This collection brings together for the first time modern English translations of five Gozzi's most famous plays: The Raven, The King Stag, Turandot, The Serpent Woman, and The Green Bird, each annotated by the translators and preceded by the author's preface.

(Applause Books). The creator of Story Theater , the original director of Second City , and one of the greatest popularizers of improvisational theater, Paul Sills has assembled some of his favorite adaptations from world literature. Includes: The Blue Light and Other Stories, A Christmas Carol (Dickens), Stories of God, Rumi .

This is the story of M. Francisco Fabrigas, explorer, philosopher, heretical physicist, who took a shipful of children on a frightening voyage to the next dimension, assisted by a teenaged Captain, a brave deaf boy, a cunning blind girl, and a sultry botanist, all the while pursued by the Pope of the universe and a well-dressed mesmerist. Dark plots, demonic cults, murderous jungles, quantum mayhem, the birth of creation, the death of time, and a creature called the Sweety: all this and more waits beyond the veil of reality.

"Contains the informal history of forty theatres that were built, as either legitimate houses or movie palaces and that are currently operating as legitimate theatres"--p. xiii.

The Five Continents of Theatre undertakes the exploration of the material culture of the actor, which involves the actors’ pragmatic relations and technical functionality, their behaviour, the norms and conventions that interact with those of the audience and the society in which actors and spectators equally take part. The material culture of the actor is organised around body-mind techniques (see A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology by the same authors) and auxiliary techniques whose variety concern: ■ the diverse circumstances that generate theatre performances: festive or civil occasions, celebrations of power, popular feasts such as carnival, calendar recurrences such as New Year, spring and summer festivals; ■ the financial and organisational aspects: costs, contracts, salaries, impresarios, tickets, subscriptions, tours; ■ the information to be provided to the public: announcements, posters, advertising, parades; ■ the spaces for the performance and those for the spectators: performing spaces in every possible sense of the term; ■ sets, lighting, sound, makeup, costumes, props; ■ the relations established between actor and spectator; ■ the means of transport adopted by actors and even by spectators. Auxiliary techniques repeat themselves not only throughout different historical periods, but also across all theatrical traditions. Interacting dialectically in the stratification of practices, they respond to basic needs that are common to all traditions when a performance has to be created and staged. A comparative overview of auxiliary techniques shows that the material culture of the actor, with its diverse processes, forms and styles, stems from the way in which actors respond to those same practical needs. The authors’ research for this aspect of theatre anthropology was based on examination of practices, texts and of 1400 images, chosen as exemplars.

This book is a collection of plays that have been adapted from well-known fairy tales. They can be used as performance plays, readers theatre or just used to promote reading in groups. Each play is between five and ten minutes long. The plays can be adapted to suit the various needs of the group. The cast list is very flexible. Characters can be added, changed or omitted. In addition, the teacher/group leader can assume the role of the storyteller if the children are unable to read or not at the reading level required. All suggestions for stage directions are included in brackets and italics. Also included in this book is a variety of drama activities. These activities are designed to be fun and enjoyable as well as promoting coordination, movement, character development and creativity. The plays in the collection are: Little Red Riding Hood Goldilocks The Three Little Pigs The Elves and the Shoemaker The Three Billy Goats Gruff The Ugly Duckling The Lazy Cow The Talking Tree Humpty Dumpty The Magic Porridge Pot The Stone Soup The Pied Piper of Hamelin The Little Red Hen The Gingerbread Man The Enormous Turnip Chicken Licken

In the Studio with Joyce Piven takes you directly inside the creative process of the renowned Piven Workshop led by Joyce and Byrne Piven. The Piven Theatre Workshop in Chicago has nurtured theatre artists celebrated in the US, Ireland and Britain including Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Aidan Quinn, Sarah Ruhl, Lili Taylor and Kate Walsh. Co-authors Joyce Piven and Susan Applebaum describe the Workshop techniques (developed and refined over forty years of theatrical training) as a virtual fly-on-the-wall experience, taking the reader inside the director's studio, classroom, and green room. Part One introduces the central principles of game work and the concept of 'encounter' - finding the emotional experience at the heart of a set of given circumstances - and ends with a chapter on the role of story theatre as a bridge between games and play text. Part Two takes you into the classroom with Joyce Piven through fully-detailed transcripts of physical and vocal workshops on play, agreement, specificity, transformation and story theatre, accompanied by explanations and tips for teaching. The book ends with an alphabetical appendix of games taught by Byrne and Joyce Piven based on their work with Paul Sills and Viola Spolin, Etienne Decroux, Uta Hagen and Mira Rostova. A highly regarded guide and resource for actors, teachers, and directors, for anyone interested in the creative process of acting and actor training.

(Applause Books). Theatregoers' favorite history of Broadway is back in an updated and expanded 2010 edition including more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres. Thirty-eight of the original chapters have been expanded to cover all the shows that have opened in the ten years since the popular 2000 edition, with two new chapters added to include Broadway theatres recently refurbished and returned to life. This unique chronicle is the first work to present a detailed theatre-by-theatre roundup of players and productions that have enchanted audiences at Broadway's great playhouses from 1900 to 2010. The work is an expanded treatment of "At This Theatre," the popular feature in Playbill's Broadway theatre programs. "At This Theatre" offers playgoers instant nostalgia by listing notable hits (and some famed fiascos) that have played through the years in the theatre that they are attending. The book also pays tribute to the distinguished impresarios who built and managed these houses, and the brilliant architects and interior designers who created them. The original 1984 edition was created by Playbill senior editor Louis Botto. Botto worked with editor Robert Viagas on the 2000 update. With the third edition, Botto has passed the author torch to Viagas, who founded Playbill.com and the acclaimed Playbill Broadway Yearbook series, and who has written the updates in Botto's style.

These royalty-free scenes are laugh-out-loud funny and clever, to boot! Based on familiar nursery rhyme characters, Ewen put a comedic spin on their situations. For instance, ESPN newscasters are interviewing Jack out at the track where he does his training for candlestick jumping. The 20 scenes are evenly split between five-minute scenes for 2 to 3 characters and ten-minute scenes for 5 to 20 characters. Most of the characters may be played by either gender, and several scenes can be expanded to accommodate an entire classroom. Unlike most scene books, the table of contents even indicates the cast size and genders along with a one line summary. Easy to use and fun for all ages, you'll love the colorful characters and creative situations in these short, hysterical scenes.

Charming three-dimensional scenes transform the story of Cinderella into a fairy-tale gift to treasure. Jane Ray’s layered cut-paper artwork elegantly retells the time-honored tale of a scullery maid turned royalty. Six meticulously detailed tableaux include a shabby kitchen, a gorgeous nightscape in a magical garden, and a sparkling ballroom filled with nobles, as well as Cinderella’s iconic gilded pumpkin coach. Side panels unfold to reveal the story’s text and evoke an evening at the theater. Little girls who dream of fairy godmothers will adore this unique portrayal of the world’s most famous princess — no glass slippers required.