Books in the Applause Books series

"...a play about power, leadership, and the rough-and tumble process of social change. In its multifaceted search for the meaning behind the headline-grabbing events in Memphis, and in its depiction of the roots of black-vs.-black power struggles, it offers both food for thought and an emotional punch." - Chicago Sun-Times

WILL POWER: HOW TO ACT SHAKESPEARE IN 21 DAYS

THE ENRAGED ACCOMPANIST'S GUIDE TO THE PERFECT AUDITION

Martin Sherman''s worldwide hit play Bent took London by storm in 1979 when it was first performed by the Royal Court Theatre, with Ian McKellen as Max (a character written with the actor in mind). The play itself caused an uproar. "It educated the world " Sherman explains. "People knew about how the Third Reich treated Jews and, to some extent, gypsies and political prisoners. But very little had come out about their treatment of homosexuals." Gays were arrested and interned at work camps prior to the genocide of Jews, gypsies, and handicapped, and continued to be imprisoned even after the fall of the Third Reich and liberation of the camps. The play Bent highlights the reason why - a largely ignored German law, Paragraph 175, making homosexuality a criminal offense, which Hitler reactivated and strengthened during his rise to power.

THE LIFE OF THE DRAMA

SCRIPT INTO PERFORMANCE

Richard Wesley was witness to a revolution. As both a celebrated participant and eager student of the Black Theater Movement in the late 1960s, he became part of a seismic force in American culture, breaking down barriers and helping to disrupt the cultural landscape. It's Always Loud in the Balcony: A Life in Black Theater, from Harlem to Hollywood and Back is both history and memoir, tracing Wesley's roots from riot-torn Newark, New Jersey, across the rocky terrain of Harlem, and finally to Hollywood, where he became partners with Sidney Poitier, writing several successful films before returning to New York and the theater world-a trip that Wesley has wryly characterized as "black power to black establishment." Wesley unfolds the history of black theater with love and precision, from the emergence of Amiri Baraka, and his own debut, the fiercely militant Black Terror-which landed him a deal with the legendary producer Joseph Papp-through his moviemaking experience in Los Angeles, working with Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor, among others. Wesley lands on solid ground in the twenty-first century as an elder statesman, a happy witness to the great success of a new breed of black theater that includes the widespread success of Tyler Perry and Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, which brought hip-hop to Broadway. It's Always Loud in the Balcony is the passionate, firsthand account of a crucial American art movement whose effects will be felt for generations to come.

When a routine burglary in an elegant, upscale Virginia mansion goes awry, career thief Luther Whitney finds himself witness to a brutal murder involving none other than Alan Richmond, the youthful, charming, and thoroughly corrupt President of the United States. Torn between fear for his life and devotion to his family and country, Luther must make a decision that will change not only his own destiny, but the destiny of the world as we know it. Based on the best-selling thriller by David Baldacci, described as "relentlessly entertaining" by The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, William Goldman''s screenplay captures the paranoia, greed, and corruption of politics through the ages and around the world.

The playscript to Ghost in the Machine by David Gilman begins with a common situation - that of a missing fifty dollar bill - and spins it into intriguing questions of probability, chance and the complexities of musical composition: illusion and reality.

COMPLETE SCREENPLAYS OF DYLAN THOMAS

There has been a great change in the last twenty years to actor auditions which now require the demonstration of enormous flexibility. The actor is often expected to show more range than ever before and often several shorter audition speeches are asked for instead of one or two longer ones. To stay at the top of his or her game the Shakespearean actor needs more knowledge of what makes the play tick especially since the early plays demand a different style from the later ones. Each genre (comedy history tragedy) has different requirements. No current monologue book deals directly with the bulk of these concerns. ÊOne More unto the Speech Dear FriendsÊ now fills that gap. This three volume set will help actors discover the extra details of humanity that the original folio texts automatically offer. Of Shakespeare''s 37 plays only ÊPericlesÊ is not included. In the trilogy of books there are over 900 separate audition possibilities. This represents about 600 more monologues than are available in any other series.ÞÞThere are four parts to each speech: Û A background giving context and approximate timing; Û A modern text version; Û The original folio version; Û Commentary to explain the differences between the two texts including full discussion of the devices peculiar to that speech''s genre the age and gender of the character and more.

THE TELEVISION PLAYS OF PADDY CHAYEFSKY

STONES IN HIS POCKETS

The rise of Golda Meir from impoverished Russian schoolgirl to Prime Minister of Israel is one of the most amazing stories of the 20th century. Now her life has been transformed into a one-woman play of overwhelming power and triumph by William Gibson, author of The Miracle Worker. Golda's Balcony earned actress Tovah Feldshuh a 2003 Drama Desk award."Enlightening ... Now, hearing from someone who was there at the birth of the country, who sacrificed to make that happen, helps remind us where the Middle East standoff came from and why it never seems to end."- The New York Times"A valentine to the famously tough prime minister."- New York Post

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

David Rothenberg's multilayered life thrust him into Broadway's brightest lights, prison riots, political campaigns, civil rights sit-ins, and a Central American civil war. In his memoir, Fortune in My Eyes, his journey includes many of the most celebrated names in the theater: Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, Sir John Gielgud, Peggy Lee, Alvin Ailey, Lauren Bacall, Christine Ebersole, and numerous others.He produced an Off-Broadway prison drama, Fortune and Men's Eyes, which reshaped his life. John Herbert's chilling play led directly to the creation of the Fortune Society, which has evolved into one of the nation's most formidable advocacy and service organizations in criminal justice.Rothenberg was Elizabeth Taylor's opening night date at the Richard Burton Hamlet - a distant cry from his entering Attica prison during that institution's famed inmate uprising; these are just two of the experiences revealed in this memoir. As a theater publicist and producer - and as a social activist - he shares experiences with politicians and with anonymous men and women, out of prison, who have fought to reclaim their lives. The human drama of the formerly incarcerated that unfolds in this book is a match for many of the entertainment world's most fabled characters.

The complete script to the critically acclaimed play.

THE MOTHER AND OTHER UNSAVORY PLAYS

173 B/W PHOTOS

What does a producer actually do? How does one travel from that great idea for a show to a smash hit opening night on Broadway? John Breglio cannot guarantee you a hit but he does take the reader on a fascinating journey behind-the-scenes to where he himself once stood as a child dreaming about the theatre.ÞPart memoir part handbook ÊI Wanna Be a ProducerÊ is a road map to the hows and wherefores the dos and don''ts of producing a Broadway play written by a Broadway veteran with more than 40 years of experience. This comprehensive and highly informative book features practical analysis and concepts for the producer ä and is filled with entertaining anecdotes from Breglio''s illustrious career as a leading theatrical lawyer and producer. Breglio recounts not only his first-hand knowledge of the crucial legal and business issues faced by a producer but also his experiences behind the scenes with literally hundreds of producers playwrights composers and directors including such theatre luminaries as Michael Bennett Joe Papp Stephen Sondheim Andrew Lloyd Webber Patti Lupone August Wilson and Mel Brooks. Whether you are a working or aspiring producer an investor or are just curious about the backstage reality of the theater Breglio shares his knowledge and experience of the industry conveying practical information set against the real-life stories of those who have devoted their lives to the craft.