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Broadway Bookshelf

Biographies, show books, musical scores, history, and must-read theatre books.
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Biographies Show Books Autobiography For Actors Musical Scores Reference Books History
The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook: An Actor's Guide to over 1000 Monologues and Dialogues from More Than 300 Contemporary Plays (12/31/1969)

Preparing for an audition and unsure of what you want to do? The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook is the book you've been waiting for. Unlike “scene books” that reprint 50 to 75 monologues excerpted from plays but don't include any background information, this annotated guide tells you what you really need to know about audition material from more than 300 contemporary plays. Here is how the book works. Suppose that you're looking for a dramatic male/female scene. When you sc... 		The Ultimate Scene and Monologue Sourcebook: An Actor's Guide to over 1000 Monologues Cover
Brando: The Biography (12/31/1969)

A scandal-loving biographer's dream, Marlon Brando has led a tumultuous life, complete with unhappy childhood, an active and varied sex life, troubled children of his own (son Christian is now in prison for killing daughter Cheyenne's lover), and a long history of eccentric behavior on and off the set. Surprisingly, Brando hasn't caught Kitty Kelley's eye, but journalist Manso (Mailer: His Life and Times, LJ 4/15/85) corrects that oversight with this massive tome. Based on seven years' research... 		Brando: The Biography Cover
Being and Doing: A Workbook for Actors (12/31/1969)

A fun and exciting workbook for actors to use in establishing a daily work schedule. Designed to help the actor integrate the two parts of the process, THE INSTRUMENT AND THE CRAFT. Which gives spontaneity, dimension, and authenticity to his performance. The numerous daily exercises deal with every aspect of acting including the actor's relationship to the business. Blank pages provide the actor with space to document his or her own involvement and progress. Being a workbook, every page is fill... 		Being and Doing: A Workbook for Actors Cover
El Burlador De Sevilla (12/31/1969)

El burlador de Sevilla is a play by Tirso de Molina, first published in Spain around 1630, though it may have been performed as early as 1616. Set in the 14th century, the play is the earliest fully-developed dramatisation of the Don Juan legend. 		El Burlador De Sevilla Cover
Advice to the Players (12/31/1969)

Robert Lewis was an American actor, director, teacher, author and founder of the influential Actors Studio in New York in 1947. In addition to his accomplishments on Broadway and in Hollywood, Lewis' greatest and longest lasting contribution to American theater may be the role he played as one of the foremost acting and directing teachers of his day. He was an early proponent of the Stanislavski System of acting technique and a founding member of New York's revolutionary Group Theatre in the 1... 		Advice to the Players Cover
Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook (12/31/1969)

A diverse selection of original texts on theatre by its most creative practitioners - actors, writers, directors and designers. Contributors include Jarry, Ionescu, Shaw, Brecht, Strindberg, Stanislawski, Lorca, Brook, Soyinka, Boal, Barba. 		Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook Cover
Cats: The Book of the Musical (12/31/1969)

A richly illustrated book that re-creates the making of one of Broadway’s biggest hits, based on Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Color photographs and drawings by John Napier. 		Cats: The Book of the Musical Cover
Costume and Makeup (12/31/1969)

One part of a five-part series designed to help the amateur and student to develop their theatre skills. The author looks at drama as it is now and offers imaginative approaches to classical and less conventional theatre - mime, spectacle, musicals, outdoor shows and productions in unusual settings.. He stresses the importance of teamwork and planning and shows how with a creative use of resources outstanding results can be achieved. 		Costume and Makeup Cover
One Act Plays for Acting Students: An Anthology of Short One-Act Plays for One, Two or Three Actors (12/31/1969)

23 short length plays for a cast of one, two, or three. 5 minutes acting time for each character. Performance times vary from 8-15 minutes. 		One Act Plays for Acting Students: An Anthology of Short One-Act Plays for One, Two o Cover
Being an Actor (12/31/1969)

Callow was told by master performer Michael MacLiammoir that he was "a born writer, perhaps, but not a born actor." He went on to become not only a most versatile actor, but with this book becomes an accomplished commentator on the theater. What makes Callow's memoir of the familiar uncertainties of an actor's life pleasurable is this actor's eccentricity. He revels in spinning tales of failed shows, arrogant directors, Oscar Wilde reincarnations such as MacLiammoir, who became Callow's first m... 		Being an Actor Cover
Life Is Too Short (12/31/1969)

At age two in 1922, Joe Yule Jr. joined his parents on the vaudeville circuit in an act that was disbanded when Joe Sr. decamped. On their own, mother and son went looking for work in Hollywood, where little Joe metamorphosed into Mickey Rooney. His racy, comic, poignant autobiography recalls the highs and lows during the years he made more than 200 films, including the hugely popular Andy Hardy series and musicals with Judy Garland. Rooney is candid on the subjects of his eight marriages (the f... 		Life Is Too Short Cover
Stage Management Forms and Formats: A Collection of over 100 Forms Ready to Use (12/31/1969)

Designed to provide a head-start on the task of organizing and recording production information, "State Management Forms & Formats" contains 112 full-size, blank forms which can be used in the book or removed and added to a separate production log. Cast and scene breakdowns, expense sheets, rehearsal and performance reports, sign-in sheets, and property plots are just a few of the forms included. (Performing Arts) 		Stage Management Forms and Formats: A Collection of over 100 Forms Ready to Use Cover
Art Isn't Easy: The Theater of Stephen Sondheim (12/31/1969)

Gordon explicates the works of Sondheim to repudiate the common perception of musical theater as mere escapist entertainment, showing how Sondheim tackles real, complex subjects, without fear of introducing pain, trauma, and difficult ideas onto the Broadway stage. 		Art Isn't Easy: The Theater of Stephen Sondheim Cover
Directing for the Stage: A Workshop Guide of 42 Creative Training Exercises and Projects (12/31/1969)

42 training exercises and projects for stage directing are included in this guide, which provides seven chapters filled with exercises for student stage directors. The basic directing concepts are included in a text which encourages hands-on experience. 		Directing for the Stage: A Workshop Guide of 42 Creative Training Exercises and Proje Cover
Bus Stop: A Three-Act Romance (12/31/1969)

Upon hitting Broadway in 1955 Bus Stop was an immediate commercial & critical success. During a winter storm a busload of weary travelers are forced to shack up at a roadside diner until morning. Inge was renowned for his in-depth character studies, Bus Stop is no exception and offers a warm play about the intersecting lives of eight ordinary people. A L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: Megan Anderson, Terrence Currier, Rachel Miner, Anson Mount, Kyle Prue, Lynnie Raybuck, Jef... 		Bus Stop: A Three-Act Romance Cover
A Short History of Opera (12/31/1969)

When first published in 1947, A Short History of Opera immediately achieved international status as a classic in the field. Now, more than five decades later, this thoroughly revised and expanded fourth edition informs and entertains opera lovers just as its predecessors have. The fourth edition incorporates new scholarship that traces the most important developments in the evolution of musical drama. After surveying anticipations of the operatic form in the lyric theater of the Greeks, medi... 		A Short History of Opera Cover
Master Teachers of Theatre: Observations on Teaching Theatre by Nine American Masters (12/31/1969)

Claribel Baird reviews the interpretation of classical texts for theatrical performance. Howard Bay interrupted his stage design career of more than 150 Broadway productions to help students. Bernard Beckerman asks if there are approaches to the teaching of dramatic literature that particularly suit drama-as-theatre. Robert Benedetti offers suggestions on the teaching of acting. Oscar Brockett treats the problems of the theatre teacher and the processes of learning. Agnes Haaga shows that the ... 		Master Teachers of Theatre: Observations on Teaching Theatre by Nine American Masters Cover
Commedia Dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook (12/31/1969)

An entertaining and highly illuminating account of Commedia's origins as a popular theatrical form, plus a practical and timely step-by-step guide to using commedia techniques in performance. 		Commedia Dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook Cover
The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre And The Thirties (12/31/1969)

The Group Theatre was perhaps the most significant experiment in the history of American theater. Producing plays that reflected topical issues of the decade and giving a creative chance to actors, directors, and playwrights who were either fed up with or shut out of commercial theater, the ”Group” remains a permanent influence on American drama despite its brief ten-year life. It was here that method acting, native realism, and political language had their tryouts in front of audiences who... 		The Fervent Years: The Group Theatre And The Thirties Cover
It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business [ (12/31/1969)

"In this ebullient, often rancorous autobiography, the stage, film and TV actor describes vividly the hassles that cost him the plum role in The Graduate and numerous other setbacks before he starred in The Heartbreak Kid . Instructive and entertaining, his story includes tidbits on Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Roman Po lanski, Ellen Burstyn, Simon & Garfunkel, and many other luminaries, none more intriguing than the un sinkable Grodin," said PW. Photos. 		It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business [ Cover
The Studio (12/31/1969)

In 1967, John Gregory Dunne asked for unlimited access to the inner workings of Twentieth Century Fox. Miraculously, he got it. For one year Dunne went everywhere there was to go and talked to everyone worth talking to within the studio. He tracked every step of the creation of pictures like "Dr. Dolittle," "Planet of the Apes," and "The Boston Strangler." The result is a work of reportage that, thirty years later, may still be our most minutely observed and therefore most uproariously funny po... 		The Studio Cover
Luis Valdez Early Works: Actos, Bernabe and Pensamiento Serpentino (12/31/1969)

This collection is actually three books in one: 1) a collection of one-act plays by the famous farmwork theatre, El Teatro Campesino and its director, Luis Valdez, 2) one of the first fully realized, full-length plays by Valdez alone, and 3) an original narrative poem by Luis Valdez. 		Luis Valdez Early Works: Actos, Bernabe and Pensamiento Serpentino Cover
Unmarked: The Politics of Performance (12/31/1969)

InUnmarked, Peggy Phelan examines the relationship between political and representational visibility and invisibility within both mainstream culture and the avant-garde. Her controversial study of the politics of performance uses theories of psychoanalysis, feminism and cultural studies to examine issues in photography, film, theatre, anti-abortion demonstrations and performance art. Unmarked is a boldly speculative analysis of contemporary culture and will be of interest to performance theorist... 		Unmarked: The Politics of Performance Cover
The Way of Acting: The Theatre Writings of Tadashi Suzuki (12/31/1969)

Widely considered the most influential contemporary theatre director in Japan, Tadashi Suzuki provides a thorough and accessible formulation of his ideas and beliefs, and insights into his training methods — the Suzuki Method of Actor Training (not to be confused with the violin training technique). His method of training actors has been taught in the United States since the early eighties. Some programs which employ this method in their training of actors include the Juilliard School, Col... 		The Way of Acting: The Theatre Writings of Tadashi Suzuki Cover
AS I AM (12/31/1969)

By age 21 the self-confident, determined, Southern-bred actress had starred in a Broadway hit, won a Tony, was "the toast of New York" and was featured on a Life coveronly the first of many triumphs in a celebrity life. In this account written "to reclaim the past that was stolen," Neal writes candidly about her numerous love affairs, both transient and profound, such as a liaison with Gary Cooper and her 25-year marriage to writer Roald Dahl. More arresting are the tragedies that beset her, in... 		AS I AM Cover
Don Giovanni (12/31/1969)

Standard Italian libretto, with complete English translation. Convenient and thoroughly portable—an ideal companion for reading along with a recording or the performance itself. Introduction. List of Characters. Plot Summary. 		Don Giovanni Cover
The Technique of Acting (12/31/1969)

Adler, among the most acclaimed actresses and teachers of acting, has written a dynamic book that is sure to become a classic. After the forward by former pupil Marlon Brando, Adler explains her technique, which is based on the methods of Stanislavskishe was a student of the famous Russian. The 12 chapters cover goals, body and speech control, imagination, action, and character; the book also includes a very useful listing of scenes from well-known plays. Adler made her stage debut in 1906 at th... 		The Technique of Acting Cover
A Source Book in Theatrical History: Twenty-five centuries of stage history in more than 300 basic documents and other primary material (12/31/1969)

A rich resource for students of theater and theater historians, this volume features an annotated collection of more than 300 unusually interesting and detailed articles. Passages by contemporary observers from ancient Greece to modern times include notes on acting, directing, make-up, costuming, stage props, machinery, scene design, and much more. 		A Source Book in Theatrical History: Twenty-five centuries of stage history in more t Cover
Scenes for Young Actors (12/31/1969)

A One-Of-A-Kind Acting Aid With Young Talent In Mind In drama classes and at auditions, young actors have continually had to resort to performing roles written for much older men and women -- roles that are often difficult for them to identify with or to fully understand. But this innovative scenebook gives younger performers the opportunity to portray characters their own age. From the classics to the finest in contemporary drama -- from Shakespeare, Shaw, and Chekov to Miller, Will... 		Scenes for Young Actors Cover
Later Plays Of Eugene O'Neill (12/31/1969)

Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (16 October 1888 – 27 November 1953) was an American playwright, and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism earlier associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg. His plays were among the first to include speeches in American vernacular and involve characters on the fringes of society, where they... 		Later Plays Of Eugene O'Neill Cover
The Way of the World (12/31/1969)

One of the greatest of all Restoration comedies, this knowing comedy of manners depicts the scheming of a nest of shallow, deceitful aristocrats to prevent two lovers from marrying. The play abounds with felicitous phrasing, delicious verbal battles of the sexes and a depth of feeling and sensitivity that elevate it far above other plays in the genre. This inexpensive edition, complete and unabridged, makes it widely available to today’s readers. Note. New footnotes. "Commendatory Verses" by ... 		The Way of the World Cover
Godspell: Vocal Selections (12/31/1969)

13 vocal selections from the perennial favorite, including the songs: All Good Gifts * By My Side * Day by Day * Learn Your Lessons Well * O Bless the Lord, My Soul * Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord) * and more. 		Godspell: Vocal Selections Cover
Becket (12/31/1969)

Portrays the conflict of loyalties between church and state as they influenced the lives of two powerful men in English history. 		Becket Cover
The Modern Monologue: Women (12/31/1969)

The Modern Monologue in two volumes, one for men and one for women, is an exciting selection of speeches drawn from the landmark plays of the 20th century. The great playwrights of the British, American and European theatre-- and the plays most constantly performed on stage throughout the world--are represented in this unique collection. Monologues of all types--both serious and comic, realistic and absurdist--provide a dynamic challenge for all actors: the student, the amateur and the profess... 		The Modern Monologue: Women Cover
The Harold Arlen Songbook (P/V/G Composer Collection) (12/31/1969)

A "must-own" collection of 76 songs of Harold Arlen. Includes his major works and some previously unpublished titles. Highlights include: Come Rain or Come Shine * Get Happy * Let's Fall in Love * The Man That Got Away * Over the Rainbow * Stormy Weather * and more! 		The Harold Arlen Songbook (P/V/G Composer Collection) Cover
1776: A Musical Play (12/31/1969)

1776 The musical was produced on Broadway in 1969, running for 1,217 performances, and was made into a film of the same name in 1972. The show was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including Best Musical. 		1776: A Musical Play Cover
24 Favorite One Act Plays (12/31/1969)

Two dozen classic dramas by some of the finest and most famous playwrights of the last hundred years--Anton Chekhov, Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, and A.A. Milne. 		24 Favorite One Act Plays Cover
Structuring Drama Work: A Handbook of Available Forms in Theatre and Drama (12/31/1969)

A practical handbook for drama teachers and youth theatre workers. It offers a whole range of theatrical "conventions" to help initiate, focus and develop dramatic activity - whether in a workshop situation, or as part of an active exploration of texts, or within a full-scale performance. 		Structuring Drama Work: A Handbook of Available Forms in Theatre and Drama Cover
Guys and Dolls: Vocal Selections (12/31/1969)

12 vocal selections from the Broadway staple, including: Adelaide's Lament * A Bushel and a Peck * Fugue for Tinhorns * Guys and Dolls * I've Never Been in Love Before * If I Were a Bell * Luck Be a Lady * Sit down You're Rockin' the Boat * and more. 		Guys and Dolls: Vocal Selections Cover
The Physicists (12/31/1969)

The world’s greatest physicist, Johann Wilhelm Möbius, is in a madhouse, haunted by recurring visions of King Solomon. He is kept company by two other equally deluded scientists: one who thinks he is Einstein, another who believes he is Newton. It soon becomes evident, however, that these three are not as harmlessly lunatic as they appear. Are they, in fact, really mad? Or are they playing some murderous game, with the world as the stake? For Möbius has uncovered the mystery of the universe... 		The Physicists Cover
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops (12/31/1969)

While ample material on hit Broadway musicals is readily available, detailed critical information on musical flops has been difficult to come by. Mandelbaum's ( "A Chorus Line" and the Musicals of Michael Bennett , LJ 6/15/89) informative and entertaining survey of almost 200 musical flops from 1950 to 1990 fills the void admirably. Framed by the 1988 megaflop Carrie , which theater buffs still speak of in hushed tones, the shows are presented thematically rather than chronologically, thus bett... 		Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops Cover
Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera (Vocal Selections) (12/31/1969)

Highly acclaimed show by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Songs include: HEAVEN ON THEIR MINDS . EVERYTHING'S ALRIGHT . HOSANNA . PILATE'S DREAM . I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM . THE LAST SUPPER ;. I ONLY WANT TO SAY (GETHSEMANE) . KING HEROD'S SONG . SUPERSTAR 		Jesus Christ Superstar: A Rock Opera (Vocal Selections) Cover
Improvisation Starters (12/31/1969)

Includes 900 situations for improvisation which use character conflict, contrasts, obstacles in solo improvisation, physical positions for one or two actors, props, the environment, and lines of dialogue. 		Improvisation Starters Cover
The Ultimate Broadway Fake Book (12/31/1969)

Over 720 songs from over 240 Broadway shows! Recently revised to include hits from Martin Guerre, Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Sunset Boulevard, Victor/Victoria, and more! This is the definitive collection of Broadway music, featuring: * Song title index * Show title index * Composer and lyricist index * Synopses of each show. Song highlights include: Ain't Misbehavin' * All I Ask of You * Another Op'nin' Another Show * As Long As He Needs Me * At The Ballet * Bali Ha'i * Beauty and the Beast * Bew... 		The Ultimate Broadway Fake Book Cover
Irreverent Acting (12/31/1969)

IRREVERENT ACTING is a CRAFT HANDBOOK offering a practical, applicable approach to acting, with very specific techniques used to create the emotional life of the character. The craftual process of "Obligation/Choice/Choice approach" is fully explained in terms of the actor's responsibilities to a piece of material whether it be a monologue, scene, play or film. This book contains 22 of Eric's 27 "choice approaches" and score of other techniques which make it possible for the actor to fulfill al... 		Irreverent Acting Cover
Freeing Shakespeare's Voice: The Actor's Guide to Talking the Text (12/31/1969)

A practical approach to breaking through the barriers of restraint and incomprehension when faced with Shakespeare. Pre-eminent voice teacher, actor and director Kristin Linklater goes beyond the techniques in her classic text, Freeing the Natural Voice, to a passionate exploration of the words of Shakespeare. Beginning with exercises designed to break long-held habits and allow the development of a visceral, Elizabethan relationship to language, she analyses Shakespeare's strategies for ... 		Freeing Shakespeare's Voice: The Actor's Guide to Talking the Text Cover
Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against Thebes, The Persian (12/31/1969)

Aeschylus (525-456 BC) brought a new grandeur and epic sweep to the drama of classical Athens, raising it to the status of high art. In "Prometheus Bound", the defiant Titan Prometheus is brutally punished by Zeus for daring to improve the state of wretchedness and servitude in which mankind is kept. "The Suppliants" tells the story of the fifty daughters of Danaus who must flee to escape enforced marriages, while "Seven Against Thebes" shows the inexorable downfall of the last members of the c... 		Prometheus Bound and Other Plays: Prometheus Bound, The Suppliants, Seven Against The Cover
The Definitive Broadway Collection (12/31/1969)

This is simply the best and most comprehensive collection of Broadway music ever collected! 142 of the greatest show tunes compiled into one volume - this is one book that every Broadway lover must have! Songs include: Don't Cry for Me Argentina * Edelweiss * Hello, Dolly! * I Could Have Danced All Night * I Dreamed a Dream * I Know Him So Well * Lullabye of Broadway * Mack the Knife * People * Send in the Clowns * Somewhere * Summertime * Sunrise, Sunset * Tomorrow * What Kind of Fool Am I? * ... 		The Definitive Broadway Collection Cover
Assasins (12/31/1969)

Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States. The music varies to reflect the popular music of the eras depicted. The musical first opened Off-Broadway in 1990, and the 2004 Broadway production won five Tony Awards. 		Assasins Cover
What's It All About (12/31/1969)

He was born Maurice Joseph Micklewehite in London's impoverished East End. And yet Michael Caine emerged as one of the world's most versatile, enduring, and beloved actors of our time. With the easy charm of a natural raconteur, Caine takes us onto the sets and into the homes of Hollywood's most talented celebrities. Candid, vibrant, and warm, here is a captivating self-portrait of a man who is at once sublimely ordinary and freshingly unique, one of the greatest actors in film today. 		What's It All About Cover

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