Showing titles in Theater

In this world premiere play, written by and featuring Shakina Nayfack, a vibrant, international group of transgender women band together at a hotel in Thailand to confront the challenges and joys of gender confirmation surgery. Despite the group’s warm welcome, Kina (Nayfack) prepares for her life-altering operation all alone. But a caring nurse (Ivory Aquino), a wise couple (Kate Bornstein and Annie Golden), and a karaoke-loving bellhop (Telly Leung) may be exactly who she needs to ignite her truest sense of self.

Clara Blow is a one-woman play in two acts about the life and times of Clara Bow. The "It" Girl was the movies' first American sex goddess. The star of Wings, the first film to win the Best Picture Oscar, Clara Bow's unhappy life, in many ways, paralleled that of her successor, Marilyn Monroe. A longtime victim of insomnia, Ms. Bow lies awake on the morning of her estranged husband's funeral and painfully remembers the mentally ill mother who once tried to kill her; her career as the ultimate "flapper" her many nervous breakdowns; and affairs with the likes of Gary Cooper, Gilbert Roland, director Victor Fleming, and, as is said, the USC football team.

Orson Welles is a one-person play in two acts about the life and times of Orson Welles. Some say that Orson Welles was a genius, but he always denied that. He did give us Citizen Kane, considered by most critics to be the best film ever made, but after that, his career took one long downward plunge. The play finds Welles trying to find the financing for one of his film projects. It's a difficult task, since most of the Hollywood community considers him to be a "screwball".

"There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand." Pushing the limits of science and morality in his search for acceptance and purpose, Victor Frankenstein unleashes on the world a creation that he cannot control. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Gothic novel, A. S. Peterson (The Battle of Franklin) adapts the tale for the stage and creates an experience that will leave you pondering your own sense of belonging long after the curtain has fallen. Produced with a multi-voice cast in a radio theater style.

How much do you know about the key role women played in shaping the theatre we all know and love today? Perhaps you know little about the women who made theatre what it is today, and you are searching for a book that will help you improve your knowledge of musicals and their history. Or maybe you already have a strong understanding of the history of Broadway musicals, and you are searching for a book that covers the biographies of women in theatre in great detail. The truth is women’s role in the rise of theatre is greatly underappreciated. That is, until now. Introducing The Wonderful ...

No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith, one of Britain's best-loved actors. This new biography shines the stage lights on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades. From her days as a West End star of comedy and revue, Dame Maggie's path would cross with those of the greatest actors, playwrights and directors of the era.

Broadway’s most esteemed visionaries tell all - how they got started in the business, how they chose projects, how they raise money, why some of their shows were huge hits and others flopped, and much more. From Flo Ziegfeld and David Merrick, from Joseph Papp, from Cameron Mackintosh, from today’s up-and-coming new generation of producers - here are priceless words of wisdom.

From the women who pounded the pavement selling their songs in Tin Pan Alley at the turn of the twentieth century; to the women who broke new ground writing shows during the Great Depression; to the women who penned protest musicals fighting for social justice during the 1970s; to those who are revitalizing the landscape of American musicals today, Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy That the History Books Left Out is the first-ever book to tell the story of the over three hundred inspiring women who wrote Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals.

In a white fur coat, "The Queen of the Blues" sits on her luggage outside a Las Vegas hotel. It is 1959; the legendary star cannot enter the hotel without a white escort. So Dinah Washington, in her inimitable style, takes a long pull from her flask and starts kicking up a fuss. Yvette Freeman reprises her Obie award-winning performance in this passionate play that reminds us "What a Difference a Day Makes". Features songs made famous by Dinah Washington and performed in the play by Yvette Freeman.

Audrey Hepburn was not your usual movie star. She was the highest paid actress of her day, yet she never took a formal acting lesson. A child of war, and the daughter of a Fascist sympathizer, she spent her last years helping children of other wars. An Academy Award-winner for her first major film role (Roman Holiday), Hepburn continued her storybook career with such classic movies as Sabrina, Funny Face, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Charade, My Fair Lady and Wait until Dark. Her two marriages ended in divorce.

Out in the Spotlight: Broadway Musicals and the LGBTQ+ Community Broadway has always been a stage for transformation, but for the LGBTQ+ community, it has been a sanctuary for self-expression, a space to challenge societal norms, and a platform for voices that were often silenced. Out in the Spotlight delves deep into the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation in musical theater, from subtle subtext and coded messages to the bold, unapologetic stories we see today. Written by a lifelong theater lover and accomplished musician, this book offers an insider’s look at the intersection of Broadway...

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.

"The Shakespeare Authorship Question: A Crackpot's View" is a quick, fun read that will leave you wondering why schools and colleges aren't teaching both sides of the Shakespeare story. Author and performer Keir Cutler is a "crackpot." More accurately, he has a "psychological aberration." He is also "ignorant," "a snob" and "a publicity hound." He has "a poor sense of logic," "refuses to accept evidence," and is possibly, "certifiably mad." Who calls him (and people like him) by those terms? The Shakespeare Birth Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Why? Because he questions whether the ...

Throughout history, there has been a consistent crossover between show business and espionage, often producing some of the most extraordinary undercover agents, and occasionally leading to disastrous and dangerous failures. The fact that one relies on publicity and the other on secrecy might seem to rule out a successful symbiosis, but as both require high levels of creative thinking, improvisation, disguise and role-play, they inevitably attract some remarkably similar personalities. Stars and Spies is the first history of the interplay between the two worlds.

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.

Did you know that only one in five musicals recoup the initial costs of production? In Marketing Broadway: The Business Behind the Art, you'll learn precisely what makes a successful Broadway show. Marketing Broadway is for anyone who wants to know why good shows don’t always succeed. It’s for the theater aficionado, the business person, but most importantly, it’s for the artist in you!

Are you stuck in a rut in the entertainment industry, yearning for more acting opportunities and financial success? Does life feel like a never-ending loop, leaving you sleepwalking through your days? Imagine a world where you can break into the entertainment industry on your terms, showcasing your unique talents. Picture yourself climbing the mountain of success, changing directions, and finally making things happen in your acting career. Introducing GOING SOLO, the industry's most comprehensive guide that blends the art and business of solo theatre. Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned...

Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, the daughter of his host. Hero's cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio is deceived by a malicious plot and denounces Hero as unchaste before they marry. She faints and is believed dead but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrice’s love defending her cousin’s honour, and to his surprise, Claudio is reunited with Hero, who he believed dead.

Dangerous Theatre records the activities of the various organizations of the Federal Theatre Project involved with fostering the writing and production of new plays during the FTP's existence (1935-39). It presents a comprehensive and thorough picture of how playwrights actually worked and how their work was received by general audiences and critics.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical, Hamilton, is as revolutionary as its subject: the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap and claims the origins of the United States for a diverse new generation. Hamilton: The Revolution gives listeners an unprecedented view of both revolutions.