PAL Research Guide

Based at Shepherd University, in West Virginia, the Contemporary American Theater Festival is nationally and internationally recognized as a home for playwrights and the development and production of new plays. The Festival makes it a priority to celebrate and produce playwrights with strong, distinct voices, with a core value to tell diverse stories.This anthology of work provides plays that speak to one of the most compelling virtues of artists everywhere - freedom of speech. A necessary volume of women playwrights' work, ranging from a two-time Obie Award-winning author to emerging writers just beginning their careers, it represents a group of women who vary in age, race and sexual orientation and offers an invitation to artistic leaders, scholars and students to embrace gritty, thought-provoking new dramatic work.Edited by The Festival's Producing Directors Peggy McKowen and Ed Herendeen, this anthology features an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage. Each of the five powerful plays is followed by an informative and discursive playwright interview conducted by Sharon J. Anderson that contextualizes and develops the works within the wider context of the annual festival.The plays include: Gidion's Knot by Johnna Adams The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess Memoirs of a Forgotten Man by D.W GregoryDead and Breathing by Chisa Hutchinson 20th Century Blues by Susan Miller

August Wilson is a major American playwright whose work has been consistently acclaimed as among the finest of the American theater. His first play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for best new play of 1984-85. His second play, Fences, won numerous awards for best play of the year, 1987, including the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Joe Turner's Come and Gone, his third play, was also voted best play of 1987-88 by the New York Drama Critics' Circle. In 1990, Wilson was awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson.

Contemporary Plays by Women of Coloris a ground-breaking anthology of eighteen new and recent works by African American, Asian American, Latina American and Native American playwrights. This compelling collection includes works by award-winning and well-known playwrights such as Anna Deavere Smith, Cherrie Moraga, Pearl Cleage, Marga Gomez and Spiderwoman, as well as many exciting newcomers. Contemporary Plays by Women of Coloris the first anthology to display such an abundance of talent from such a wide range of today's women playwrights. The plays tackle a variety of topics - from the playful to the painful - and represent numerous different approaches to playmaking. The volume also includes: * an invaluable appendix of published plays by women of color * biographical notes on each writer * the production history of each play Contemporary Plays by Women of Coloris a unique resource for practitioners, students and lovers of theatre, and an inspiring addition to any bookshelf.

This is a collection of the most important genres of Japanese performance--noh, kyogen, kabuki, and bamrili puppet theater--in one comprehensive, authoritative volume. Organized by genre, each section features a rich selection of representative plays and explorations into each theatrical style and is prefaced by an illustrative essay covering a wide range of subjects, from stage direction to musical accompaniment. With classic and new translations of more than thirty plays and scenes--along with Brazell's detailed, historically rich supplementary material and copious illustrations--no better anthology exists for students of this most fascinating and diverse dramatic tradition.

Features translations of twelve popular Arabic plays, introducing readers to the vibrant theater scene of the Arab world. The plays from Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia reflect a variety of trends and styles and provide insights into contemporary social, cultural, and political currents.

Here for the first time is the whole history of the musical, on Broadway and off. Stempel combines original research--including a wealthy of primary sources and archival holdings--with deft and insightful analysis, and explores the rich strands of musical theater by genre and type, looking at not only how musicals work but also how they serve as barometers of social concerns and bearers of cultural values. Beginning with the scandalous Astor Place Opera House riot of 1849, Stempel traces the growth of musicals from minstrel shows and burlesques, through the golden age of Show Boat and Oklahoma!, to such groundbreaking works as Company and Rent. Stempel examines musicals in their cultural and historical context and includes detailed portraits of all the influential figures--the creators, directors, and performers--who made it all possible.

Musical Theatre Song is a handbook for musical theatre performers, providing them with the wide-ranging skill set they need for success in today's competitive musical theatre environment. Breaking down the process into knowing how to select your song material based upon your individuality and how to prepare and perform it in a manner that best highlights your attributes, Stephen Purdy provides a succinct and personalized trajectory toward presentation, taking the reader through a series of challenges that is designed to evoke original, personal and vibrant song performances. Written by renowned Broadway and West End vocal and audition coach Stephen Purdy, Musical Theatre Song is a must-have guide for all performers who are looking to succeed in the musical theatre industry.

Acting in Musical Theatre remains the only complete course in approaching a role in a musical. It covers fundamental skills for novice actors, practical insights for professionals, and even tips to help veteran musical performers refine their craft. Updates in this expanded and revised second edition include: A brand new companion website for students and teachers, including Powerpoint lecture slides, sample syllabi, and checklists for projects and exercises. Learning outcomes for each chapter to guide teachers and students through the book's core ideas and lessons New style overviews for pop and jukebox musicals Extensive updated professional insights from field testing with students, young professionals, and industry showcases Full-colour production images, bringing each chapter to life Acting in Musical Theatre's chapters divide into easy-to-reference units, each containing group and solo exercises, making it the definitive textbook for students and practitioners alike.

This book offers a series of essays that show the integrated role that musical structure (including harmony, melody, rhythm, meter, form, and musical association) plays in making sense of what transpires onstage in musicals. Written by a group of music analysts who care deeply about musical theater, this collection provides new understanding of how musicals are put together, how composers and lyricists structure words and music to complement one another, and how music helps us understand the human relationships and historical and social contexts. Using a wide range of musical examples, representing the history of musical theater from the 1920s to the present day, the book explores how music interacts with dramatic elements within individual shows and other pieces within and outside of the genre. These essays invite readers to consider issues that are fundamental both to our understanding of musical theater and to the multiple ways we engage with music.

(Applause Books). "I am your accompanist. You do not know me. I am the guy who sits behind the upright in the unflattering fluorescent light of the dance studio, a bottle of water on the floor, a half-eaten Power Bar on the bench, and your audition in my hands." Award-winning New York theatre composer and pianist Andrew Gerle pulls no punches in this irreverent, fly-on-the-wall guide to everything you've never been taught about auditioning for musical theatre. From the unique perspective of the pianist's bench, he demystifies the audition process, from how to put together your book and speak to an accompanist to the healthiest and savviest ways to approach the audition marketplace and your career. By better understanding the dynamics of professional auditions, you will learn to present yourself in the strongest, most castable way while remaining true to your own special voice the one that, in the end, will get you the job.

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

(Vocal Collection). The world's most trusted source for great theatre literature for singing actors. The book features authentic editions of each song in the original keys. The songs have been carefully chosen for each voice type and are culled from a wide selection of classic and contemporary shows. -- Available in a variety of voice parts.

A collection of songs from the musical stage, categorized by voice type, in authentic settings and original keys, edited for "16-bar" audition

(Vocal Collection). These books feature delightful collections of 100 excerpts of musical theatre songs designed especially for audition situations.

(Vocal Collection). All duets here are Male/Female combinations.

(Vocal Collection). A wonderfully diverse collection of comedy songs, character songs, Vaudeville numbers, dramatic songs, and ballads for the actor who sings. A perfect resource for finding an audition piece or specialty number. Two editions, one for women and one for men, with a completely different selection of over 50 songs in each. Women's edition includes: The Ladies Who Lunch * Cla-wence (Don't Tweat Me So Wough) * Shy * and many more. Men's edition includes: Buddy's Blues (from Follies ) * Doing the Reactionary * How to Handle a Woman * I'm Calm * Reviewing the Situation * and many more.

"There is a muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth, to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, and I know that having him as my first guide is one of the luckiest things to have happened to me in my career and life." --Anne Hathaway, from her Foreword "Seth Barrish has coached me on almost every TV project, film or audition I've done since we met ten years ago. When it comes to wisdom about acting, there's no one I hold in higher regard." --Mike Birbiglia, comedian, director, actor "Seth's approach and understanding is awesome. He makes it very easy to act by telling you not to act and be natural. It could be as simple as having something in your hand, creating business while you deliver a line to make it seem natural and comfortable. His book is amazing--it's basically the actor's blueprint." --Jay Pharoah, actor, comedian "In Seth's class I often watch him transform a student's good, yet average performance into a precise and exhilarating one, with just one simple adjustment. I am constantly blown away by how he does this. This book explains it." --Sarita Choudhury, actor "This book is truly unlike anything else I know--these pieces are haikus on specific elements of performance and character building." --Philip Himberg, Sundance Theatre Institute An Actor's Companion is ideal for both seasoned professionals and beginning actors. The tips and exercises are simple and direct, and easy to apply in both rehearsal and performance. Seth Barrish is an actor, director and co-founder of The Barrow Group, a theater company and acting school, in New York City. During his near forty-year career he has directed the award-winning My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Sleepwalk with Me, The Tricky Part, Pentecost, All the Rage and Old Wicked Songs.

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The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre is an essential reference tool and companion for anyone interested in the theatre and theatre-going. Containing over 2500 entries it covers the international spectrum of theatre with particular emphasis on the UK and USA. With biographical information on playwrights, actors and directors, entries on theatres and theatre companies, explanation of technical terms and theatrical genres, and synopses of major plays, this is an authoritative, trustworthy and comprehensive compendium. Included are: synopses of 500 major plays biographical entries on hundreds of playwrights, actors, directors and producers definitions of nearly 200 genres and movements entries on over 100 key characters from plays information about more than 250 theatres and companies Unlike similar products, The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre avoids a dry, technical approach with its sprinkling of anecdotal asides and fascinating trivia, such as how Michael Gambon gave his name to a corner of a racing track following an incident on BBC's Top Gear programme, and under 'advice to actors' the sage words of Alec Guinness: 'First wipe your nose and check your flies', and the equally wise guidance from the master of his art, Noël Coward: 'Just know your lines and don't bump into the furniture.' As a companion to everything from the main stage to the fringes of theatrical fact and folklore, this will prove an irresistible book to all fans of the theatre.

How does an actor bring a script to life? The actor must know how to read a script, break it down, and mine all of its clues in order to make the most effective choices. The Anatomy of a Choice: An Actor's Guide to Text Analysis offers the actor a concrete method for approaching a script. This guide details a simple process to discover and define a character's scene and super-objective, obstacle, beats, and tactics. It includes practical information on how to build a character, how best to use rehearsal time, and what to do when nothing is working.