Showing titles in Theater

‘My future mother-in-law burst into tears when she heard her son was to marry an actress. There’s still something disturbing, I grant you, about the word “actress”. If an MP or some other outstanding person plays fast and loose with an actress the world is unsurprised. She is certainly...

Timothy R. White begins his history of the theater industry with the dispersed pre-Broadway era, when components such as costumes, lights, and scenery were built and stored nationwide. Subsequently, the majority of backstage operations and storage were consolidated in New York City during what is now known as the golden age of musical theater. Toward the latter half of the 20th century, decentralization and deindustrialization brought the emergence of nationally distributed regional theaters and performing arts centers.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time...

A highly-placed school official is accused of buying drugs on the street. Is he an out-of-control addict or a victim of discrimination? Voir Dire - a legal term meaning “to say what is true”- is the story of the racially-mixed jurors who will decide the official’s fate. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Christine Avila, Barbara Bosson, Shannon Cochran, Ella Joyce, Kevin Kilner and Amy Pietz. Directed by Ken Frankel. Recorded before a live audience.

Kate Chopin is a widely considered the forerunner to the feminist authors of the twentieth century. Focusing on themes of race and gender, her short stories largely center on life in rural Louisiana. In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard has just learned that her husband is dead - believed to have died during a train accident. Her family fears that the news will kill Louise, who suffers from a weak heart.

American Musical Theatre History: A Complete Guide to Broadway from 1940 to 1954 takes readers deep into one of the most transformative eras in Broadway history. This richly detailed book explores how American musicals evolved during the 1940s and early 1950s, moving from lighthearted revues to fully integrated works of art that combined story, song, and dance in powerful new ways. From Rodgers and Hammerstein’s groundbreaking Oklahoma! to Frank Loesser’s unforgettable Guys and Dolls, this period produced classics that continue to shape the stage today. Readers will discover how World ...

Shakespeare’s darkest psychological thriller. Three witches tell the Scottish General Macbeth that he will be king of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.

Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Laurence Olivier, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Olivier himself. They were based on works by the world's leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history.

In 1943, something strange is going on in the New Mexican desert. By night, the starkly beautiful canyons of Los Alamos fill with the sound of exploding graphite - and by day, the crackle of scientific brainpower. Fifty years after Hiroshima, Atomic Bombers takes us into those secretive canyons to meet the cadre of brilliant scientists who worked there.

American Musical Theatre History: A Complete Guide to Broadway from 1968 to 1980 is the ultimate exploration of one of Broadway’s most daring and transformative eras. From the groundbreaking energy of Hair to the dark brilliance of Sweeney Todd, this book takes readers deep into the world of musicals that reshaped the stage and forever changed American culture. Spanning twelve pivotal years, this comprehensive guide examines how Broadway navigated cultural upheaval, economic struggles, and artistic experimentation. Discover how the rise of the concept musical redefined storytelling, how ...

A play about love between gun-shy young scientists! Just how does a computer scientist romance a molecular biologist? Elliot offers to build a computer program to help Molly with her latest research project, but they discover that love just might be the winning formula - if they can only move beyond their fear and past heartbreak. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Jason Ritter as Elliot; Mandy Siegfried as Molly; André Sogliuzzo as Don and Franklin; and Mia Barron as Lauren and Nell.

Well-known personalities pick their favourite entertainers for BBC Radio 4's Great Lives One of the BBC's most acclaimed programmes, Great Lives has been a regular Radio 4 fixture for 20 years, presented by Joan Bakewell, Humphrey Carpenter, Francine Stock and Matthew Parris. Every week, a...

A “funny, poignant, dishy, and even enlightening” adventure through a tight-knit world of drag performers making art, mayhem, and dreaming of making it big, this book is “the story of America now” (Alexander Chee, The New York Times). In How You Get Famous, journalist Nicole Pasulka...

Hosted by Laurence Olivier, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Olivier himself. They were based on works by the world's leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history.

When you sit down at a play, movie, or concert—or even in front of the TV or scrolling on your phone—you are taking part in one of the oldest and most mysterious forms of human behavior. Being part of an audience is an age-old experience that we all crave, one that has evolved from amphitheaters to screens. Right This Way is a pop history of audiences through the ages. Playbill editor Robert Viagas unfolds the unique aspects of what he calls “audiencing” with stories from the age of the Greeks to the world of Zoom.

Theatre has long been an art form of subterfuge and concealment. Working in the Wings: New Perspectives on Theatre History and Labor, edited by Elizabeth A. Osborne and Christine Woodworth, brings attention to what goes on behind-the-scenes, challenging and revising our understanding of work, theatre, and history.

Écrit en plusieurs étapes, à partir de 1773, "Le paradoxe sur le comédien" ne sera publié qu'en 1830. Sous la forme d'un dialogue, dissymétrique, entre deux interlocuteurs censés défendre une thèse opposée, Diderot développe une véritable réflexion sur l'art du comédien et, plus largement, sur la création artistique. "Mais quoi ? dira-t-on, ces accents si plaintifs, si douloureux, que cette mère arrache du fond de ses entrailles, et dont les miennes sont si violemment secouées."

A behind-the-scenes story of a high-stakes political drama that dared the country and its citizens to look into the mirror - and change. Robert Kennedy had an early mistrust of Dr. Martin Luther King and his tactics, but became one of the civil rights movement’s greatest champions.

Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Ralph Richardson, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Robert Morley and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave and Laurence Olivier. They were based on works by the world's leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first instalment of theatrical history.

From the author of I Saw a Man comes a powerful drama in verse that captures both the trauma of modern warfare and the difficulty of transitioning back to normal life after combat.