Product Description
Devising Theatre is a practical handbook that combines a critical analysis of contemporary devised theatre practice with descriptions of selected companies, and includes suggestions for any group devising theatre from scratch. It is the first book to propose a general theory of devised theatre.Oddey identifies the unique nature of this mode of performance and examines how devised theatre is perceived by professional practitioners, providing an historical overview illustrating how it has evolved since the 1960s. She looks at the particular working practices and products of a number of professional companies, including a Reminiscence theatre for the elderly and a theatre-in-education group, and offers ideas and exercises or exploration and experimentation. Devising Theatre is a much-needed, authoritative account of an exciting and growing field of theatre practice. ... Read more

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In Hamlet, when the melancholy prince kills Polonius, the dramatic tension is enhanced by the audience's knowledge that Polonius lurks behind the curtain, and that Hamlet will mistake him for his detested stepfather.Though this tension is understood and appreciated by readers of the play, its dynamics of raw intensity are perhaps best understood by the interplay between performers and audience members.By addressing both enthusiasts of theater and enthusiasts of dramatic literature, Thaiss and Davis demonstrate how one's understanding of drama is enriched by critical attention to both performance and text.It specifically addresses the writing needs of a novice playwright, not in conjunction with "writing about literature," but about the play as subject in its own right. This book provides critical analysis of play texts, as well as performance reviews, theater history research, and other examples that enliven understanding and promote versatility.In its sequence of chapters, it addresses projects of increasing sophistication, from performance reviews and play analyses to theater history research and dramatic theory papers.As a general guide to good writing, this book also promotes learning and critical/creative thought.Introductory chapters cover the principles of good writing and offer strategies to help readers overcome writer's block, organize effectively and avoid common usage and style pitfalls. Anyone interested in drama and/or literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Writing about Writing About Theatre
I had been looking for a book to use with my Senior Research course.The Thaiss and Davis book came out just in time.I have used it for several other courses as well.I have found it easy to use and have discovered that the students appriciate that it is centered on their particular topic.In addition, using it with introductory courses has made for better critical and research writing.It fills the void. ... Read more

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Geese Theatre UK was formed in 1987 and is renowned across the criminal justice field. Members of the company devise and perform issue-based plays and conduct workshops and training in prisons, young offender institutions, probation centres and related settings. The company has worked in virtually every prison and each probation area in the UK and Ireland - and also works with youth offending teams. The "Geese Theatre Handbook" explains the thinking behind the company's approach to applied drama with offenders and people at risk of offending, including young people. It also contains over 100 exercises with explanations, instructions and suggestions to help practitioners develop their own style and approach. The materials can be readily adapted to other settings including conflict resolution, restorative justice and interpersonal skills training.The handbook is a key resource for: Offending behaviour groupworkers; Probation officers; Youth workers; Youth offending teams; Prison officers; Social workers; Criminologists; Community workers; Forensic psychologists; Psychotherapists; Community theatre workers and actors; Drama teachers; Drama-in-education and theatre-in-education practitioners; Drama therapists and other creative arts therapists; Adventure therapists; Group and individual therapists and counsellors; Mental health professionals; Psychodramatists; Sociodramatists; Professional team builders; Team supervisors; Family therapists; Staff training and development officers; Conflict resolution workers; And special needs workers and teachers. ... Read more

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Of the 90 theaters built in the Times Square area since1888, over half have since been lost through demolition or conversionto other uses, while some barely survive in varying stages ofdecay. The extensive redevelopment of Times Square by Disney hasfocused attention on the architectural glories of the Great White Way,as the recent and much-anticipated reopening of the New AmsterdamTheater demonstrates. Princeton Architectural Press is pleased toannounce a revised and updated edition of Lost BroadwayTheatres, as part of the renewed interest in Broadway.

Lost Broadway Theatres is the only definitive, comprehensivehistory of the New York playhouses of the past. Over fifty theaters,dating from the 1880s to the 1930s, are presented through briefhistories and period photographs. Some of the theaters included arethe Ziegfeld, the Lyric, Hammerstein's, and the Republic. This newedition includes additional photos and updated historical informationon this fascinating piece of New York City's past. Emmy award-winnerNick van Hoogstraten has included two new theaters, the Biltmore andthe Mark Hellinger, as well as images of newly restored theaters theNew Amsterdam and the New Victory.Amazon.com Review
Theaters are more than just buildings, more than giant musical instruments, as some have described them. For regular theatergoers, they're old friends. When a theater disappears, there's a palpable sense of mourning. Updated to 1997, Lost Broadway Theatres recalls, in photos and memories, playhouses from the colossal and opulent American Theatre, now a parking lot, to the cozy Punch and Judy, now the site of an office building. The good news is that several of the houses previously considered doomed but not yet demolished have been restored in the Times Square boom. Lost Broadway Theatres celebrates their return, and pleads on behalf ofother hidden beauties whose fate may not yet be sealed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

To see what has been destroyed will make you cry!
This great houses, palaces of art...almost everyone gone forever...4 stars because more theatres were not included.What a sad day where they destroyed these beautiful buildings...but the greedy don't care...$$$$ all they want with no love of anything else.

Lost Broadway Theatres
I had seen this book several years ago, and because of recent New York associations wanted to buy it.The listing on Amazon and the condition of the ordered book were exactly as I had anticipated. The book was in excellent/like new condition. It arrived in just a few days. I was really pleased with the order and the purchase.It is an engaging and well rendered summary of New York legitimate theatres from the late 19th Century to the present day.91 Theatres are featured in this volume.It is a fun and wistful overview of the buildings that housed some of the most creative entertainment in the U.S. in the 20th Century. Thank you.

Rediscover Broadway's Past
When I was in sixth grade we moved to a 'burb in New York, thirty minutes up the Harlem Line from Grand Central.For the then ridiculously cheap fare of a buck and quarter, all of New York City was mine to explore, and explore it I did.The ferries to Staten and Liberty Islands were still a nickel, great theatre tickets could be had for $25, and the Big Apple offered every other diversion a boy coming of age could imagine, and several that defied imagination.

Nick van Hoogstraten, the author, was a classmate of mine.Even then Nick was a theatre junkie, and his infectious passion for lost Broadway comes through on every page of this gem.Loaded with rare photos and judiciously sprinkled with anecdotes, Nick's tribute strikes just the right balance for most theatre or history buffs.

One reviewer--and only one--complains that the book "lacks comprehensive detail." The detail Mr. Park craves ("fly systems, layouts, dressing rooms, stage sound and lighting, marquee setups, rehersal [sic] spaces") might have its place in a master thesis, but not a book intended to be accessible to the average theatre-goer.(I note, too, that Mr. Park's complaint that the book lacks a map is patently erroneous, which makes me question whether he was reviewed an early edition, or simply didn't spend much time between the covers.)

For those of us who arrived too late to see, but have heard, of the Hippodrome, the original Helen Hayes theatre, or the Punch and Judy, Nick's loving tribute to the Great White Way is a perfectly-sized portal to Broadway's past.

PALACES TO PARKING LOTS
Anyone interested in the history of American Theatre or the history of New York City, itself, will want to dip into this exhaustive survey of the "lost" theatres of Broadway.

It is also, unfortunately, a history of commerce overtaking art; of pleasure palaces giving way to parking lots because only thirteen of the fifty four theatres in the book still exist.

Here are original, fascinating black and white photographs of theatres many of us have never even heard of, never mind seen:

For example,built expressly for intimate, short plays The Princess on West 39th Street, became the home of the Jerome Kern musicals.Imagine, before vocal amplification, seeing a musical in a theatre with only 299 seats!And Henry Miller's Theatre which does still stand on West 43 Street.It housed musicals, plays and then to keep the doors open, it showed movies, then adult movies and was, most recently, reinvented as a nightclub.Or, Hammerstein's Theatre on Broadway and 53rd Street which was a home to plays, musicals and the Federal Theatre Project WPA, long before it became the studio for Dave Letterman's television show. The pictures show us, also, how the streets looked in those days--what was playing at the theatres and how people dressed, how the cars looked that they drove.

Those are just a few of the facts one can find in this fascinating, informative, entertaining book.

Fascinating!
Most students of theatre learn about actors, plays and producers. However, we very rarely learn about the theatres that played such an integral part of the development of Broadway.

"Lost Broadway Theatres" really fills that gap in early 20th-century Theatre History. It includes photos and historical data on the construction, productions and demise of some of the earliest theatres on the Great White Way. Although major theatres such as the Roxy and the Hippodrome are mentioned, the author also pays attention to interesting smaller venues, such as the Punch and Judy Theatre. A few of the theatres mentioned in the book have been restored; others have been altered; however, most no longer exist.

One of the nicest features of this book is the street map on the first two pages, which clearly shows the locations of both the "lost" and current Broadway houses. This definitely gives one a new perspective of the Times Square area: how sad to think that cars are now parked where grand theatres once stood!

Most of the theatres in this book were torn down years before I was born, and have left few monuments behind. It has been wonderful, then, to have the chance to read about them and learn more about the history of Broadway. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating thoughts of theatre practioners
In 2000 the BBC ran a series called Changing Stages on UK television in six parts covering:

- Shakespeare
- Irish playwrights
- American playwrights and musicals
- 1956
- Brecht and Beckett
- The future of Theatre

This book presents some of the interview notes transcripts that Richard Eyre collected for use in this series - some of which were used and others not. It covers a range of actors, playwrights, composers, designers, producers etc and the, at first sight random, order of interviews reflect the main areas of contribution to the above issues - ie you get those with the most to say about Shakespeare up first.

Richard Eyre has great respect in the industry and a huge personal knowledge, allowing him to gain a natural rapport with his interviewees and getting the best out of their vast levels of knowledge on these subjects. Almost all have at least some interesting contribution to make and, as a collection of interviews they are fascinating to dip into or to read from cover to cover. My own personal favourite is Arthur Laurents whose caustic, dry humour comes over beautifully in discussing the growth of the American musical. Eyre has the ability of the great interviewers to bring out the best in his subjects and to make them sound interesting and intelligent - which they all are.

There are contributions from the likes of Arthur Miller, Alan Bennett, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Alan Ayckbourn, Patrick Marber, Cameron Mackintosh, John Gielgud, Peter Brook, Peter Hall, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, Trevor Nunn and Liam Neeson amongst many others.

Highly recommended for theatre fans. ... Read more

Product Description
Over a 25 year span, director Nikos Psacharopoulos and a continuing company of actors at the Williamstown Theatre Festival committed themselves to staging Chekhov's plays again and again, in the process forging a phenomenon: an American technique for approaching and realizing the work of one of the worl's greatest playwrights. the Actor's Chekhov reveals how this came to be. At the heart of The Actor's Chekhov are Nikos' teaching tapes and notes on specific plays and scenes by Chekhov, as well as 18 substantial interviews with past and present members of the company.

Includes interviews with: Austin Pendleton, Blythe Danner, Tom Brennan, Olympia Dukakis, Louis Zorich, Lee Grant, Kate Burton, Roberta Maxwell, Christopher Walken, Laila Robins, Joyce Ebert, John Glover, Stephan Collins, Carrie Nye, Peter Hunt, Laurie Kennedy, Maria Tucci, and Frank Langella. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must-Read for Chekhov Fans and Actors
This is one of the best books I've ever read.As an amateur actor, filmmaker, and huge fan of Chekhov's short stories, I was blown away.This book is hip, and a real page-turner.I was excited and inspired by it.This is the real deal, it's what creative stuff is all about. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for non-majors, this introductory text is a practical guide to theatre--what it is and how to enjoy it. Its survey of the theatre landscape is enlivened by behind-the-scenes stories from the two authors--one an actor/director and the other a costume designer. Exercises at the ends of chapters (unique to this text) prompt students to reflect on their own experiences with theatre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great Introduction
As an intro book, this has all the right ingredients to capture the imagination of those who are new to the mechanics of theater. With illustrations, photographs, and easy-to-understand text, this book has it all. It explains everything from 'flying fish and dying villains' to Aristotle's three unities to where to get your broadway tickets... For the greenhorns to theater, this book will definitely kick-start your imagination. A great book.
There are some sections (such as that of the Guthrie Theater) which need to be updated, but they will definitely cover that in the next edition.
Who doesn't love illustration and photographs!? This book has a lot! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Season for a new generation!
As William Goldman's landmark book The Season so well captured Broadway of the late 1960s, so does Broadway Stories capture Broadway of the 1990s.The similarity between the two books is quite obvious, and while The Seasonends up being a little more profound, Marty Bell's book is extremelyentertaining and informative.Each chapter of the book focuses on adifferent creative force:An actor or actress, a director, or achoreographer, and how their triumphs (or tragedies) during the 1991-1992season helped contribute to Broadway.The backstage stories are amust-read for any theatre enthusiast, though Bell does not succeed atmaking biographical information on his subjects an organic part of hisstorytelling, and that really gets in the way of his otherwise well-writtenchronicles.A great companion piece to The Season or wonderful in its ownright, you should definitely read Broadway Stories.

Fascinating Book
This is a well-written, fascinating book that gives real insights into the inner workings of Broadway.I agree with the previous reviewer that this should be a "must have" for anyone interested in Broadway andmusical theatre.

I OWN OVER TWENTY BOOKS ON THEATRE: THIS IS THE BEST
I almost don't want to give this a "10," for fear your expectations will be too high.(Do we remember "Forrest Gump";I went to that one thinking I'd die and come back as Lea Salonga.No, this one is definitely a keeper.It's a collection of 10-12 interviews of Broadway actors: from large, black men to small, waif- like children, kudos to Marty Bell for interviewing such an eclectic group of performers!It's a page turner...I read it again and again!Trust me...DON'T MISS THIS ONE! ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for nonmajors, this introductory text is a helpful and practical guide to what theatre is and to ways to enjoy the entire theatre experience. Its survey of the theatre landscape is enlivened by behind-the-scenes stories from the two authors--one an actor/director and the other a costume designer. Exercises at the ends of chapters (unique to this text) prompt students to reflect on their experiences with theatre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too Simple: simply wrong.
Okay, if you're a non-major and you want to know something about theatre, wouldn't you want to know correct information? I unwittingly used this book full of errors to teach an Intro to theatre course, recently, and found myself constantly correcting or clarifying concepts in the book to my students. This shouldn't have been necessary. While I think it's fine to simplify concepts for beginning students, it's not okay to get things simply wrong. The design section has big problems in this regard. For instance they say "Although imprecise names like puce, chartreuse, and peach are still used to market products in the fashion and automobile industries, serious artists have abandoned such vague descriptions and use only the precise name that defines a particular hue. . ." I don't know who the "serious artists" are that the authors write about but no professionals I've ever worked with, in New York City and other places "use only the precise name." Usually we don't even use a name and grab something that is pretty much the color we want and say--dye the cloth this blue but a little lighter or we use names like peach and chartreuse. I have problems with some of their defintions and use of terms like 'intensity' when I've always heard the term 'saturation' used for the same concept, which is more descriptive and help students distinguish color from how bright or dim a light.
The way Markus and Sarver cover multi-cultural/diversity issues like color blind casting and plays by people of color is embarrassingly patronizing or just weird. If watching a place by Luis Valdez helps us "learn respect for people of different ethnic backgrounds" why doesn't watching a play by Henrik Ibsen, since I'm not, nor were any of my students, Norwegian or European?
The section on acting implys that Stanislavski's method acting is the only kind of actor training available in the United States. While they don't have to deliniate the Suzuki or other methods at least they could add that while method acting is the most popular actor training there are other actor training schools.
While the section on producing theatre is New York is pretty good I would not purchase the book for that.
The text seemed geared toward an elementary student not high school or college. And while it is not all bad, it has too many faults to be adopted for classroom use. ... Read more

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Working from a multi-cultural perspective, this book explores the value of performance as an agent of social change, and makes its arguments through the close examination of the success--not always complete--of specific projects in their practical and cultural contexts. Practitioners and commentators inquire as to how performance in its broadest context can play a part in community activism by helping communities find their own creative voices. ... Read more

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How can a teacher without theatrical experience teach a course in theater arts? How can a teacher inspire self-conscious students to perform before an audience? This book of activities is designed to build confidence in each student with non-threatening evaluations along the way. This drama text begins with basic group games and gradually expands to more challenging exercises. Emphasis on group and individual activity build verbal and non-verbal communication skills. ... Read more

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This is an essential read for anyone setting out to study the thrilling world of theatre for the first time. Introducing you to all the aspects of drama, theatre and performance you will be studying in your course, from the theoretical to the practical, Theatre Studies: The Basics will take you through such topics as:

• dramatic genres, from tragedy to political documentary
• theories of performance
• the history of the theatre in the West
• acting, directing and scenography
• the audience.

Drawing on a wide range of examples, from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus to Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s controversial Behzti, and including chapter summaries and pointers to further reading, Theatre Studies: The Basics has all you need to get your studies off to a flying start.

Product Description
Volume 61 features the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for 2005, and the Tony Award-winning Best Play, John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, which also earned star Cherry Jones the Best Leading Actress in a Play Tony Award and the Best Direction of a Play Tony Award for Doug Wright. Kathleen Turner and Tony Award-winner Bill Irwin sparred memorably in the critically acclaimed revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Spamalot and its director Mike Nichols took home a Tony for Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical respectively for the bonafide Monty Python megahit. Other highlights of the season include the Off-Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which would eventually land on Broadway. Regionally, the world premiere of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Tony winners John Lithgow and Norbert Leo Butz began life at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and transferred successfully to Broadway. The Light in the Piazza, first produced at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle and at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, went on to win more Tonys than any other production in 2005 when it arrived at New York's Lincoln Center Theater. Billy Crystal also shone in his one-man Broadway smash 700 Sundays, originally developed at the La Jolla Playhouse. Theatre World's outstanding features include: - A color section of highlights. - A listing of all the major theatrical works - The longest running shows on and Off-Broadway listings. - Biographical data, obituaries, and a comprehensive index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

And now from the editor
Piggybacking on the comments by my associate editor in response to the negative review of our publication posted here, I would like to submit some comments that I hope would be read-although admittedly from a subjective point of view-as objective remarks about our publication in relation to the other comparable ones, for objective analysis, by those who are capable of it:
Firstly, I, too, acknowledge that there have been lapses in the past with respect to completeness and accuracy in our publication (as there are in fact inevitably in all such compendiums), by nature of the sheer volume of material that is collected, especially in light of all of the complicated and uncontrollable factors that my associate editor enumerated.
However, in response to what amounted to one of the only valid (yet unconsidered) criticisms given by the negative reviewer- comparing typos, omissions, and errors in our publication to those in publications that cover many fewer (in fact many hundreds fewer)productions than we do, is unbalanced. In reality, one does not expect the same amount of errors in a survey of hundreds of productions in comparison to a survey of thousands of them. But let me be clear-no one abhors errors (especially in a publication with my name on it)
more than I. However, each and every year, we manage to consistently expand our coverage of not only New York theatre, but theatre across the entire country, exponentially expanding our coverage in an increasingly well designed package, even while decreasing our omissions and errors. Further, reference books (however popularly loved) such as these contain thousands and thousands of names, dates, and facts. Proofing such voluminous material is a very different animal than proofing a novel, for instance, where errors are obvious to anyone; it's not so with numbers or names in many cases. Also, many times when thumbing through a publication such as ours, readers will turn their attention to their favorite show or actor first, by looking at the index or table of contents. If a typo is found there (or God forbid in the name of one's favorite performer), very often an emotional response or an idea that somehow an editor has been less than conscientious in their work hits the reader. The reality is that there are simply thousands and thousands of facts and figures, and sometimes I am even amazed that we make as few errors as we do.
What I think would be productive is to acknowledge the reviewer's valid criticism of the past (emphasis on the past) sometimes incompleteness or inaccuracy of our publication, to explain without excusing it as I just have in light of the relevant facts that my associate editor and I have articulated, and finally, to layout now very specific information that I doubt the reviewer or most people understand or realize about our publication in relationship to all others. And the following will hopefully all be said in as objective of an analysis as possible, with which reasonable minds I suppose could differ, but ultimately what I would hope would be considered in any case. I have actually and for a long time wished an opportunity to outline the following comparison of our publication to others, as I think ours has been a very much misunderstood and underappreciated publication in need of illumination, and now welcome the opportunity the reveiwer has given me to do so.
So here goes:
Each and every year I sit down and compare our publication to other such publications (as well as to our previous volumes), in order to satisfy myself that we accomplish our annual mission-irrespective of trendy books that come and go (and many have), but in order satisfy nonetheless that we compile the most complete annual pictorial and statistical record of the American theatre, as well as to do it in as exciting a way as possible. (We have done this for sixty-three years). Our mission, which has been so since 1944, is to be the most complete annual record of the American theatre, encompassing all of Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional theatre productions in the country, along side Theatre World's many other important features:
(1) Theatre World covers every Broadway (including company series) show that opens and closes or runs throughout the season, with photos and statistics, and in a very complete way. In this respect, there are a couple of other publications that cover much the same material, so if Broadway is the only theatre in the country that concerns you, we are comparable to those other publications, with the exception that our publication and one of the others have a comparable amount of photographs, the third contender having less so. In a world that is becoming smaller, our mission is to expand our coverage of that world for those who have more of an opporunity to experience it. Broadway is still for many the pinnacle of success for artists everywhere, but it is certainly no longer that for everyone, nor is it the avenue for success for most artists out there any longer.
(2) Theatre World covers every Off-Broadway production (including company series) that opens, closes, or runs throughout the season, with photos and statistics, and in a very complete way. In this respect, we are only comparable to one other of the several publications out there, as one of those publications mentioned by the negative reviewer only covers Broadway. But while we have comparable statistical information to the other publication that covers both Broadway and Off-Broadway, we routinely have more photos from more shows Off-Broadway included in our publication.
(3) With respect to Off-Off-Broadway, our publication is one of only two that cover Off-Off-Broadway (including company series) , and in comparison, ours covers more productions and with more photographs
than the only other contender.
(4) (Now we really start separating the meat from the chaff.) Theatre World covers more regional productions than any other publication now, or ever, in print. The regional section has been exponentially expanding in the past several years, and the latest Theatre World (due out early next year), will cover more regional productions than ever before, and we cover the complete seasons of those regional theatres, not just the new plays presented in them. Again, complete and photographs from most included productions. We are unparalleled in
this category.
(5) We cover more theatrical awards from New York and the entire country than an other production in print, now or ever. The new Theatre World will actualize an active campaign over the past several years to cover this incredibly important record of theatre awards from all over America (and including past Tony, Obie, and Pulitzer winners). In addition, Theatre World is associated with the Theatre World Awards, the awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway debuts. Photographs of the twelve annual Theatre World Award winners, as well as photographs from the annual and venerable ceremony (rife with celebrities who adore the show) are included in the volume. We are unparalleled in the category of theatre awards coverage.
(6) Theatre World has the most complete Broadway and Off-Broadway longest runs section in print. With striking photos from previous productions, we do much more than simply list the shows and their number of performances. Comparable to some other publications in the statistics (but more complete in the latest [2006-07 volume and moving forward]), we are now unparalleled in our photographic coverage of this
section.
(7) Theatre World has continually and (even remarked as such by the reviewer) provided the most detailed, complete, and devoted obituaries of the entertainers who were lost during that theatrical season, not just from the New York area, but including those who have made significant contributions to theatre in other regions of America. We do not merely list names of the dead alongside birth and death dates. Complete with dynamic photographs, we are unparalleled in this category.
What do the other comparable productions have that we don't have, you ask? The short answer is that one has people in shows and organizations on Broadway dressed up as if having their class picture taken for a high school yearbook (I, myself, am 38 and out of high school for twenty years; I don't know about you), and although I recognize and always welcome publications that celebrate any area of the theatre, I would only like to point out that Broadway is only one of many, many, areas of theatre in this and all other countries. The other publication compared to us has essays and reviews of seasons of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway shows, in addition to statistics. With respect to the former publication-that's fine. We are and always have been, while an entertaining and authoritative publication, one that you can find almost immediately behind theatrical and reference desks of almost every library and college library in this country and many others (including the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center). Our first job is to educate and inform, and our second is to entertain [we prefer very much to leave that to the artists]). With respect to the latter publication, while we respect a publication attempting to evaluate critically the seasons of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, our job is not seen by us as a book of theatrical evaluation or criticism; we never have been and probably never will be. This very much separates us from this other fine and venerable publication, and although I appreciate its academic relevance, again I say, our job at Theatre World is to chronicle the season for current and future generations; not analyze or evaluate it. We prefer very much to leave that to the audiences. And ever mindful of economics, the price difference in our three publications?
Contender #1: cover price $35.00; Contender #2: cover price #49.95; Theatre World: cover price $49.95 (hardcover); $24.95 (paperback)
I will now address two of the only other valid criticisms of the negative reviewer: (a) biographies; and (b) touring companies.
With respect to biographies, one aspect of that section (even though yes, we hope to at some point reincorporate or reformulate this section, as my associate editor mentioned), that was not mentioned is that the information that is solicited for inclusion in this section if very private, and an increasing number of performers (and the public at large), are very reluctant to give very private information like birthdates and birthplaces to a complete stranger (even one who edits a venerable theatrical publication). Even those who may be inclined to do so are thwarted from so doing by their agents, and perhaps rightly so in this sometimes media crazy world. There was a time when our former editor John Willis, in grandfatherly fashion, would drop off a letter to a performer in a Broadway show, sometimes swaggering backstage to say "Hello" to them, and in this day and age, not only would he (or especially any of us) not have direct access to many performers, but not having that direct access, makes it even harder to retrieve personal information. Many of those performers from Bernadette Peters to Brian Stokes Mitchell, when receiving a request for that information years ago, really didn't realize that it would end up in hardcover print for hundreds of years and for all the world to see. In light of the difficulty and issues involved with this section altogether, it is being rethought. Of course, no other
publication ever carried a section even resembling this one.
(b) touring companies. In this ever-shrinking category, we are also reevaluating whether or not to incorporate non-Equity productions (as there are fewer and fewer Equity ones), as well as the best way to include information from this category. Admittedly, this section is the one that has bothered me the most that it got away from us during my efforts to expand all of the other sections and get the publication up to date (which you can read below we have succeeded in doing), although now an adequate way of tallying the actual Equity productions and indeed what constitutes a "touring company" as opposed to a "sit-down" production is currently being evaluated by us. Yes, in this one category, I admit one other publication trumps us in chronicling this one aspect of the record of the American theatre. Well, you can't win 'em all, and most of 'em we do, obviously.
I have not offered up the explanations (valid though they may be) that my associate editor did regarding the time, labor, and dedication volunteered by the scores of those who have graced us with their efforts on this publication, because I truthfully do not believe that to be relevant (although true) to the reviewer's critique. We have a job, and people are welcome to evaluate our product as they see fit. If they like us (as many, many, reviews on this and other sites and publications can attest), then that's fine. If not, then that is fine as well.
A word about online web sites- one aspect of online web sites that is not often realized is that online web sites are created from offline sources. The information that is input into those databases is from play programs, etc., and one of the only resources for cast replacements, for instance (as opposed to opening night casts) was Theatre World. Our former editor John Willis would personally request an annual record of cast replacements from publicity offices, and it is no doubt that much of the information that resides in many of our publications on which the copyright has expired, has made its way onto online databases. In fact, I have known actors who have many Broadway credits as a replacement who are not even listed on online databases (I know because I have investigated for having written their obituaries), as play programs didn't often accurately account for cast replacements for scores of years. And databases online are incredibly expensive to backup and computers crash. So although absolutely I consult ibdb.com and the Lucille Lortel site, for instance, regularly to confirm facts, there is certainly no complete Off-Off (since inception, as ours is) or regional (since inception, as ours is) database, nor any database as complete as the sixty-plus volumes of Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and regional productions. (And by the way, we hope to be online at some point with the entire and most complete database of twentieth century theatrical history available online-stay tuned).
Finally, it is important to note that since becoming editor in chief of this publication a few years ago (that will not be reflected until a few more volumes, due to publication schedules), it is unfortunate that many of the reviewer's comments have been remedied (albeit in delayed acknowledgment of such due to those same production schedules). Through no fault of ours, the 2005-06 as well as the 2006-07 volumes of Theatre World are currently complete, and sitting with our publisher, which they will be publishing on their timetable,
commiserate with the nature of the industry. But we, ourselves, are caught up and current. But all with an expanded format of all sections (sans bios and touring companies, admittedly, for now),but more complete information, more accurate information, more photos (over 500 at last count in each volume), a higher page count to proveit, with more color photos, and an increasingly dynamic design.
Whether you're an actor wanting to see photographs of other performers who have played a part that you may be auditioning for (as there are more options to do so in Theatre World since we cover the whole country), to a casting director, director, or producer doing the same kind of investigation (again, with more options to do so in our Theatre World as we cover the entire country), to a designer of a show researching productions of a show you're designing (again, with more options to do in Theatre World so as we cover more of the entire country), or a librarian, archivist, researcher, student, or academic researching a production (again, with more options to do so in Theatre World than any other), to a fan of the theatre wanting to capture a particularly memorable season or production (again, with more options to do so in Theatre World than any other), that is why I edit Theatre World and hope that you will continue to purchase and enjoy it.
It is my hope that in light of the changes that have been made in these past few unreleased volumes, as well as because what we have done and continue to do for theatre in America, that the above reviewer (and everyone else out there), will give us a second look.
Ben Hodges
Editor in Chief
Theatre World Publications
benjaminahodges@gmail.com ... Read more

Product Description

A Short Guide to Writing about Theatre is a succinct introduction to the skills required to write knowledgeably and critically about the theatre. Intended to illuminate the importance of theatre and performance in daily life, A Short Guide to Writing about Theatre engages students with dramatic material as they learn the practical elements of review, analysis, criticism, and research.

Customer Reviews (2)

Handy and Helpful
I took a class in Theater just to spice up an otherwise heavy semester, thinking it would be a lark.Wrong.It was interesting but far more work than I had anticipated, and required a great deal of writing about theater specifics.I found that even though I have a lot of experience writing essays and research-based analyses, I had no framework for writing about theater.This really caused problems when I'd try to describe and analyze not only play content but action, delivery, stage business, set and lighting design issues, etc.

Ferguson's Short Guide was incredibly helpful.It is indeed short, which means that you can page through, find exactly what you are looking for and get immediate direction on how to organize and express thoughts on the full range of elements that make up a theatrical experience.It provides the structure and the format for your own thoughts, helping the writer form key observations as well as express them.I highly recommend it for anyone who is learning to analyze and more deeply appreciate the traditions and elements of the theater, whether from an audience or a participant point of view.

There Should Be More Books Like This
I got this book when I enrolled in a theater class as an elective, which I thought would be fun, and ended up way in over my head in terms of what was expected of me in my criticisms and observations. It really called attention to aspects of theater that I was overlooking which improved my essays for class.

I bought the book because it was called " a SHORT guide to writing about theater." That's what i was looking for. Something easily digestable, comprehensible, and useful. It is laid out smartly and was easily accessible in terms of finding help for whatever specific hangup I was having with my writing. The student examples were SO helpful - it is one thing to be told how to write and quite another to be shown how.

This book was small enough for me carry to school and read on the bus. It saved me from feeling incapable in my class. It made the theater class fun. In fact, I thought I was gonna re-sell the book after my class was over, but i think i am going to keep it. Sweet and SHORT! ... Read more

Product Description
Theatre World, the statistical and pictorial record of the Broadway and off-Broadway season, touring companies, and professional regional companies throughout the United States, has become a classic in its field. The book is complete with cast listings, replacement producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and much, much more. There are special sections with biographical data, obituary information, listings of annual Shakespeare festivals and major drama awards. ... Read more

Product Description
Theatre World, the statistical and pictorial record of the Broadway and off-Broadway season, touring companies, and professional regional companies throughout the United States, has become a classic in its field. The book is complete with cast listings, replacement producers, directors, authors, composers, opening and closing dates, song titles, and much, much more. There are special sections with biographical data, obituary information, listings of annual Shakespeare festivals and major drama awards. ... Read more