25 Theater Books for Your Fall 2026 Reading List
Broadway authors this season include Judi Dench, Julie Andrews, and more.
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 2026 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!
American Musicals in Historical Context: From the American Revolution to the 21st Century
by Thmas A. Greenfield
Available now
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 now
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 now
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 now
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 now
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.
Shy: A Picture Book
by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton
Available now
From New York Times bestselling mother-daughter duo Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton and bestselling illustrator Eva Byrne comes an empowering tale of finding your voice―starring a shy puppy who discovers the magic of music. Shy is the smallest and quietest pup at the shelter. The world feels big, loud, and a bit scary to her sweet and gentle soul. But when a man with kind eyes brings her home, she feels safe with her new best friend―and keeps him company while he practices at his piano. Beautiful, unfamiliar sounds dance in the air when the piano man plays, and something inside her begins to stir. The piano man has an important performance ahead―but it may be a performance no one, especially the piano man, ever expected. Inspired by Julie Andrews’s real-life “singing” dog, this uplifting picture book invites readers to find their voice and share their talents with the world.
Welcome to Broadway: A Showstopping Adventure Into the World of Musical Theater
by Carolyn Sloan
Available now
From the author of Welcome to the Symphony and Welcome to Jazz, this musical picture book introduces children to the wonderful world of musical theater with 12 interactive sound buttons that play iconic Broadway show tunes performed by Tony Award winning-Broadway stars. Embark on a dazzling adventure through New York City's theater district, and the shows it's famous for, in this illustrated introduction to Broadway musicals, for readers ages 4 and up. As you read, press the 12 interactive sound buttons that play iconic show tunes—including "For Good" from Wicked, "Tomorrow" from Annie, "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast, and so many more. You’ll hear the rhythmic steps of a tap dancer, a singer belting a solo, two infamous witches singing a duet, and a chorus performing a showstopping finale.
Sanity Claus (Retro Broadway Mystery)
by Frank Fraver Verlizzo
Available now
As the star of Saint Nick, a new holiday-themed Broadway play, Yule Von Zell is under immense pressure. His mental stability is teetering on the brink. A murder accusation is hanging over Yule's head, and his producer is threatening to enforce the "sanity clause" in his contract. To complicate matters, the six surviving Von Zell siblings suspect a vicious killer may be targeting their show business family! Enter theatrical ad execs Vic Senso and Bettie Balboa, who enlist their friend, NYPD Detective Renny Clements, to help clear their famous client's name. They once again employ the talents of high society psychic, Mizz Mitzi, along with an inner-circle of savvy theater contacts, to unravel the secrets of the Christmas-obsessed family.
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play: 2026 Broadway Edition (Modern Plays)
by Jocelyn Bioh
Available September 24, 2026
1986. Ghana's prestigious Aburi Girls Boarding School. Queen Bee Paulina and her crew excitedly await the arrival of the Miss Ghana pageant recruiter. It's clear that Paulina is in top position to take the title until her place is threatened by Ericka – a beautiful and talented new transfer student. As the friendship group's status quo is upended, who will be chosen for Miss Ghana and at what cost? Bursting with hilarity and joy, this award-winning comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls around the world. This revised and updated edition of Tony Award-nominee Jocelyn Bioh's riotous coming of age play was published to coincide with the Broadway premiere in September 2026.
Black Voices on Stage: Recovering African American Performances, 1850–1940
by Thomas L. Riis
Available October 1, 2026
Black Voices on Stage collects ten diverse case studies of nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century African American singers and actors―names that have been largely left out of our general music history books―whose lives and performances address questions of race, identity, musical expression, and audience reception. Rediscovering, remembering, and celebrating the public careers of Black entertainers who worked in a period dominated by pernicious stereotypes of blackface minstrelsy illustrates how their achievements still deserve our attention. Although most of the book is devoted to relatively obscure figures who worked outside of minstrelsy, such as Tom Wiggins, Sissieretta Jones, Bob Cole, Will Marion Cook, and others, a final chapter examines how even the career of Paul Robeson (1898–1976)―arguably the most prominent Black voice on stage in the twentieth century―has fallen under a partial shadow. Riis offers new insights into these pioneering performers, restoring their lives and achievements to the rich tapestry of American music.
I Hear Music: The Life of Burton Lane, Composer for Broadway and Hollywood
by Tighe E. Zimmers
Available October 5, 2026
During his years in Hollywood, composer Burton Lane had two songs nominated for Academy Awards: "How About You?" from Babes on Broadway and "Too Late Now" from Royal Wedding. Lane was one of the best melody writers in all of American Popular Song. This biography is the first full-length book about Lane, covering his full career. While still in his teens, he worked on Tin Pan Alley and Broadway. Moving to Hollywood, he composed film songs for more than twenty years, working with well-known lyricists including Harold Adamson, Ralph Freed, Frank Loesser, Yip Harburg, Ted Koehler, and Sammy Cahn. He returned to Broadway in 1947 and wrote an iconic musical, Finian's Rainbow, with Harburg. With Alan Jay Lerner, Lane wrote a beautiful Broadway score for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, winning a Grammy for Best Original Cast Recording. Many of his greatest tunes were lost in the shuffle of Hollywood, but have reemerged in this biography.
Bountiful: Growing Up with Geraldine Page: A Daughter's Memoir
by Angelica Page
Available October 6, 2026
Bountiful: Growing Up with Geraldine Page is the first book about the legendary artist, presenting a one-of-a-kind look at her body of work and private life, with insider stories of her stage and film career (she was nominated for four Tony Awards and eight Academy Awards, finally winning an Oscar for her ethereal performance in The Trip to Bountiful), her relationships with other renowned actors including her husband and Angelica’s father Rip Torn, Actors Studio founder Lee Strasberg, and her interactions with legends such as James Dean, John Wayne, Jackie Kennedy, and many more. Angelica Page, daughter of Geraldine and Rip Torn, skillfully weaves in stories of her own coming of age: being mesmerized by her mother’s stage performances as a child and a rebellious young adult; learning to swim in Grace Slick’s guitar-shaped pool; hanging out with Twiggy in London; enduring a chaotic home life with frequent fights between her mother and father that drove her from home to the 1980s punk rock scene of CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City, and the Mudd Club. This is as much a theatrical history lesson as a first person survival guide to life in the fast lane. A love song sung by the daughter of a remarkable artist who should not be forgotten any time soon. Includes more than 40 photos from family archives.
The Great Gatsby: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical (Methuen Drama Libretto Library)
by Kait Kerrigan and Nathan Tysen
Available October 8, 2026
The party's roaring on Broadway! Since opening at the Broadway Theatre in April 2024, The Great Gatsby has become one of the defining large-scale musicals of its generation, transforming F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic into a lavish, Modern Stage event. With a sweeping score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a boldly theatrical book by Kait Kerrigan, this production embraces the full glamour, excess, and aching romance of the Jazz Age-powered by contemporary musical storytelling built for today's global audience.
Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage
by Spencer Weber Waller
Available October 15, 2026
Since the second half of the 19th century, live entertainment in the United States has been governed by monopolies and powerful business cartels. Through power and greed they controlled who could produce, book, and present live performance and legitimate theatre, affecting audiences in New York City and across North America. Far from being a historical problem, it took the botched rollout of the 2023 Taylor Swift Eras tour via Live Nation/Ticketmaster for people and Congress to question this established history, and more importantly, ask what could be done to change it via stronger enforcement of the antitrust laws to help prevent high prices and poor service suffered by concert-goers who buy their tickets online. But how did we get to this point? This is the story of the real battle for Broadway, where the men who controlled the business determined not only who produced for the theatrical and vaudeville stage but also what they produced, who would perform, where the show would play, how much the audience would pay, and how those profits would be divided. Discover how it took the law nearly sixty years to catch up to the illegal anticompetitive strategies of the Barons of the Gilded Age and their successors and why this story matters today.
Describe the Night (Modern Classics)
by Rajiv Joseph
Available October 15, 2026
In 1920, the Russian writer Isaac Babel wanders the countryside with the Red Cavalry. In 1990, a mysterious KGB agent spies on a woman in Dresden and falls in love. In 2010, an aircraft carrying most of the Polish government crashes in the Russian city of Smolensk. Set in Russia and Eastern Europe over the course of ninety years, Rajiv Joseph's thrilling and epic play weaves together the lives of seven men and women into an interconnected web of myth, desire, and conspiracy. Winner of an Obie Award for Best New American Play in 2018, Describe the Night is published in Methuen Drama's Modern Classics series, featuring a new introduction by Lisa Spirling.
It's All Happening: How Musical Theater Does High School
by Lindsey Mantoan
Available October 22, 2026
It's All Happening celebrates musicals set in high school and the students who love and perform them. It traces the way musicals move from Broadway to high school productions, and what amateur artists can teach us that professional New York and touring productions can't. It features extensive interviews with high school theatre program directors and student actors, placed alongside new insights about what cultural work these musicals are doing in the US.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera: A Behind-the-Mask Look at the Global Phenomenon
by Kat Maher-Smith and Nicola Slavin
Available October 27, 2026
A vibrant celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic multi-award winning musical, exploring its rich history, with letters from its cast, crew, and global fanbase, and featuring exclusive photos and archival materials. Since its opening night in 1986, Phantom of the Opera has become not only one of the longest-running musicals, but one of the most globally renowned productions of all time. This celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, unearthed archival documents, and brand new never-before-seen photography, with an in-depth look at how the story came to be and the expansive future it holds. From the Phantom’s labyrinthine underworld to Christine’s lamplit dressing room to the dreamlike grandeur of the Opera House rooftop at twilight, the evocative power of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera has always extended far beyond its theatrical setting.
Yassified Shakespeare: Gender Performance and Critical ShaxDrag
by Trevor Boffone
Available October 29, 2026
Yassification distorts reality and its satire lies in its self-referential nature: there needs to be an original object for comparison to the yassified version. Enter: William Shakespeare. From Harold Perrineau’s turn as Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet to the ‘ShakesQueer’ episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Shakespeare’s cultural capital is often served hand-in-hand with drag aesthetics to today’s audiences. Exploring the intersection between Shakespeare and drag in contemporary American culture, termed here as ‘ShaxDrag’, the book interrogates the specific role Shakespeare plays in American popular culture. Whether it be Queer-coded iterations of Shakespeare’s persona by performers on Broadway or at a Renaissance Faire, or performances of Shakespearean content by Drag Queens, the authors contend that ShaxDrag is used to subvert white, Eurocentric ideas about high culture, education, language and taste. Through ShaxDrag marginalized voices can liberate Shakespeare’s cultural capital from its colonialist agenda, re-read it via various contemporary filters and use it to advocate for their own inclusion in greater canons. Yassified Shakespeare mines Shakespearean remixes as a site of Queer theory, revealing how Shakespeare can be a critical site of Queer world-making.
Life Is a Cabaret: The Amazing Story of the Real Lives Who Inspired the Iconic Musical
by Brian Fairbanks
Available November 3, 2026
The untold story of the extraordinary people who inspired Christopher Isherwood's characters in Cabaret, the landmark Broadway musical and Oscar-winning film, and the vibrant Bohemia that escaped from Berlin or endured under the Nazi regime. Even diehard fans of Cabaret remain unaware that Isherwood's Berlin Stories, celebrated as one of the best novels of the 20th Century, is based on a true story―and real people, from the larger-than-life landlady to the immortal, flighty, fantastical Sally Bowles, whose escapades in 1930s Weimar Berlin were comically exaggerated in one of the most memorable characters in Broadway history.
Broadway in Black and White: The Untold Story of the American Musical
by John Mauceri and John H. McWhorter
Available November 3, 2026
Long before racial integration became the law of the land, Broadway showed Americans what it could look and sound like. Shaped by Black musical traditions, European theatrical forms, and immigrant cultures, the Broadway musical emerged in the twentieth century as a visceral embodiment of the American Melting Pot. In Broadway in Black and White, conductor and historian John Mauceri―together with linguist and cultural commentator John H. McWhorter―presents a dazzling history of collaboration between Black and white artists in the American musical theater. Moving from ragtime and operetta through Show Boat and Shuffle Along to The Lion King, Ragtime, and Hamilton, Mauceri reveals how Broadway’s social and political influence extends far beyond artistic achievements and commercial successes. Incisive, deeply personal interludes by McWhorter offer a parallel perspective on the American musical as a testament to cultural exchange.
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy
by The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
Available November 3, 2026
Women+ on the Edge of Democracy is a collection of thirty-four new short plays commissioned by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Vermont in partnership with the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. The project brings together past winners of the Blackburn to respond to a shared set of questions about democracy, civic life, and the role of the individual at a moment of profound political uncertainty. The works center women+ as founders and preservers of American democracy. By excavating a variety of topics, the works also position women as necessary leaders for a brighter future.
Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?
by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea
Available November 3, 2026
In Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea take us on a heartfelt and hilarious tour of her extraordinary life and career. From growing up in York and being miffed at not getting the part of Mary in the school Nativity play, to playing before sold-out houses on Broadway and in London’s West End, she’s done it all. She walked the red carpets of Hollywood, turned James Bond’s M into the most astute, unflinching Head of MI6 anyone could ever have imagined, and won an Oscar, a Tony, Golden Globes, Oliviers, and BAFTAs along the way. Yet despite the accolades, she has been accompanied by doubt. From the movie producer who said she had “everything wrong” with her face, to the theatre director who advised her against doing sitcom. Is it any wonder she leaves a bag by the rehearsal room door in case she has to make a run for it?
RENT: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical (Methuen Drama Libretto Library)
by Jonathan Larson
Available November 6, 2026
Thirty years after it first redefined what musical theatre could be, RENT remains a rallying cry for connection, creativity, and living without regret. After opening on Broadway in 1996, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards including Best Musical, it created an enduring legacy of a work that changed Broadway-and the lives of audiences around the world-forever. Set in New York City's East Village at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, RENT follows a community of young artists struggling to survive, create, and love in the face of uncertainty. With its electrifying score and deeply human storytelling, Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical brought rock music to Broadway with an authenticity and urgency that continues to resonate across generations.
Women of Broadway: The Creative Icons Defining a Genre
by Nancy Hendricks
Available November 12, 2026
A gateway resource to understanding the historical and contemporary women who have been foundational in bringing musicals and plays to life on the iconic stages of Broadway, and beyond. When considering the birth and evolution of Broadway, we have heard of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein and of Bob Fosse and Joe Papp, but what about women such as Julie Taymor, Lorraine Hansberry, and Zelda Fichandler? Without them, we would not have landmark classics such as The Lion King, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Great White Hope not to mention New York's beloved free Shakespeare in the Park from The Public Theater or even the Tony Awards. Understand the evolution of Broadway from its early days through today by getting to know the female playwrights, composers and lyricists, directors, producers, choreographers, technicians, and leading actors who have defined this iconic performance genre.
The AIDS Plays Project: Queer Plays from Trailblazing Writers Lost to HIV/AIDS
by Charles Ludlam, James Kirkwood, Harry Kondoleon, Robert Chesley, Colm O Clubhan, Alan Bowne and George Whitmore
Available November 26, 2026
This collection brings together scripts, essays, biographies, interviews and photographs to celebrate seven queer playwrights lost to HIV/AIDS: Charles Ludlam, James Kirkwood Jr., George Whitmore, Harry Kondoleon, Alan Bowne, Colm Ó Clúbhán and Robert Chesley. From a drag-infused riff on La Traviata in nineteenth-century Paris to a subversive comedy about a bisexual ghost haunting rural Massachusetts, a San Francisco-set tragedy about phone sex, and a tense exploration of Irish politics in a London pub: these plays reveal the dazzling breadth of queer theatre in the US and UK during the 1970s and 80s. They are the work of seven playwrights - some celebrated in their own time, others working on the margins of theatre - who blazed a trail on and offstage: introducing some of the first bisexual characters on Broadway, performing in drag on the streets of South London, or promoting sex positivity during the epidemic's darkest days.
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