Theatre Books

The number of same-gender schools is on the rise, and even schools with both boys and girls are experimenting with single-gender classes. Ann N. Black has rewritten classics for readers theatre appropriate for middle-school boys that lends itself perfectly to the all-male classroom.

Many of the original literary short stories, this collection is based on, are studied in the major text-books found in schools, and so would be familiar to both their readers and their audience. Black has done a terrific job finding classic literature that particularly appeals to middle-school boys including strange, frightening, and action-packed stories such as: The Masque of the Red Death, The Monkey's Paw, To Light a Fire, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, White Grizzly, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, Sleepy Hollow, The Ransom of Red Chief, and The Country of the Blind.

The readers theatre format encourages the shy as well as the class clown to participate. It improves reading skills and increases vocabulary while using cooperative learning. It is a cost-effective way to do a performance for a school that may be lacking the funds to put on a full-scale production as well.

Black includes a short background on each author and a few paragraphs for teachers concerning production notes for costuming and staging ideas. The character parts are weighted equally so no one performer will lose focus before he is "on" again. Black has done a good job with translating the stories from page to stage, though she does use a broad literary hand adding additional characters and utilizing narrators. The dialogue is fast-paced and the writing is clear.

Though the title explicitly states it is readers theatre for boys, girls could easily play a variety of parts in the selections, so it would be appropriate for any middle school library, speech or drama classroom, or any classroom that studies communication.

We are meeting once a week and using this book for our homeschool small group. The reader's theater format is excellent, and we enjoy the background information that goes with each story. We have both boys and girls in our group (4 families) and they all enjoy the stories equally. Our ages range from 10-16, plus the adults.

A good selection of stories, so there's something for every taste. A few of the kids are really excited about the sounds that are written into each story and enjoy adding those as we read. We do need to take a few minutes to decide how to divide the roles, as there are more roles than people in our group, giving some of the kids multiple roles.

I would definitely recommend this book if you're considering doing reader's theater with a group.

In ''The Real Nick and Nora - Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, Writers of Stage and Screen Classics,'' author and Frances' nephew David L. Goodrich puts together a comprehensive and delightful portrait of his aunt and her husband and writing partner Albert Hackett.

The first play Frances and Albert worked on was something she had struggled on for a while and brought him in to finish off. A few years later, that play, ''Up Pops The Devil,'' was the first play produced by the Nutley Little Theatre on Nov. 23, 1934.

"The Real Nick and Nora" is filled with references to Nutley, N.J., and Frances' Nutley Avenue home. One photo in the front of the book shows ''Frances, in her teens, in the Nutley house - as usual, with a book.''

Born in Belleville, the Goodrich family moved to Nutley when she was two years old. She attended private school while she lived in town, then went Passaic Collegiate School, and then on to Vasser.

After graduating in 1912, Frances went into the theatre. While working in the theater in Northampton, Mass., Frances met actor William Powell - who later turned up in the Thin Man films.

Well, a lot happens to Frances between college graduation and writing screenplays in Hollywood for the Thin Man films, and many others.

Author David Goodrich takes his time developing the cross-relations and early kindnesses that led to life-long friendships with, among others, James Cagney. (Albert Hackett gave the young actor a ride in Hollywood - rather than leave him to wait for a bus.)

Frances met Bob Ames and married him in the Nutley Avenue house in 1917. That lasted six years. She married again, and though the wedding made the social pages, it didn't last.

It was with Albert Hackett, an actor and writer, that Frances life clicked for the best. The pair wrote plays, got married, and went to the new world of Hollywood to write the words for actors to say in the 'Talkies'.

The Hacketts wrote screenplays and plays for the next 30 years. They are best known for their work on the three Thin Man films staring Myrna Loy and William Powell.

The Hacketts, as Goodrich calls them, were the epitome of Nick and Nora. Frances had the refined taste for the good life and had grown up in Nutley with attending servants. Albert was the wise-cracking uncle every one would hang around at parties.

While writing the screenplays in their Hollywood studio office, passersby would hear the pair screaming and yelling at each other. Then the Hacketts would break for lunch and be as civil and chatty to each other as possible while away from their keyboard.

At the 'writers' table' at MGM and in Hollywood's Golden Age, they forged friendships with Ogden Nash, Dashiell Hammett, Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald and many others.

Later, when the Hacketts were well known, they were instrumental in establishing the Screen Writers Guild - to ensure fair treatment of writers in Hollywood. They stood up to the bigwigs, including Louis B. Mayer.

And the pair worked on Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life" but it wasn't a pleasant experience for even the seasoned Hollywood screenwriters.

The Hacketts' crowning achievement, and most-draining writing effort, was their work as playwrights on "The Diary of Anne Frank." For that work they won the Pulitzer Prize.

Frances, who never had any children, thought of Anne as hers. Albert predicted rightly, that whenever Frances was called upon to speak about the play, it would cause her to cry.

The exhaustive 300-plus pages of ''The Real Nick and Nora'' covers a pair of long, full lives, Frances died at 94, and Albert, ten years her junior, lived to be 95.

The Hacketts were such nice people, they often seemed out of place in the wilds of Hollywood in the 30s and 40s. Their kindness was often taken advantage of, but they were such nice people, who wouldn't want to be their friend?

The Hacketts certainly deserve the fine treatment in this comprehensive biography. They would be proud of the fine job their nephew did.

One of the finest books on Hollywood in recent years. Through the biographical prism of one of the most engaging, accomplished and loved couples in American screen and stage writing history, Goodrich captures the excitement and tears of movie production. A must read for movie lovers, the stage struck, aspiring writers, lovers of the Thin Man series, It's a Wonderful Life, Anne Frankf and mid-century cultural studies.

I had the privilege of being selected by Mr. Harrison to be a cast member in the production of "Rescuers Speaking", based on his fine work, at the University of Wyoming in 1989. The play was part of the 50-year Holocaust Remembrance Week. I gained intimate knowledge of these characters thanks to this experience. Professor Oliner was in the audience one night and I believe the cast did fine justice to his memories and to the writings of Mr. Harrison. After the extraordinary experience, I graduated with a History degree and owe a debt of thanks to this work for starting me on a lifetime learning experience of the Shoah and the bravery of those who defied the Nazis to save the few Jewish survivors - She'erit Hapletah. Woks such as this help us to never forget - for if we forget we are likely to repeat this tragic time again. The bystanders will always outnumber the brave of heart, but may there always be the few who resist evil in the world to be rescuers. Shalom aleichem!

An astonishing piece. Widely performed (National Theatre in London, BBC TV production, numerous theatres and universities in the United States and across Europe) and now happily available in print.

The subject (based in academic research) is altruism. The set of stories are all about second world war rescuers. They tell their stories. Why did they help people at enormous risk to themselves (and to no obvious personal gain ?

Really up-lifting piece despite its serious subject matter. Proper theatre - gripping. Short on comedy but sometimes humourous and it really makes an impact especially knowing that the stories are all real.

Deals with a number of stories to do with rescuers (second world war - jewish, british pilots & others facing persecution) which depending on the production can link or stand alone. The piece is so versatile as it can be staged as a one-man "vituoso" production with bare stage or with a full company. It can be as short or long as one chooses as one can use just a few stories or many.

Great piece for initmate theatre productions. Ideal for students. Wonderfully written. Buy it, read it. Then read it out loud. Best of all perform it !

Not only is this a wonderful biography of a great actress/producer/director/teacher - but a lovely insight into Dublin during her life.

There is a protrait of Ria (in costume) that hung in the theatre bar. It was presented to the theatre by former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Charles Haughey - where is it now ?

McGlone writes a compelling and truly enjoyable story about one the most influential figures of Irish theatre in the 20th century. Why, one wonders, does it take a college professor from New Jersey to singularly herald this theatrical giant who alone held together the Irish national theatre during its most perilous time? Her personal and professional history spans from O'Casey to Friel, and, as a woman in 1950's Ireland, forged the greatest acting company the Abbey has ever known - yet her picture does not hang in the National Theatre's lobby alongside the other Abbey legends (Yeats, Synge, etc.). McGlone writes a must-read for anyone who's a student of Irish theatrical history, and sends a blaring wake-up call for the current Irish theatrical establishment to arise and start discussing this great woman's prodigious artistic output and impact, and, ultimately, to restore the plays initially produced under her tenure back on today's Abbey stage.

Ridiculous Theatre : Scourge of Human Folly : The Essays and Opinions of Charles Ludlam is a true treasure for anyone ridiculous enough to consider a career as an artist. Ludlam, the actor/director/writer/artistic director of the Ridiculous Theatre, knows a lot about creating art and as a result of his experience, has some very strong opinions on the subject. Ludlam writes about what he knows and what he loves -- the theatre. The essays included in this anthology are extremenly insightful and thought-provoking as Ludlam proffers his opinions on every subject from critics to drag to opera (and everything in between). In the end, the reader comes to an understanding of the utter ridiculousness (in a truly wonderful way) of a theatrical life.

Charles Ludlam was, hands down, one of the most brilliant innovators in postmodern theatre. At a time when many radical theatre-types were resting on their laurels (or regurgitating works they created decades earlier), Ludlam and his constant collaborator/companion, Everett Quinton, were experimenting with new forms, keeping things fresh. Unfortunately (or perhaps not), he's been pidgeonholed by theatre historians as working exclusively in gay theatre; in point of fact, though, while his audience was largely "downtown" and therefore predominantly gay, his influence was felt throughout theatre community.

That's not, however, to say he was a benevolent gay genius. On the contrary: secondhand stories about his professional habits and beliefs are enough to curl the toes of even the cruelest tyrant. That, of course, is why this book is SO enjoyable--and important. Part autobiography, part manifesto, it explains Ludlam's ideas about art, life, and theatre in his own words. And while it's certainly polemic at times, it's very enlightening and always entertaining.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, anyway, I was interested to see how this author evaluated their work. I especially liked some of the inside about their working relationship and their different personalities. Happily, Mordden was not content to write about just R & H shows, but to make comparisons to others of their era.
The pictures accompanying the text simply added to the appeal. Not only pictures taken for publicity purposes, but set designs, album covers, etc.
I do not agree with all of Mordden's conclusions; but he supported his thoughts well. After all, critics do not have to agree.
I am anxious now to read and look at his series of the decades of the Broadway musical.

This could have just been a coffee-table book with beautiful photos but a negligible text. Fortunately, someone had the excellent idea of asking Ethan Mordden to write the text.

The result is that a very informative, insightful, well-written text accompanies the beautiful photos.

If you love Rodgers and Hammerstein, you probably will get great pleasure from this book.

One tiny quibble: Mordden is wrong when he says that Hammerstein invented the lyric form used in "I Am Going to Like It Here." Hammerstein used a Malayan poetic form called the pantoum.

I can not recommend this book enough, especially as it appears to be the only one of its kind to date. Rozik uses more than erudite scholarship and ultimately multiple disciplines to dismantle the pervasive theory of theatre's ritual roots, he uses common sense and, most importantly, a genuine knowledge of theatre.

"It is as absurd to think that theatre originated in ritual as it would be to think that poetry or music originated in it."

Rozik probably made more than a few enemies in writing this book, but his arguments are sound and well reasoned. His premise is that theatre could not have originated from ritual because the two entities function on entirely different ontological levels. Much of the book is focused discrediting the various origin theories and myths that have arisen over the past couple centuries. The ritual-origin myth is his clearest target because of its persistent presence in theatre history classrooms. Rozik rebuffs origin theory altogether and posits his theory of roots as an explanation of theatre's function in society. Very thought provoking and worth reading.

Working backstage? Asked by your local community theatre to pitch in doing props? Foolishly said, "Of course I can build a tree(Silly fool only God can)! Here are the helpful hints and clues that will point you in the right direction without looking like a total fool. Design, construction, lights and sound- Oren Parker has it all. This latest edition is my third copy! They just keep getting better and better. This "rumor" best explains the abilities of one of the authors. A colleague once related the story in which Oren Parker showed up in the university scene shop in a three piece suit, painted a full back drop and walked out without a drop of paint on the suit. I'd be interested in knowing how true this is but not any less impressed with how informative this book has been for me. Well worth the exorbitant price.

I can't tell you how often I've found myself saying "I'm a carpenter, not a designer!" when asked to design a set. I've always muddled through, but now, with this book in hand, I've found 100% more confidence in my designs. Invaluable for the lighting designer who wants to better understand scenic design, and for the scenic designer who wants to understand lighting design. Buy it!

This book has been a constant source of answers for all of my questions. It is the foundation that all theatre designer/technicians need. If you can find it, get it!

This book is nothing but the "Bible". Parker Smith (Wolf?) and Burris-Meyer & Cole is the staff of the scenery education. Packed full of pertinent and necessary information. After 25 years of building scenery this is still one of my foremost resources. Unlike Parker Smith which also covers lighting design and as such, older editions can be outdated due to changes in basic technology, Burris-Meyer & Cole is a timeless reference book dealing hands on with techniques that have been and will be around for a long time. If you haven't a copy of this and intend to be a serious scenery professional find a copy.

Scenic Art for the Theatre is a book you should own if:

1) You are interested in the history of scenic art.
2) You are a designer who needs to understand painting better.
3) Are interested in a career painting scenery, especially drops.
4) Most of all if you are a designer who needs to "paint their own stuff."

Scenic Art for the Theatre is by far the best painting book on the market. Susan Crabtree is a fabulous painter with years of experience, and also a GREAT teacher. I was very fortunate to take a class of hers at Cobalt studios, and even after designing and painting scenery for 25 years, she definitely improved my knowledge base.

Buy this book!

John Holloway

I've decided to use this book as my primary text for a scenic painting course I'm teaching. The book is chock full of interviews with professionals, has a very nice section on the history of scenic painting, and really goes into depth in explaining why some things are done, why other things are not, and why sometimes you have to make it up. The authors go out of their way to make sure the reader understands the complicated relationship between the designer and the painter, and how the paint shop fits in to the larger context of producing a show. The examples and samples are all in color, and some of them are quite breathtaking. If you have a student thinking seriously about going into scenic design or scenic painting, you should make sure this book finds its way into their hands.