Reference Books

Photographs by Betti Franceschi, from her collection of photographs of dancers age 70 and up. Forty iconic dancers from the disciplines of ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, and musical theater. 130 pages.

Series of photographs by Simon Annand that go behind the scenes in London theaters, capturing actors before they go on stage. Foreword by Cate Blanchett. 256 pages.

Guide to fifty popular musicals from the comedy classics of the 1930s and 1940s to the frequently-produced darlings of modern theater. Kindle version to be released 9/15/23. 314 pages.

Brainteasers that require more than an ordinary knowledge of Broadway facts that will send even the most seasoned theater lovers looking for answers. Kindle version to be released 9/15/23. 232 pages.

Photographs by Joan Marcus. Mixes clever cocktails that pay homage to unforgettable Broadway shows–such as the Rainbow High from Evita and the Sidecar Named Desire–with authentic recipes for drinks that played supporting roles in beloved shows–like the legendary Vodka Stinger from Company–and shakes it up with a history of the cocktail on Broadway. 30 drink recipes. Featured throughout are images from intoxicating images of classic shows to portraits of effervescent stage celebrities to vintage...

Insight into the role of the casting director. Explains the jobs of all the other people involved in the casting process and how they influence casting decisions. 176 pages. Kindle Edition released earlier.

Second in a series. Includes a brief history of musicals, a brief survey of acting methods, myths about musicals and about acting, useful musical theatre terms, good books and documentaries, plus a wide array of other related topics, like using silence and stillness, the Fourth Wall, realism and naturalism, playing funny, playing sexy, acting traps, audition tips, the nature of “reality” onstage, and lots more. 80 pages.

A unique view of the theater's backstage life, props, wardrobe collections and rehearsal spaces through unprecedented access to life behind the scenes. All captured by Angela Moore's photographs. 200 pages.

For those new to musical theatre. History of musical theater and shows born on Broadway or the West End that became cultural phenomena; development of productions, from the idea stage all the way through opening night and beyond; insights into how theater is made; insider advice on the skills you need to perform in professional or amateur musical theater productions; anecdotes and show recommendations. 384 pages.

In a follow-up to his memoir, Jack Be Nimble, the director collects stories from the many productions he has worked on; the great talents he encountered and collaborated with; and the choices that he made, on the stage and off, that have come to define his career. He tells his readers how to become a director–or, at the very least, relates an unfailingly honest story of how he did.

dited by David Leopold. Showcases 300 Hirschfeld drawings: his greatest theater work from five decades, including some of the most important productions from the last sixty years, plus portraits of Stephen Sondheim, Neil Simon, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, Tom Stoppard, and Hal Prince, and more. forward by Michael Kimmelman, and chapter introductions by Brooks Atkinson, Brendan Gill, Maureen Dowd, Terrence McNally and Jules Feiffer. Follow-up to The American Theatre As Seen by Hirschfeld, p...

Richly illustrated and information-packed celebration of Broadway set design. Many contributors, including John Lee Beatty, Danny Burstein, Cameron Crowe, Ethan Hawke, Moisés Kaufman, Carole King, Kenny Leon, Santo Loquasto, Kathleen Marshall, Lynn Nottage, David Rabe, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Wallace Shawn, John Leguizamo, and Robin Wagner. With personal sketches and photographs from the artists' archives. 272 pages.

"From Babes In Toyland to Hamilton and Yank!, from Anything Goes to Follies, this book reviews original-cast, revival-cast, and studio-cast discs, discussing every element from the quality of performance to the quality of the sound." 528 pages.

Alex Timbers and John Logan, contributors. "A glittering backstage pass to Moulin Rouge! The Musical and its journey to Broadway, with contributions from cast and crew, interviews with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin, and a chronicle of its triumphant 2021 return." Photo essay and oral history through early sketches, historical research, technical diagrams, and rehearsal photos. 184 pages.

llustrated by Justin "Squigs" Robertson. Collection of musical-inspired recipes includes dishes like Yolklahoma!, Clafoutis and the Beast, Yam Yankees, Dear Melon Hansen, and more. Each dish comes with a brief history of the show that inspired it, a summary of the plot, and "Listening Notes" of behind-the-scenes trivia. 200 pages.

This Year of Grace, Bitter Sweet, Words and Music, Pacific 1860, Ace of Clubs, Sail Away, The Girl Who Came to Supper. A portrait of Coward's oeuvre and its lasting influence on the wider world of the British musical, (Kindle Edition will be released early.) 552 pages.

A book that is "purposely meant to start arguments and to settle them," as the author addresses the most dividing musical theater questions and opinions.

Follows the history of opera from Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in 1607, to Cosi fan Tutte, La Bohème, and modern operas such as Brokeback Mountain. Explains musical terminology, traces historical developments, and sets everything in a cultural context. Features include: all of the most important operas from the Renaissance to the 21st century; profiles of the key composers, librettists, performers, and companies, with details of their lives, works, and influence–arranged in chronological order to show ...

A sample of the dozens of plays that have been created and/or premiered at the Festival during the Artistic Directorship of Mandy Greenfield. Paradise Blue; Cost of Living; Actually; Where Storms Are Born; Selling Kabul; Grand Horizons. Includes introductions by each of the authors (Martyna Majok, Anna Ziegler, Sylvia Khoury, Bess Wohl, Dominique Morisseau, Harrison David Rivers) reflecting on their work. 448 pages. Kindle Edition released 6/30/22.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the most successful actresses and singers in the history of show business,Hermes Press is proud to announce the publication of DORIS DAY - IMAGES OF A HOLLYWOOD ICON, featuring rare and previously unpublished photographs from the late star's personal collection.

Pictorial paean to the stars of today's circus, sideshow, burlesque, and new vaudeville scenes. More then 200 photographs taken between 2010 and 2020 plus accompanying essays that chronicle the last decade of eccentric performing arts.

About the creation of the musical that opened at the Manchester Opera House in February 2020, music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and a book by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale (adapted from their original screenplay). Pairs exclusive, in-depth interviews with previously unpublished photography; excerpts from Bob Gale’s personal journal; and a foreword by Gale to reveal and detail the years long process, and the creative ingenuity and technical innovation.

This volume in the Routledge Key Guides series provides a round-up of the fifty musicals whose creations were seminal in altering the landscape of musical theater discourse in the English-speaking world. Chapters: 1. The Black Crook by Sebastian Trainor; 2. HMS Pinafore by Rupert Holmes; 3. The Merry Widow by Andrew Child; 4. Shuffle Along by Jerrell L. Henderson; 5. Show Boat by Benjamin Nissen; 6. Of Thee I Sing by Laura Frankos; 7. Anything Goes by Scott Miller; 8. Porgy and Bess by Isaiah W...

The story of an autistic and legally blind person and pushing beyond the restrictions of a special education classroom to shine on the stage ... to become the first autistic actor to play the lead role in the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, landing the title role in the play Amadeus, co-creating the theatre/philanthropy company Arts on the Waterfront, and founding the National Disability Theatre. 200 pages.

Carey Perloff examines these contemporary playwrights alongside one another and in the context of the rehearsal room, to glean new insights and connections, including the impact of their Jewish background on their work and their passion for the details of stagecraft. The author draws upon her first-hand experience of working with both writers, creating case studies of particular plays in production to provide new ways of positioning the work today. 240 pages.

Chronicles the history of the Method in a narrative that transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles, from The Seagull to A Streetcar Named Desire ... traces how a cohort of American mavericks—including Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and the storied Group Theatre—refashioned Stanislavski's ideas for a Depression-plagued nation that had yet to find its place as an artistic powerhouse. Long after its midcentury heyday, the Method lives on as one of the most influential—and misundersto...

Chronicles the history of the Method in a narrative that transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles, from The Seagull to A Streetcar Named Desire ... traces how a cohort of American mavericks—including Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and the storied Group Theatre—refashioned Stanislavski's ideas for a Depression-plagued nation that had yet to find its place as an artistic powerhouse. Long after its midcentury heyday, the Method lives on as one of the most influential—and misundersto...

Collection of interviews conducted between 2019-2021 with New York theater artists who have spent their lives working in and inventing the avant-garde ... brings to light a series of "lost conversations" about class, race, difficulty, endurance, and privilege in the New York avant-garde of the past fifty years, as well as conversations about the ephemerality, the always-about-to-be-lostness of the medium itself. Featuring conversations with Joanne Akalaitis, Anne Bogart, Lee Breuer, Ping Chong...

. "David Greenbaum ... hijacks his brother Nate’s time machine, the SlingShot, and jumps to 1934 to save George Gershwin from the brain tumor that killed him at age thirty-eight ... How much influence can one actor-songwriter have on the Great White Way, armed with a suitcase of modern medicine and advance knowledge of nearly 150 years of musical theatre history?" Physical format to be released in February 2022.

Featuring never-before-seen unit photography, storyboards, costume and concept designs, and behind-the-scenes photos. The author was embedded with the film's cast and crew and conducted original interviews with director and producer Steven Spielberg, screenwriter and executive producer Tony Kushner, Tony Award–winning choreographer Justin Peck, and the cast to bring together a firsthand oral history documenting every stage of the film's production. 256 pages.

Foreword by Carol Burnett. Afterword by Cher. Comprehensive and authorized showcase of legendary fashion designer Bob Mackie’s fabulous life and work, featuring hundreds of photos and dozens of never-before-seen sketches from his personal collection. 304 pages.

Recipes include Hello, Daquiri!, The Best Little Whiskey Sour in Texas, Don't Cry for Me, Appletini, I Don't Know How to Love Gin, Bloody, Bloody, Mary Jackson, Once on this (Long) Island Iced Tea, Brandy Alexander Hamilton, If I Were a Rich Man(hattan), and more.

Immortalizes the stories, struggles, and successes of an industry that was the first to be shut down and one of the last to return. Weaves more than 200 letters from Broadway theater veterans, devout theatergoers, teenage dreamers aching for their day in the spotlight, long-time ushers, designers, creatives, and countless other arts workers with a brand-new, breathtaking photo series by Broadway photographer Matthew Murphy. For every copy purchased, a portion of the profits will directly benef...

While T.S. Eliot observed and made fun of the habits and behavior of everyday people, through the comic and insightful metaphor of some very human-like cats, this collection targets more specific but just as wickedly true-to-life cat types ... quirky, eccentric, fascinating cat types who make musical theatre, through the lens of some very artsy cats, the good, the bad, and the finicky.

In a roving, shimmering conversation that took place in May 2021, scholar, poet, and activist Alexis Pauline Gumbs and playwright, songwriter, performance artist, and educator Daniel Alexander Jones discuss love as a foundational principle of artistic practice and societal change. Reflecting on Love Like Light, Daniel Alexander Jones's collection of seven plays and performance texts (published by 53rd State in July 2021), DAJ and APG illuminate the ways in which an attention to care, community,...

Fourth novel by James Magruder (Triumph of Love book and Head Over Heels book adaptation). Novel set at the Hangar Theatre in 1980s Ithaca, New York. 216 pages. Released 9/1/21.

Official behind–the–scenes companion book to VIVO, the first-ever musical from Sony Pictures Animation. (Vivo will be directed by Kirk DeMicco and co-directed by Brandon Jeffords, from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes and DeMicco, and a story based on the original idea by Peter Barsocchini, with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who voices the title character. With the voices of Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos González, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, and Glori...

With an off-putting title and a decidedly retrograde premise, the CW dramedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a surprising choice for critical analysis. But, loyal viewers quickly came to appreciate the show’s sharp cultural critique through masterful parody, and this strategy has made it a critical darling and earned it several awards throughout its run. In ways not often seen on traditional network television, the show transcends conventional genre boundaries—the Hollywood musical, the romantic comedy,...

August Wilson's personal call for African American artists to seize the power over their own cultural identity and to establish permanent institutions that celebrate and preserve the singular achievements of African American dramatic art and reaffirm its equal importance in contemporary American culture. Delivered as the keynote address at TCG's conference ... refocused the agenda of the entire convening and spurred months of debate about cultural diversity in the American theatre, culminating ...

A practical guide that shows BIPOC actors how to break down the audition process rather than being broken down by the entertainment industry and its practices of exclusion and bias.

Souvenir guidebook about The Theatre Royal Drury Lane of London’s Covent Garden, the oldest theater in the world in continuous use. From actor-manager David Garrick to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has now restored the theater to its Georgian glory. From iconic shows to the first pantomimes, from rituals and superstitions to royal fisticuffs, from performers, composers and playwrights to backstage crew, the rich and colorful history of London’s oldest theater is brought to life. New photography foll...

Gives readers an inside look at In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway debut, written with Quiara Alegría Hudes, and now a feature film. Untold stories, perceptive essays, and the lyrics to Miranda’s songs, complete with his annotations. Also, newly commissioned portraits and never-before-seen photos from backstage, the movie set, and productions around the world.

An investigation of theatres, concert halls, and opera houses in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North and South America. Explores in detail thirty of the most significant theatres, concert halls, opera houses, and dance spaces that opened between 1950 and 2010. Each theatre is reviewed and assessed by experts in theatre buildings, such as architects, acousticians, consultants, and theatre practitioners, and illustrated with full-color photographs and comparative plans and sections. A further...

By composer-lyricist and teacher Craig Carnelia (Working, Is There Life After High School?, Sweet Smell of Success). Step-by-step guide to making singing performances more truthful, vivid, and full of life. Utilizes detailed descriptions of sessions the author has had with his notable students and lays out a new and proven approach to help you build your skills, your confidence, and your career.

In A Wonderful Guy, a follow up to Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro sits down for intimate, career-encompassing conversations with nineteen of Broadway's most prolific and fascinating leading men. Full of detailed stories and reflections, his conversations with such luminaries as Joel Grey, Ben Vareen, Norm Lewis, Gavin Creel, Cheyenne Jackson, Jonathan Groff and a host of others dig deep into each actor's career; toget...

Theater director David Weber-Krebs asks theater industry practitioners, artists, scholars, curators and spectators to imagine their first post-virus theater visit. 288 pages.

First volume in series, covering the years 1970-1995. Overview of ensemble-based creation within the general historical and cultural contexts of the period, followed by a detailed study of the evolution of ensemble-based work. Contributors examine matters such as influence, funding, production and legacies, as well as the forms of collective devising and creation, while presenting close readings of the companies' most prominent works.

Account of recent Broadway history—spanning from the debut of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Sunset Boulevard to Disney’s The Lion King. Drawing upon more than 150 insider interviews, Riedel walks us through the Broadway we know and love today: an industry awash in big hits and bigger money, while also being an industry split between its adherence to old art forms and the allure of popular culture.

Part of Broadway Legacies series. Study of the musical theater works of Rida Johnson Young (ca. 1869-1926), one of the most prolific female playwrights of her time, as well as a lyricist and librettist in the musical theater. She wrote more than thirty full-length plays, operettas, and musical comedies, 500 songs, and four novels, including Naughty Marietta, Lady Luxury, The Red Petticoat, and When Love is Young. 192 pages. Using archival materials such as original typescripts, correspondence, ...

Exercises to energise, excite and inspire ... alongside some firm favourites, redesigned to be played within the necessary constraints.