The First English Actresses

The First English Actresses
Author: Elizabeth Howe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 1992-06-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780521422109

This book describes how and why women were permitted to act on the public stage after 1660 in England.

Notes on the Writing of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Notes on the Writing of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Author: Robert L. Freedman
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 76
Release: 2021-05-15
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1493055992

The most frequently asked question about writing musicals is, "Which comes first, the music or the lyrics?" As anyone on Broadway will tell you, the answer is, "The book." Tony-winning book writer Robert L. Freedman takes you through the process of writing a new musical, including story structure, song placement, dialogue, character development, and more that led to the creation of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, the 2014 Best Musical Tony winner. With candor and insight, Freedman describes the challenging and rewarding growing pains of what the critics called "Hilarious!" and "Ingenious!" and said "Ranks among the most inspired and entertaining new musical comedies I've seen in years."

Little Women

Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Publisher: Collector's Library
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2004
Genre: Family life
ISBN: 9781904633273

Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women in mid-nineteenth-century New England.

Contemporary Feminist Theatres

Contemporary Feminist Theatres
Author: Lizbeth Goodman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2003-09-02
Genre: Art
ISBN: 113490696X

A much-needed analysis of the development of feminist theatre in different cultures and on several continents in the past quarter-century.

John

John
Author: Annie Baker
Publisher:
Total Pages: 112
Release: 2018-01-18
Genre: Gettysburg (Pa.)
ISBN: 9781848427334

The week after Thanksgiving. A bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. A cheerful innkeeper. A young couple struggling to stay together. Thousands of inanimate objects, watching. John, an uncanny play by Annie Baker, was first seen Off-Broadway in 2015. The play had its UK premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2018, in a production directed by James Macdonald. Annie Baker's other plays include Pulitzer Prize-winning The Flick, The Antipodes, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Aliens, and an adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. She has won many other awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Grant.

Contemporary Women Stage Directors

Contemporary Women Stage Directors
Author: Paulette Marty
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2019-03-21
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1474268552

Contemporary Women Stage Directors opens the door into the minds of 27 prolific female theatre directors, allowing you to explore their experience, wisdom and knowledge. Directors give insight into their diverse approaches to the key challenges of directing theatre, including choosing projects, engaging with scripts, conceptualizing visual and acoustic production elements, collaborating with actors and production teams, building their careers, and navigating challenges and opportunities posed by gender, race and ethnicity. The directors featured include Maria Aberg, May Adrales, Sarah Benson, Karin Coonrod, Rachel Chavkin, Lear deBessonet, Nadia Fall, Vicky Featherstone, Polly Findlay, Leah Gardiner, Anne Kauffman, Lucy Kerbel, Young Jean Lee, Patricia McGregor, Blanche McIntyre, Paulette Randall, Diane Rodriguez, Indhu Rubasingham, KJ Sanchez, Tina Satter, Kimberly Senior, Roxana Silbert, Leigh Silverman, Caroline Steinbeis, Liesl Tommy, Lyndsey Turner, and Erica Whyman. These women are making profoundly exciting theatre in some of the most influential organizations across the English-speaking world- from Broadway to the West End, from the National Theatre in London to Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. As generally mid-career professionals, they are informed by both their hard-earned expertise and their forward-looking energy. They offer astute observations about the current state of the art form, as well as inspiring visions of what theatre can accomplish in the decades to come.

Top Girls

Top Girls
Author: Caryl Churchill
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2018-02-22
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1350028592

Marlene thinks the eighties are going to be stupendous. Her sister Joyce has her doubts. Her daughter Angie is just frightened. Since its premiere in 1982, Top Girls has become a seminal play of the modern theatre. Set during a period of British politics dominated by the presence of the newly elected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Churchill's play prompts us to question our notions of women's success and solidarity. Its sharp look at the society and politics of the 1980s is combined with a timeless examination of women's choices and restrictions regarding career and family. This new Student Edition features an introduction by Sophie Bush, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, UK prepared with the contemporary student in mind. METHUEN DRAMA STUDENT EDITIONS are expertly annotated texts of a wide range of plays from the modern and classic repertoires. A well as the complete text of the play itself, this volume contains: · A chronology of the play and the playwright's life and work · an introductory discussion of the social, political, cultural and economic context in which the play was originally conceived and created · a succinct overview of the creation processes followed and subsequent performance history of the piece · an analysis of, and commentary on, some of the major themes and specific issues addressed by the text · a bibliography of suggested primary and secondary materials for further study.

Heroines of the Modern Stage

Heroines of the Modern Stage
Author: Forrest Izard
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2023-11-12
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN:

In 'Heroines of the Modern Stage' by Forrest Izard, the author delves into the portrayal of female characters in modern theater, examining their roles, complexities, and impact on the stage. Izard's analytical approach to the literary and social significance of these heroines offers readers a thought-provoking exploration of gender dynamics and representation in contemporary plays. Through detailed character studies and nuanced interpretations, Izard sheds light on the evolution of women's roles in theater, highlighting the power and agency of these heroines in shaping narratives and challenging societal norms. Drawing on a range of dramatic works, from classic plays to avant-garde productions, Izard demonstrates the enduring relevance of these strong and multifaceted characters in the modern theatrical landscape. Forrest Izard, a renowned theater scholar and critic, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to 'Heroines of the Modern Stage'. His deep understanding of dramatic literature and feminist theory enriches the book's insightful analysis, offering readers a comprehensive study of female representation in contemporary theater. This insightful and meticulously researched book is a must-read for theater enthusiasts, academics, and anyone interested in the intersection of gender, performance, and culture.

Contemporary Plays by African American Women

Contemporary Plays by African American Women
Author: Sandra Adell
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2015-12-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0252097815

African American women have increasingly begun to see their plays performed from regional stages to Broadway. Yet many of these artists still struggle to gain attention. In this volume, Sandra Adell draws from the vital wellspring of works created by African American women in the twenty-first century to present ten plays by both prominent and up-and-coming writers. Taken together, the selections portray how these women engage with history as they delve into--and shake up--issues of gender and class to craft compelling stories of African American life. Gliding from gritty urbanism to rural landscapes, these works expand boundaries and boldly disrupt modes of theatrical representation. Selections: Blue Door, by Tanya Barfield; Levee James, by S. M. Shephard-Massat; Hoodoo Love, by Katori Hall; Carnaval, by Nikkole Salter; Single Black Female, by Lisa B. Thompson; Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine, by Lynn Nottage; BlackTop Sky, by Christina Anderson; Voyeurs de Venus, by Lydia Diamond; Fedra, by J. Nicole Brooks; and Uppa Creek: A Modern Anachronistic Parody in the Minstrel Tradition, by Keli Garrett.