Jelly’s Last Jam
"Ambitions beyond the imagination of most Broadway musicals. Anyone who cares about the future of the American musical will want to see Jelly's Last Jam."--Frank Rich, The New York Times繞An intensive investigation of the life and work of composer/musician Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly's Last Jam breaks important ground, allowing African-American history to speak from the Broadway stage.
One on One
ONE ON ONE THE BEST WOMEN'S MONOLOGUES FOR THE NINETIES
Mime Time
Whether you're a seasoned pro, an ambitious beginner, a theater student, an occasional dabbler in the performing arts, or just an unlucky club member who has been assigned to do a mime routine at the upcoming talent show, this is a handy, useful book. Includes forty-five complete mime routines for performers of all ages, adaptable to all types of audiences. In addition to the wide variety of routines are technique suggestions and ideas about makeup, props, staging, where and when to perform, and teamwork! This theatre book makes an excellent class text or a library resource.
The Craftsmen of Dionysus
This book, by Jerome Rockwood and endorsed by actors such as Bruce Willis and Burgess Meredith, has been praised as the best acting textbook on the market today. It covers auditioning, blocking, relaxing, improvisation, standard stage speech, dialects and accents, movement in period plays, and much more.
Not Since Carrie
Not Since Carrie is Ken Mandelbaum's brilliant survey of Broadway's biggest flops. This highly readable and entertaining book highlights almost 200 musicals created between 1950 and 1990, framed around the notorious musical adaptation of Carrie, and examines the reasons for their failure. "Essential and hilarious," raves The New Yorker, and The New York Times calls the book "A must-read."
The Actor and the Text
These words of Cicely Berry, the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, speak to anyone who needs to speak his or her piece - in any arena, at sales meetings or religious revivals. Berry's book will insure that the speaker and the text gets heard - accurately and with true emotional range. Never again will one be accused of simply "reading a prepared statement." Berry's exercises to develop relaxation, breathing and muscular control will literally help everyone breathe easier when confronting the printed page.
Fantasticks
"Richly illustrated, it is ideal for fans of the show, as well as admirers of musical theatre." - Variety - "Anybody who has seen the show (who hasn't?) should read the book" - Entertainment Today - "The perfect present for any Fantasticks fans." -, Cleveland Plain Dealer - "A valuable resource. Recommended for all collections." - Choice
Shakespeare Comes to Broadmoor
Between 1989 and 1991 several of Shakespeare's tragedies were performed in the central hall of Broadmoor Hospital. This book sets these important events on record. It offers insights into the impact of such drama, in such a setting, upon actors and audience. It includes interviews with the directors and the actors playing the title roles, as well as a description of the hospital and its community of patients and staff.The performances were given by actors from The Royal Shakespeare Company (Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet), The Royal National Theatre (King Lear) and the Wilde Community Theatre Company, a local amateur drama group (Measure for Measure). An account is given of `workshops' which took place after the performances. And a collage of comment, by actors and audience, is presented as a stream of corporate consciousness.The final section of the book has a more academic timbre, including chapters on performance and projective possibilities, the nature and scope of dramatherapy, and contributions on the place of drama in custodial settings by specialists from a variety of disciplines.
The Floating Island Plays
Four plays depicting a Cuban family as they struggle to cope with change over the course of fifty years.
City of Angels
The script to the Tony winning music featuring a book by Larry Gelbart, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by David Zippel. The book also includes an introduction by Larry Gelbart, illustrations by Al Hirschfeld, production photographs, and original costume designs. Hardcover.
The Presence of the Actor
Chaikin, who directed the celebrated Open Theater in the '60s, kindled an emphasis on communal playmaking whose impact is still evident today. This conversational review of his efforts details his methods and reveals the struggles involved in the creation of some of the most exciting theatre of our time.
Strasberg at the Actors Studio
"A fascinating close-up of Mr. Strasberg's philosophy of theatre and method of working with actors."--Eliot Fremont-Smith, The New York Times Unavailable for over fifteen years, these transcripts of Strasberg's private acting classes provide a revealing look at one of the nation's most famous acting schools and its controversial leader.
Speak With Distinction
Widely recognized as the most complete and rigorous text of its kind since it was first published in 1942, Speak With Distinction is an invaluable resource. It presents a comprehensive study of the sounds of Spoken English in their most important phonetic environments. This most recent revision also adds much material for comparisons of speech sounds; suggestions for accurate, efficient and conversational ways of combining the sounds into connected utterance; indications that foster a working knowledge of two dialects of speech (General American and what Mrs. Skinner called Good Speech for classic and elevated texts); and beginning material to show application of the principles of Good Speech to well-written texts.Some important additions to the book are the extensive Glossary and Index, abundant guides to pronunciations, new sections featuring such details as the complete "Ask-List" of words, a program for the elimination of glottal attacks of vowel and dipthong sounds, greatly expanded practice material of phrases and sentences, and an updated Chart showing several levels of phonetic transcription and spelling equivalents in current usage.Speak With Distinction can be used in several ways: as a primary educational textbook for both the beginning and advanced actor; as a supplementary textbook for teachers and students who have their own methods and agenda for study; and as a reference book for teachers, speech coaches and directors.
On Stage!
Here is a haven of short one-act plays that are easily adaptable to classroom or stage performance. Enhanced with prop suggestions and simple costuming, the emphasis of each of these shows is on contemporary characters in contemporary situations. There are parts for actors of all ages from teens to middle age, with playing time as short as eight minutes and as long as fifteen minutes. The book is filled with variety, as well: light drama, tragicomedy, and satire. With small cast plays, monologs, and duologs, here is a versatile source book of short plays for many uses. (240 pages, 51/2 x 81/2, paperback)
Fiddler on the Roof
The full text and complete lyrics, as well as photographs from the original production. "One of the great works of the American musical theatre. It is darling, touching, beautiful, warm, funny and inspiring. It is a work of art." -John Chapman, Daily News
No Exit and Three Other Plays
NOBEL PRIZE WINNER - Four seminal plays by one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. An existential portrayal of Hell in Sartre's best-known play, as well as three other brilliant, thought-provoking works: the reworking of the Electra-Orestes story, the conflict of a young intellectual torn between theory and conflict, and an arresting attack on American racism.
Improvisations in Creative Drama
This versatile text gives you two books in one! The first half of the book is composed of an ordered sequence of two dozen workshops in Creative Drama, introduced by a few words on the mechanics of classroom management and student preparation. Although some of the activities may appear frivolous on the surface, they conceal a deeper purpose: to lure your students into an addiction to drama and theatre! Each lesson plan is explained in detail yet invites teachers to put their own personal touch on it. While written for young teens, these lessons have been used with little modification for everyone from seven-year-olds to adults. The second half of the book consists of fourteen dramatic short plays. Written for two or three actors with running times of five to twelve minutes, each skit is accompanied by extensive production notes. Besides providing staging details, these notes offer discussion suggestions to involve the entire class and tie-ins to the lessons of the first half of the book. An ideal classroom text, the two halves of the book can be used simultaneously, with the dramatic sketches reinforcing the skills introduced in the lessons.
A Dream of Passion
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Robert DeNiro, Marilyn Monroe, and Joanne Woodward-these are only a few of the many actors trained in "Method" acting by the great and legendary Lee Strasberg. This revolutionary theory of acting-developed by Stanislavsky and continued by Strasberg-has been a major influence on the art of acting in our time. During his last decade, Strasberg devoted himself to a work that would explain once and for all what The Method was and how it worked, as well as telling the story of its development and of the people involved with it. The result is a masterpiece of wisdom and guidance for anyone involved with the theater in any way. .
Playing Joan
Includes: Jane Alexander, Eileen Atkins, Elisabeth Bergner, Marjorie Brewer, Zoe Caldwell, Ann Casson, Constance Cummings, Judi Dench, Joyce Ebert, Pat Galloway, Ellen Geer, Lee Grant, Uta Hagen, Wendy Hiller, Frances Hyland, Barbara Jefford, Laurie Kennedy, Roberta Maxwell, Siobhan McKenna, Nora McLellan, Sarah Miles, Sian Phillips, Angela Pleasence, Joan Plowright, Lynn Redgrave and Janet Suzman.
Sanford Meisner on Acting
Sanford Meisner was one of the best known and beloved teachers of acting in the country. This book follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Written in collaboration with Dennis Longwell, it is essential reading for beginning and professional actors alike. Throughout these pages Meisner is a delight--always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges. With an introduction by Sydney Pollack, director of Out of Africa and Tootsie, who worked with Meisner for five years. "This book should be read by anyone who wants to act or even appreciate what acting involves. Like Meisner's way of teaching, it is the straight goods."--Arthur Miller "If there is a key to good acting, this one is it, above all others. Actors, young and not so young, will find inspiration and excitement in this book."--Gregory Peck
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Abridged PAPER- BACK TEXT ONLY
Audition
Harness your passion and nail your next audition with this "immensely useful" (Variety) playbook from the legendary casting director for Chicago, The Sound of Music, Gypsy, and Jesus Christ Superstar--featuring an introduction from Bob Fosse "A bible for aspiring actors."--The New York Times When Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Ben Vereen, Lily Tomlin, Bette Midler, and Dustin Hoffman got their first breaks, Michael Shurtleff was there. In Audition, the renowned casting director shares twelve vital guideposts for how to succeed in any audition and offers advice on: - style- pacing- distractions- risks- seduction- drama- musical theater- comedy- self-rescue- eye contact- and more! Audition is a seminal guide to finding victory in all the auditions we face in life.
Theatre Games for Young Performers
Any classroom teacher or group leader who wants to incorporate drama into an educational program will find this book concise and comprehensive. It tells the how, when, what, and why of theatre games for young performers. Not a textbook for performers, this book serves as a resource for drama teachers and coaches. All the basics of pantomime, improvisations, voice control, monologues, and dialogues are presented in game formats with exercises and worksheets for easy organization. Whether new to teaching drama or a seasoned professional, this book is for you!
Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
"You are a very, very clever little girl." -- Queen Victoria to Annie OakleyHer life was the stuff of legend -- from humble Quaker origins in Darke County, Ohio, Annie Oakley (nee Phoebe Ann Moses) rose to the heights of renown as a world-famous entertainer and featured performer with Buffalo Bill's Wild West extravaganza. Her self-discipline, showmanship, and legendary gifts as a sharpshooter earned her the adulation of millions; yet to close friends she was always a generous, gentle woman. She excelled in a man's sport but never lost her feminine appeal. This volume provides a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at the life and career of Annie Oakley -- her impoverished girlhood, long and devoted marriage to Frank Butler, early years with the Sells Brothers Circus, and especially seventeen years spent touring with Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody), playing to packed arenas in America and Europe. More than 100 rare photographs, posters, handbills, and other memorabilia document Annie, Buffalo Bill, Johnnie Baker, and other members of the famous troupe; the show on tour in Europe; Annie's celebrated trick shots, famous visitors, etc. In a career that spanned more than 40 years (1882-1925), Annie Oakley accumulated a remarkable store of memorable experiences: command performances before the crowned heads of Europe; adoption by Sitting Bull (who named her "Little Sure Shot"); and an appearance before the first motion-picture camera, Edison's Kinetograph, in 1894. These and many other outstanding moments come to vivid life in Mrs. Sayer's fascinating and informative text. Through the years, the life and legend of Annie Oakley have been immortalized on stage, film and TV, and in books. Yet few presentations offer as revealing and intimate a look at a genuine American folk heroine as this book. In addition, nostalgia buffs, show-business historians, and Americana enthusiasts will find it an informative account of life with one of the greatest entertainment spectacles of nineteenth-century America: Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Original Dover publication.
The Theater of the Bauhaus
Classic essays about theater design from Bauhaus mastersFew creative movements have been more influential than the Bauhaus, under the leadership of Walter Gropius. The art of the theater commanded special attention. The text in this volume is a loose collection of essays by Oskar Schlemmer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Farkas Moln獺r (who in an illustrated essay shares his vision of a total theatre space), with an introduction by Bauhaus leader Walter Gropius. Originally published in German in 1924, Die B羹hne im Bauhaus was translated by A. S. Wensinger and published by Wesleyan in 1961. It was prepared with the full cooperation of Walter Gropius and his introduction was written specially for this edition.From Bauhaus experiments there emerged a new aesthetic of stage design and presentation, a new concept of "total theater." Its principles and practices, revolutionary in their time and far in advance of all but the most experimental stagecraft today, were largely the work of Oskar Schlemmer, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and their students. Profusely illustrated and startling in its typography (the work of Moholy-Nagy), the 1924 volume quickly became a collector's item and is now virtually unobtainable. Those interested in the stage, the modern visual arts, or in the bold steps of the men of genius who broadened the horizons of aesthetic experience will appreciate that this translation is available again.
