Drama Theater

Only in the world of the theater can Nat Field find an escape from the tragedies that have shadowed his young life. So he is thrilled when he is chosen to join an American drama troupe traveling to London to perform A Midsummer Night's Dream in a new replica of the famous Globe theater. Shortly after arriving in England, Nat goes to bed ill and awakens transported back in time 400 years - to another London, and another production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Amid the bustle and excitement of an Elizabethan theatrical production, Nat finds the warm, nurturing father figure missing from his life - in none other than William Shakespeare.

Characters search for a conflict, upset audience members disrupt the show, a spy mission goes wrong, cowboys try but can’t do a simple shootout correctly, and a considerate and mannerly thief asks permission before he robs people. These are some of the situations found in this collection of ten-minute plays. Here are delightful theatrical nuggets that range from the comical to the serious. Each one is designed to be produced with just a few actors, few props, and within a single setting. They are easy to perform or fun to just read.

Tom Stoppard is a towering and beloved literary figure. Known for his dizzying narrative inventiveness and intense attention to language, he deftly deploys art, science, history, politics, and philosophy in works that span a remarkable spectrum of literary genres: theater, radio, film, TV, journalism, and fiction. His most acclaimed creations - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Real Thing, Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Shakespeare in Love - remain as fresh and moving as when they entranced their first audiences.

Stagehands argue about their relationship between acts, a mountain climber struggles to rise above the summit of public opinion, the man once sent to kill a princess finds her working at a diner, retired superheroes lament their new life, and a villain threatens to blow up the world if he can get the Henchman Union to end contract negotiations. These are some of the situations found in this second collection of ten-minute plays. Each one is designed to be produced with just a few actors, few props, and within a single setting. They are easy to perform or fun to just read.

Vi Baxter has always thrived in the controlled chaos of community theater—designing costumes, fixing last-minute wardrobe malfunctions, and dodging diva-level drama. But when a leading man collapses onstage during rehearsal, the spotlight shifts to something far deadlier than forgotten lines. With a detective’s instinct and her feline sidekick Figaro close behind, Vi finds herself unraveling a backstage mystery full of hidden motives, poisoned props, and suspicious castmates. As tensions rise and secrets spill, Vi must use every trick in the costume trunk to catch a killer—before the ...

The show must go on—but in Bloomsville, murder always steals the spotlight. When the Briar Rose Playhouse joins forces with a traveling troupe for Alice in Wonderland, Grace is ready to cheer on the town’s latest production—until a shocking death on opening night turns the whimsical show into a full-blown investigation. With her estranged brother Daniel among the cast and quickly cast as a prime suspect, Grace teams up with forensic specialist Chloe, baker Tom, coroner Oscar —and her loyal Westie, Rosie, whose nose for trouble is sharper than ever. As secrets unravel backstage and ...

Shep Carson is recovering at home and he takes Cody deeper into the BDSM lifestyle. Meanwhile, they're getting ready for the Christmas show. There's a mix up with two very important Christmas gifts and a proposal is in the air. The question is, who is proposing to who?

Had I become disenchanted with the form I had once fallen so madly in love with as a pubescent, pimple-faced suburban homo with braces? Maybe theatre was like an all-consuming high school infatuation that now, ten years later, I saw as the closeted balding guy with a beer gut he’d become. There were of course those rare moments of transcendence that kept me coming back. But why did they come so few and far between?

London, winter of 1589. The city is alive with intrigue, and anticipation. The players of Lord Strange’s Men are rehearsing a daring new play, penned by one of their promising young actors, William Shakespeare. But excitement turns to disaster when the authorities shutter the theatre over a trivial offense, plunging Will into uncertainty and despair. Determined to press on, he begins crafting a grisly revenge tragedy—Titus Andronicus—hoping to sell it to another troupe. But before he can do so, his entire collection of playscripts is stolen. His reputation, his career—everything is ...

Shep Carson got his last warning from Renke Stoltz but Master Carson isn't one to back down. His home, family and friends are being targeted and his patience is wearing thin. When Cody and Johnny are hurt, Shep's cop instincts kick in and he goes after Stoltz.

Years after a near-fatal car accident almost destroyed his career, Erik Patko has finally returned to the Broadway stage, starring alongside his famous parents Lord Justyn and Lady Rebecca in a revival of the classic musical Opera Ghost. Even his girlfriend Priscilla joins the chorus after her college graduation, but instead of soaking up the accolades, Erik is tormented by his leading lady and growing more and more dependent on opiates to manage his anxiety and depression. When a masked vigilante fighting hate crimes in the Theatre District enacts vengeance on his tormentors, Erik fears ...

Drawing on her knowledge as director, actor, and teacher, Packer traces the chronological evolution of Shakespeare's female characters and examines Shakespeare's own journey and growth as a writer from feckless misogynist in his youth to committed lover in his middle years to unrepentant feminist in his final years.

In his first work for the theater, James Baldwin brought all the fervor and majestic rhetoric of the storefront churches of his childhood along with an unwavering awareness of the price those churches exacted from their worshipers. For years Sister Margaret Alexander has moved her Harlem congregation with a mixture of personal charisma and ferocious piety. But when Margaret's estranged husband, a scapegrace jazz musician, comes home to die, she is in danger of losing both her standing in the church and the son she has tried to keep on the godly path.

Do you remember BlockBuster video and the nostalgic cinematic experience this business offered consumers? Pick up a copy of this book and transport back in time today as we remember what it was like to Rent a movie from BlockBuster. Enjoy - C.

Why Shakespeare? What explains our continued fascination with his poems and plays? In Living with Shakespeare, Susannah Carson invites 40 actors, directors, scholars, and writers to reflect on why his work is still such a vital part of our culture.

All the Ways to Say I Love You by Neil LaBute, directed by Leigh Silverman, is a thoughtful, psychological solo play centered around the character Faye Johnson, performed by multi-award-winning actress Judith Light (Transparent, American Crime Story, Who's the Boss?). Reflecting on an event from her past, Johnson confronts the defining question of her life: What is the weight of a lie?

All the Ways to Say I Love You received its World Premiere production at the MCC Theater in September of 2016. MCC is under the leadership of Artistic Directors Robert Lupone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, and Executive Director Blake West.

Bonus content includes an Audible-exclusive conversation between director Leigh Silverman and actress Judith Light.

In this survey of eighteenth and nineteenth century American drama, Tice L. Miller examines American plays written before a canon was established in American dramatic literature and provides analyses central to the culture that produced them. Entertaining the Nation evaluates plays in the early years of the republic, reveals shifts in taste from the classical to the contemporary in the 1840s and 1850s, and considers the increasing influence of realism at the end of the nineteenth century.

It's 1991, and Tara Maureen Murphy is finally on top. A frightening cross between Regina George and Tracy Flick, Tara Maureen Murphy is any high school's worst nightmare. She's a senior, poised to star as Sandy in South High's production of Grease. Cinching the role is just one teensy step in Tara's plot to get out of her hometown and become the Broadway starlet she was born to be. It gets tricky with the arrival of freshman Matthew Bloom, whose dazzling audition for the role of Danny Zuko turns Tara's world upside down.

This bilingual edition of The Novice is a new translation of classic Brazilian author Martins Pena's three-act play O Noviço. Written in 1845 and first published in 1853, this comedy of errors is the widely regarded as Martins Pena's best. Featuring a hotheaded novice, a deceitful stepfather and the requisite love story, The Novice gives us a window to 19th century Brazilian life. For new bilingual editions of Brazilian classics, look for the New Translations of Brazilian Classics series on the Kindle Store.

Three theatrical adaptations of ancient stories: Agamemnon A queen, her son, and his teacher await the return of their king after ten years of brutal war. Gilgamesh The oldest story in the world, in which a king finds and loses a great friend, and then sets off in search of an answer to the question of eternal life. The Golem In 17th-century Prague, a rabbi and his family turn to ancient mysticism in a desperate attempt to protect their community from approaching violence.