The author describes the skill and physical stamina of the shadow puppeteers in Kerala state in South India as they perform the Tamil version of the Ramayana epic all night for as many as ten weeks during the festival season. The fact that these performances often take place without an audience forms the starting point for Blackburn's discussion which also explores the broader theoretical issues of text, interpretation, and audience.

How dull plays are killing theatre and what we can do about it. Had I become disenchanted with the form I had once fallen so madly in love with as a pubescent, pimple-faced suburban homo with braces? Maybe theatre was like an all-consuming high school infatuation that now, ten years later, I saw as the closeted balding guy with a beer gut he’d become. There were of course those rare moments of transcendencethat kept me coming back. But why did they come so few and far between? A lot of plays are dull. And one dull play, it seems, can turn us off theatre for good. Playwright and theatre director Jordan Tannahill takes in the spectrum of English-language drama – from the flashiest of Broadway spectacles to productions mounted in scrappy storefront theatres – to consider where lifeless plays come from and why they persist. Having travelled the globe talking to theatre artists, critics, passionate patrons and the theatrically disillusioned, Tannahill addresses what he considers the culture of ‘risk aversion’ paralyzing the form. Theatre of the Unimpressed is Tannahill’s wry and revelatory personal reckoning with the discipline he’s dedicated his life to, and a roadmap for a vital twenty-first-century theatre – one that apprehends the value of ‘liveness’ in our mediated age and the necessity for artistic risk and its attendant failures. In considering dramaturgy, programming and alternative models for producing, Tannahill aims to turn theatre from an obligation to a destination. ‘[Tannahill is] the poster child of a new generation of (theatre? film? dance?) artists for whom "interdisciplinary" is not a buzzword, but a way of life.’ —J. Kelly Nestruck, Globe and Mail ‘Jordan is one of the most talented and exciting playwrights in the country, and he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.’ —Nicolas Billon, Governor General's Award–winning playwright (Fault Lines)

The authorized guide to the television phenomenon House, M.D. For the last six years House, M.D. has been one of the most popular and captivating shows on television. Following the stories of a misanthropic genius doctor named Gregory House and his team of specialists, each week the show confronts medical mysteries that have baffled the best minds in medicine. Centered around one of the most compelling characters on television—brilliantly portrayed by actor Hugh Laurie—the Emmy Award–winning TV drama has been keeping millions of viewers intrigued and enthralled since it began, always offering an entertaining mixture of drama and humor. Based on unprecedented access to the show's cast members and creative staff, House, M.D. is the first fully authorized guide to the hit medical drama, offering a close-up view inside the world of House. From the show's genesis to today, this companion provides unique insight into the TV drama, as the actors, writers, and producers who've created these characters describe in their own words what the show means to them. This book also delves into fascinating discussions of the show's medical science and controversial ethical issues, as well as includes exclusive photographs from the set and an intimately detailed look at the making of an episode. Essential reading for any House fan, House, M.D. is the ultimate behind-the-scenes guide to TV's most captivating show.

How can a teenager adopted at birth nearly die because his real mother didn’t get a measles shot? How can a husband’s faith in his wife’s fidelity determine whether radical treatment will cure her or kill her? How can a missed eye doctor appointment reveal a genetic disease? How can doctors choose the right course for a pregnant woman when one may kill her and the other would abort her fetus? Answers to these questions and more are pursued every week on House, M.D. Premiering in November 2004, the darkly quirky medical drama introduced a compelling new character to prime-time television: the sarcastic, abrasive—and brilliant—Dr. Gregory House. Week after week, House has held viewers’ attention with brilliant cast performances and intriguing diagnostic mysteries often solved with daring treatments. But how much of the medical detail is real and how much is fabricated? In The Medical Science of House, M.D., Andrew Holtz, a well-known medical journalist, reveals how medical detectives work—how they follow symptoms to their source. He examines each case in detail—and provides answers for every viewer who has ever wondered about the authenticity of their favorite show.

In her first book, Elle Decor A-List decorator Ashley Whittaker shares the secrets of her colorful, pattern-filled classic rooms. Ashley Whittaker’s work is distinctively classic and sophisticated, but also inviting and warm. Dubbed a neo-traditionalist, she fearlessly marries adventurous colors and patterns in rooms yet still manages to retain a sense of elegance and restraint. In The Well-Loved House, she shares a selection of dwellings, from gracious Connecticut estates to chic Manhattan pieds-à-terre to waterfront beach houses on the Florida coast, most exclusively photographed for this book, including her own house never before seen. Whittaker believes houses are meant to be beautiful, but also lived in and enjoyed, and she shares her knowledge and strategies for achieving this interplay. Within each house, Whittaker offers guidance on furniture plans, complementing the architecture of a space, playing with color, and mixing pattern. She explains why it is important to have consistent threads throughout a home, but also contrast and juxtaposition. The results are stunning: Bohemian patterns mix with classic palettes; rich, saturated color mingles with highly polished finishes. Lacquered blue walls show off a collection of blue-and-white porcelain. An inviting L-shaped sofa and games table reinvent an unused library into a favorite space for socializing. Whittaker’s houses all share both a sense of drama and a sense of comfort—they are homes that welcome you at the end of a long day, homes for living, homes to love.

Andy Gage was born in 1965 and murdered not long after by his stepfather. . . . It was no ordinary murder. Though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage's death wasn't. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage's life. . . . While Andy deals with the outside world, more than a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside Andy's head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father figure; Adam, the mischievous teenager; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, who wants to get rid of Andy and the others and run things on his own. Andy's new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality, a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny's other souls ask Andy for help, Andy reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of the house. Now Andy and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andy has been keeping . . . from himself.

HOUSE AND PHILOSOPHY Is being nice overrated? Are we really just selfish, base animals crawling across Earth in a meaningless existence? Would reading less and watching more television be good for you? Is House a master of Eastern philosophy or just plain rude? Dr. Gregory House is arguably the most complex and challenging antihero in the history of television, but is there more to this self-important genius than gray matter and ego? This book takes a deeper look at House to reveal the philosophical underpinnings of this popular medical drama and its cane-waving curmudgeon’s most outrageous behavior. What emerges is a remarkable character who is part Sherlock Holmes, part Socratic philosopher, part Nietzschean superman, part Taoist rhetorician, and not at all as screwed up as you might think. With everything from Aristotle to Zen, House and Philosophy takes an engaging look at everyone’s favorite misanthropic genius and his team at Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit www.andphilosophy.com

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “addictively readable” (The Washington Post) inside story of the British royal family’s battle to overcome the dramas of the Diana years—only to confront new, twenty-first-century crises “Frothy and forthright, a kind of Keeping Up with the Windsors with sprinkles of Keats.”—The New York Times (Notable Book of the Year) ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Elle, Town & Country “Never again” became Queen Elizabeth II’s mantra shortly after Princess Diana’s tragic death. More specif­ically, there could never be “another Diana”—a mem­ber of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the Brit­ish monarchy. Picking up where Tina Brown’s masterful The Diana Chronicles left off, The Palace Papers reveals how the royal family reinvented itself after the trau­matic years when Diana’s blazing celebrity ripped through the House of Windsor like a comet. Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey through the scandals, love affairs, power plays, and betrayals that have buffeted the monarchy over the last twenty-five years. We see the Queen’s stoic re­solve after the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, her partner for seven decades, and how she triumphs in her Jubilee years even as family troubles rage around her. Brown explores Prince Charles’s determination to make Camilla Parker Bowles his wife, the tension between William and Harry on “different paths,” the ascend­ance of Kate Middleton, the downfall of Prince An­drew, and Harry and Meghan’s stunning decision to step back as senior royals. Despite the fragile monar­chy’s best efforts, “never again” seems fast approaching. Tina Brown has been observing and chronicling the British monarchy for three decades, and her sweeping account is full of powerful revelations, newly reported details, and searing insight gleaned from remarkable access to royal insiders. Stylish, witty, and erudite, The Palace Papers will irrevoca­bly change how the world perceives and under­stands the royal family.

Now a Netflix Feature Film! “A heart-pounding page-turner with an outstanding cast of characters, a deliciously creepy setting, and an absolutely merciless body count.” –Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie and The Project A New York Times bestseller It’s been almost a year since Makani Young came to live with her grandmother and she’s still adjusting to her new life in rural Nebraska. Then, one by one, students at her high school begin to die in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the body count rises and the terror grows closer, can Makani survive the killer’s twisted plan?