Theatre category: 6638 books

A “page-turningly entertaining” history of scandals and skulduggery onstage and off (William Lyons, historical adviser for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre). Filled with fact, folklore, and stories of revenge, murder, affairs, and persecution, Shakespeare’s Ear shows that in the world of...

Lee Evans is one of the best-loved comedians in the country; a Hollywood star able to sell out arenas in the blink of eye. But he was not always such a roaring success. The Life of Lee is an utterly hilarious and very moving autobiography charting his ups and downs on the way to the top. Lee...

Veda Rogers grew up in Quenemo, Kansas, married her childhood sweetheart, and they went on to establish Vassar Playhouse near their hometown. Located at Pomona Lake 35 miles south of Topeka, they ran the theatre sixteen seasons beginning in 1970. Veda has more in common with Ginger Rogers than their...

What is performance? We do not need to be in a theatre to think about the theatricality of how we behave in culture, but can a performance exist if there are no spectators? How do we know when performances are taking place if there is no curtain rising and falling? What does the act of performance...

Joe Papp: An American Life by Helen Epstein (228,000 words, 116 photographs and theater posters by Paul Davis) Joseph Papp (1921-1991), theater producer, champion of human rights and of the First Amendment, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival and Public Theater, changed the American...

A companion to John Rudlin's best-selling Commedia dell'Arte: A Handbook for Actors, this book covers both the history and professional practice of commedia dell'arte companies from 1568 to the present day. Indispensable for both the beginner and the professional, it contains historical and contemporary...

The fun, energy, and hard work integral to the exciting world of the circus is lovingly captured in The Contemporary Circus: Art of the Spectacular, an in depth look at the creative process of today's circuses. Through numerous personal interviews with directors, designers, composers and performers,...

In Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: An Annotated Repertoire, author Amnon Kabatchnik continues the focus of his previous volume (1900-1925) and provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection of this period....

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EBOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN PHOTOS INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION. Deemed "a prodigy among biographers" by The New York Times Book Review, Michael Holroyd transformed biography into an art. Now he turns his keen observation, humane insight, and epic scope on an ensemble...

One of the original members of Jerzy Grotowski’s acting company, Zygmunt Molik’s Voice and Body Work explores the unique development of voice and body exercises throughout his career in actor training. This book, constructed from conversations between Molik and author Giuliano Campo, provides...

The Modern Monologue in two volumes, one for men and one for women, is an exciting selection of speeches drawn from the landmark plays of the 20th century. The great playwrights of the British, American and European theatre-- and the plays most constantly performed on stage throughout the world--are...

The roots of the Italian commedia dell’arte stretch back to the Atellanae Fabulae, popular farces of ancient Rome. Modern descendants can be found in the antics of a comic like Charles Chaplin. But as an institution it was unique — a perfected theater of improvisation where gifted actors created...

In each volume of the Shakespeare on Stage series, a leading actor takes us behind the scenes, recreating in detail a memorable performance in one of Shakespeare's major roles. They discuss their character, working through the play scene by scene, with refreshing candour and in forensic detail. The...

Stage Management offers readers a practical manual on how to stage manage in all theatre environments. Revered as the authoritative resource for stage management, this text is rich with practical resources, including checklists, diagrams, examples, forms and step-by-step directions. In addition to...