English Theater

The Provincetown Players created a revolution in American theatre, making room for truly modern approaches to playwriting, stage production, and performance. In Staging America, Jeffery Kennedy gives the unabridged story in a meticulously researched and comprehensive narrative that sheds new light on the history of the Provincetown Players. At the center of the study is an extensive account of the career of George Cram Cook, the Players' leader and artistic conscience, as well as one of the most significant facilitators of modernist writing in early twentieth-century American literature.

Before "Fred and Ginger" there was "Fred and Adele", a show-business partnership and cultural sensation like no other. In our celebrity-saturated era, it's hard to comprehend what a genuine phenomenon these two siblings from Omaha were. At the height of their success in the mid-1920s, the Astaires seemed to define the Jazz Age. They were Gershwin's music in motion, a fascinating pair who wove spellbinding rhythms in song and dance. In this book, the first comprehensive study of their theatrical career together, Kathleen Riley traces the Astaires' rise to fame from humble midwestern origins.

Pierce has his mission: survive by killing and getting nasty, doing whatever it takes to find his lost wife and others who were abducted and forced to participate in the barbarity that is Planet Kill. In a galaxy where the only way to rise up in society and make it to the paradise planets is through this insanity, he will be up against the most desperate, the most ruthless, and the sexiest fighters alive. Because it's not just a planet - it's the highest rated show around.

Xeal/Alex has once again thwarted the designs of the major workshops and can once again return his attention to the quests that Prince Victor has assigned him. Meanwhile in reality, Abysses End has returned with the next group of their young members and Alex must deal with the issues they cause. All while preparing himself and others to making the push for tier-five and share his, Sam's, and Nicole's news with others.

The riveting story of the rivalry between the two most renowned actresses of the 19th century: legendary Sarah Bernhardt, whose eccentricity on and off the stage made her the original diva, and mystical Eleonora Duse, who broke all the rules to popularize the natural style of acting we celebrate today.

Lessons from the Set is a comprehensive filmmaking guide that takes a cinephile’s do-it-yourself approach to low-budget indie film production and distribution. The book is peppered with filmmaking tips and tricks, as well as valuable, practical insight into the process of writing, directing, producing, and distributing commercial feature films on a low budget - whether you’re working with $1,000 or $1 million.

At sixty-four Mickey Sabbath is still defiantly antagonistic and exceedingly libidinous; sex is an obsession and a principle, an instrument of perpetual misrule in his daily existence. But after the death of his long-time mistress - an erotic free spirit whose great taste for the impermissible matches his own - Sabbath embarks on a turbulent journey into his past. Bereft and grieving, tormented by the ghosts of those who loved and hated him, he contrives a succession of farcical disasters that take him to the brink of madness and extinction...

Discover the enthralling saga of Broadway's musical evolution in this captivating new eBook, 'The Art of Musical Evolution.' Unearth the rich history and discover the transformative power of musical theater as it evolves from its humble origins to become the cultural phenomenon we know today! Embark on a mesmerizing journey through 15 meticulously crafted chapters, each unveiling a pivotal era in Broadway's musical development. From the birth of Broadway and the distinctive sound of Rodgers and Hammerstein, to the revolutionary impact of West Side Story and the rise of the mega-musical, ...

Ten easy to produce and perform plays designed to be used as part of intergenerational worship services which bring to life important lessons about being together in community.

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.

Johnny is a Spanish guitar player with a mysterious past. At a party, he meets the beautiful songstress Aphrodite who is enthralled with his flamenco guitar skills. Later, she learns they have a connection, a particular song they both appear to know. Aphrodite discovers the connection, and through dreams, the two fall in love. The question is whether they will ever be together.

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?

Theatrical gender-bending, also called drag, is a popular form of entertainment and a subject of scholarly study. However, most drag studies do not question the standard words and ideas used to convey this performance genre. Drawing on a rich body of archival and ethnographic research, Meredith Heller illuminates diverse examples of theatrical gender-bending.

Noël Coward on theatre was as dazzling and entertaining as his masterful plays and lyrics. Here his ideas and opinions on the subject are brilliantly brought together in an extraordinary collection of commentary, lyrics, essays, and asides on everything having to do with the theatre and Coward's dazzling life in it.

Conor Night, the world's only necromancer, has finally learned what it means to be the world's only necromancer. It’s a lesson he wishes he had never received, because thanks to him an ancient wizard with an apocalyptic agenda is back in business, ready to finish cleaning house. Even worse? He’s the only one who can stop it. He’s been living on a roll of the dice for years, but the stakes have never been higher, and the outcome never so clear: To save the world, he has to die.

Father Peyton of the Holy Cross Fathers wanted to inspire his country with a radio program. Footing the expense of the show himself, he arranged for some of the biggest names in radio and film to donate their services, and for a network to provide the broadcast time. The series that resulted featured heartwarming stories for audiences nationwide. The commercial breaks were filled only with an earnest, non-sectarian appeal for family prayer, reminding listeners that "The family that prays together stays together."

"Its ability to build strong characters who step out of their familiar roles to tackle unprecedented issues makes for a riveting story that's hard to put down, powered by the attraction of a small-town investigator operating in big-city environments of stage productions and an older female detective who is faced with either retirement or developing more skills to address ongoing mysteries." MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW Charlotte Smart is back, and New York may never be the same again! After helping to solve murder mysteries in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, 70-year-old Charlotte Smart is summoned to ...

Sir Laurence Olivier, Lord Mountbatten, and Joyce Carey are just some of the voices heard paying tribute to the elegant star in this audio biography, which is linked by the broadcaster and critic Sheridan Morley.

Extracts from interviews with Coward himself, several of his songs and moments from his plays come together to form a fascinating picture of one of the 20th century's theatre greats.

"The Island Warriors": Heroes of Wake Island, is a gripping biographical account that delves into the defense and capture of POW's on Wake Island, as well as the subsequent occupation and surrender. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the strategic importance of Wake Island during World War II in the Pacific. It explores the initial Japanese invasion, the resistance and counterattacks by the defenders, and the challenging living conditions and morale during the siege. The book also delves into the capture of POW's, their treatment in Japanese captivity, and the changes in daily ...

The Dickens script did not include the dead body on the stage. When a student at Cold Creek College is arrested for the crime, Professor Sheridan Hendley is cast in the role of amateur sleuth. Only the student is Marty’s nephew and the detective on the case is Brett. Tensions run high, friendships are strained, and the college administration is beginning to panic.