Changing Stages


Book Description

An authoritative, spirited account of the history of twentieth century theatre by two of its most distinguished practitioners.




The Ground on which I Stand


Book Description

August Wilson's radical and provocative call to arms.




American Musical Theatre


Book Description

Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre has become a landmark book since its publication in 1978. It chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season, and offers a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production. This updated edition includes the new shows that have opened on Broadway since the original publication. Also included are over a hundred musicals that were turn-of-the-century, cheap-priced touring shows which never played Broadway, but were the training ground for many theatre greats.




Angels in the American Theater


Book Description

Composed of sixteen essays and fifteen illustrations, Angels in the American Theater explores not only how donors became angels but also their backgrounds, motivations, policies, limitations, support, and successes and failures.




American Theatre


Book Description

This book provides a brief yet informative evaluation of the variety and complexity of theatrical endeavours in the United States, embracing all epochs of theatre history and situating American theatre as a lively, dynamic and diverse arena.




The Chinese Lady


Book Description

Afong Moy is fourteen years old when she’s brought to the United States from Guangzhou Province in 1834. Allegedly the first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil, she has been put on display for the American public as “The Chinese Lady.” For the next half-century, she performs for curious white people, showing them how she eats, what she wears, and the highlight of the event: how she walks with bound feet. As the decades wear on, her celebrated sideshow comes to define and challenge her very sense of identity. Inspired by the true story of Afong Moy’s life, THE CHINESE LADY is a dark, poetic, yet whimsical portrait of America through the eyes of a young Chinese woman.




Theater in America


Book Description

Though expensive, this account gives an excellent history and a stunning collection of photographs.




Now or Later


Book Description

“Its brilliance lies in the way Shinn marries ideological debate to psychological complexity, shedding light, laser-bright and precise, on the way in which political discourse informs and shapes individual experience.” The Times Election night in the U.S. and things are looking rosy for the Democratic Party as the likely President-elect, his wife, advisors, and twenty-year-old son John Jnr prepare for victory. When controversial photos of John Jnr begin gathering momentum on the internet, his father's advisors are forced into damage limitation leaving father and son to try and reach an agreement. Christopher Shinn's potent play examines religion, freedom of expression and personal responsibility. It premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in September 2008. This new Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Dominic Cooke.




The Plays of Yasmina Reza on the English and American Stage


Book Description

The seven plays to date of Yasmina Reza, one of France's most prominent female playwrights, are popular both in France and abroad. Despite her commercial success, her plays have often been ignored in academic circles, and few scholars have attempted to explore the mechanics of her playwriting. This text seeks to unpack the essentials of Reza's style and to explore each play as a component of Reza's theatrical oeuvre. The result is a fuller understanding of her theatrical poetics and her development as an artist.




Reimagining American Theatre


Book Description

Wide-ranging, discerning essays and reviews in which Mr. Brustein finds that the theatre has been quietly reinventing the nature of its art.