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The Long Christmas Ride Home
by Paula Vogel"Brilliant . . . even more ambitious than Vogel's How I Learned to Drive . . . it covers more ground and is bolder in its storytelling. Vogel's language is at its most poetic, eloquent and elegiac. In fact, its vivid imagery rivals the prose style of any great American short story writer. The play sounds like it might have been adapted from a beautiful, undiscovered novella."--New Haven Register"One of the most absorbing evenings of theatre to come along in some time."--VarietyPast and present collide on a snowy Christmas Eve for a troubled family of five. Humorous and heart-wrenching, this beautifully written play proves that magic can be found in the simplest breaths of life. Combining the elements of No theatre and Bunraku with contemporary Western sensibilities, Vogel's Ride is a mesmerizing homage to the works of Thornton Wilder, including Our Town. A moving and memorable study of the American family careening near the edge of oblivion.Paula Vogel's plays include The Baltimore Waltz, Mineola Twins, Hot 'n' Throbbing, Desdemona, And Baby Makes Seven, among others. Ms. Vogel will be the resident playwright during the Signature Theatre's 2004-05 season dedicated to her works. She has taught at Brown University in the MFA playwriting program since 1985.
The Long Voyage Home and Other Plays (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Eugene O'NeillPlaywright Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) spent his early years as a merchant seaman and drifter on the waterfronts of New York, Liverpool, and Buenos Aires. From these experiences came the inspiration and subject matter for four of his finest short plays, collected in this volume.Written between 1913 and 1917 and considered to have made O'Neill's reputation, the plays comprise a tetralogy, all concerning the same ship, the S.S. Glencairn. The plays are Bound East for Cardiff, In the Zone, The Long Voyage Home, and The Moon of the Caribbees. These realistically presented melodramas depict moody, intense, and fascinating characters entrapped by larger forces, usually represented by the sea. This edition, which offers all four plays in a single inexpensive volume, provides a splendid introduction to the work of an important modern dramatist.
The Long Weekend: Three Plays - Maggie's Getting Married / Here On The Flight Path / The Long Weekend
by Norm FosterThe truth and lies of a friendship come to the surface during a weekend visit between two couples. There are plenty of surprises along the way in this comedy of manners. "...just enough sex, just enough smart talk, just enough preposterous plot twists to keep you titillated." —Gary Smith, Hamilton Spectator
The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective, Compact Edition
by Roger Schultz Michael Greenwald Roberto PomoThe Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater, Compact Edition, is a fully-integrated text/anthology of drama with a global emphasis for the Introduction to Drama course. <p><p> The Compact Edition is divided into three parts. Part One examines the roots of theater and the theoretical and critical foundations of theater and drama. Part Two, an anthology of Western Theater, and Part Three, an anthology of non-western theater, are divided into historical and geographical sections, each preceded by a brief overview of the cultural and historical context that shaped the plays. A map and timeline of key historical, cultural, and artistic events precedes each section in Parts II and III. <p><p> Preceding each section of plays is a brief overview of the history of the theater from its origins in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to the present. The ideas that inspired the dramas are considered, as well as the particulars of each performance. In the interest of creating a clean, uncluttered text, selected bibliographies are at the end of the book. <p><p> Questions for Discussion and Writing are included in the accompanying Instructor's Manual, as well as more thorough bibliographies and a comprehensive list of films and videos that illustrate the ideas in the text.
The Loss of Small White Clouds: Dementia in Contemporary Performance (Routledge Series in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Theatre and Performance)
by Morgan BatchThis volume seeks to instigate a discussion about dementia in theatre. The discussions in this book borrow from the literature on dementia’s representation in other artforms, while reflecting on theatre’s unique capacity to incorporate multiple artforms in a live context (hypermediacy). The author examines constructions of diegesis and the use of various performance tools, including physical theatre, puppetry, and postdramatic performance. She discusses stage representations of interior experiences of dementia; selfhood in dementia; the demarcation of those with dementia from those without; endings, erasure, and the pursuit of catharsis; placelessness and disruptions of traditional dramatic constructions of time; and ultimately, performances creatively led by people with dementia. The book traces patterns of narrativisation on the stage—including common dramaturgical forms, settings, and character relationships—as well as examples that transcend mainstream representation. This book is important reading for theatre and performance students, scholars, and practitioners, as well as cultural studies writers engaged in research about narratives of dementia.
The Lost Colony
by Paul GreenIn 1937, The Lost Colony, Paul Green's dramatic retelling of the founding and mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Island colony, opened to standing-room-only audiences and rave reviews. Since then, the beloved outdoor drama has played to more than 3 million people, and it is still going strong. Produced by the Roanoke Island Historical Association at the Waterside Theater near Manteo, North Carolina, The Lost Colony has run for more than sixty summers almost without interruption. (Production was suspended during World War II, when the threat of German submarines prowling the coast made an extended blackout necessary.)The model for modern outdoor theater, The Lost Colony combines song, dance, drama, special effects, and music to breathe life into shadowy legend. This rendering of the play's text, edited and with an introduction by Laurence Avery, brings this pioneering work back into print.
The Lost Summers of Newport: A Novel
by Karen White Lauren Willig Beatriz WilliamsTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"An engrossing and sumptuous tale, this novel is a fantastic spring read." — Good Morning AmericaFrom the New York Times bestselling team of Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—a novel of money and secrets set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to the present day.“Three stories elegantly intertwine in this clever and stylish tale of murder and family lies…This crackerjack novel offers three mysteries for the price of one.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)2019: Andie Figuero has just landed her dream job as a producer of Mansion Makeover, a popular reality show about restoring America’s most lavish historic houses. Andie has high hopes for her latest project: the once glorious but gently crumbling Sprague Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, summer resort of America’s gilded class—famous for the lavish “summer cottages” of Vanderbilts and Belmonts. But Andie runs into trouble: the reclusive heiress who still lives in the mansion, Lucia “Lucky” Sprague, will only allow the show to go forward on two conditions: One, nobody speaks to her. Two, nobody touches the mansion’s ruined boathouse.1899: Ellen Daniels has been hired to give singing lessons to Miss Maybelle Sprague, a naive young Colorado mining heiress whose stepbrother John has poured their new money into buying a place among Newport’s elite. John is determined to see Maybelle married off to a fortune-hunting Italian prince, and Ellen is supposed to polish up the girl for her launch into society. But the deceptively demure Ellen has her own checkered past, and she’s hiding in plain sight at Sprague Hall.1958: Lucia “Lucky” Sprague has always felt like an outsider at Sprague Hall. When she and her grandmother—the American-born Princess di Conti—fled Mussolini’s Italy, it seemed natural to go back to the imposing Newport house Nana owned but hadn’t seen since her marriage in 1899. Over the years, Lucky's lost her Italian accent and found a place for herself among the yachting set by marrying Stuyvesant Sprague, the alcoholic scion of her Sprague stepfamily. But one fateful night in the mansion’s old boathouse will uncover a devastating truth...and change everything she thought she knew about her past.As the cameras roll on Mansion Makeover, the house begins to yield up the dark secrets the Spragues thought would stay hidden forever….
The Love Bomb: And Other Musical Pieces
by James FentonThree Libretti—Ranging In Setting From Ancient Jerusalem To Pre-Apocalyptic London—From An Acclaimed PoetThis volume of libretti marks new work—and new terrain—for James Fenton. Commissioned by companies in New York and England, these musical pieces make the most of the poet's poignant, witty, and characteristically lyrical verse. Whether evoking modern-day London on the edge of apocalypse in The Love Bomb, a timeless land beyond the moon in this version of Salman Rushdie's children's novel Haroun and the Sea of Stories, or ancient Jerusalem in his stirring oratorio The Fall of Jerusalem, which was composed to mark the millennium, Fenton's lucid storytelling and stylish wordplay bring these pieces vividly to life—with equal power in performance or on the page.Haroun and the Sea of Stories was commissioned by the New York City Opera and had its premiere at Lincoln Center in September 2003."[James Fenton] writes as no one else dares to--with clarity, wit, and the simplest of rhymes."--Voice Literary Supplement
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
by Robin TalleyPerfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Nina LaCour, this #ownvoices romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley has something for everyone: backstage rendezvous, deadly props, and a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to True Love.Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything. What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over. Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel. Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.
The Love of Izayoi & Seishin: A Kabuki Play by Kawatake Mokuami
by Kawatake Mokuami Frank T. MotofujiThis dramatic and absorbing play tells the story of the courtesan Izayoi and the priest Seishin; classic lovers who are doomed to suffer the tragic consequences of their passion.<P><P>As a representative example of Japanese play writing of the 19th century The Love of Izayoi and Seishin is a superlative example of the turbulence and dramatic incident that are the major conventions of Kabuki.The intricate plot involves murder, attempted suicide, hari-kiri, theft, and the usual stunning Kabuki denouement. This specific feature is one of the intriguing aspects of Kabuki drama, and continually keeps the stage alive with action and violence.Complete with stage directions and complementary instructions, this play can be read with pleasure for its own sake, or as a gripping Kabuki narrative for all enthusiasts of the theater.
The Lower Depths (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Maxim GorkyThe first of Russia's great proletarian writers, Alexey Maximovich Peshkov (1868-1936) adopted the pen name of Gorky, meaning "bitter." Drawing on his own experiences in the lowest social echelon, Gorky portrayed the wretched lives of down-and-outers, instilling his tales with heartfelt protest against a world that both tolerated and fostered the miseries of the underclass.In The Lower Depths, his dramatic masterpiece of 1902, Gorky presents a grimly realistic view of a desperate circle of lost souls. The play unfolds in a derelict boarding house, where a cast of despairing characters argue, play cards, tell stories, and debate the merits of two opposite worldviews: a self-reliant existence free of illusions, or a romanticized outlook that softens the pain of daily life. A revealing look at the atmosphere that led to the 1917 Russian Revolution, the drama abounds in shrewd observations, lifelike characters, and compelling dialog that make it a work of enduring vitality.
The Lucid Body: A Guide for the Physical Actor
by Fay Simpson&“From Fay&’s methodology, I learned to use my intuition and lived experiences in myriad new ways.&” —Winston Duke, actor, Black Panther, Avengers, Us, and Nine DaysEngaging Mind and Body to Develop the Complete Physical Nature of Characters Actors are shape-shifters, requiring the tools to wade into unfamiliar waters and back out again. The Lucid Body offers a holistic, somatic approach to embodying character from the inside-out and, for the non-actor, offers a way to give hidden parts of the self their full expression. By identifying stagnant movement patterns, this process expands one&’s emotional and physical range and enables the creation of characters from all walks of life—however cruel, desolate, or jolly. Rooted in the exploration of the seven chakra energy centers, The Lucid Body reveals how each body holds the possibility of every human condition. Readers will learn how to: Practice a non-judgmental approach to the journey of self-awarenessBreak up stagnant and restrictive patterns of thought and movementAllow an audible exhale to be the key to unlocking the breathDevelop a mindset to &“hear&” one&’s inner bodyAnalyze the human condition through the psycho-physical lens of the chakrasExperience the safety of coming back to a neutral bodyAcquire a sense of clarity and calm in one&’s everyday life A step-by-step program guides the actor through the phases of self-awareness that expand emotional and physical range not only on stage, but also in daily life. This new edition includes a more diversified range of playwrights, non-binary language, and new chapters on stage intimacy protocol and physical listening. Exercises that have been honed for the past ten years have been made more concise. New somatic and neuro-scientific data has been added, with additional wisdom and insights from colleagues and Simpson's team of Lucid Body teachers.
The Lure of Perfection: Fashion and Ballet, 1780-1830
by Judith BennahumTHE LURE OF PERFECTION: FASHION AND BALLET, 1780-1830 offers a unique look at how ballet influenced contemporary fashion and women's body image, and how street fashions in turn were reflected by the costumes worn by ballet dancers. Through years of research, the author has traced the interplay between fashion, social trends, and the development of dance. During the 18th century, women literally took up twice as much space as men; their billowing dresses ballooned out from their figures, sometimes a full 55 inches, to display costly jewelry and fine brocade work; similar costumes appeared on stage. But clothing also limited her movement; it literally disabled them, making the dances themselves little more than tableaux. Movement was further inhibited by high shoes and tight corsets; thus the image of the rigidly straight, long-lined dancer is as much a product of clothing as aesthetics. However, with changing times came new trends. An increased interest in natural movement and the common folk led to less-restrictive clothing. As viewers demanded more virtuosic dancers, women literally danced their way to freedom. THE LURE OF PERFECTION will interest students of dance and cultural history, and women's studies. It is a fascinating, well-researched look at the interplay of fashion, dance, and culture-still very much a part of our world today.
The Lyons
by Nicky Silver"Comedy nirvana . . . satisfyingly mean and funny."-New York Post"Without sacrificing his mordant wit or bleak worldview, this distinctive dramatist shows a new maturity and empathy in."?The New York Times"Nicky Silver's terrific play is filled with moments when you can't stop laughing even though the circumstances indicate you really shouldn't. . . . A wonderful little riff on family dysfunction."?Associated Press"Silver finds plenty of fresh bite, and the sheer savagery of his observation here is breathtaking. Watching it brings the dueling sensations of wicked mirth and squirming discomfort at being trapped in the hell of someone else's family horrors. That these are exaggerations of our own is what gives the play its teeth."-The Hollywood ReporterThis vicious, hilarious black comedy opened on Broadway in April 2012 to rave reviews.Nicky Silver, that "strange progeny of a coupling between Mr. Neil Simon and Edward Albee" (The New York Times), has cornered the market on deliciously savage dysfunctional family comedies. Following an acclaimed run Off-Broadway, this intimate and frightening examination of how we cope with loneliness and disappointment currently delights audiences on Broadway.Rita Lyons is the matriarch of a family facing a major crossroads. Her husband, Ben, is dying and her grown children are struggling. As the family gathers in Ben's hospital room, they discover that they're as terrified of being together as they are of being alone.
The MOMologues
by Sheila Eppolito Stefanie Cloutier Lisa RaffertyComedyCharacters: 4 female. Simple Set. This original comedy about motherhood rips away the gauzy mask of parenthood to reveal what all mothers know but don't always talk about: it's overwhelming and exhausting, but also very, very funny. From the joys of infertility, through reading the same books over and over and over, to finally seeing your baby get on that school bus, this play mines the laughs and tears of the early years of motherhood. Four separate characters tell their individual stories, either directly to the audience in monologues, or in scenes with each other. Mothers everywhere can relate to the labor stories, the frustration of a simple trip to the store, the quest to connect with other mothers, all of which causes them to plan moms' nights out and arrive in packs to laugh hysterically at this tribute to "the toughest job you'll ever love.. "The show is about the ups and downs of motherhood; what binds mothers together, not what sets them apart...edgy, funny, and true." -Showcase Magazine. "At the show we caught Saturday, the audience frequently exploded in laughter." -The Boston Globe. "Reveals the funny, secretive side of having kids!" -Parents & Kids Magazine
The Madonna Painter
by Linda Gaboriau Michel Marc BouchardAt the end of the Great War, to protect his village from the Spanish flu epidemic, a priest commissions an Italian painter to decorate the local church with a fresco dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The painter is to choose, among four local women all named Mary, a model for his work. Superstition collides with desire, and lies are unmasked.
The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays
by Terrence Mcnally Tennessee Williams Thomas KeithA wonderful collection of never-before-collected one-acts: "The peak of my virtuosity was in the one- act plays. Some of which are like firecrackers in a rope" (Tennessee Williams). Here are portraits of American life during the Great Depression and after, populated by a hopelessly hopeful chorus girl, a munitions manufacturer ensnared in a love triangle, a rural family that deals "justice" on its children, an overconfident mob dandy, a poor couple who quarrel to vanquish despair, a young "spinster" enthralled by the impulse of rebellion, and, in "The Magic Tower," a passionate artist and his wife whose youth and optimism are not enough to protect their "dream marriage." This new volume gathers some of Williams's most exuberant early work and includes one-acts that he would later expand to powerful full-length dramas: "The Pretty Trap," a cheerful take on The Glass Menagerie, and "Interior: Panic," a stunning precursor to A Streetcar Named Desire. The plays include: * At Liberty * The Magic Tower * Me, Vashya * Curtains for the Gentleman * In Our Profession * Every Twenty Minutes * Honor the Living * The Case of the Crushed Petunias * Moony's Kid Don't Cry * The Dark Room * The Pretty Trap * Interior: Panic * Kingdom of Earth * I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays * Some Problems for The Moose Lodge
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
by Ann Marie FlemingA full-color graphic memoir inspired by the award-winning documentary-and the life and mystery of China's greatest magician. Who was Long Tack Sam? He was born in 1885. He ran away from Shangdung Province to join the circus. He was an acrobat. A magician. A comic. An impresario. A restaurateur. A theater owner. A world traveler. An East-West ambassador. A mentor to Orson Welles. He was considered the greatest act in the history of vaudeville. In this gorgeous graphic memoir, his great-granddaughter, the artist and filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming, resurrects his fascinating life for the rest of the world. It's an exhilarating testament to a forgotten man. And every picture is true.Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.
The Maids (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)
by SparkNotesThe Maids (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Jean Genet Making the reading experience fun! Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides: *Chapter-by-chapter analysis *Explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols *A review quiz and essay topicsLively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers
The Mainstream Companion to Scottish Literature
by Trevor RoyleThe Mainstream Companion to Scottish Literature is the most comprehensive reference guide to Scotland's literature, covering a period from the earliest times to the early 1990s. It includes over 600 essays on the lives and works of the principal poets, novelists, dramatists critics and men and women of letters who have written in English, Scots or Gaelic. Thus, as well as such major writers as Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, Allan Ramsay, Robert Fergusson, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Hugh MacDiarmid, the Companion also lists many minor writers whose work might otherwise have been overlooked in any survey of Scottish literature.Also included here are entries on the lives of other more peripheral writers such as historians, philosophers, diarists and divines whose work has made a contribution to Scottish letters.Other essays range over such general subjects as the principal work of major writers, literary movements, historical events, the world of printing and publishing, folklore, journalism, drama and Gaelic. A feature of the book is the inclusion of the bibliography of each writer and reference to the major critical works. This comprehensive guide is an essential tool for the serious student of Scottish literature as well as being an ideal guide and companion for the general reader.
The Major Plays
by Anton Chekhov Rosamund Bartlett Robert BrusteinThe major plays of Anton Checkov which express life through subtle construction, everyday dialogue, and an electrically charged atmosphere.<P> Includes: <P> * Ivanov * The Sea Gull * Uncle Vanya * The Three Sisters * The Cherry Orchard
The Major Plays of Nikolai Erdman: The Warrant And The Suicide
by Nikolai ErdmanFirst Published in 1995. Russian Theatre Archive- Volume 1. Newly translated by John Freedman, Erdmans's first biographer, Nikola Erdman's two classic tragicomedies, 'The Warrant' and 'The Suicide', come to life as brilliant, eccentric and eminently performable works for the theatre as well as fascinating documents of the theatrical boom and social upheaval that took place in Russia in the 1920s. Both plays were written expressly for the great Vsevolod Meyerhold, who declared that Erdman was the heir to the rich Russian comic dramatic tradition established by Nikolai Gogol and Alexander Sukhovo-Kobylin. Meyerhold's staging of The Warrant in 1925 was one of the most innovative and successful. His attempt to stage The Suicide in 1932 eas banned by Stalin. After being exiled to Siberia in 1933, Erdman never again wrote a full-length play. But, in The Warrant and The Suicide, Erdman's themes- the failure of language as a reliable tool of communication, the degeneration of the human element brought on by the onslaught of mass culture, and the extraordinary, if not always heroic, resilience of the individual human being- remain as contemporary and universal as ever.
The Makeover
by Patsy Hester DaussatComedy / 4m, 4f, 1m or f / Interior Set / It's a typical Saturday evening, as Mike and Melanie play games with their best friends, Victor and Paula. They have been neighbors for years, and each have a son home from college for the summer. Little does Melanie know that her happy, comfortable world will soon be thrown into turmoil. Mike has sent a letter to Facing Facts, Melanie and Paula's favorite reality television show. He believes Melanie, who has gained weight over the years, would be thrilled to have a makeover at Facing Facts' fabulous spa. After all, she and Paula rave about it. Unfortunately, every Monday night when Melanie and Paula watch the show, their husbands leave to play baseball. Poor Mike is clueless about the show's cruel, ratings-hungry hostess, Frances Montgomery, who thrives on humiliating those who are ambushed on the show. When the Facing Facts crew descends at her door, Melanie endures a disastrous ambush. Afterward, she cannot understand why Mike would subject her to national humiliation. Melanie tells him to be out of the house when she returns from the spa. Mike is hopeful that she will change her mind, but things only get worse the evening Melanie returns. Frances not only belittles Melanie again, she sets her sights on an oblivious Mike. Melanie finally explodes, throwing the Facing Facts crew out of her house, along with Mike. Events in the days that follow bring Melanie to realizations about herself and the important things in life.
The Making of Citizen Kane, Revised edition
by Robert L. CarringerCitizen Kane, widely considered the greatest film ever made, continues to fascinate critics and historians as well as filmgoers. While credit for its genius has traditionally been attributed solely to its director, Orson Welles, Carringer's pioneering study documents the shared creative achievements of Welles and his principal collaborators. The Making of Citizen Kane, copiously illustrated with rare photographs and production documents, also provides an in-depth view of the operations of the Hollywood studio system. This new edition includes a revised preface and overview of criticism, an updated chronology of the film's reception history, a reconsideration of the locus of responsibility of Welles's ill-fated The Magnificent Ambersons, and new photographs.