Broadway Bookshelf — Autobiography

Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?

(11/3/2026)

In Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? Judi Dench takes 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 pageant, playing to sold-out houses on Broadway in Amy’s View, walking the red carpets of Hollywood, garnering eight Oscar nominations, and winning a historic one for her unforgettable performance as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love, Judi Dench has done it all. And, ...

Bountiful: Growing Up with Geraldine Page: A Daughter's Memoir

(10/6/2026)

One-of-a-kind look at Geraldine Pages's body of work and private life, with insider stories of her stage and film career, her relationships with other renowned actors, including her husband and Angelica's father Rip Torn and Lee Strasberg, and her interactions with other legends. Includes more than 40 photos from family archives. 340 pages.

Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!

(3/24/2026)

“Kids, Wait Til You Hear This” is the autobiography of EGOT icon Liza Minnelli. This fascinating, untold story reveals the intimate truth of the only child born to Hollywood legends Vincent Minnelli and Judy Garland. For the first time, here is Liza up close: Raw, strong, sexy, hilarious and heartbreaking. Liza decided at the age of 16 that “sympathy is my mother’s business. I give people joy.” That veil of joy, however, masks a lifelong struggle with Substance Use Disorder, hunger f...

The Other Side of Broadway

(12/10/2025)

Told through the stories of 1970s and ‘80s producer and Broadway theatre executive, Stephen Wells, The Other Side of Broadway vividly and engagingly brings to life the world of the New York theatre at the tail end of its golden era. Ever wonder what Howard Ashman did before he became famous for “Little Shop of Horrors” and the now-classic Disney animated films of the late 20th century? Wells produced two of his early shows and together, against all odds while in their mid-twenties, they ...

Camelton

(12/5/2025)

Twenty years ago, Award-winning musical theatre writer Stephen Cole met his first camel...and he hasn’t been the same since. Stephen tells his hilarious story of writing a musical for the Emir of Qatar. Picture this! Two Brooklyn Jews, some Middle Eastern producers, flying carpets, Croatian acrobats, Russian ballet dancers, an Italian director, the desert, camels (a lot of camels!) and, of course, music. You will laugh and you will cry (from laughing) in this outrageous, once-in-a-lifetime, u...

The Book of Joel

(5/20/2025)

The Book of Joel is the visual life story of one of the world’s most beloved entertainers, Joel Grey: actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer. This sprawling yet intimate scrapbook-style volume uncovers a kaleidoscope of both famous and previously unseen photographs, family snapshots, playbills, posters, and ephemera from Grey’s personal archive, revealing an encyclopedic and all-absorbing visual romp through one of the last living greats of American entertainment.

Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir

(5/6/2025)

A coming-of-age tale by theatrical producer Jeffrey Seller. From Detroit to New York City, finding his voice through musical theatre and making a name for himself. Through the 1980s, from working as an office assistant to Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights and Hamilton. 368 pages.

Theater Kid: A Broadway Memoir H

(5/6/2025)

A coming-of-age tale by theatrical producer Jeffrey Seller. From Detroit to New York City, finding his voice through musical theatre and making a name for himself. Through the 1980s, from working as an office assistant to Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights and Hamilton. 368 pages.

The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime

(10/22/2024)

Extensive photo collection revealing both intimate family memories and images with some of the most significant figures from entertainment and politics. MacLaine reflects on each photo, exploring ambition, love, friendship, motherhood, art, political activism, curiosity, and more. 272 pages.

Sonny Boy: A Memoir

(10/15/2024)

To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such f...

The Spamalot Diaries

(10/8/2024)

Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges that reveal the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining path to the musical Spamalot's run. 208 pages.

The Third Gilmore Girl

(9/17/2024)

Memoir by Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from Broadway to Hollywood with A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more. Also includes a special collection of personal and professional photographs. 288 pages.

I Danced on Broadway: Memoir of a Career on Stage

(9/3/2024)

By Lee Wilson, who shares stories from her four decades of dancing on Broadway, with anecdotes about theatre legends including Agnes de Mille, Richard Rodgers, Michael Bennett, Donna McKechnie, and Bernadette Peters. She details the economic, political, and social events that led from the Golden Age to the slump of the early 1970s to the rejuvenation of Broadway with the huge success of A Chorus Line. 241 pages.

From The Back Of The House: Memoir of a Broadway Theatre Manager

(6/14/2024)

Memoir by Broadway theater manager Dan Landon. Spanning from 1978-2018, the book shares backstage and onstage stories of encounters with theatre luminaries such as Bob Fosse, Ian McKellen, Bernadette Peters, August Wilson, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Madeline Kahn, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard, David Mamet, and more.

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

(4/23/2024)

Judi Dench opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career in a series of intimate conversations with actor and director Brendan O'Hea. Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes.

Dancing on the Edge: A Journey of Living, Loving, and Tumbling through Hollywood

(4/10/2024)

Tamblyn writes about his career and his personal life. 360 pages.

Affective Memories: How Chance and the Theater Saved My Life

(4/8/2024)

"This is the riveting, brutally honest story of a man’s struggle to make something of himself in the theater. Coming from meager circumstances in the Ozark Mountains, he fights his way up the shaky ladder toward fame. He makes mistakes, goes down blind alleys, fails and succeeds, again and again. But he never quits." 480 pages.

Public/Private: My Life with Joe Papp at The Public Theater

(10/17/2023)

Memoir blending a behind-the-scenes history about New York City's Public Theater with an engrossing account of her life working alongside her husband, the Public's founder Joe Papp. 392 pages.

Michael Ball: Different Aspects, A Memoir

(10/12/2023)

Michael Ball takes the reader backstage inside the making of a West End hit, while diving back into memories to explore that moment in his twenties when the world was at his feet and his life changed beyond recognition. 304 pages.

Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy

(9/12/2023)

By Charles Busch. Anecdotal account of the artist's journey in the worlds of Off-Broadway, Broadway, and Hollywood as a playwright, LGBT icon, drag actor, director, and cabaret performer. Features rare photos. 288 pages.

Alfie Boe - Face the Music: My Story

(9/7/2023)

English stage actor/singer Alfie Boe (La bohème, Les Misérables) memoir. Hardcover edition currently has a UK release on the same date.

Chita

(4/26/2023)

Memoir by Chita Rivera, with Patrick Pacheco. "Chita invites us into workrooms and rehearsal studies, on stage and on set as she works with some of the greatest talents of the age, including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Hal Prince, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, Gwen Verdon, Shirley MacLaine, and many others. We also learn deeply moving, revelatory details about her upbringing and her heritage, and how they indelibly shaped her work and career...

Diva 2.0 12 Life Lessons From Me For You

(3/15/2023)

The author uses her life story to empower and encourage anyone seeking to find and live their best life with beauty, dignity and a grace that radiates from within. 172 pages.

Indie Theater Guy

(3/8/2023)

Story of Denton's nytheatre.com website, which began in 1997. A journey of one man remaking himself, following his heart and his passion, and along the way helping to forge a new and stronger identity for the indie theater community that he loved.

The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir

(2/7/2023)

By Priscilla Gilman, daughter of writer, theater critic, and Yale School of Drama professor Richard Gilman. 304 pages.

Try Not to Hold It Against Me

(1/31/2023)

Memoir by motion picture, television, and Broadway producer Julian Schlossberg. Foreword by Elaine May. 374 pages.

I'm No Philosopher, But I Got Thoughts: Mini-Meditations for Saints, Sinners, and the Rest of Us

(1/18/2023)

" ... philosophical-ish musings on connection, creativity, loss, love, faith, and closure." In each chapter: behind-the-scenes stories from Kristin's personal life; high-design, colorful pages of inspirational quotes; engaging prompts, prayers, and inspiring quotes. Bible verses and f-bombs. 224 pages.

There is No Backstage: An Actor's Life

(10/28/2022)

Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman

(10/18/2022)

Twenty-five years of diaries, from thoughts and insights on theater performances, the craft of acting, politics, friendships, work projects, and his general musings on life. 480 pages.

A Front Row Seat: An Intimate Look at Broadway, Hollywood, and the Age of Glamour

(10/11/2022)

In this memoir, Nancy Olson Livingston treats readers to an intimate, charming chronicle of her life as an actress, wife, and mother, and her memories of many of the most notable figures and moments of her time, including reminiscences of her marriages to lyricist and librettist Alan Jay Lerner and to Alan Wendell Livingston. Interweaves Livingston's life with her observations of the artists, celebrities, and luminaries with whom she came in contact. 408 pages.

Sondheim & Me: Revealing a Musical Genius

(9/6/2022)

A memoir chronicling the relationship between Stephen Sondheim and journalist Salsini during the latter's time as the founder and editor of The Sondheim Review. 252 pages.

My Own Directions: A Black Man's Journey in the American Theatre

(8/19/2022)

. the unique story of how the author came into leadership at Pasadena Playhouse after a successful career directing on Broadway, in London and at theatres all over the world. In intimate detail, it relates how the theatre was radically changed and reignited by his leadership, including his insistence on making diversity a priority both onstage and off. It is the very personal story of a person who wanted his race to be recognized, but never used as a limitation or a reason to be less than fully...

Randy Rainbow: Playing with Myself

(4/27/2022)

Intimate and light-hearted memoir by viral sensation Randy Rainbow: "the highs, the lows, the lipstick, the pink glasses, and the show tunes."

Finding Me: A Memoir

(4/26/2022)

Memoir by Viola Davis. Audiobook editions narrated by the author. 304 pages Released 4/26/22.

This Time for Me: A Memoir

(4/1/2022)

An emotional, funny, and fabulous memoir by trailblazing and award-winning Trans actor and activist Alexandra Billings. Spanning five decades, from profound lows to exhilarating highs ... captures the events of a pioneering life ... award-winning actor and history-making LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist shares not only her own ever-evolving story but also the parallel ways in which queer identity has dramatically changed since the Stonewall riots of 1969. She weaves a true coming-of-age story of ric...

Hold, Please: Stage Managing a Pandemic

(3/29/2022)

By Broadway stage manager Richard Hester. Foreword by Rick Elice. A journey through one of the most fascinating periods in both our cultural and our personal histories. Written with humor and compassion ... provides a unique perspective on this time and delivers the most important lesson of all - Hope.

Lord Knows, At Least I Was There: Working with Stephen Sondheim

(3/22/2022)

By pianist Paul Ford, whom Stephen Sondheim called the "indefatigable master of the musical theatre." Foreword by Mandy Patinkin. Ford looks back on the performances and personalities that defined the American musical theatre in the waning years of the twentieth century. Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphy, Elaine Stritch, Victor Garber, Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Stockard Channing, Donna McKechnie, Lauren Bacall, Chita Rivera, Liza Minnelli, Martin Charnin, Liv Ullman, T...

BAM... and Then It Hit Me

(1/25/2022)

Memoir by Karen Brooks Hopkins, President Emerita of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Numerous photographs. 320 pages.

All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business

(11/30/2021)

All About Me! charts Mel Brooks’s meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Whether serving in the United States Army in World War II, or during his burgeoning career as a teenage comedian in the Catskills, Mel was always mining his experiences for material, always looking for the perfect joke. His iconic career began with Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, where he was part of the greatest writers’ room in history, which included ...

A Bit of Me: From Basildon to Broadway, and back

(11/11/2021)

Memoir by West End/Broadway and TV performer Denise Van Outen (Chicago, Tell Me on a Sunday, Legally Blonde).

Unprotected: A Memoir

(10/19/2021)

"The life story of a singular artist and survivor in his own words ... the story of a boy whose talent and courage opened doors for him, but only a crack ... the story of a teenager discovering himself, learning his voice and his craft amidst deep trauma. And it is the story of a young man whose unbreakable determination led him through countless hard times to where he is now; a proud icon who refuses to back down or hide." 288 pages.

Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life

(10/12/2021)

Whether she’s playing an “age-defying” book editor on television or dazzling audiences on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster manages to make it all look easy. How? Crafting. From the moment she picked up a cross stitch needle to escape the bullying chorus girls in her early performing days, she was hooked. Cross stitching led to crocheting, crocheting led to collages, which led to drawing, and so much more. Channeling her emotions into her creations centered Sutton as she navigated the sig...

Smile: The Story of a Face

(10/5/2021)

With a play opening on Broadway, and every reason to smile, Sarah Ruhl has just survived a high-risk pregnancy when she discovers the left side of her face is completely paralyzed. She is assured that 90 percent of Bell’s palsy patients see spontaneous improvement and experience a full recovery. Like Ruhl’s own mother. But Sarah is in the unlucky ten percent. And for a woman, wife, mother, and artist working in theater, the paralysis and the disconnect between the interior and exterior brin...

Dance or Die

(9/21/2021)

DANCE OR DIE is an autobiographical coming-of-age account of young refugee, Ahmad Joudeh, who grows up in Damascus with dreams of becoming a dancer. Neither bombs nor family opposition keep him from taking classes, practicing hard, and ultimately becoming a Middle Eastern celebrity after success on a Lebanese reality show. But ISIS threatens him with death if he continues dancing, his father kicks him out of the house, and the war around him intensifies. Recruited by one of Syria’s top dance ...

A Story That Happens

(9/14/2021)

Drawing on O’Brien’s experience of cancer and of childhood abuse, and on his ongoing collaboration with a war reporter, the four essays in A Story that Happens―first written as craft lectures for the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the US Air Force Academy―offer hard-won insights into what stories are for and the reasons why, "afraid and hopeful," we begin to tell them.

Confessions of an Actress: From Chorus Girl to Broadway Star

(9/1/2021)

Meredith Patterson (42nd Street, White Christmas) takes you through intimate, personal, joyous and often painful stories of her rise to Broadway ... whatever it took to support herself while battling self doubt, cut-throat competition while trying to stay as human as possible in an often-vicious industry. It is the story of her rise to Broadway, but also how tragedy made her come back down to earth and place her life's work.

In My Own Footsteps - A Memoir

(6/21/2021)

David Suchet: Behind the Lens: My Life

(3/16/2021)

David Suchet has been a stalwart of British stage and screen for fifty years. From Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, Freud to Poirot, Edward Teller to Doctor Who, Harold Pinter to Terence Rattigan, Questions of Faith to Decline and Fall, right up to 2019's The Price, David has done it all. Throughout this spectacular career, David has never been without a camera, enabling him to vividly document his life in photographs. Seamlessly combining photo and memoir, Behind the Lens is the story of David's re...

Walking with Ghosts: A Memoir

(1/12/2021)

"Moving between sensual recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland and reflections on stardom in Hollywood and Broadway, Byrne also courageously recounts his battle with addiction and the ambivalence of fame." Audio versions narrated by the author. 1

Dance Adventures: True Stories About Dancing Abroad

(12/1/2020)

Stories from renowned performers, dance educators, and other avid dance adventurers ... about epic dance adventures across North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa highlight various dance traditions, as well as unique aspects of each country's geography, history, demographics and educational systems.