25 Theater Books for Your Fall 2025 Reading List
Broadway authors this season include Julie Andrews, Alicia Keys, and more.
By: Nicole Rosky Oct. 12, 2025
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We're falling into fall with a great Broadway read! This season, 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 25 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's Fall 2025 reading list. Don't forget to listen to our Autumn on Broadway playlist while you read!
Check out recent releases and view upcoming books for later this year!
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist
Available now
By David Pollack-Pelzner
How did Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sweet, sensitive son of Puerto Rican parents from an immigrant neighborhood in Manhattan, rise to become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist is his incredible story as never told before, tracing Miranda’s path from an often isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights; a global chart-topping sensation for his songs in Disney’s Moana and Encanto; and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant.
Jukebox Musicals: Crazy for You to MJ the Musical
By Kristin Stultz Pressley
Available now
What is meant by the phrase "Jukebox Musical"? What does Crazy for You have in common with Mamma Mia! andMoulin Rouge? Why do audiences love - and critics tolerate - Jukebox Musicals? Jukebox Musicals explores a style of show that’s dominated Broadway for the better part of two decades. Through a chronological look at the development of long-running hits, like Mamma Mia! and Jersey Boys, this book traces the Jukebox Musical from when it was an exception on Broadway to when it became the rule. Examining the origins and reception for ten of these shows, this volume offers an exploration of one of the most divisive sub-genres of the musical form. 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.
How Does the Show Go On? The Frozen Edition
By Thomas Schumacher
Available Now
Filled with detailed explanations, captivating illustrations, and entertaining trivia, this clearly written, lively, and uniquely designed book offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of the theater from the box office to backstage, and beyond. Readers enter via the front door, where the people and activities of the “front of house” can be examined. And then it’s on to the behind-the-scenes magic of the “back of house” is revealed. Using the successful array of Disney’s shows as examples, readers encounter the people, places, occupations, and equipment of the theater world, and have the opportunity to investigate them all. From the box office and the usher staff to the dressing rooms and the backstage doorman, the reader may wander at will within this one-of-a-kind world, discovering the wonders of theater all along the way.
Hello, Broadway!: A Young Person's Guide to the World of Musical Theater
By Emily Hurd and Michael Mitnick
Available now
Join Eleanor and Harry as they head to New York City for their first Broadway show. Discover what it’s like to attend a show, enjoy the performance and delight in the magic of musical theater. Beautifully illustrated scenes are accompanied by sound buttons that play iconic musical song clips performed by Broadway stars! Ideal for caregivers who want to share their love of Broadway with their children, Hello, Broadway! is the perfect introduction to the wonderful world of musical theater.
Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music
By Debbie Gibson
Available now
Debbie Gibson was just sixteen when she released her multi-platinum debut album Out of the Blue and recorded “Foolish Beat” in 1988, making her the youngest person to ever write, produce, and perform a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. A child actress who became the original pop princess, Debbie had full creative control over her music and, when that no longer aligned with a transitioning arts scene, she went on to star in Broadway’s Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, and Cabaret, as well as in the London production of Grease. Yet, for all the accolades and achievements, her success came at a high price.
Hirschfeld's Sondheim: A Poster Book
By David Leopold
Available now
This first volume in a series of deluxe Hirschfeld poster books contains art drawn from life before the opening night of each of Sondheim’s productions. On the reverse side are rare, ancillary images from the archives, as well as an introduction by Bernadette Peters, an essay by Ben Brantley, and text by David Leopold, Hirschfeld’s archivist and creative director of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. Hirschfeld’s images capture the essence of the performances even better than the photographs of the shows. All of Sondheim’s best-known plays are included—West Side Story, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, and Sunday in the Park with George.
Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Puzzles and Games of the Broadway Legend
By Barry Joseph
Available now
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.
An Actor's Tale: Theater, Culture, and Everyday Life in the Nineteenth-Century United States
By Amy E. Huges
Available now
Harry Watkins was no one special. During a career that spanned four decades, this nineteenth-century actor yearned for fame but merely skirted the edges of it. He performed alongside the brightest stars, wrote scores of plays, and toured the United States and England, but he never became a household name. Inspired by this average performer’s life and labor, An Actor’s Tale offers an alternative history of nineteenth-Century Theater, focusing on the daily rhythms and routines of theatrical life rather than the celebrated people, plays, and exceptional events that tend to dominate histories of US theater and performance. In the process, Hughes asks uncomfortable questions about the existence, predominance, and erasure of White male mediocrity in US culture, both in the past and present.
Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: Behind the Bloody Musical Masterpiece
By Rick Pender
Available now
This bloody tale is often considered one of the greatest musicals of all time. Rick Pender provides a kaleidoscopic view and interweaves a wealth of archival materials and insights, starting with the show's 19th-century gruesome literary origins and Christopher Bond's 1970 stage adaptation that inspired Sondheim to transform it into a Broadway musical. Pender extensively explores the show's development and its Tony Award-winning original 1979 production, focusing on Sondheim's majestic score and the show's masterfully written and intricately plotted book by Hugh Wheeler. Also profiled are members of the all-star creative team led by director Hal Prince as well as legendary orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, renowned musical director Paul Gemignani, and the original cast, including Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury, Victor Garber, Sarah Rice, Edmund Lyndeck, Ken Jennings, and Merle Louise.
The Periodic Table of Broadway Musicals: An Illustrated Guide to 118 Essential Shows
By Andrew Gerle and Joseph Zellnik
Available now
Theater lovers will adore this unique guidebook that boasts a wealth of Broadway knowledge, including adorable icons that represent each musical. Imagine the classic periodic table of elements—but instead of Chromium and Rhodium, it's A Chorus Line and RENT! This delightful and informative gift book, based on the bestselling viral poster series is a stunning showcase of art and content sure to thrill lovers of showtunes and everything Broadway and beyond.
Wicked: Quotes of Grandiosity: The Most Spellbinding (and Thrillifying!) Words and Lyrics (Wit & Wisdom)
By Insight Editions
Available now
oin Glinda, Elphaba, and other memorable characters for a wit-and-wisdom style journey through Universal Pictures’ Wicked. Filled with official lyrics, quotes, and art from all your favorite Ozians, you’ll experience the highs and lows, the funny and the poignant from Wicked. With themes that encourage acceptance of yourself and others, it’s empowering to quote (and even sing!) along. Each chapter further illuminates the complex characters and their stories, making this book—the only officially licensed book of quotes from Wicked—the perfect gift for fans of any age.
Acting the Part: Audience Participation in Performance
By E.B. Hunter
Available October 14, 2025
Acting the Part offers a paradigm for understanding how audiences participate in immersive theater, from physical spaces like the Globe in London to digital spaces like social virtual reality. Reading across twenty-first century productions of ancient Greek tragedies and William Shakespeare’s plays, E. B. Hunter proposes the concept of “enactivity” to describe the positionality audiences inhabit when their participation is critical to the narrative but cannot alter its intended course. This positionality is that of the archetype, the enactment of which is shaped by four production conditions: a historically resonant site, a canonical source, an immersive space, and a production-specific economy that incentivizes some behaviors and discourages others.
Setting the Stage (Cast vs. Crew)
By Lindsay Champion
Available October 21, 2025
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.
The Great American Mousical (A Broadway Tale)
By Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton
Availble October 21, 2025
In this loving valentine to life in the theater, we join a delightful cast, follow a daring adventure, and welcome a brave new hero. This delicious tribute to the Broadway musical is written by two bestselling authors who have firsthand experience of this much-adored world. In the heart of the great metropolis of New York City, the bright lights of Broadway shine. And down, down, down, beneath a theater known as the Sovereign, there sits a long-forgotten architect’s model—the Sovereign’s miniature replica.
Broadway, the Longest Street in the U.S.
By Keith Goldstein
Available October 27, 2025
Broadway, spanning 33 miles through New York City, is America's longest street, showcasing the city's diversity. It winds through various neighborhoods, each with its own distinct character. From the iconic Times Square to the historic Theater District, Broadway is synonymous with entertainment and culture. Along its route, one encounters a mix of cultures, cuisines, and lifestyles, mirroring the city's diversity. From the vibrant markets of Chinatown to the stylish boutiques of SoHo, Broadway reflects urban life in all its facets. It's a street where dreams come alive, where art flourishes, and where the city's heartbeat is palpable. Every year, millions of visitors are drawn to Broadway to immerse themselves in its unique atmosphere and experience the essence of New York City firsthand.
Let's Put On A Show: How to Plan, Produce, and Stage a Show Like a Pro
By Stewart F. Lane
Available October 28, 2025
Whether you're stepping into the world of theater production for the first time or you're a seasoned professional looking to refine your process, this comprehensive, reader-friendly handbook has you covered. Renowned Broadway producer and six-time Tony Award-winner Stewart F. Lane takes you behind the curtain, guiding you through every stage of bringing a production to life—from the first spark of an idea to the final standing ovation.
Crafting an Intentional Career for the Musical Theatre Performer
By David W. Eggers
Available October 29, 2025
Written by a professional with both on and off-Broadway experience, this guide will help performers to develop skills to positively and purposefully navigate their careers. Including practical tips, advice from professionals and a guide to develop a career journal, the book provides the missing pieces to help prepare the young musical theatre performer for the mental game of musical theatre. The book navigates key questions such as: how to increase your chances of reaching your career goals; how to look inward and take responsibility for self-confidence, self-talk, and self-belief; how to implement self-care routines for mental and physical well-being; how to define “success” not as a point of arrival, but as a long journey that can provide fulfillment throughout one’s career; and much more.
Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre
By Paige Allen and Stacy Wolf
Available October 30, 2025
Musicals have always appealed to women as audience members and fans, even as most artists and producers were (and are) men. Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre untangles these contradictions that are woven into the very fabric of this beloved, unapologetically commercial art form. This book offers a concise history of feminism's encounter with musicals and outlines methods through which to interpret musicals from a feminist perspective. Through case studies of shows such as The Music Man, Evita, Fun Home, and SIX, Feminist Approaches outlines techniques for analyzing musical theatre from a feminist perspective, modelling these methods.
Sign Language Interpreting for Theatre: A Collaborative Approach
By Lynnette Taylor, Stephanie Feyne, Candace Broecker Penn
Available November 5, 2025
Written by three veteran interpreters with deep roots in the Deaf community and the performing arts, Sign Language Interpreting for Theatre is the first of its kind: a comprehensive guide to the art of sign language interpreting for the theatre as a collaborative practice. Drawing from their years of experience of interpreting On- and Off-Broadway and blending the theoretical with the practical, Lynnette Taylor, Stephanie Feyne, and Candace Broecker Penn provide guiding principles, best practices, processes, and strategies for creating dynamic, collaborative, culturally-grounded sign language translations for theatre performances.
History Hiding Around Broadway: Backstage Lore, Secrets & Surprises from New York’s Famed Theater District
By Teale Dvornik
Available November 11, 2025
Broadway is one of New York’s greatest treasures, and where there is treasure, there is a backstory. When it comes to Broadway, that backstory is fittingly juicy, dramatic, and unexpected. And no one knows these hidden histories like Teale Dvornik, who has been leading Broadway fans on tours of the theater district since 2017. With her immense knowledge and passion for the theater, Dvornik now takes readers on her one-of-a-kind tour of Broadway, “stopping” at each of the 41 theaters to tell us fun facts, lesser-known history, ghost tales, and interesting stories about actors, performances, stage flukes, blunders, and more, involving the biggest names and productions in theater history.
The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose: A Novel
By Robyn Green
Available November 11, 2025
Red, White & Royal Blue meets the theater world of London’s dazzling West End in this nuanced, queer debut romance in which a fake dating publicity stunt between rival co-stars results in romantic sparks neither of them expected. After winning his first Olivier Award for his performance in the West End’s top musical, The Wooden Horse, fabulously talented Jonah Penrose is the new shining star of London’s theatre scene. But Jonah’s success can’t erase the pain of a recent breakup, fix his self-doubt, or remedy his father’s ailing mind.
Hell's Kitchen: Behind the Dream
By Alicia Keys and Lise Funderburg
Available November 11, 2025
Hell’s Kitchen debuted on Broadway in 2024—and the show has been electrifying audiences ever since. With plenty of awards attention, the musical has drawn sold-out crowds to the Shubert Theatre for Alicia Keys’ relatable, raw and refreshingly fun production that shows us where dreams begin. Based on Keys’ own experiences of growing up in New York City's Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, your journey starts with Ali, a 17-year-old girl full of fire, searching for freedom, passion, and her place in the world. Along the way, you'll meet the musical mentor who changes her life, her dynamic family, and the neighborhood that helps her grow. It's a celebration of finding yourself, your purpose, and the people who lift you up.
God on Broadway: Revealing the Sacred in the Spectacle
By Charles A. Gillespie
Available November 18, 2025
What has Broadway to do with Jerusalem? God on Broadway explores the theological questions cracked open by commercial theatre. It shows how the Great White Way--that apex of tourist consumerism and a synonym for the business of spectacle--can be a place for theophany and critical reflection on religion. God is ready to be part of the show. God takes the stage as the clowning Jesus Christ of Godspell and in the comedian of An Act of God; God seems to overhear Tevye's soliloquy-prayers from the balcony; God gets invoked in Backstage traditions and superstitions, in the booming voice of a director calling cues with a "god mic" and in the mystifying rules about a Scottish King's name. Broadway has a God "waiting in the wings."
Australian Musical Theatre: Never Been Better?
By Mara Davis Johnson
Available December 4, 2025
Australian Musical Theatre: Never Been Better? is the first sustained scholarly analysis of the Australian musical in the twenty-first century. In the past, the Australian musical has been much maligned: plagued by the sceptre of ‘The Great Australian Musical,’ and dogged by recurring concerns about the content and quality of the genre. In this book, Mara Davis Johnson assesses these concerns and argues that they are unfounded.
Newsies, Newsies--Read All About It!: Essays on the Film and Broadway Production
By Emily Hamilton-Honey
Available December 7, 2025
Newsies has been a self-perpetuating cultural phenomenon for over three decades. Initially a box office flop, the 1992 film musical became a cult classic and created a legendary fandom. Members of that same fandom were instrumental in making the 2012 Broadway show a smash hit; the stage production ran for over 1,000 performances and won two Tony awards, had a two-year North American tour, and was filmed for Netflix. A successful second production was mounted in the 2022-23 season in London's West End. Now, in the first ever collection of scholarly writing about Newsies, voices from across academia and fandom come together to consider why this beloved property means so much to so many, and how it continues to inspire and light the civic imaginations of people all around the world.
Solo: The Everything Guide to Writing, Performing, and Producing Your One-Person Show
By Arlene Malinowski and Julie Ganey
Available December 15, 2025
The art of solo performance has exploded in the last twenty years as an immediate and accessible art form. The number of solo festivals grows every year, and artists are hungry for the opportunity to center their own voices and experiences. Solo is designed to feed that hunger. Seasoned theater educators and performers Arlene Malinowski and Julie Ganey have compiled an invaluable guide for students and practitioners alike. Topics include high-stakes narratives, compelling characters, and the role of narrators, as well as practical exercises, interviews with performers at every stage of their careers, and examples from real one-person shows. Performers will also find advice on collaborating with directors, incorporating technical elements, and producing and marketing strategies.
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