| SCRIPTS and SPECIALS + VIDEOS SELECTIONS |
| Drama book
recommendations:
A vast collection of play scripts can be found here. |
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Book Recommendations |
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 Fifteen
American One-Act Plays
by Paul Kozelka (Editor) A collection of plays by such authors as: Christopher Morley, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Gerge S. Kaufman, Booth Tarkington, Zona Gale, and Stephen Vincent Benet, among others.
David Mamet, Beth Henley, and August Wilson are just some of the contemporary dramatists whose work is featured in this book, the first anthology of two-character scenes that exclusively includes plays from the mid-sixties to plays currently running on and off Broadway.
by Marsh Cassady, Theodore O. Zapel (Editor) For big laughs, comedy relies on exaggeration, incongruity, automatism, character inconsistency, surprise and derision. Now a book that defines and demonstrates each of these devices with twenty-two short sketches and one-act plays. This unique overview of high and low comedy defines all comedy genres: absurdism, tragicomedy, farce and melodrama. Following each sketch or play are notes reviewing what must be considered for acting the roles and preparing the total production. The book explains why references to events, places and people, both past and present are so important to each play or sketch. The reader will find many insights along the way about how to write and perform each comedy style successfully.
A ten-minute play is a streak of theatrical lightning. It doesn't last long, but its power can stand your hair on end. This splendid anthology contains enough wattage to light up a small city. For in its pages, thirty-two of our finest playwrights hone their skills on a form that has been called the haiku of the American stage. The plays that Nina Shengold and Eric Lane have collected in this volume range from monologues to an eight-character farce. Eminently producible, ideally suited for the classroom and audition, Take Ten is a marvelous resource for teachers and students of drama, as well as a stimulating read for lovers of the theatre. Contributors include: John Augustine, Cathy Celesia, Laura Cunningham, Joe Pintauro, Mary Sue Price, Megan Terry, Jose Rivera, Romulus Linney, David Mamet, Jane Martin, David Ives, and many others.
The seven full-length and ten one-act selections in "Plays for Actresses" range in tone from the unabashed theatricality of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Three Tall Women" to the blistering black comedy of Laura Cunningham's "Beautiful Bodies". Gather any group of actresses, from students to stars, and someone will inevitably ask, "Where are all the great roles for women?" The roles are right here, in this unprecedented and magnificently diverse collection of plays with all-female casts, each of which represents the answer to any actress's prayer. The seven full-length and ten one-act selections In Plays for Actresses range in tone from the unabashed theatricality of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women to the blistering black comedy of Laura Cunningham's Beautiful Bodies. Their characters include uprooted Japanese war brides, outrageously liberated Shakespearean heroines, an avenging African American housewife, and nuns who double as Catholic schoolgirls. Whether you're looking for a script to produce, a scene for acting class, or a new audition speech, this book will provide you with a wealth of juicy, challenging female roles - even as it introduces you to some of the finest playwrights at work today.
While this book may not be obviously linked to Drama or Arts education I thoroughly recommend it to everyone. A tremendous read that will get you re-examining your own life and the way you deal with people - if that isn't Drama then I don't know what is!!
Truly a publishing event, this outstanding and unique collection of modern one-act plays and monologues features writers both young and old, foreign and American. From acknowledged American masters to new, lesser-known voices, Plays in One Act is a dazzling collection sure to be a standard reference for anyone interested in contemporary drama.
This book applies directly to the experience of theatrical production; students will immediately be able to relate the concepts and procedures they learn to their artistic work. The author's procedural method is detailed and precise. The parts of a play are learned progressively, which fosters an understanding of the concept of artistic unity. Examples are clear and comprehensive. Actors, directors, and designers will benefit from end-of-chapter questions and summaries meant to stimulate their creative process as they engage in production work. Updated to include examples of contemporary plays * End of chapter questions and summaries stimulate creative process * Formalist approach provides an excellent foundation for using a wide variety of critical approaches Based on the premise that plays are objects of study in and of themselves, Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers teaches a traditional system of classifications that examines the written part of a play, excluding such considerations as performance, scenery, or costuming.
Two dozen classic dramas by some of the finest and most famous playwrights of the last hundred years--Anton Chekhov, Noel Coward, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, and A.A. Milne.
The "new" Globe is now one of the most outstanding landmarks on the south bank of the Thames in London. This video documents the process of it's construction.
The Living Theatre was an institution in contemporary and avant-garde theatrical experimentation. Conceived by Julian Beck and Judith Malina, it experirmented with actor/audience relationships and through the concept of theatre into a new light. Renowned for its "happenings" it made a mark on contemporary theatrical practice.
Harold Clurman was a legend in American theatre.
He founded the Group Theatre in the 1930's and went on to become a well
regarded director and an inspiration to an age of actors. This film
documents his life and includes footage of the man himself at work in rehearsal.
Narrated by Meryl Streep this film covers Clurman's work in theatre until
his death in 1980.
Rated: R Not for sale to persons under age 18.
From the heydays of Hardy Boys and National Velvet through to the mature comic antics and sometimes poignant drama Mickey Rooney has created a video to share his knowledge of perfromance. One might think that this is a dinky little video, the truth is that Mickey Rooney has sustained a performing career for longer than most of us will live. This is a simple, not simplistic, approach to acting and could benefit anyone getting started in drama.
Though Shakespeare is heralded as the world's most influential and admired writer, little is known about the man himself. That didn't stop A&E Biography from weaving together a substantial birth (in 1564) to death (in 1616) portrait from spotty documentation, historical accounts, and interpretations of the master's work itself.
GLOBALSTAGE series - Introducing theatre to children.  Far
From the Madding Crowd (Globalstage) (1998)
This videotaped stage production by England's Snap Theatre is a broadly comic presentation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel. Mark Ryan's adaptation of farmer Bathsheba Everdene's vexing choice among three very different men is aimed squarely at young people. The tape opens with a young teenage boy and a teacher discussing Hardy's life and visiting his boyhood home in the British countryside, which serves as a visual textbook-style introduction. (A pamphlet with further details is included with the video.)
This theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, written specifically for Globalstage by Nick DiMartino, is part of a series designed to introduce children to classic works of world literature. Frankenstein is produced by the Stage One Children's Theatre of Louisville, Kentucky. The actors portray their characters with intensity and just the right touch of humor (especially the monster), making up for the lack of special effects kids may be used to from film versions of this tale. Actually, this production benefits from the lack of such distractions, as it allows the story itself to take center stage.
Children's theater is not represented well in the world of video. Many stage classics become video presentations with either realistic settings or mind-bending effects. The Globalstage folk look to change that with a series (six per year) of plays filmed on stages around the world. Except for a maddening opening with host Professor McNamer tooling around Louisville, Kentucky, talking to a youngster about the city and the play before entering the theater, kids age 6 and up should be entranced with this stage production. Set in Pinocchio's original time and place--the Italian Renaissance--the play starts with actors talking and scurrying on stage trying to set up the story for their audience. One curious problem--some actors are in the wrong play! After sorting out our actors and costumes, the play unfolds.
Like the other videos in the Globalstage series (which offers various worldwide theatrical productions), this Cyrano is richly layered, offering many avenues of discussion for viewers young and old. The Belgian theater company, Blauw Vier, offers up a fresh rendering of Edmond Rostand's classic story of Cyrano, who believes he is too unattractive to win the heart of his beloved Roxanne and helps a rival win her through Cyrano's own words of Love. Through the inspired performances of only three actors (whose accents are slight enough not to distract a young audience), the play and characters come alive. Using miming instead of props (with the actors providing sound effects), this well-done, inventive production tells a powerful and still timely tale: if one doesn't believe in one's self, neither will anyone else.
This taped theatrical adaptation of H.G. Wells's classic fictional pondering on the nature of humans is aimed at mature kids. The play's themes of animal experimentation, transplantation, and related subjects are discussed explicitly in the 113-minute video's introduction and conclusion.
Cirque
du Soleil
Cirque's creative brain trust, including "guide" Guy Laliberte and director Franco Dragone, have crafted each production as an extended performance piece framed by recurrent characters, unified production design, and underlying themes. Already mesmerizing visual tableaux and astonishing illusions are given an added poignancy (and, occasionally, true gravity) by the productions' underlying comments about society, conformity, beauty, and emotion; even without such conscious motifs, however, Cirque's sheer artistry is never less than riveting.
Quidam revolves around an Everychild, living with self-absorbed (and deliberately archetypal) parents, who's whisked away to a vividly surreal world where Cirque's remarkable acrobats and artists take literal flight. Their tools are often prosaic--oversized flying rings, an open steel wheel large enough for a single inhabitant, skateboards, ropes--yet the resulting images are stunning. Injecting further drama and atmosphere is the score (here by musical director Benoit Jutras), which is as far removed from traditional circus music as Cirque's "acts" are from Barnum & Bailey. Performed with synthesizers, electric guitar, solo reed instruments, percussion, and voice (often singing in a kind of Esperanto that's tantalizing yet foreign), Cirque's music can be dismissed as New Age only until heard in its intended context. Also available as a DVD
A film event inspired by Cirque du Soleil. Alegria is the touching story of Frac (Rene Bazinet), a street mime who has lost all love for his art and life, deciding to end it all by lying in front of an oncoming train. When his 11-year-old friend Momo (Clipper Miano) insists on joining the suicide attempt, Frac must save them both. The train carries a traveling circus, and when it stops, Frac catches sight of Giulietta (Julie Cox), the troupe's beautiful lead singer and performer. Frac falls instantly and rapturously in love, but to pursue Giulietta, he must overcome her father, Fleur (Frank Langella), the circus leader who disapproves of Frac. When Giulietta abandons the troupe to be with Frac and help save Momo from an abusive taskmaster who forces young children to sell flowers on the street, the wonderful cirque falls apart. Realizing that Giulietta must return, she and Frac help Fleur understand that the mission of the cirque is to console a suffering world. The show, like life, must go on. 93 minutes. Check out the fantastic music that has helped Cirque du
Soleil become so highly regarded.
This is one of my favourite performances of all time. This video is a tremendous teaching tool - observant students with a sensitive teacher will begin to see the shades and subtleties of the production. An excellent showcase of grand scale performance. Can be useful to Drama, Music, Dance and Circus students. Other titles available are:
Wildly popular and critically acclaimed celebrity (and Oprah!(tm)-appearing) photographer Veronique Vial is also the official photographer for Cirque du Soleil, the widely adored theatrical troupe that mixes traditional circus performance tropes with imaginative mysticism and exotic storytelling in sold-out performances worldwide. Vial captures the vivid color, breathtaking special effects, and mesmerizing costume, set design, and troupe performances--in and out of water (eau)--that are the hallmark of Cirque's new Vegas venue at the Bellagio. Vial's unique capacity to distill the childlike mystery and awe of 'O,' the most elaborate Cirque du Soleil production ever mounted, creates in effect a wonderfully transcendent book for kids and adults alike, complete with fantasy narrative. Harry Potter would approve. 'Wings'
: Backstage With Cirque Du Soleil!!!
Scramble Squares are nine-piece tessellation puzzles that are "Easy to Play, But Hard to Solve", for ages four to 104 in 56 styles of brilliant original art on topics of nature, sports, history, culture, science, technology, hobbies and activities. You can unscramble the nine 4" x 4" square pieces by perfectly matching the beautiful illustrations on the squares' edge, while forming a 12" x 12" square. Sound easy? It's not! Can you unscramble the squares without scrambling your brain? Each puzzle comes with a panel of fascinating facts on its subject and a trivia quiz and answer in convenient three-hole punched resealable clear vinyl pouch for easy storage and travel. |
