage --Effective two-person scenes --Balanced large-cast scenes --Successful auditioning --Solo exercises you can practice at home
Trickster Theatre
Trickster Theatre traces the changing social significance of national theatre in Ghana from its rise as an idealistic state project from the time of independence to its reinvention in recent electronic, market-oriented genres. Jesse Weaver Shipley presents portraits of many key figures in Ghanaian theatre and examines how Akan trickster tales were adapted as the basis of a modern national theatre. This performance style tied Accra's evolving urban identity to rural origins and to Pan-African liberation politics. Contradictions emerge, however, when the ideal Ghanaian citizen is a mythic hustler who stands at the crossroads between personal desires and collective obligations. Shipley examines the interplay between on-stage action and off-stage events to show how trickster theatre shapes an evolving urban world.
Acting Shakespeare’s Language
In this inspirational new manual, Andy Hinds shares what he has learnt over thirty years of teaching the speaking and acting of Shakespeare's texts. In simple steps he brings the reader to a full understanding of how Shakespeare's language 'works', lucidly outlines a number of practical guidelines, and provides simple, test-proven exercises to put each guideline into practice. Key points include: Acting Solo Speeches Pronunciation Imagery and imagistic language Acting Shakespeare's Verse Acting Shakespeare's Prose Breathing The essential guide for all actors, students, teachers or directors tackling Shakespeare's plays or speeches and wishing to release the full dramatic power of his words.
Teen Boys Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny
You wanna be funny for your audition? This book of monologues, written by people who are actually funny for a living, has your back. This incredibly hysterical, cutting-edge monologue book will give the teen actor the extra bang he needs to land the perfect comedic role! Teen Boys' Comedic Monologues That Are Actually Funny features monologues by writers and comics who have written for and/or performed on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, Last Comic Standing, E! Entertainment, Comedy Central Stage, and many, many more. This book is the answer to the comedic monologue needs of teen actors everywhere!
Playhouse Wills 1558-1642
Now available in paperback, this edition constitutes an archive of source materials in the field of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre. It is a collection of over one hundred wills left by those who participate in the life of the theatre - from actors and dramatists to carpenters and costumiers.
London’s Pirate Pioneers
London's Pirate Pioneers tells the story of the capital's pirate radio stations and the people who helped change the British broadcasting system. From the early hobbyist operations of the 1960s to the big commercial enterprises of the 1980s. From suburban bedrooms to open fields to urban tower blocks. From hippies to soul boys to ravers. The book weaves together a year-by-year account of the developments in London's radio with the stories of the key stations. It explores the political, social, musical and technological changes that were to influence each stage in their evolution. Photos from every era take you behind the scenes to see the DJs and engineers at work and the book gathers together flyers and promos from many of the leading stations. Stephen Hebditch was editor of TX / Radio Today, the most popular pirate radio magazine in eighties London, and has continued documenting the pirates at amfm.org.uk.
Stardom Happens
"Clean your room, do your homework, and dodge the paparazzi." Have you ever wondered what life would be like raising a successful child actor? Stardom Happens gives you all the information you need to help your child get into the business and have a positive experience while acting. Candy Bennici and her son Taran Noah Smith, who played the youngest son on a hit show for eight years, use their experiences, both good and bad, to help you and your child successfully navigate the fun but sometimes treacherous world of entertainment. First you will learn the basics of entering the world of acting, such as finding an agent, creating a resume, working with photographers, and surviving the dreaded auditions. Handling finances, schooling, and expectations on the set are just a few more of the topics covered. Then, with personal insight and occasional humor, Candy and Taran bring you into the world of child stardom and show you how to avoid the everyday problems fame can bring.. How do you deal with producers who donʼt understand children? What do you do with mounds of fan mail? Should you help with charities? How do you make personal appearances fun? And, most important, how do you keep your child grounded and safe? Whether you have a future child actor or are just curious about the entertainment business, Stardom Happens will answer your questions and help you create a positive experience for the whole family.
The Authentic Actor
Every year, thousands of actors struggle to navigate today's film and TV business while also wanting to grow as performers, as artists. These actors tend to be risk-takers, mold-breakers, and are interested in defining who they are. They are looking for advice and guidance about art and about commerce. The Authentic Actor is for them. The actor's path today begins with two questions: Who are you? What do you know? Beginning with personal authenticity, The Authentic Actor reveals a holistic approach that fuses discovery of the "actor's fingerprint" with skills for managing performance, career, and life -- as artist, businessperson, and citizen. It addresses the toughest subjects, from mastering auditions and dealing with representation to bouncing back from rejection and finding your "tribe" -- all with the humor, and the no-b.s. voice of an experienced mentor. The goal? To help actors forge a professional career and meaningful life while never forgetting their artistic core.
The Works of Shakespeare
This is Volume 8 of "The Works of Shakespeare, In Eight Volumes," a meticulously collated and corrected edition dating back to 1762. This volume, part of a comprehensive collection, offers readers a valuable glimpse into Shakespearean scholarship of the 18th century. The text is 'Collated With the Oldest Copies, and Corrected, With Notes, Explanatory, and Critical, ' providing insightful commentary and analysis. An essential addition to any Shakespeare library, this edition showcases the enduring relevance and timeless appeal of Shakespeare's plays while reflecting the critical perspectives of a bygone era. Illustrated by Gerard Vandergucht and Hubert Fran癟ois Gravelot, and edited by Hubert Fran癟ois Theobald.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Ancient Greek and Contemporary Performance
This collection of published and unpublished essays connects antiquity with the present by debating the current prohibiting conceptions of performance theory and the insistence on a limited version of 'the contemporary'. The theatre is attractive for its history and also for its lively present. These essays explore aspects of historical performance in ancient Greece, and link thoughts on its significance to wider reflections on cultural theory from around the world and performance in the contemporary postmodern era, concluding with ideas on the new theatre of the diaspora. Each section of the book includes a short introduction; the essays and shorter interventions take various forms, but all are concerned with theatre, with practical aspects of theatre and theoretical dimensions of its study. The subjects range from ancient Greece to the present day, and include speculations on the origin of ancient tragic acting, the kinds of festival performance in ancient Athens, how performance is reflected in the tragic scripts, the significance of the presence of the chorus, technology and the ancient theatre, comparative thinking on Greek, Indian and Japanese theory, a critique of the rhetoric of performance theory and of postmodernism, reflections on modernism and theatre, and on the importance of adaptation to theatre, studies of the theatre and diaspora in Britain.
All the Lights on
All the Lights On is a history of the Twin Cities' theater company Ten Thousand Things, which brings intelligent, lively theater to nontraditional audiences--to prisons and homeless shelters, adult education centers and rural areas--as well as the general public.
The Complete Guide to Writing a Successful Screenplay
The Complete Guide to Writing A Successful Screenplay outlines time saving tools to hone your writing, so you can attract Hollywood agents and producers. You will discover how to create (and stick to) a timeline and deadline, whether writing your screenplay is a full- or part-time job. Writing and pitching a screenplay is nothing like writing a novel, and this book presents screenplay-specific information vital for any aspiring film writer. This book discusses how to write great openings and endings - the vital elements of a successful screenplay (and eventually movie) - and how to create characters that grow and evolve as the plot thickens. One of the hardest parts of writing a screenplay is developing a solid dialogue, and this book takes you through, step-by-step, how to fine-tune your characters' dialogue so it is not only believable but also well-written. Once your script is polished and perfect, you will need to pitch it to the public, and this book shows you how. You will grasp how to write a compelling query letter that is specifically geared to what agents are looking for, so your chances of getting represented are increased.
Production Stage Management for Broadway
Getting a new show up and running? Planning a revival? Taking over a long-running show? Going on the road? On Broadway, off Broadway, in regional repertory, or on tour, the only book you need as your professional companion is Peter Lawrence's comprehensive and definitive Production Stage Management for Broadway: From Idea to Opening Night and Beyond. With this book, Tony Award-winning Peter Lawrence has turned his decades of experience on Broadway into a thoroughly modern approach to the art and business of production stage managing and successfully pursuing a stage manager's career. Written for a wide range of readers from the beginning stage manager with high school or college experience to the professional assistant stage manager already working in commercial theatre Production Stage Management for Broadway is, at its heart, an invaluable map of how to get from the beginning through the end of a production.
Black Broadway
The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them. Like the doors of many professions, those of the theater world were shut to minorities for decades. While the Civil War may have freed the slaves, it was not until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that the playing field began to level. In this remarkable book, theater producer and historian Stewart F. Lane uses words and pictures to capture this tumultuous century and to highlight the rocky road that black actors have travelled to reach recognition on the Great White Way. After the Civil War, the popularity of the minstrel shows grew by leaps and bounds throughout the country. African Americans were portrayed by whites, who would entertain audiences in black face. While the depiction of blacks was highly demeaning, it opened the door to African-American performers, and by the late 1800s, a number of them were playing to full houses. By the 1920s, the Jazz Age was in full swing, allowing black musicians and composers to reach wider audiences. And in the thirties, musicals such as George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Eubie Blake's Swing It opened the door a little wider. As the years passed, black performers continued to gain ground. In the 1940s, Broadway productions of Cabin in the Sky, Carmen Jones, and St. Louis Woman enabled African Americans to demonstrate a fuller range of talents, and Paul Robeson reached national prominence in his awarding-winning portrayal of Othello. By the 1950s and '60s, more black actors--including Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Sidney Poitier--had found their voices on stage, and black playwrights and directors had begun to make their marks. Black Broadway provides an entertaining, poignant history of a Broadway of which few are aware. By focusing a spotlight on both performers long forgotten and on those whom we still hold dear, this unique book offers a story well worth telling.
Bert and I
Marshall Dodge and Bob Bryan began swapping funny Down East stories when they were students at Yale in the 1950s. Their fascination and appreciation for Maine and its people triggered the production of several "Bert and I" records, from which 14 stories were selected for the first edition of this book. Now, eleven more have been added for this expanded second edition. Dodge and Bryan were groundbreaking in their appreciation of the oral tradition and paved the way for contemporary storytelling icons like Garrison Keillor, Tim Sample, and Tom Bodett.
The Romantic Stage
The Romantic Stage: A Many-Sided Mirror examines late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century British theatre and drama with the conviction that they made an essential contribution to the aesthetic and ideological complexity of the British culture of the day. The essays collected in this volume seek to capture the richness and diversity of British Romantic theatre and drama and situate them at the centre of the multiple, and often radical, literary and social transformations that the Age brought about. The volume is divided into four main sections: "Contextualizing Romantic Theatre and Drama", "Drama across the Arts", "Staging the Gothic (Fear on Stage)" and "Texts, Theories and Contexts". Each section is dedicated to a particular aspect of English Romantic drama examined through interdisciplinary, international and inter-generic perspectives.
Comedy Writing Self-Taught
Comedy writing is an acquired skill. No one is born a comedy writer. The desire may be there from an early age, but the techniques must be learned, developed, and honed. Fortunately, the best teachers are readily available. They are the comics of the past and present, the television shows you see daily, both current versions and reruns. They provide your Ph.D. course in humor writing. In "Comedy Writing Self-Taught," Gene Perret, a three-time Emmy Award-winner and former head writer for Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller, teaches you how to teach yourself comedy writing techniques by observing, analyzing, and replicating those who have already mastered the skills. This book not only guides you in selecting the appropriate mentors for your writing and helps you decide what to look for in your studies, it also offers drills and exercises that will develop your creativity. A companion volume, "Comedy Writing Self-Taught Workbook," provides even more exercises and writing workouts. Whether you're writing stand-up routines, TV sketches, or sitcoms, this book clues you in to the fastest, most convenient way to teach yourself the skills you'll need. You'll do the watching, studying, and learning. You'll do the work -- and it will require work -- but you'll also reap the generous rewards, and have fun while teaching yourself to write comedy.
Comedy Writing Self-Taught Workbook
"Can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" "Practice, practice, practice." That's more than a joke; it's solid advice. Consider world-class performers in any field -- golf, figure skating, music, whatever. One thing you can safely say about each is that they achieved their level of skill through practice. To excel in any endeavor, you must work on and perfect your technique. Comedy writing is no exception. In this book, Emmy-winning TV writer and producer Gene Perret and professional writer Linda Perret have compiled a collection of over 100 comedy writing workouts that will challenge your joke writing skills and develop your sketch and sitcom writing abilities. This book suggests that talent is earned through observation, study, analysis, and repetition. The authors also encourage you to analyze your writing, discover where improvement is required, and create your own skill-creating exercises. The work can be demanding, but that's what it takes to become a success in any field, including comedy writing. If you study "Comedy Writing Self-Taught Workbook" -- with or without the companion volume, "Comedy Writing Self-Taught" -- when your break comes, you'll be ready.
Beyond Realism
When W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory set out in 1897 to create an Irish theatre, they expressed their openness to dramatic experimentation. However, the Abbey Theatre that was their legacy increasingly came to resist non-traditional dramaturgy. Ranging over a period of more than a century, the essays in Beyond Realism focus on theatre that has challenged what came to be perceived as the dominance of realism in Irish drama. The contributors demonstrate that, in the first half of the twentieth century, playwrights such as George Fitzmaurice, Sean O'Casey, and Jack B. Yeats produced unconventional theatre that challenged the norm of realism; they show that Irish dramatists since the 1980s, including Thomas Kilroy, Vincent Woods, and Patricia Burke Brogan further broadened the range of theatrical methods. The concluding essays on contemporary works that use multiple techniques, technology, and site-specific locations suggest that non-realistic, highly theatrical approaches are no longer the exception in Irish drama.
Two by Two
Two by Two is a fast-paced swirl through the dancing scene in L.A., where Leonardo DiCaprio has been known to swing at The Derby and Sandra Bullock salsas at El Floridita. Eve Babitz, a writer known for her hip, off-the-cuff, idiosyncratic style, spends two years of her life, ruins nine pairs of shoes, and goes through countless dance partners learning to appreciate and master all the hot dances from foxtrot and two-step to lindy, tango, salsa, and swing. Along the way she meets obsessed dancers and listens night after night as they pour out the secrets of their style--who the best teachers are, where to find the perfect dancing shoes, and how to fall in love with your partner. Eve brings the flirtatious energy of dancing alive like no other writer. Two by Two is not a book that teaches you how to dance, but it will surely make you want to learn once you've read it.
Revolution as Theatre
Using his extraordinary grasp of the theatre, Robert Brustein, Dean of the Yale Drama School and prize-winning critic, examines campus turmoil, radicalism versus liberalism, the fate of the free university, and the new revolutionary life style. Brustein sees American society as profoundly decadent, and those radicals from whom creative and rational alternatives should come as being increasingly dominated by sentimentality and false emotionalism. His observations are often controversial, always timely and interesting.
Gardener's Son
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy's acclaimed first screenplay, the basis for an Emmy-nominated film--a taut, riveting intergenerational drama of fathers and sons, power, inequality, rage, and violence set in post-Civil War South Carolina.Set in Graniteville, South Carolina, The Gardener's Son is a tale of privilege and hardship, animosity and vengeance brought to life through two families: the Greggs, the wealthy owners of a cotton mill, and their employees the McEvoys, a father and son beset by misfortune. After Robert McEvoy loses his leg in an accident--rumored to have been caused by his nemesis James Gregg, the son of the mill's founder--the angry and bitter young man deserts his job and family.Two years later, Robert returns. His mother is dying, and his father, the mill's gardener, is confined indoors working the factory line. These intertwined events stoke the slow burning rage McEvoy has long carried, a fury that erupts in a terrible act of violence that ultimately consumes the Gregg family and his own.Made into an acclaimed film broadcast on PBS in 1976, The Gardener's Son received two Emmy Award nominations and was screened at the Berlin and Edinburgh Film Festivals.
Covering Shakespeare
David Weston has spent a lifetime acting in Shakespeare's plays, and has been directed by the likes of Sir Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn and Michael Croft. Chosen as Ian McKellen's understudy in the RSC's King Lear, David toured the world and recorded his experiences in his diary, which became the award-winning Covering McKellen: An Understudy's Tale, called 'Salty, evocative and informative' by the Daily Mail. It went on to win the prestigious S.T.R. Theatre Book of the Year Prize for 2011. In Covering Shakespeare Weston goes even further, tracing his sixty-two year association with the Bard. He has appeared in twenty-nine of the thirty-seven plays, many several times, and has worked with all the major companies to the outmost limits of the Fringe, from Hollywood to Hong Kong, with the great, the mediocre and the forgotten. He has stories and reminiscences about them all, as well as advice for young actors written in his inimitable style. The book also contains a synopsis of each play and table outlining the total number of lines per character in each of Shakespeare's plays, rediscovered from an 1889 edition of Evenings with Shakespeare: A Handbook to the Study of His Works. Shortlisted for the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography 2015
Song of Spider-Man
"One of the best literary works of this year" (Miami Herald-Tribune): The true story of a theatrical dream--or nightmare--come true...the making of the Spider-Man musical. As you might imagine, writing a Broadway musical has its challenges. But it turns out there are challenges one can't begin to imagine when collaborating with two rock legends and a superstar director to stage the biggest, most expensive production in theater history. Renowned director Julie Taymor picked playwright Glen Berger to cowrite the book for a $25 million Spider-Man musical. Together--along with U2's Bono and Edge--they would shape a work that was technically daring and emotionally profound, with a story fueled by the hero's quest for love...and the villains' quest for revenge. Or at least, that's what they'd hoped for. But when charismatic producer Tony Adams died suddenly, the show began to lose its footing. Soon the budget was ballooning, financing was evaporating, and producers were jumping ship or getting demoted. And then came the injuries. And then came word-of-mouth about the show itself. What followed was a pageant of foul-ups, falling-outs, ever-more harrowing mishaps, and a whole lot of malfunctioning spider legs. This "circus-rock-and-roll-drama," with its $65 million price tag, had become more of a spectacle than its creators ever wished for. During the show's unprecedented seven months of previews, the company's struggles to reach opening night inspired breathless tabloid coverage and garnered international notoriety. Through it all, Berger observed the chaos with his signature mix of big ambition and self-deprecating humor.
