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Broadway Bookshelf

Biographies, show books, musical scores, history, and must-read theatre books.
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The Craft of Theatre: Seminars and Discussions in Brechtian Theatre (5/12/2012)

The autobiographical account by one of German theater's great actors of his life in the theater. 		The Craft of Theatre: Seminars and Discussions in Brechtian Theatre Cover
The Enraged Accompanist's Guide to a Perfect Audition (1/1/2011)

"I am your accompanist. You do not know me. I am the guy who sits behind the upright in the unflattering fluorescent light of the dance studio, a bottle of water on the floor, a half-eaten Power Bar on the bench, and your audition in my hands." Award-winning New York theatre composer and pianist Andrew Gerle pulls no punches in this irreverent, fly-on-the-wall guide to everything you've never been taught about auditioning for musical theatre. From the unique perspective of the pianist's bench, ... 		The Enraged Accompanist's Guide to a Perfect Audition Cover
Mark Ravenhill (1/1/2011)

Mark Ravenhill is the first book to provide a detailed analysis of the work of arguably the most important dramatist to have emerged from the British theatre over the past twenty years. Shopping and F***ing (1996), with its unrelenting representation of dysfunctional youth, dark humour and graphic sex and violence, was seen by many to uniquely capture the social and political fallout of a decade, and Ravenhill fast attained a status as the ‘rude boy’ of British theatre. However, the numer... 		Mark Ravenhill Cover
Finishing the Hat (10/1/2010)

The winner of seven Tonys, seven Grammys, an Oscar, and a Pulitzer Prize, Stephen Sondheim has become synonymous with the best in musical theatre. Now, in Finishing the Hat, he has not only collected his lyrics for the first time, he's giving readers a rare, personal look into his extraordinary shows and life. Along with the lyrics for all of his productions from 1954 to 1981 - including West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd, which have starred some of the mo... 		Finishing the Hat Cover
Patti LuPone: A Memoir (9/14/2010)

Broadway legend LuPone, a five-time Tony nominee and two-time Tony winner, raises the curtain on her life and career in this engaging memoir. Detailing both her travails and her triumphs, she takes the reader on a guided tour recalling some memorable moments in musical theater. She began in her teens when she and her twin brothers performed on Long Island as the LuPone Trio. On a 1968 scholarship at John Houseman's Juilliard Drama Division, she was "overwhelmed with fear," but then toured with H... 		Patti LuPone: A Memoir Cover
The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller (8/1/2010)

Arthur Miller is regarded as one of the most important playwrights of the twentieth century, and his work continues to be widely performed and studied around the world. This updated Companion includes Miller's work since the publication of the first edition in 1997 - the plays Mr Peters' Connections, Resurrection Blues, and Finishing the Picture - and key productions of his plays since his death in 2005. The chapter on Miller and the cinema has been completely revised to include new films, and d... 		The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller Cover
Playbill's At This Theatre (1/1/2010)

Theatregoers' favorite history of Broadway is back in an updated and expanded 2010 edition including more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened in the ten years since the popular 2000 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life. This unique chr... 		Playbill's At This Theatre Cover
The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television (2/1/2008)

From the silver screen to the Great White Way, small community theatres to television sets, the musical has long held a special place in America's heart and history. Now, in The Oxford Companion to the American Musical, readers who flocked to the movies to see An American in Paris or Chicago, lined up for tickets to West Side Story or Rent, or crowded around their TVs to watch Cinderella or High School Musical can finally turn to a single book for details about them all. For the first time, this... 		The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television Cover
The Cambridge Companion to August Wilson (3/1/2007)

One of America's most powerful and original dramatists, August Wilson offered an alternative history of the twentieth century, as seen from the perspective of black Americans. He celebrated the lives of those seemingly pushed to the margins of national life, but who were simultaneously protagonists of their own drama and evidence of a vital and compelling community. Decade by decade, he told the story of a people with a distinctive history who forged their own future, aware of their roots in an... 		The Cambridge Companion to August Wilson Cover
The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation (11/29/2005)

The World of Theatre is the first introduction to theatre book to truly focus on diversity and globalism, integrating coverage of multicultural, international and experimental theatre throughout. Theatre is presented as a global and multicultural form that reflects both traditional and evolving world views. While the American commercial theatre and European forms are central to the text, alternative theatres are placed side by side for comparison and contrast in each chapter, thus avoiding the s... 		The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation Cover
Theatre and Travel: Tours of the South (3/2/2005)

Presents rare information on traveling circus, minstrel, opera, and Toby shows. This collection of essays explores an understudied but pervasive aspect of American theatre: theatre on the road, from minstrel shows and Toby shows to contemporary African American theatre, 19th-century circus rail travel, and small-town opera houses. The challenges in gathering and compiling data on these ephemeral productions, from such far-flung sources as railroad schedules and weather reports, minutes f... 		Theatre and Travel: Tours of the South Cover
New York Then/New York Now (2/21/2005)

New York Then/New York Now—a collection of essays, memoirs, interviews, commentary, and plays—contemplates New York City’s history and future as a center for groundbreaking theatrical forms and ideas. Featuring the work of theater artists, producers, and critics, this special issue of Theater is concerned with the ideas and practicalities of making theater in and for New York within specific historical, political, and economic contexts. The first section, “New York Then,” reflects on ... 		New York Then/New York Now Cover
The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan (1/1/2005)

Lovers of Gilbert and Sullivan will be in heaven with the publication of these two books, which nicely complement each other. Stedman (English, Roosevelt Univ., Chicago) offers an outstanding study of this playwright and his often overlooked works, with much of its value deriving from its study of Gilbert without Sullivan. The author is a recognized expert on Gilbert as well as the Victorian time period, and she shows him to be a complex and interesting man who often found himself at odds with ... 		The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan Cover
The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet (1/1/2004)

This collection of specially written essays offers both student and theatregoer a guide to one of the most celebrated American dramatists working today. Readers will find the general and accessible descriptions and analyses provide the perfect introduction to Mamet's work. The volume covers the full range of Mamet's writing, including now classic plays such as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, and his more recent work, Boston Marriage, among others, as well as his films, such as The Ver... 		The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet Cover
Golda's Balcony: A Play (11/21/2003)

The sold out off-Broadway smash has moved to Broadway! The rise of Golda Meir from impoverished Russian schoolgirl to Prime Minister of Israel is one of the most amazing stories of the 20th century. Now her life has been transformed into a one-woman play of overwhelming power and triumph by William Gibson, author of The Miracle Worker. Golda's Balcony earned actress Tovah Feldshuh a 2003 Drama Desk award."Enlightening ... Now, hearing from someone who was there at the birth of the country, who ... 		Golda's Balcony: A Play Cover
The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama (6/25/2003)

Known through three editions as the boldest and most distinguished introduction to drama, William Worthen's pace-setting text continues to provide exciting plays usefully situated within their historical and cultural contexts. 		The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama Cover
The Lyrics of Noel Coward (1/1/2002)

Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Don't Put your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs Worthington and over 250 more lyrics from Coward's musical masterpieces. Noel Coward is one of the greatest lyricists of the twentieth century. Songs such as A Room with a View, The Stately Homes of England, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Mrs Worthington are known, sung and loved the world over. This edition gathers together over 250 of Coward's lyrics, arranged in chronological order and grouped by show. In addition, these masterp... 		The Lyrics of Noel Coward Cover
Theatre World 1994-1995, Vol. 51 (1/1/2000)

Theatre World, the statistical and pictorial record of the Broadway and off-Broadway season, touring companies, and professional regional companies throughout the United States, has become a classic in its field. The book is complete with cast listings, replacement producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and much, much more. There are special sections with biographical data, obituary information, listings of annual Shakespeare festivals and major drama a... 		Theatre World 1994-1995, Vol. 51 Cover
Theatre World 1993-1994, Vol. 50 (1/1/2000)

Theatre World, the statistical and pictorial record of the Broadway and off-Broadway season, touring companies, and professional regional companies throughout the United States, has become a classic in its field. The book is complete with cast listings, replacement producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and much, much more. There are special sections with biographical data, obituary information, listings of annual Shakespeare festivals and major drama a... 		Theatre World 1993-1994, Vol. 50 Cover
The Social Significance of Modern Drama (1/1/2000)

Out of print virtually since its completion in 1914, Emma Goldman's pioneer work Social Significance in Modern Drama bridges modern drama and political philosophy, pointing out the road that remains to be travelled toward a theatre of social empowerment. Activist, feminist, philosopher and anarchist, Emma Goldman was a passionate thinker about all things modern when the 20th century was still raw and new. The emergence of her treatise on the theatre after years of obscurity is certain to arouse ... 		The Social Significance of Modern Drama Cover
Polaroid Stories (1/1/1999)

Naomi Iizuka’s 1997 play, Polaroid Stories, consciously uses stories, characters and themes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses to tell the stories of street kids living on the edge in a desolate, urban landscape. Because these characters are named after Orpheus and Eurydice, and Echo and Narcissus, or based on stories of Dionysus, and Ariadne and Theseus, and because scenes are entitled “The Story of Semele” or “Theseus in the Labyrinth,” Iizuka creates a world that has two dimensions: the g... 		Polaroid Stories Cover
Alfred's Singer's Library Of Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

For aspiring and professional singers who love Broadway, Alfred s Singer s Library of Musical Theatre presents an elegant collection of the best-loved musical theatre songs in their original keys, authentically transcribed from their original vocal scores. Perfect for study, and equally suitable for the most important auditions and performances, each volume is dedicated to a specific vocal range, and contains dozens of songs from a variety of shows that span decades of theatre history. Multiple ... 		Alfred's Singer's Library Of Musical Theatre Cover
Broadway Nights: A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

"No one out there knows Broadway or can tell a story like the a-mahzing Seth Rudetsky."—Jonathan Groff, Tony-nominated actor/singer, "Spring Awakening" “BROADWAY NIGHTS literally made me laugh out LOUD. Seth Rudetsky is the funniest man I know. Period.” —Kristin Chenoweth, Tony award-winning actress “Seth Rudetsky knows every skeleton in (or out) of the closet on Broadway and his passion, joy and encyclopedic knowledge of that Magic Kingdom inform every sentence of this book. He ... 		Broadway Nights: A Romp of Life, Love, and Musical Theatre Cover
Musical Theatre Anthology for Teens: Young Women's Edition (12/31/1969)

A three-book series of large collections of theatre and movie musical songs for teens, with no songs duplicated from the best-selling The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection. There are over 35 songs in each volume, with enough variety to keep any stage-struck teen singing for months. Songs range from the classic musicals, to Disney movies, to contemporary Broadway shows.The Young Women's Edition includes: Can You Feel the Love Tonight * Colors of the Wind * Goodnight, My Someone * I Have Confidenc... 		Musical Theatre Anthology for Teens: Young Women's Edition Cover
Musical Theatre for Classical Singers (12/31/1969)

Songs have been chosen which are especially for the classical voice. The editions treat the music as substantial vocal literature in these large, generous collections. Each voice type has a unique variety of literature. The series presents primarily original keys, but there are also appropriate and practical transpositions. 		Musical Theatre for Classical Singers Cover
Geniuses of the American Musical Theatre: The Composers and Lyricists (12/31/1969)

This volume collects, for the first time, twenty-eight biographies of the greatest songwriters and lyricists of Broadway musicals. It goes below the surface to see what made them tick and to uncover the secrets of their success - as well as the personal foibles that sometimes led to their downfall. Longtime theatre-lover and stage veteran Herbert Keyser takes us on a personal journey through the music that made these great artists so much a part of our history and our lives. Keyser has assembled... 		Geniuses of the American Musical Theatre: The Composers and Lyricists Cover
The New Broadway Song Companion (12/31/1969)

This is a completely revised and expanded second edition of The Broadway Song Companion, the first complete guide and access point to the vast literature of the Broadway musical for the solo performer. Designed with the working actor in mind, the volume lists every song from over 300 Broadway shows, including at least 90 more than the first edition. Organized by show, each song is annotated with the name of the character(s) who sing(s) the song, the vocal range, and a style category, such as upt... 		The New Broadway Song Companion Cover
Encyclopedia Of The Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

Drawing equally from Viennese operetta, Parisian cabaret, vaudeville, and Tin Pan Alley, the American musical theatre has thrived in an unprecedented variety of forms and styles as our truest hybrid art. From Show Boat and Oklahoma! to West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and A Chorus Line, the musical has attracted our finest actors, composers, writers, directors, and choreographers. The greats and near-greats are finally brought together in this essential reference guide to over 2,000 persona... 		Encyclopedia Of The Musical Theatre Cover
Musical Theatre Training: The Broadway Theatre Project Handbook (12/31/1969)

Written by project cofounder and noted choreographer Debra McWaters, it explains the methods used by the Broadway Theatre Project to train those pursuing a career in musical theatre. It includes the lessons and advice of cofounder Ann Reinking and past instructors such as Ben Vereen, Joel Grey, Jeff Goldblum, Julie Andrews, Terrence Mann, Tommy Tune, and the late Gregory Hines, among others. McWaters covers techniques and approaches to dance, voice, acting, and the creative process. Unlike ... 		Musical Theatre Training: The Broadway Theatre Project Handbook Cover
Writing Musical Theater (12/31/1969)

This complete guide to the modern musical covers the entire process of creating a show, from finding and working out the initial idea, through the writing of both songs and libretto, to the ways in which writers can market a finished show and get it produced. This comprehensive book, for the interested theatergoer and writers, new or experienced, is written in a lively and user-friendly style and illustrated with numerous examples, containing a how-to tutorial approach to its subject matter tha... 		Writing Musical Theater Cover
Musical Theater: An Appreciation (12/31/1969)

This unique historical survey illustrates the interaction of multiple artistic and dramatic considerations with an overview of the development of numerous popular musical theater genres. This introduction provides more than a history of musical theater, it studies the music within the shows to provide an understanding of the contributions of musical theater composers as clearly as the artistry of musical theater lyricists and librettists. The familiarity of the musical helps readers understand h... 		Musical Theater: An Appreciation Cover
The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection: Young Women's Edition (12/31/1969)

These popular publications are compiled especially for the tastes and abilities of the talented teenage singer/actor. Songs span from classic stage musicals, to "the golden age of Hollywood," to the stage and cinema of the 1980s and '90s. Indispensible for teaching young singers, these book/CD packs also include notes on each selection.The Young Women's Edition includes 33 songs: Beauty and the Beast * Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend * Honey Bun * I Could Have Danced All Night * I Enjoy Being ... 		The Teen's Musical Theatre Collection: Young Women's Edition Cover
Auditioning for the Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

Proven tactics and techniques from a leading New York vocal coach on how to "act" a song, choose the right material, handle a callback, what to wear, how to use eye contact, select a voice teacher and vocal coach, and more. Includes 130 excellent yet unusual audition songs for all types of situations and performers, including juveniles and dancers. 		Auditioning for the Musical Theatre Cover
The Life Of Tymon Of Athens (12/31/1969)

The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon (and probably influenced by the philosopher of the same name, as well), generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works. Originally grouped with the tragedies, it is generally considered such, but some scholars group it with the problem plays. 		The Life Of Tymon Of Athens Cover
Measure for Measure (12/31/1969)

This drama is classified as a comedy play by William Shakespeare. However it is also referred to as a 'problem play', because it cannot be easily described as either a tragedy or comedy. The story of the plot centres on Angelo who has been empowered by the Duke of Vienna to rule his land, whilst he wanders about disguised as a friar to investigate the moral decay of his dukedom. Resorting to an old law against fornication to enforce his strict standards of morality, Angelo proceeds to condemn fo... 		Measure for Measure Cover
Antony and Cleopatra (12/31/1969)

A battle-hardened soldier, Antony is one of the three leaders of the Roman world. But he is also a man in the grip of an all-consuming passion for the exotic and tempestuous queen of Egypt. And when their life of pleasure together is threatened by the encroaching politics of Rome, the conflict between love and duty has devastating consequences. 		Antony and Cleopatra Cover
King Richard II (12/31/1969)

The sensitive and poetic Richard II is undoubtedly the rightful king of England, but he is unscrupulous and weak. When his cousin Henry Bolingbroke returns from banishment to usurp the crown, Richard's right to the throne proves of little help to him. Richard is forced to abdicate, but as his power is stripped away, he gains dignity and self-awareness, and he meets his death heroically. 		King Richard II Cover
The Comedie of Errors (12/31/1969)

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre. The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that... 		The Comedie of Errors Cover
All's Well That Ends Well (12/31/1969)

The daughter of a renowned physician pursues her passion for an elusive bridegroom through a comic maze of mistaken identities, betrayals, repentance, and dramatic revelation. This extraordinary combination of romantic melodrama and outright farce offers a thought-provoking subtext on the way to fulfilling the promise of its title. 		All's Well That Ends Well Cover
King Henry VI, Part 3 (12/31/1969)

Henry VI, Part 3 or The Third Part of Henry the Sixt (often written as 3 Henry VI) is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas 1 Henry VI deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, and 2 Henry VI focuses on the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, and the inevitability of armed conflict, 3 Henry VI deal... 		King Henry VI, Part 3 Cover
Henry VI Part 2 (12/31/1969)

Henry VI, Part 2 or The Second Part of Henry the Sixt (often written as 2 Henry VI) is a history play by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas 1 Henry VI deals primarily with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, and 3 Henry VI deals with the horrors of that conflict, 2 Henry VI focuses on the King's inability to quell the bickering of his ... 		Henry VI Part 2 Cover
King Henry VI (12/31/1969)

Henry VI, Part 1 or The First Part of Henry the Sixt (often written as 1 Henry VI) is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1591, and set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. Whereas 2 Henry VI deals with the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, and the inevitability of armed conflict, and 3 Henry VI deals with the horrors of that conflict, 1 Henry VI deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machination... 		King Henry VI Cover
Henry V (12/31/1969)

Henry V is a historical play by William Shakespeare, written in 1599. It is based on the life of King Henry V of England, and focuses on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. The play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, part 1 and Henry IV, part 2. The original audiences would thus have already been familiar with the title character, who was depicted in the Henry IV plays as a wild, undisciplined lad... 		Henry V Cover
The Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus (12/31/1969)

Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that may be his earliest tragedy and is thought to have been written in the early 1590s. By far Shakespeare's bloodiest work, the play depicts a cycle of revenge between the Roman general Titus and his enemy Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. It lost popularity during the Victorian era because of its gore, but its critical reputation and popularity have recently revived. 		The Lamentable Tragedie of Titus Andronicus Cover
Richard III (12/31/1969)

Richard III is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays on the stage and has been adapted successfully for film. This new and innovative edition recognizes the play's pre-eminence as a performance work: a perspective that informs every aspect of the editing. Challenging traditional practice, the text is based on the 1597 Quarto which, brings us closest to the play as it would have been staged in Shakespeare's theater. The introduction, which is illustrated, explores the long performance history f... 		Richard III Cover
Coriolanus (12/31/1969)

Shakespeare's last tragedy explores the career and death of a brilliant and arrogant Roman general. This is an ambitious and intriguing story of heroism. 		Coriolanus Cover
King Henry The Eighth (12/31/1969)

I come no more to make you laugh; things now That bear a weighty and a serious brow, Sad, high, and working, full of state and woe, Such noble scenes as draw the eye to flow, We now present. Those that can pity here May, if they think it well, let fall a tear: The subject will deserve it. Such as give Their money out of hope they may believe May here find truth too. Those that come to see Only a show or two, and so agree The play may pass, if they be still and willing, I'll undertake may see awa... 		King Henry The Eighth Cover
The Merry Wives of Windsor (12/31/1969)

While emphasizing the liveliness of Shakespeare's play in stage terms, David Crane also claims that this citizen comedy needs to be taken as an expression of Shakespeare's fundamental understanding of human life, conveyed centrally in the character of Falstaff. In the process Crane also examines the bard's free and vigorous use of different linguistic worlds within the play. 		The Merry Wives of Windsor Cover
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (12/31/1969)

Perhaps one of Shakespeare's most adventure-filled plays, "Pericles" follows the extended sailing journeys of a young prince. Pericles is forced to flee Antioch when he correctly guesses a riddle that reveals the incestuous activity of King Antiochus. Unable to stay at home in Tyre because of Antiochus' vengeance, he sails away and ends up shipwrecked in Pentapolis, where he fights for and wins a princess named Thaisa. The trials and tribulations of this couple and their daughter Marina fill th... 		Pericles, Prince of Tyre Cover
Love's Labor's Lost (12/31/1969)

Young King Ferdinand and his courtiers agree to dedicate three years to ascetic and celibate study. But when the fetching Princess of France and her ladies arrive on a diplomatic mission, the men’s resolve is put to an arduous – and witty – test. The tension between their vow and their passion forms the subject of this charming, sparkling early comedy. Performed by Greg Wise, Samantha Bond, and the Arkangel cast. 		Love's Labor's Lost Cover

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