21 Theater Books for Your Summer 2026 Reading List
Broadway authors this season include David Lindsay-Abaire, Duncan Macmillan, Bret Shuford, and more.
Summer is here and there is no better time of year to soak up the sun and dive into a new book. You're in luck, because Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 21 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's Summer 2026 reading list. Don't forget to listen to our Broadway Summer Jams playlist will you read!
Check out recent releases and view upcoming books for later this year!
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Hirschfeld's Icons: A Poster Book
By David Leopold
Available Now
When it comes to icons, Al Hirschfeld captured just about all from his era: Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley, Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, Sammy Davis Jr., Chita Rivera, Richard Pryor, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers. Hirschfeld’s drawings over an unprecedented 80-year career have often become the definitive representations of these performers. Hirschfeld’s Icons contains the master's portraits of these icons, some of the greatest actors, actresses, musicians, movie, and TV stars of the past century. No other artist has had a front-row seat to pop culture the way Hirschfeld did.
David Auburn Collected Plays
By David Auburn
Available Now
"The strength of David Auburn’s plays lies in part in the fact that his characters are ambiguous, their fates not assured, not least because they are unclear about themselves. They are frequently capable of denial, unsure of who they are or how they relate to those around them." Chris Bigsby Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author David Auburn is an American dramatist who never fails to write astute and compelling dramas that grapple with large questions. In this collection of his work spanning 23 years his celebrated plays are anthologised together for the first time, showing him to be one of the most important contemporary dramatists of his generation. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof (2000) to his latest Broadway smash-hit Summer 1976, published for the first time, this collected works offers a comprehensive overview to Auburn's work for Broadway and beyond. Proof:
Setting the Stage (Cast vs. Crew)
By Lindsay Champion
Available Now
The full story of a junior high musical production, told exclusively from the POV of the kids backstage. It's High School Musical, from behind the scenes. . .without the high school. Every cast depends on its stage crew. But what happens when they hate each other? Setting the Stage is the first act in a trilogy that tells the whole story! Eighth grader Ella Amani has been waiting her whole life to be the stage manager of the middle school musical, and this is her year! Somehow she'll have to find jobs for Willow, who's doing stage crew instead of detention, and Sebastian, a shy sixth grader whose sister is the star of the show. She'll have to wrangle Kevin, the clumsy new kid who was homeschooled on a boat, and Levi, her best friend, who used to tell her everything. Still, Ella's pretty sure she can handle the crew. The cast? That's a different story. They're ungrateful, they treat the crew like servants, and when Ella finally pushes back, they start playing pranks! Setting the Stage is a behind-the-scenes look at the drama of drama club from the crew's point of view.
Technical Theater for Nontechnical People
By Drew Campbell and Joel Brandwine
Available Now
Not everyone who wants to make theater is a natural engineer, visual artist, or technician. For more than two decades, Technical Theater for Nontechnical People has been the go-to resource for theater artists who need to understand the technical aspects of their craft without becoming lost in them. In this thoroughly revised fourth edition, the popular guide adds a new chapter on video production and enhances its coverage of digital audio, LED lighting, and show control systems, all explained in the same approachable style that has kept this book in the pockets of industry professionals and amateurs alike for many years.
David Friedman, The Stories of My Life
By David Friedman
Available Now
For decades, David Friedman has made people laugh, cry, and believe in kindness-through his songs of hope, healing and humor; from Broadway stages and beloved Disney films; in recording studios with artists like Diana Ross, Barry Manilow, and Nancy LaMott; and through the metaphysical teachings he shares with audiences across the nation. Now, in this irresistible collection, he reveals the stories behind nearly a thousand moments that shaped his remarkable life: tales of family, friends and fame; joy and heartbreak; absurdity and grace... with a generous amount of gossip and laughter along the way.
Every Brilliant Thing: 2026 Broadway Edition
By Duncan MacMillan, with Jonny Donahoe
Available Now
If you live a long life and get to the end of it without ever once feeling crushingly depressed, then you probably haven't been paying attention. You're seven years old. Mum's in hospital. Dad says she's 'done something stupid'. She finds it hard to be happy. You start a list of everything that's brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. You leave it on her pillow. You know she's read it because she's corrected your spelling. A child attempts to ease their mother's depression by creating a list of all the best things in the world. Through adulthood, as the list grows, they learn the deep significance it has on their own life. From Olivier Award-nominated writer Duncan MacMillan (People, Places and Things), Every Brilliant Thing is a comedy about the lengths we will go for those we love.
AWESOME ACTORS SERIES Dramatic Monologues for Teens
By Casey Connors
Available Now
Develop confidence, emotional range, and performance skills with this collection of 30 original dramatic monologues for teen actors ages 13–18.
Awesome Actors Series: Dramatic Monologues for Teens features contemporary and performance-ready scripts designed for auditions, drama festivals, speech competitions, acting classes, examinations, and theatre training. Each monologue provides an opportunity for actors to explore character, emotion, storytelling, and Stage Presence while building valuable performance skills. Inside you'll find: 30 original dramatic monologues, Contemporary and relatable themes, Audition-ready performance material, Scripts suitable for festivals, schools, and showcases, Opportunities to develop emotional authenticity and character work, Practical resources for teachers, coaches, and performers, A valuable addition to every drama classroom, theatre library, and aspiring actor's collection.
Marquee Moments: Essays by Theatre Lovers
By Phillip Sprayberry
Available Now
At the heart of the conversation, there’s always a story. People who love theatre love stories—after all, isn’t theatre itself rooted in storytelling? In 80 essays by 40 authors who share a deep love of theatre, Marquee Moments – Essays by Theatre Lovers captures their stories: the moments they find worthy of remembering and sharing. The authors of Marquee Moments are not Broadway headliners, trending director/choreographers, or social media celebrities. They are theatre people—actors, creatives, technicians, and theatregoers who love and sustain the art form. Some have had careers in theatre, but most are the unsung heroes who pull ropes backstage, chase props, sew hems. They are the 16-year-olds with sequined fingernails negotiating a power tool for the first time. They are the girl dads trading corporate suits for paint-splattered jeans on a Friday night. They are the adults finally answering the call to audition after years of wondering “what if?” They are the people in the audience, buying tickets and keeping theatre alive.
Tech Week (Cast vs. Crew)
By Lindsay Champion
Available June 30, 2026
In this sequel to Setting the Stage, there's one week left until opening night of Curie: The Musical, and nothing is going right backstage. The set has collapsed, the crew's headsets don't work, and Ella, the stage manager, just quit in a fury. The cast and crew are playing pranks on each other, and Willow, the soundboard operator, is working on a scheme that will turn the feud into all-out war! Levi, the tech lead, and Rosa, the star of the show, are caught in the middle. Can they unite the cast and crew in time to actually rehearse? Or will the chaos force them to take sides and destroy their showmance? The teachers call it "tech week." The kids call it "hell week." Whatever you call it, this is the week that the drama of drama club gets real.
A Very Unusual Way: Maury Yeston and His Singular Path to Broadway and Beyond
By Joshua Rosenblum
Available July 1, 2026
Maury Yeston, the celebrated composer and lyricist of the Tony Award–winning musicals Nine, Titanic, and Grand Hotel, has not, until now, been the subject of a full-length study of his career and work. Now, through this comprehensive text, readers can appreciate the full scope of Yeston's output and his place in musical theater history. A Very Unusual Way is a career chronicle combined with close examinations of some of Yeston's most noteworthy compositions, including songs from his famous musicals as well as his lesser-known works. Joshua Rosenblum gives behind-the-scenes accounts of Yeston's Broadway shows and appraises his songs with revelatory analyses that can be appreciated by musicians and lay readers alike. In addition to having full access to the composer's archive, the author conducted over a dozen interviews with Yeston, an unusually articulate, charming, and enlightening subject who offers priceless insights into his work and his process. The book also highlights the numerous well-known artistic figures and collaborators who have featured prominently in Yeston's life, including Stephen Sondheim, Placido Domingo, Federico Fellini, Jane Krakowski, Alan Jay Lerner, Yo-Yo Ma, Alan Menken, Mike Nichols, Barbra Streisand, Tommy Tune, and Jonathan Tunick. As a bonus, "Advice to Young Composers," Yeston's legendary discourse, is included in full as an appendix.
Too Darn Hot: Kiss Me, Kate & the Making and Remaking of a Broadway Musical
By Hannah Robbins
Available July 1, 2026
When Kiss Me, Kate premiered in its first try-out performance, its future was anything but certain. Conceived and staged in just nine months of intense, sometimes chaotic collaboration, the show was a bold experiment: a backstage musical built around a Shakespearean comedy. But once the reviews rolled in, all doubts vanished. The production was a triumph, becoming the most successful stage work of both Cole Porter and the writing duo Sam and Bella Spewack. Yet Kiss Me, Kate has never been without controversy. At its heart, the show is a backstage comedy built around a play-within-a-play adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. That choice has long invited scrutiny. From its earliest performances to its most recent revivals, Kiss Me, Kate has sparked discussion about adaptation, gender politics, and the evolving tastes of audiences. From its 1948 debut to its 75th anniversary revival, the musical has been both celebrated and critiqued, reflecting shifting cultural attitudes and artistic sensibilities.
Black Queer Girlhood on the Musical Theatre Stage
By La Donna L. Forsgren
Available July 3, 2026
Black Queer Girlhood on the Musical Theatre Stage offers a new perspective on the creativity of contemporary Black women musical theatre artists, their representations of Black girlhood, and the Black queer feminist spectators who engage with their work. Creating a new model for Black queer feminist praxis, La Donna L. Forsgren engages with musical theatre scholarship, Black queer feminist criticism, reception studies, Black girlhood studies, and film and television studies, critiquing the gaps and silences within these fields. Each chapter uses Black queer feminist criticism and audience reception theories of popular culture to understand what meaning and pleasure Black queer spectators find in popular musical performances created by Black women. Through resistant readings of twenty contemporary musical theatre productions--from Broadway hits such as The Color Purple and the televised broadcast of The Wiz Live! to the less studied but popular gospel musical Mama, I Want to Sing!--Forsgren demonstrates how the intersections of Black women's identity foster their ability to (at times) subvert and disrupt heterocentrism, sexism, and white cultural hegemony within the modes of theatre production. In so doing, Black Queer Girlhood on the Musical Theatre Stage positions Black women's artistic work as a crucial component of politically engaged popular entertainment and renders Black queer feminist spectators visible.
Barrymore: The Spectacular, Tumultuous Life of America's Prince of Players
By Terry Chester Shulman
Available July 21, 2026
While many know the Barrymore name due to actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore, the family's rich legacy on the stage and screen dates back to the nineteenth century. Perhaps no one has understood the pressures of a family dynasty more keenly than John Barrymore, the youngest of patriarch Maurice Barrymore's three children. In Barrymore: The Spectacular, Tumultuous Life of America's Prince of Players, Terry Chester Shulman dives into the story of John Barrymore's family, the underbelly of his Hollywood and Broadway productions, and the dangers of fame and fortune. Direct quotes from performances, letters, journals, and other sources paint Barrymore as a creative genius who struggled with personal demons and, hardships notwithstanding, left an indelible impact on the stage and silver screen―the echoes of which are still felt today.
The Balusters: Broadway Edition
By David Linsay-Abaire
Available July 21, 2026
Nominated for Five 2026 Tony Awards, including Best Play “Lindsay-Abaire has performed a valuable service, dispelling some of the ignorance that makes it so hard for too many of us to imagine how the other half lives.” —Sylviane Gold (New York Times) on Good People. The Vernon Point Association could be described as a very outspoken bunch. They’re known for diligently upkeeping their sanctuary—from porch railings to trash cans, no infraction goes undocumented. Still, no one is prepared for the neighbor-versus-neighbor battle royale that ensues when a newcomer makes an inconceivable suggestion: a stop sign, perched on the enclave’s most picturesque block. A raucous play journeying through big feelings, The Balusters is a modern-day satire about what happens when communities change faster than the people who reside in them.
Directing in Musical Theatre: An Essential Guide
By Joe Deer
Available July 23, 2026
Directing in Musical Theatre offers a comprehensive guide which will equip aspiring directors with all of the skills that they will need in order to guide a production from beginning to end. This new and fully revised edition includes the latest industry knowledge, examples of contemporary musicals from across the globe, and new sections focusing on Contemporary Casting, identity, and intimacy coordination. From the very first conception and collaborations with designers and cast, through rehearsals and technical production all the way to the final performance, Joe Deer covers the full range. Deer’s accessible and compellingly practical approach uses proven, repeatable methods for addressing all aspects of a production. The focus at every stage is on working with others, using insights from experienced, successful directors to tackle common problems and devise solutions.
Jazzed: Jack Cole and Twentieth-Century American Dance
By Debra Levine
Available August 11, 2026
Renowned dancer and choreographer Jack Cole (1911–1974), whose birth name was John Ewing Richter, was a one-of-a-kind artist who initiated a gripping style of theatrical jazz dance that forever vanquished the vaudeville kickline. Cole's distinctive four-decade career choreographing for stage, screen, and his iconic nightclub act began during the Great Depression. He transformed early modern dance by injecting angularity, syncopation, and body isolations derived from Indian, Latin American, African, and Caribbean dance forms. With lucid prose and unmatched research pulled from film and art archives, public events, memoirs, and interviews, Jazzed takes readers on a journey through Cole's professional and personal transitions. Author Debra Levine not only focuses on Cole's choreography career at MGM, Columbia Pictures, and Twentieth Century-Fox but also uncovers details of his obsessive training, his struggles with depression and alcoholism, his proclivity for violence, and his encounters with homophobia. Levine winnows fact from fiction to deliver an insightful, entertaining biography of the dance renegade whose unique brand of theatrical jazz dance still resonates in nightclubs, music videos, and musicals today.
American Musicals in Historical Context: From the American Revolution to the 21st Century
By Thmas A. Greenfield
Available August 20, 2026
Musical theatre has been no stranger to placing historical events on stage: from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the first 'populist' President in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, through to the movement against the Vietnam War in Hair and the newsboys strike in Newsies; the musical form has long-explored and been inspired by the American story. Following on from the success of the hit musical Hamilton (2015) came a reshaping of the way early U.S. history is taught and written about. This second edition of American Musicals in Historical Context gives students a fresh look at history-based musicals, providing a synopsis, an overview of critical and audience reception, and historical context and analysis for 21 musicals.
Fandom in Musical Theatre
By Jessica Hillman-McCord
Available August 20, 2026
From listening to Original Cast Albums on repeat in the basement, to camping in line overnight for first
row tickets to Rent, to crowdsourcing new musicals and interacting with performers on TikTok, the activities a musical theatre fan engages in have changed significantly over time, but the love and passion at the heart of the experience has remained the same. Fandom in Musical Theatre delves into the universe of musical theatre fandom, investigating its dynamic communities. This book traces the historical context of fandom and then examines what it currently means to be a musical theatre fan, as fan culture shifts towards the digital.
Our Strange Duet: Inspired by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera
By Erin A. Craig
Available September 1, 2026
A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house. She was never just the voice he shaped . . . A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus. One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Opera House: The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart. As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls—and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants. Set against the sweeping, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take center stage to tell her own story: fierce, emotional, and unforgettable.
The Journey to Associate Director and Choreographer… and Beyond: An Industry Guide for Practitioners and Creatives
By Richard J. Hinds
Available September 3, 2026
For every West End and Broadway musical that's running in London and New York, as well as shows across the world and on tour, a team of associate creatives is behind the scenes keeping them alive. But how does someone become this multi-faceted role, and what skills do they need in order to succeed? Being an Associate Director or Choreographer is an all-encompassing role that requires diplomacy, creativity, organisation, tact and efficiency; this book is the first all-inclusive guide written to help aspiring and practising creatives find their way into this vital part of the theatre industry ecosystem. Learn from an industry professional with years of experience in the field, and gain insight into every aspect of the associate role. Whether you are a young creative looking to work in the field or a seasoned professional looking to make the transition, this book will be accessible and relevant to all.
Good Night, Break a Leg: Life with Broadway Dads
By Bret Shuford
Available September 8, 2026
Where do parents go when they walk out the door for work? In this charming, vibrant picture book, a little boy's dads have a very special job—they're Broadway performers! By day, these two are like any other parents. They do the dishes, help with chores, and give lots of hugs and kisses. But by night, they take to the stage, donning elaborate costumes and dancing for thousands of theatergoers. From Bret Shuford, Broadway dancer and cocreator of the social media sensation Broadway Husbands, this sweet story is a love letter to the theater and an ode to parents who do it all. Perfect for theater-loving families, aspiring young performers, and anyone who believes in the magic of being yourself, this heartwarming book is a celebration of family, creativity, and unconditional love.
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