Taking Center Stage

Miscellaneous Percussion Music - Mixed Levels

Provides expert advice on public speaking; includes exercises designed to help people develop the skills needed to make presentations and speeches more effective.

Many women today wonder: what will it take to get that seat at the boardroom table? Earn that coveted promotion? Or simply have their voices heard? Taking the Stage provides a comprehensive, proven approach that enables women to come forward into the spotlight and speak up, stand out, and succeed. Based on a program from the Humphrey Group that has been delivered to over 400,000 women worldwide, Taking the Stage shows women—no matter their age, rank, or profession—how to communicate with courage and confidence in every situation, from formal speeches to brief hallway conversations. Judith Humphrey provides the inspiration and practical advice for women to “take the stage” mentally, verbally, vocally, and physically. Women can make the most of every opportunity by understanding how best to: Speak up confidently, even when others don’t agree; Convey their accomplishments without self-doubt; Be assertive but not aggressive; Deliver clear and convincing messages; Move beyond “minimizing” language and apology; Find their own powerful and authentic voice; Achieve confident body language and a leadership presence. By applying these techniques and others to every communication— whether making a presentation, speaking at meetings, conducting an elevator conversation, or selling themselves in job interviews—women will be recognized as the leaders they are and attain positions of influence. For women at all stages of their career, and for managers and executives committed to supporting and guiding women on their leadership journeys, Taking the Stage is the practical, broad-based solution that will allow women to speak up confidently, gain respect, earn the promotions they deserve, and secure their places at the boardroom table.

A dramatic new departure for international bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, FOOLS AND MORTALS takes us into the heart of the Elizabethan era, long one of his favourite periods of British history.

Joel Grey, the Tony and Academy Award-winning Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret finally tells his remarkable life story. Born Joel David Katz to a wild and wooly Jewish American family in Cleveland, Ohio in 1932, Joel began his life in the theater at the age of 9, starting in children’s theater and then moving to the main stage. He was hooked, and his seven decades long career charts the evolution of American entertainment - from Vaudeville performances with his father, Mickey Katz to the seedy gangster filled nightclubs of the forties, the bright lights of Broadway and dizzying glamour of Hollywood, to juggernaut musicals like Cabaret, Chicago, and Wicked. Master of Ceremonies is a memoir of a life lived in and out of the limelight, but it is also the story of the man behind the stage makeup. Coming of age in a time when being yourself tended to be not only difficult but also dangerous, Joel has to act both on and off the stage. He spends his high school years sleeping with the girls-next-door while carrying on a scandalous affair with an older man. Romances with to-die-for Vegas Showgirls are balanced with late night liaisons with like-minded guys, until finally Joel falls in love and marries a talented and beautiful woman, starts a family, and has a pretty much picture perfect life. But 24 years later when the marriage dissolves, Joel has to once again find his place in a world that has radically changed. Drawing back the curtain on a career filled with show-stopping numbers, larger-than-life stars and even singing in the shower with Bjork, Master of Ceremonies is also a portrait of an artist coming to terms with his evolving identity. When an actor plays a character, he has to find out what makes them who they are; their needs, dreams, and fears. It’s a difficult thing to do, but sometimes the hardest role in an actor’s life is that of himself. Deftly capturing the joy of performing as well as the pain and secrets of an era we have only just started to leave behind, Joel’s story is one of love, loss, hard-won honesty, redemption, and success.

Teachers are really performers, classrooms are stages, and students the captivated audience. In beautiful prose, Felman invites us to watch her one woman show on the art of performance in today's classrooms. These essays take on the greatest hits of the academy: identity politics, sexual harrassment, academic censorship, and radical pedagogy. Felman's book is a performance not to be missed.

Miscellaneous Percussion Music - Mixed Levels

From Doormat to Divea recognizes every woman's secret desire to take center stage. Merci Miglino, life strategist and Jacqueline-of-all trades, takes you on a journey - from back stage to center stage in 10 simple steps. With a Perspective Makeover, Merci challenges you to forget the bad rap Divas get and consider the true and divine nature of the Diva in you! Use Diva vision and adopt a Diva-tude, says the author, to re-define selfishness, empowerment and extreme self-care. With humor-laced truth, enthusiasm, and an energy that pops off the page, Merci escorts you from the back row of your life, straight down the aisle to center stage!