Thomas Schumacher to Release Second Edition of 'How Does The Show Go On?' 10/14

Disney Editions announced today that they will release an updated edition of How Does the Show Go On?, Broadway producer Thomas Schumacher’s introduction to the theater for young people.  This second edition of the much-heralded book, which was originally released in November 2007 and has since sold 50,000 copies, will hit bookshelves on October 14, 2008, and will include Broadway’s The Little Mermaid and the touring production of the mega-hit High School Musical.  A soft-cover Library Edition of How Does the Show Go On? will also be released this fall (September 30, 2008).

The 128-page hardcover book, written with Jeff Kurtti, gives readers the opportunity to meet the casts of characters who work onstage and behind the scenes to deliver unforgettable performances, and explore the inner workings of the theater building itself.  Filled with artifacts you can pull out and hold in your hand, How Does the Show Go On? is a totally unique guide to what goes on behind the curtain.   From informative descriptions of the playwright, choreographer, stage manager and fight director to explanations about the role of the set designer, composer, usher, director and leading lady, Schumacher has created a stimulating, interactive and all together indispensable introduction to the theater.  

Thomas Schumacher is the producer of the Tony Award®-winning Best Musical The Lion King. Schumacher is also the producer of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Tarzan, and current Broadway hits Mary Poppins (with producer Cameron Mackintosh) and The Little Mermaid.

How Does The Show Go On? features include:

* A Costume Designer’s Sketchbook

* An authentic Playbill Program

* Front of House: From the Street to the Stage Apron

* Back of House: From the Stage Apron to the Stage Door

* A Day in the Life of a Child Performer

* Theater-Speak Glossary

Thomas Schumacher is President of Disney Theatrical Group.  He joined the Walt Disney Company in 1988, previously serving as president of Feature Animation, where he supervised the development and production of twenty-one animated feature films.  His Broadway producing credits include Julie Taymor’s production of The Lion King (six 1998 Tony® Awards) now in its tenth year; Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (four 2000 Tony® Awards); Tarzan®, with the music and lyrics of Phil Collins and direction and design by Bob Crowley; Mary Poppins, a partnership between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh and The Little Mermaid, which opened in January 2008, featuring direction by Francesca Zambello.  Schumacher’s other producing credits include On the Record, a musical celebrating Disney’s catalog of beloved songs and the highly successful touring stage production of Disney’s High School Musical, which reached 41 cities over 60 weeks in 2008.  He is also the author of the book How Does the Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater, published by Disney Editions.  Future projects in development include The Man in the Ceiling, based on the Jules Feiffer book with music by Andrew Lippa, and a stage adaptation by Rick Elice of Peter and the Starcatchers, a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

A graduate of UCLA, he is a member of the Executive Committee for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Tony Administration Committee, the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing and serves as adjunct professor at Columbia University.

For more information please visit www.howdoestheshowgoon.com

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.