Theater Week

The Theater of Tony Kushner is a comprehensive portrait of the life and work of one of America's most important contemporary playwrights.

Includes: Rachel Crothers' ÊA Man's WorldÊ; Susan Glaspell's ÊTriflesÊ; Georgia Douglas Johnson's ÊPlumesÊ; Sophie Treadwell's ÊMachinalÊ Zona Gale's ÊMiss Lulu BettÊ.

Terrence McNally’s canon of plays, books for musicals and opera libretti possesses such a breadth of subject matter and diversity of dramatic modes that critics have had difficulty assessing his accomplishment. This book is the first critical study to identify the four major stages of McNally’s development in terms of his understanding of how theater helps the modern person trapped in a seemingly profane existence to find a gateway to the transcendent. Drawing upon such diverse religious thinkers as Martin Buber, Mircea Eliade, Ilia Delio and Carter Heyward, Frontain analyzes the evolution of McNally’s understanding of grace, not as a gift bestowed by an all-powerful deity upon a desperate soul, but as the unwarranted—and, thus, all the more unusual—“act of devotion” (McNally’s phrase) that one person performs for another. By seeking to foment community, most importantly at the height of the AIDS pandemic, McNally’s theater itself proves to be a channel of grace. McNally’s greatest success is shown to be the creation of a theater of empathy and compassion in contradistinction to Artaud’s “theater of cruelty” and Albee’s Americanization of the theater of the absurd.

Theater Careers is designed to empower aspiring theater professionals to make savvy, informed decisions through a concise overview of how to prepare for and find work in the theater business. Tim Donahue and Jim Patterson offer well-researched information on various professions, salary ranges, educational and experience requirements, and other facets certain to enlighten students contemplating a theater career, as well as inform counselors, teachers, and parents of available opportunities and the demands of each path. Theater Careers offers valuable details not readily available elsewhere, including dozens of informative job descriptions surveying the impressive variety of theater careers, both on and off the stage as well as statistics on the working and earning prospects of various careers as drawn from the best sources in the business. The authors also provide thoughtful assessments of the value of education and training choices, including the most meaningful way to look at the costs of college—estimating net costs, which is seldom described elsewhere—and how to choose a school. Straightforward and objective, Theater Careers is an ideal reference for those seeking careers in the theater. Armed with this information, readers will be better equipped to pursue choices that best lead to satisfying and secure employment in the rewarding field of the dramatic arts.

This book introduces readers to the world of children's theater by highlighting one specific model, The Oyster River Players, a small children's theater company in New Hampshire. By exploring the history and dynamics of their own theater company, authors Kelly and Walter Eggers apply broader implications, expanding their focus to include children's theaters of other kinds and in different cultural settings. Throughout the book, the Eggers show how children's theater succeeds in helping young people learn in ways that would be otherwise inaccessible. Through forays into philosophy and history, as well as personal testimonies, the authors present a coherent argument for the need for children's theaters in nearly every community.

Reports for 1980-19 also include the Annual report of the National Council on the Arts.