Funnier
A roadmap for understanding and creating comedy from the visionary Second City comedy director Great comedy can feel ineffable--and unlearnable. Debunking the myth that "either you are funny, or you aren't," Libera breaks the magic of comedy down into an innovative theory and practical toolkit. Developed over the course of thirty years as a director for The Second City and professor of comedy studies in their training center, Libera's approach is effective across stand-up, sketch, film, and television comedy, as evidenced by her powerhouse students: Amy Poehler, Kristen Schaal, Steven Yeun, and many more of your favorites. This book starts with a way to think about comedy and then guides you through concrete strategies for making your work smarter, richer, funnier. Libera covers everything from generating material to revising and performing to fostering social connection through comedy. In the book's final section, Libera draws from her personal life to make a profound case for why future comedy writers should consider the ethics of their art and their responsibility to their fellow human beings in the audience. Readers won't just be funnier because of this book--they'll be better people.
Playhouse to Powerhouse
The rise of Black cultural nationalism in the 1960s came with resounding promises of assertive new methods to achieve Black liberation in America, especially through art. Nowhere were these efforts more impactful or lasting than in the Black theatres founded or led by Black women between 1960 and 1990. Prior to the 1960s, most Black theatre was barred from mainstream white venues, limiting public access, Black artistic and economic opportunity, and cultural ownership. Playhouse to Powerhouse: Locating Black Power Women and Their Movement in the Black Theatre examines the revolutionaries who brought about this change, merging arts and entrepreneurship to embed theatres in Black communities from California to New York to Texas. In Playhouse to Powerhouse, Kerry L. Goldmann explores the Black theatre movement through the lens of three significant women-led theatres that are still in operation today: Nora Vaughn's Black Repertory Group in Berkeley, Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre in Harlem, and George Hawkins and Eileen Morris's Ensemble Theatre in Houston. Goldmann concludes with a discussion of the current moment, examining contemporary obstacles such as gentrification, the co-opting of Black theatres, and the impact of COVID-19. This remarkable work sheds light on the foundational role that Vaughn, Teer, and Morris played in the Black cultural revolution of the mid- to late twentieth century, securing theatre houses that thrived in multiple capacities as sites for revolution organizing, revenue generation for communal uplift, and unapologetic Black cultural representation.
Future Boy
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A poignant, heartfelt, and funny memoir about how, in 1985, Michael J. Fox brought to life two iconic roles simultaneously--Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties and Marty McFly in Back to the Future. An amazing true story as only Michael J. Fox can tell it In early 1985, Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars on television. His world was about to get even bigger, but only if he could survive the kind of double duty unheard of in Hollywood. Fox's days were already dedicated to rehearsing and taping the hit sitcom Family Ties, but then the chance of a lifetime came his way. Soon, he committed his nights to a new time-travel adventure film being directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg--Back to the Future. Sitcom during the day, movie at night--day after day, for months. Fox's nightly commute from a soundstage at Paramount to the back lot at Universal Studios, from one dream job to another, would become his own space-time continuum. It was in this time portal that Alex P. Keaton handed the baton to Marty McFly while Michael J. Fox tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. Alex's bravado, Marty's flair, and Fox's comedic virtuosity all swirled together to create something truly special. In Future Boy, Fox tells the remarkable story of playing two landmark roles at the same time--a slice of entertainment history that's never been told. Using new interviews with the cast and crew of both projects, the result is a vividly drawn and eye-opening story of creative achievement by a beloved icon.
Survivor: Forged by Fire
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER This official oversized photo book celebrating fifty seasons of Survivor features gorgeous never-before-seen photography, diary excerpts, and select commentary by Emmy Award-winning host Jeff Probst. What's it like to be on Survivor? It's a question millions of people have wondered since Survivor debuted on CBS in the summer of 2000 and forever changed television. What's it like to face off in the grueling physical challenges? To endure the unforgiving elements of dense jungles and remote islands? To form alliances with and conspire against fellow players? To anxiously sit at tribal council and hear host Jeff Probst render the verdict on whether your torch will remain lit or be extinguished? Survivor: Forged by Fire answers these questions and more, replicating what it feels like to play the game. Using stunning visual storytelling, the book organizes images around each phase of the competition: from "The Arrival" to "The Return" and every thrilling, harrowing, and inspiring moment in between. Curated by Survivor's longtime director of photography Scott Duncan, the breathtaking pictorials depict the show's most famous players and most memorable moments in an entirely fresh and even more candid way. Accompanying these striking visuals are moving reflections from Probst, who, for the first time, shares pages of diaries he kept during filming. This gorgeously designed work of art is an absolute must for any fan of Survivor. It's also a powerful testament to the unlimited potential that resides within every human being--an ode to the importance of determination, perseverance, and belief in one's self. As Probst writes, "Survivor isn't just a game. It's a journey. One that calls to the adventurer inside us all." TM & (c) 2026 Survivor Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Star Wars the Blueprints
A magnificent showcase of over 200 production drawings of star ships, vehicles, weapons, droids, and props from the Star Wars galaxy. Drawing on unprecedented access to the Lucasfilm Archives, this deluxe volume reveals and celebrates the spectacular work of the technical artists and designers who conceived the unforgettable look and feel of the Star Wars galaxy. Go behind the scenes with this collection of official Star Wars blueprints: Officially licensed: Created in close collaboration with Lucasfilm, with content from across the whole Skywalker saga of movies, including the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and never-before-published blueprints from the sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.Rare and beautifully realized designs: Pore over more than 200 rarely-seen Star Wars schematics, including 10 pull-out artworks that display these artifacts in unrivaled detail.A must-have Star Wars gift: With a wealth of content housed in a high-quality hardcover finish, Star Wars: The Blueprints is the perfect addition to fans' libraries, and a fantastic gift for anyone interested in the history and design of science fiction films.Encompassing material from Episode I: The Phantom Menace to Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, this expansive book catalogs the entire Skywalker saga in stunning detail, featuring rarely and never-before-released, behind-the-scenes content. With over 200 schematics, including ten pull-out artworks that showcase the elaborate details of these iconic designs, this book is an essential addition to the collection of every Star Wars enthusiast. (c) & (TM) 2025 Lucasfilm Ltd.
Splatter Flicks
Splatter Flicks: How to Make Low-Budget Horror Films (2nd Edition) is your crash course in turning a micro-budget idea into a killer movie-from the first scream on the page to the final cut on a streamer. This updated edition folds in today's tools and techniques and adds fresh, on-the-ground insights from working pros across writing, acting, stunts, costume and production design, music, editing, special effects, and distribution.You'll learn how to shape a lean, original script; raise and protect your budget; plan practical and digital gore; direct performance and action safely; cut for tension; score for dread; and build a marketing and distribution path that actually finds an audience. The book walks you end-to-end: development and funding, production, post, and release.You'll also get field notes from filmmakers doing it now-award-winning VFX artist William Reliford on studio-level visuals at indie prices; producer-writer-director John Penney on shepherding features; directors Jill Gevargizian and Natasha Kermani on graduating from shorts to features; DP Jendra Jarnagin on shooting fear; make-up FX artist Anthony Pepe on the state of splatter; plus insights from programmers, stunt coordinators, production designers, sculptors, and more.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
A new offering in the nascent Reel West film history series that focuses on that quintessentially American cinematic art form, the western. Few lines of movie dialogue have had greater impact than the most famous line from John Ford's 1962 masterpiece The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Although critics of the day did not realize its magnitude, with time The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has become cemented in our popular culture. This film connects to nearly every Western before or after, from Ford's own Stagecoach (1939) to Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992). Coming six years after The Searchers, Ford's other great late-career masterpiece, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance may be even more archetypal of a changing West. In this first-ever book on the subject, Chris Yogerst unpacks one of the signature films of the post-classic Western period and one of the greatest works of director John Ford and actors John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, and Woody Strode.
Events, Unlimited Communication... or Almost
Who repainted an entire stadium in one night? Set up the biggest cinema screen ever built? Had a 20 m giant walk down the Champs-Elys矇es? Installed elevators in an Olympic swimming pool to turn it into a restaurant? Who will light up one of the world's tallest towers tomorrow: William Perkins, of course. Sometimes called "the Seguela of events", he is the founder of a new profession that sublimates all the usual techniques of communication, turning them into operational communication. For this art of the grandiose and the ephemeral, the resources deployed are immense and the results magical and spectacular. And all for a single day, a single session, a show that will never be repeated!Whether he's organizing a sales support convention, the anniversary celebration of a global industrial group, or an inauguration ceremony-like that of the World Cup-this director-producer brings together the best professionals to work on his projects. Like so many artists whose talent and works carry the colors of France around the world, this man, modest and secretive in his everyday life, never ceases to make headlines abroad. His sole motivation: "to ensure the success of others".
Zoomers and Other Plays
With his breakout hit play Dimes Square, dramatist Matthew Gasda was instantly anointed as the chronicler of the downtown set, a satirist-cum-anthropologist of TikTok microcelebrities, reactionary edgelords, and hapless hangers-on. But what happens after the party's over, after talent is celebrated, envied, mocked, and memed? Where do you go from there? In Zoomers and Other Plays, Gasda serves up sharply observed, richly ambivalent depictions of a perpetually hungover present. Across these four new plays-One-Winged Dove, Morning Journal, the Dimes Square sequel Afters, and the collection's title play-spiritual longing and unbearable loss sit uneasily alongside meretriciousness and naked cruelty. Through a generational haze of pot, porn, and video games, Gasda memorably captures our era in all its glory and confusion.
The Films and Life of Tom Tyler
Actor Tom Tyler is perhaps yet another performer from the 1920s-1950s who may only be remembered for his work in westerns and serials, but Tyler was different from many of his peers by looking to expand his acting opportunities and successfully becoming a character actor.His non-western appearances include "Gone with there Wind," "Talk of the Town" (with Cary Grant and Ronald Colman) and "Samson and Delilah," among many others. Director John Ford made his part of his company of actors.Tyler was the son of Eastern European immigrants who originally settled in upper New York State to work in the mines but then moved to Detroit to find employment in the auto plants. Tyler actually hitched his way across the country to Los Angeles to seek a career as an actor and after several years of struggle was chosen to have his own series of westerns in 1926.He literally acted until the incurable disease he had was too much to bear, passing in 19564 at the age of 50.His accomplishments deserve attention and celebration. How many people worked for directors Ford, Ron Ormand, George Stevens, Howard Hawks, as well as Ed Wood? How many other people gained a certain kind of film immortality by playing a murderous mummy ("The Mummy's Hand') and the first superhero in live action film ( "Adventures of Captain Marvel").
Praise Through the Pain
Fitness and health coach Angel Faulk, a.k.a. "The Fitness Angel," had built her life and career around health and wellness, but a life-threatening diagnosis almost took away everything she'd worked for. Surgery was only the beginning of the healing process. She had to relearn how to walk, talk, and swallow. Through her determination and faith in God's healing power, Angel not only regained her strength-both physically and spiritually-but He also opened new doors for her to share her wisdom and her testimony. Praise Through the Pain: Diagnosis to Destiny is her story of triumph over fear and physical limitations by relying on the God who created her. You'll also learn helpful health tips and encouraging mindset shifts for improving your life and wellbeing. Angel's story reminds us of the truth of Psalm 139:14: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Whether you're facing a serious diagnosis, going through menopause, or simply seeking better health, her journey is proof that no obstacle is insurmountable.
The Animation Atlas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"Indispensable"- EMPIRE MagazineAnimation is a global artform, and The Animation Atlas is your essential guide to this exciting, expansive world. From Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, authors and hosts of the Ghibliotheque podcast, comes this whistle-stop tour through animated film history. A cartography of cartoons, The Animation Atlas takes in everything from titans of animation such as Disney, Pixar, Aardman and Studio Ghibli to pioneers, innovators and rising stars from the wider world of cinema. A truly global history of animation - Each of the 30 chapters sets down in a different country to focus on local talent that has made a global impact on the form, from Spain to South Africa and China to Chile. Box office hits and hidden gems - Features a dazzling selection of films, from hand-drawn Hollywood classics (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and award-winning CG masterpieces (Flow), to the works of revered artists such as Lotte Reiniger (The Adventures of Prince Achmed), Jan Svankmajer (Alice) and Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbour Totoro). Dozens of gorgeous illustrations - Includes more than 150 photographs, artworks and stills from some of the most beautiful animated films ever made. A perfect gift for film lovers.
Oh My God, Kenny's Alive!: The Little Guide to South Park
Step into the irreverent world of South Park, where no topic is off-limits and every episode is a wild ride of laughter and social commentary with this ultimate guide to the show that has been pushing boundaries and redefining comedy since 1997. Inside this book, you'll find a treasure trove of unforgettable quotes from Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny, alongside some mind-blowing facts that will make you say, "What the hell?!" and fascinating behind-the-scenes that reveal the genius behind the show. From their outrageous antics to their sharp critiques of society, South Park has become a cultural phenomenon that resonates with fans of all ages. Discover how creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone transformed their humble beginnings into a groundbreaking series with over 300 episodes, multiple Emmy Awards and a devoted fanbase that keeps growing. With insights into the making of iconic moments and the show's fearless approach to tackling current events, this book is perfect for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Whether you're looking for a laugh or a deeper understanding of the satirical brilliance that is South Park, The Little Guide to South Park is your front-row seat to all the outrageous fun. Get ready to relive the laughter and explore the chaos of South Park - because in this town, anything goes!
The Giant Whale Returns
"Oh no! It seems like the giant whale has returned once again! But he is not alone this time; he made some friends... Can Godzilla and his friends defeat the Giant Whale once again, or will they accept defeat? But don't worry, Godzilla met a few friends along the way... Will that make a change?
Matching Minds with Sondheim
By near-universal consensus, Stephen Sondheim was the greatest musical theater composer of his generation-celebrated, among other things, for the wit, sophistication, and intricacy of shows from West Side Story to Sunday in the Park with George. But a less well-known avenue for his brilliance was his lifelong fascination with designing and constructing intricate puzzles and games, from treasure hunts to crosswords to parlor and board games. Matching Minds with Sondheim is a journey into this rich but largely unmapped aspect of the composer's creative life, illuminating how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for friends, colleagues, and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius. This book opens, for the first time, the door into what Sondheim called his "puzzler's mind," helping readers to better understand the man, his work, and-if they accept the challenge-themselves. Gaming expert Barry Joseph draws from over eighty years of Sondheim's activities, including extremely rare and never-publicly-seen puzzles and game designs, scores of original interviews with the celebrity friends who played them, archival deep dives, and illuminating analysis from both puzzle designers and theater professionals from around the world. Packed with illustrations and insights, this book does more than describe Sondheim's life in puzzles: It allows readers to match minds with the maestro by attempting to solve his puzzles and bring Sondheimian games into their own homes.
Horror in Haddonfield
Scare yourself silly with this look at the Halloween franchise with interviews of the actors who made all the horror film classics that have scared generations.Happy Halloween, Michael. Horror in Haddonfield: Halloween's Untold Stories, by Horror Obsessive founder and crackerjack fright geek Andrew Grevas, unmasks the secrets behind all thirteen of the films in horror's oldest and longest running slasher franchise. Combining essays and interviews with the casts and creative teams, Grevas uncomplicates complicated timelines, dishes on the films that were planned but never made it to the screen, and reveals never-heard-before stories about the making of the movies. Evil never dies, and nor does horror fans' fascination with Laurie Strode, Dr. Samuel Loomis, and of course legendary psychopath Michael Myers, whom Vox has dubbed "horror's most implacable killer." Includes interviews with actors Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor-Compton, Stacey Nelkin, Dee Wallace, and Tom Atkins; writers Paul Brad Logan, Dan Farrands, Robert Zappia, Shem Bitterman; director Dwight Little; cinematographer Dean Cundey and many more.
Broken Arrow
An insightful history and analysis of the importance Delmer Daves' film Broken Arrow has in the western film genre. It was, for its time, a breakthrough in how Native Americans were depicted in the movies. The release of Broken Arrow in 1950 represented a turning point in Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans. Film scholars have often cited director Delmer Daves's movie as the first sound film to depict the Native American sympathetically, and it appealed to a postwar ideal of tolerance and racial equality that became prominent in later Westerns. Yet Broken Arrow certainly has its flaws: the Apache speak English, whites are cast in leading Apache roles, and Apache culture is highly romanticized. Additionally, many scholars agree that the movie lacks the polish of Daves's later Western 3:10 to Yuma (1957), with its evocative cinematography and psychological undertones. Despite its inaccuracies and the many artistic liberties it takes, the movie contains powerful political and social statements about Hollywood and its attitude toward Indian/white relations. Author Angela Aleiss breaks down the way Broken Arrow probed these attitudes and influenced a long series of films with Native heroes that followed, marking a transformation in Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans.
A Room And A Voice
"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." - Virginia WoolfA Room And A Voice: Performance Edition reimagines Virginia Woolf's landmark essay A Room of One's Own as a work for the stage, classroom, and voice. Adapted by Querida Funck, this edition blends Woolf's timeless words with new commentary, historical context, and performance notes designed for actors, educators, and storytellers.Part literary adaptation and part rehearsal guide, this Performance Edition includes: Historical and literary context to frame Woolf's visionStory and character arcs for performance readingActor and voice techniques for bringing the text to lifeBonus excerpts from Woolf's essays that deepen the conversationIdeal for readers' theatre, classroom study, and solo performance, this edition celebrates Woolf's call for creative freedom while offering practical tools for performance.Querida Funck, playwright, stage director, and voice artist, brings fresh insight to Woolf's exploration of women, writing, and voice-making this a unique resource for students, teachers, performers, and literature lovers alike.
The Art & Making of DreamWorks Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie
Go behind the scenes of Dreamworks Animation's first live-action animation hybrid film. DreamWorks Animation brings its global smash streaming series Gabby's Dollhouse to the big screen. The Art & Making of DreamWorks Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie showcases never-before-seen production art, insider perspectives, and the elaborate artistry involved in making the live-action/animation cinematic adventure. Join Gabby and her irresistible Gabby Cats as they venture through the real world and their magical mini-world to save the dollhouse before it's too late. Includes: - Foreword by singer, songwriter, actress, and author Gloria Estefan, who plays Grandma Gigi - Preface by actress Laila Lockhart Kraner, who reprises her role of Gabby from the Netflix television series - Hundreds of character designs, concept art, sketches, storyboards, color keys, and final frames from the making of the movie - Exclusive interviews with the artists, filmmakers, and key creators
Fast and Furious Franchising
What the popularity of the Fast and Furious film franchise says about Hollywood blockbusters and media productionFast and Furious Franchising charts the transformation of Hollywood through the story of one of its most successful cinematic universes. Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious became an unexpected hit, developing into a seven-billion-dollar media franchise with nine direct sequels (so far), one "sidequel," copious spin-offs, and licensing deals from board games to theme park rides.Dan Hassler-Forest shows how Fast and Furious paved the way for a new form of serialized storytelling that balanced new distribution practices and expansion into international markets with a savvy awareness of representational politics. By following the series's development over the past twenty-five years, Fast and Furious Franchising reveals distinct phases that reflect larger media-industrial trends: the postclassical blockbuster era of the early 2000s; the emergence of the megafranchise between 2008 and 2014; the franchise's "imperial" era, from 2015 through 2019; and the postpandemic crisis era of media saturation and franchise fatigue.While examining this rapidly changing media landscape, Hassler-Forest offers lively, insightful analyses of the films as they have embraced ever-more-ludicrous plots and unlikely character turns while always maintaining their signature faith in the power of family. As he illuminates the role of the Fast and Furious movies in the global entertainment industry, Hassler-Forest shows how the films' improbable success proves Dominic Toretto's adage that, whether "you win by an inch or a mile . . . winning's winning."Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.
Feeding Crows
Farhad, an ambitious young man and his wife Zenobia move into the sophisticated Malabar Hill area but their devoted old maid Savitri resists modernity repeatedly clashing with a neighbour Malti.Farhad wants to chat up Malti's husband Sudhir, chairman of a bank who can help his business but a carefully planned social evening ends in bedlam as wives clash over Zenobia's beloved dog and Savitri's middle class ways. A budding friendship abruptly ends.Till Farhad's cousin Rustom arrives from America bringing a welcome reconciliation.Suddenly the light hearted story takes a dark turn.
Emerging Technologies in Media and Entertainment
The media and entertainment (M&E) industry encompasses a diverse range of businesses involved in the creation, production, distribution, and monetization of content across various platforms. This includes film, television, music, gaming, sports, publishing, and digital media. The M&E industry is diverse and quite complex, including sectors such as movies, gaming, advertising, music, sports, content creation, etc.Technology has been the main driving factor for the media and entertainment industry and it is modernizing the industry. The industry has always been a hub of innovation, captivating audiences with groundbreaking technologies. Technology innovations are transforming the media and entertainment industry, affecting every aspect from content creation to distribution and consumption.This book is a comprehensive text on the emerging technologies in the media and entertainment industry. It is organized into 10 chapters that summarize emerging M&E technologies: artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, cloud computing, big data, blockchain, Internet of things, immersive technologies, 5G network, and biometrics. It provides an overview of each emerging technology in a way that beginners can understand. It is a must-read for those interested in media and entertainment and its future.
One Public
Since its founding by Joseph Papp in the 1950s, The Public Theater has been an American artistic leader defined by its breadth of programming, from Hair and A Chorus Line, to Free Shakespeare in the Park. With the recent critical and financial success of Fun Home and Hamilton, and its emphasis on new play development, The Public's contemporary history has been equally remarkable, even as world crises and social changes have tested the mettle of its foundation of accessible and "radically inclusive" theatre for all. One Public presents the broader organization, its creative methodology, and its enormous growth over the past 20 years. Framed by the tenure and leadership of its current artistic director, the book tells the contemporary story, recorded over many interviews with iconic practitioners and performers ranging from Diane Paulus, Tony Kushner and Lynn Nottage to Kevin Kline, Chelsea Clinton and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Case-study driven, One Public uses oral history accounts and authorial experience to illuminate The Public Theater, Eustis and their cultural influence on the city of New York and the greater United States. The story highlights the successes and challenges of an institution at once espousing a mission of inclusivity and community-based arts creation, while also developing Broadway hits and international fame. One Public is also available in audiobook format from audiobook retailers.
28 Years Later
Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle and Academy Award-nominated writer Alex Garland reunite for 28 YEARS LATER, a terrifying new 'auteur horror' story set in the world created by 28 Days Later.It's been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on an island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well. The cast includes Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams and Ralph Fiennes.
Static
The challenge is to live in this world, not a new one A veteran US astronaut is about to land back on Earth after completing his very last space flight. A lonely ham radio operator in Donegal is surfing frequencies in want of some company. This unlikely pair of conversationalists collide with life-altering consequences. Static is a lyrical, searching play about isolation and the painful contradictions that surface when people try to connect. Written by Jimmy McAleavey, this edition was published to coincide with the world premiere production directed by John King at the Abbey Theatre in June 2025.
The Art Gallery on Stage
Winner of the AIA (Associazione Italiana di Anglistica) Book Prize 2024 The Art Gallery on Stage is the first book to consider the representation of the art gallery on the contemporary British stage and to discuss how playwrights have begun to regard it as inspiration, location, focus or theme in an ever-more intense game of cross-fertilization. The study analyzes the impact on dramatic form and theatrical presentation of what has been a paradigmatic shift in the way art galleries and museums display their collections and how these are perceived, establishing a hitherto unexplored connection between modes of exhibiting and modes of representation. It traces a trajectory from plays that were initially performed in traditional theatres in accordance with a naturalistic play structure to plays that favour of a radical reconfiguration of visual representation. Indeed, since the beginning of the new millennium, playwrights and theatre-makers have increasingly experimented with new dramatic forms and site-specific venues, while forging collaborations with art makers and curators. The book focuses on plays from the 1980s onwards, such as Howard Barker's Scenes from an Execution, Nick Dear's The Art of Success, Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution, Timberlake Wertenbaker's Three Birds Alighting on a Field and The Line, David Edgar's Pentecost, Martin Crimp's Attempt on Her Life, Rebecca Lenkiewicz's Shoreditch Madonna and The Painter, David Leddy's Long Live the Little Knife, and Tim Crouch's My Arm, An Oak Tree and England, and considers the vital contribution to the field made by set designers. Ultimately, through this study, we come to understand how modern drama can offer a set of interpretative tools to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the social construction of art and, furthermore, the potential of theatre and the gallery space to question our fundamental cultural assumptions and values.
Multisensory Shakespeare and Specialized Communities
How can theatre and Shakespearean performance be used with different communities to assist personal growth and development, while advancing social justice goals? Employing an integrative approach that draws from science, actor training, therapeutical practices and current research on the senses, this study reveals the work being done by drama practitioners with a range of specialized populations, such as incarcerated people, neurodiverse individuals, those with physical or emotional disabilities, veterans, people experiencing homelessness and many others. With insights drawn from visits to numerous international programs, it argues that these endeavors succeed when they engage multiple human senses and incorporate kinesthetic learning, thereby tapping into the diverse benefits associated with artistic, movement and mindfulness practices. Neither theatre nor Shakespeare is universally beneficial, but the syncretic practices described in this book offer tools for physical, emotional and collaborative undertakings that assist personal growth and development, while advancing social justice goals. Among the practitioners and companies whose work is examined here are programs from the Shakespeare in Prison Network, the International Opera Theater, Blue Apple Theatre, Flute Theatre, DeCruit and Feast of Crispian programs for veterans, Extant Theatre and prison programs in Kolkata and Mysore, India.
Druid Theatre 1975-2025
Marking the 50th anniversary of one of the world's leading theatre companies, this book collects six of its most impactful plays together in one volume for the first time. Druid Theatre is Ireland's leading theatre company. Since their origin in 1975 they have surprised, delighted, and inspired audiences worldwide, touring from their home city of Galway in the west of Ireland to countless other locations nationally and internationally. Under the leadership of Garry Hynes, the first woman to win a Tony Award for directing, the company has revitalised the Irish dramatic tradition by staging seminal new plays and by breathing life into neglected classics. This anthology celebrates that tradition by gathering together six key plays from Druid's fifty-year history. Featuring an exciting blend of established and unjustly forgotten playwrights this collection also provides insight into the company's history. Edited by Barry Houlihan, Patrick Lonergan, and M獺ir矇ad N穩 Chr籀in穩n, each play is accompanied by a short introduction and production images (many of them never published before) from Druid's archive at the University of Galway. The plays include: The Wood of the Whispering by MJ Molloy Same Old Moon by Geraldine Aron Conversations on a Homecoming by Tom Murphy At the Black Pig's Dyke by Vincent Woods The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh The Beacon by Nancy Harris The selection of plays allows key themes from Druid's history to be seen more clearly - to allow readers to understand how the company has so fearlessly charted the boundaries between the realistic and the fantastic, the past and the present, and the individual and the wider society. It also presents six plays that are of huge value in their own right: these are original and daring dramas that have shaped and defined a half-century of Irish playwriting.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musicals
What is the tie that binds a show like the Gershwin Brothers' Of Thee I Sing to Michael R. Jackson's AStrange Loop? Did you know that the Pulitzer Prize for Drama has been awarded to just ten musicals since the award's inception in 1917? Why have certain musicals captured the imagination and hearts of the Pulitzer Prize committee? Pulitzer Prize-Winning Musicals takes a chronological look at the ten musicals that have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Deep diving into the development of each show, this accessible study unpacks the creation, production, and reception of each musical. Each chapter traces a different Prize-winning show from its inception to its opening night. It introduces the reader to each musical's key creators and company members and places them in the larger context of Broadway history. Published in Methuen Drama's Essential Musicals series, this book is perfect for students of Musical Theatre, drawing together different resources to dig into the backstories of Broadway's biggest hits and mining the historical record for nuggets of information that illuminate our understanding and enhance our enjoyment of musical theatre's unique brand of magic.
Applied Theatre
This book explores and critiques the concept of participation in applied theatre both theoretically and practically. Participation is one of the concepts central to applied theatre practice, but it's mostly considered when engaging with communities in applied theatre, while the term itself is under-theorized in applied theatre discourses. This study examines and unpacks participation as a tool to foster community engagement and decolonize research and knowledge production in applied theatre practice, especially regarding representation, equity and access. What does participation even mean? What are the new and existing paradigms and frameworks in participation discourses? How do these frameworks impact participation from ethical, sociocultural, economic and aesthetic perspectives? And in what ways can applied theatre practitioners re-conceptualize and re-position participation meaningfully in their work? Through case studies drawn from a diverse range of places including Kenya, Brazil and Canada, this book presents discourses on and experiences of participation for the purpose of repositioning it.
A Feminist Counter-History of Latin American Documentary
A Feminist Counter-History of Latin American Documentary provides a new lens through which to revisit the history of the Latin American cinema and proposes three approximations to the study of women's documentary produced between the early 1970s and the mid-1990s.
Acting Emotions
Actors and actresses play characters such as the embittered Medea, or the lovelorn Romeo, or the grieving and tearful Hecabe. The theatre audience holds its breath, and then sparks begin to fly. But what about the actor? Has he been affected by the emotions of the character he is playing? What's going on inside his mind? The styling of emotions in the theatre has been the subject of heated debate for centuries. In fact, Diderot in his Paradoxe sur le comedien, insisted that most brilliant actors do not feel anything onstage. This greatly resembles the detached acting style associated with Bertolt Brecht, which, in turn, stands in direct opposition to the notion of the empathy-oriented "emotional reality" of the actor which is most famously associated with the American actingstyle known as method acting. The book's survey of the various dominant acting styles is followed by an analysis of the current state of affairs regarding the psychology of emotions. By uniting the psychology of emotions with contemporary acting theories, the author is able to come to the conclusion that traditional acting theories are no longer valid for today's actor. Acting Emotions throws new light on the age-old issue of double consciousness, the paradox of the actor who must nightly express emotions while creating the illusion of spontaneity. In addition, the book bridges the gap between theory and practice by virtue of the author's large-scale field study of the emotions of professional actors. In Acting Emotions, the responses of Dutch and Flemish actors is further supplemented by the responses of a good number of American actors. The book offers a unique view of how actors act out emotions and how this acting out is intimately linked to the development of contemporary theatre.
Do It Yourself
A unique guide to creating political theatre, produced by one of the UK's most exciting companies. Do It Yourself is a vital resource for anyone interested in exploring theatre culture grounded in and produced by working-class communities. Designed for artists, activists and community organisers, the book offers a step-by-step guide to creating political theatre that is relevant, impactful and rooted in the lives of everyday people. Common/Wealth have spent fifteen years working at the cutting edge of political theatre. In Do It Yourself, they share their experimental and activist approach to performance-making, based on DIY principles and the belief that ground-breaking theatre can be made with anyone, anywhere, in ways that truly resonate with the communities it serves. Do It Yourself introduces Common/Wealth's artistic and political ethos, provides unique insights into their most significant performances and offers practical exercises for creating your own work. But this is not just a manual. It is a celebration of culture as a collective endeavour, one that can challenge the status quo and inspire change.
Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 1
Go deeper into the groundbreaking Emmy-winning series with the complete, authorized scripts of Stranger Things: Season One, including an exclusive introduction from the Duffer Brothers. A high-pitched shrieking sound suddenly fills the shed. We don't see what happens to Will; we just watch that naked dangling light bulb. It glows brighter and brighter and brighter, filling the shed with overwhelming white light. We think the glass of the bulb is going to shatter but then -- The terrible shrieking sound abruptly stops.The bulb dims. Returning to normal wattage.We pull away from the light.The shed is empty.Will has vanished. When young Will Byers disappears, the sleepy little town of Hawkins, Indiana, is awakened to a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and a strange little girl with a tattoo of the number eleven on her arm . . . and the ability to move objects with her mind. The Duffer Brothers' critically acclaimed series, Stranger Things, took the world by storm with its 80s nostalgia, dimension-hopping secrets, and charming cast of characters. Season One introduced us to our favorite friend squad--Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will--plus their new Eggo-loving friend, El, and to the terrifying "Upside Down," an evil alternate dimension with a species of humanoid predators roaming the landscape. Collected here for the first time, the complete scripts of Stranger Things: Season One include the scenes, dialogue, and character directions for all eight episodes as well as an exclusive introduction from the creators and showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer. Season One's scripts reveal a unique insight into the foundational story that immediately captivated viewers and popular culture.
Nye
2025 Revised and Updated EditionOne man's dream of the NHS.From campaigning at the coalfield to leading the battle to create the NHS, Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan is often referred to as the politician with greatest influence on our country without ever being Prime Minister.Confronted with death, Nye's deepest memories lead him on a mind-bending journey back through his life, from childhood and mining underground to Parliament and fights with Churchill, in an epic Welsh fantasia.Written by Tim Price (Teh Internet is Serious Business), this celebration of the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain's welfare state premiered at the National Theatre in 2024. This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre co-production in July 2025, with Michael Sheen (Under Milk Wood) reprising his role as Nye Bevan.
Temporary Stages III
Theatre activities ask adolescents to empathize with those who are different from themselves. Recognizing divergence invites self-reflection and kindles compassion. These actions tap students' inner cores while at the same time deepening their understanding of privilege, a key component of critical consciousness.
Jaws: Memories from Martha's Vineyard (Updated and Revised Edition)
The 1st account of the making of Jaws to focus on the production's local participants, featuring 100s of never-before-seen photos, accounts and anecdotes, and a Foreword by Steven Spielberg. Updated with new material for the film's 50th anniversary. You're gonna need a bigger coffee table! The filming of Jaws was a landmark event in the history of both movies and the quaint New England island of Martha's Vineyard, where the geographic isolation necessitated hiring 100s of locals to work as cast and crew. Among them were many professional and amateur photographers with full access to the production. Memories compiles their photos and stories for the 1st time into a unique compendium. Movie buffs, SFX enthusiasts, and fans of Jaws will thrill in this definitive volume's special features: - Updated edition includes +100 new photos, most previously unseen and many in colour, new interview material with local cast and crew, and an Afterword by Wendy Benchley, wife of Jaws author Peter Benchley.- Foreword by Steven Spielberg.- 100s of previously unpublished photos taken by local participants and bystanders, and a detailed account of how the filmmakers chose Martha's Vineyard as their shooting location.- Recollections of local crew and cast, including Lee Fierro (Mrs. Kintner), Chris Crawford, real-life captain of the Orca, and Craig Kingsbury, the inspiration for Robert Shaw's portrayal of maniacal shark hunter Quint.- Newly illustrated schematics by Jaws Production Designer Joe Alves, explaining the intricacies of the revolutionary sea sled fin mechanism, and his original 1974 storyboards.- Insight on adapting Jaws from page to screen from Screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, Location Casting Director Shari Rhodes, and more.
Serial Thrillers
'The BBC seems bent on turning the children into a new kind of drug addict for ... serial thrillers ...' (The Times - 17 December 1946) Following the end of the Second World War, a new form of radio entertainment would explode across Britain - the adventure serial. Whether solving murders, foiling conspiracies or journeying into space, the heroes of these radio serials would be the idols of an entire generation of post-war radio listeners. Dick Barton, Paul Temple, Dan Dare and Jet Morgan were once among the most famous names in British fiction. However, today they are almost forgotten. With detailed episode guides and behind-the-scenes stories, it is now once again possible to relive the excitement of one of radio's most addictive formats and enjoy again the exploits of its most daring adventurers. With a special introduction by Nicholas Parsons Covers the Serials: DICK BARTONPAUL TEMPLEDAN DAREJOURNEY INTO SPACE 'I recommend it to anyone who is interested in these heroes of radio.' Steve Winders, Bear Alley 'If you were a British radio fan in the late 40's through to the mid 50's (as I was) this is the book for you. It brings back memories of the Paul Temple, Dick Barton, Dan Dare and Journey Into Space radio serials. it describes behind the scenes background information as well as storylines and production details. A throroughly enjoyable read for British Old Time Radio fans.' Cliff Lamb, Amazon
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls: Tales from the Lanai is an accessible collection that explores the cultural, industrial, and historical impact of that beloved American sitcom. Edited by Taylor Cole Miller and Alfred L. Martin, Jr., this anthology brings together a diverse range of voices that model different media studies approaches to researching and critically analyzing television texts. The Golden Girls reclaims the production history and development of the show, opens new conversations about audiences-especially Black, queer, and female audiences-and provides new insight into the meteoric rise in popularity of The Golden Girls as a 2020s cultural phenomenon. With twelve original chapters and extensive original interviews offering readers rare insights behind the scenes, the book is a long day's journey into the marinara of The Golden Girls-an immersive, engaging opportunity for readers to learn more about the show. It truly is the golden age of The Golden Girls.
Sahir Ludhianvi - The People's Poet
Sahir Ludhianvi is probably the only songwriter in Hindi films whose poetry was accepted in its purest form and incorporated as a film song. So great was his stature as an Urdu poet that he never had to mould his poetry to suit the demands of film songwri
Darlingji
Many years later, their daughter Jaddanbai moves to Bombay, and becomes a star of the early talkies, Chateau Marine on Marine drive is famous for its evenings mehfils and for the dreams it nurtures. Regular visitors include Dilip Kumar, Mehboob and Kamal Amrohi. It is also the home of Fatima Jaddanbai's daughter who will set the screen ablaze as Nargis. Then comes the moment that transform their lives: During the making of "Mother India", Nargis is trapped in a circle of flames, and Sunil Dutt, the male star, risks his life to save her. They fall in love, and so starts one of the legendary love story of India's film world.
Travesty Actors
Examining theatrical performance under Stalinist cultural mandates Talk of Joseph Stalin's "show trials," the public prosecutions in Moscow's Hall of Columns in the late 1930s, is so familiar as to obscure the relationship between actual shows--in the Soviet Union's major theaters--and politics. Travesty Actors: Self and Theater in Stalinist Culture examines theatrical performance within the context of the Soviet cultural establishment's fashioning of a "genuine Soviet person." Boris Wolfson focuses on prominent and controversial plays by artists including Aleksandr Afinogenov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Yuri Olesha, and Natalia Sats and the efforts of theater companies, like the Moscow Arts Theater, the Meyerhold Theater, and the Central Children's Theater, to adhere to this cultural mandate while grappling with repression, censorship, and conflicting interpretations of its aims. Drawing on archival materials, diaries and memoirs and eyewitness accounts, Wolfson greatly illuminates the achievements of Soviet theater during this harsh period and the cultural significance of artistic theories and practices for articulating and enacting ideological programs.
The Oxford Handbook of Screen Comedy
The Oxford Handbook of Screen Comedy offers a rich sampling of the most current research and evolving trends in a vast and growing field-the study of humor and comedy in movies, television, streaming content, social media, and other forms of mediated comedy. The thirty new essays in this volume, written by leading scholars and emerging researchers, are guideposts to where the field is now and where it is heading. By its very nature, comedy eludes definition and crosses boundaries. Trying to grab the wriggling creature and subject it to analysis presents special challenges. The contributors featured in this volume apply a range of methods to analyse case histories, interpret trends, and theorize the changing face of comedy. Some celebrate the diverse pleasures of laughter; some critique its more nefarious practices and warn of salient dangers. Together, they bring insights from feminist, black, and queer studies, focus on issues of identity and ideology, extend and revise notions of historical development, and follow the emergence and migration of comic forms in Latin America, China, North Korea, and South Africa. The broad aim of this book is to increase awareness of these exciting studies and inspire more productive exploration as the field continues to grow.
New York Animation 1966-1999
Focusing on a specific period in New York's rich animation history, this book examines the unique styles, movements, personalities, and projects that emerged in the city from 1966 to 1999. During this era, New York became a hub of significant stylistic, cultural, and market transformations, playing a crucial role in nurturing the rise of independent animation as well as the development of digital production platforms and methods. This shift ultimately led to the decline of cel and film techniques, which had been the dominant means of animation production until that time. Nonetheless, it also provided independent artists with opportunities to influence the future direction of animation. A central theme of this work links the efforts in New York to today's creator-driven animation, illustrating a direct connection between New York independents and properties such as Sesame Street, MTV, Adult Swim, and The Simpsons.
Translating Silent Cinema
This book examines closely the translation, adaptation and reception of three silent films in English, German, and Yiddish to extend beyond textual translation to social, economic, cultural, and historical contexts. It will be of interest to Translation Studies, Film Studies, German Cinema and Jewish Cinema.
Shakespeare's Heartbeat
This updated and revised edition of Shakespeare's Heartbeat offers a step-by-step guide detailing how to demonstrate, play and perform sensory games based on two of Shakespeare's most popular plays designed for autistic people of all ages. The original games of heartbeats, eye contact and spatial awareness were created at the Glebe School, Beckenham, with a group of twelve autistic teenagers who met and played with Kelly Hunter once a week over three years, 2002-2005. This second edition brings the book up to date with the additional knowledge Kelly Hunter has gained since then as the founding artistic director of Flute Theatre, the world's only Shakespearean troupe to focus on the needs of autistic audiences. The book includes the following: A new chapter dedicated to performing A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest with autistic audiences, including Hunter's adapted, interactive performance texts of both plays. A new resource for playing with younger autistic children and their families. A new resource for playing with those who require a lower demand approach. A new chapter with targets and techniques to understand the autism puzzle more clearly. New games based on A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest which have been created over the last ten years, in addition to the original games detailed in the first edition. This book provides an indispensable learning tool for theatre practitioners, drama students, applied theatre students, teachers, autistic people and their families.
The Routledge Companion to Performance-Related Concepts in Non-European Languages
Investigating more than 70 key concepts relating to the performing arts in more than six non-European languages, this volume provides a groundbreaking research tool and one-of-a-kind reference source for theatre, performance, and dance studies worldwide.
