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American Film: A History
by Jon Lewis<p>Written by a top scholar in the field, American Film: A History gives students a thorough understanding of the fascinating intersection of artistry and economics in Hollywood cinema from the beginning of film history to the present. <p>A beautiful book and a brisk read, American Film is the most enjoyable and interesting overview of the history of American filmmaking available. Focused on aspects of the film business that are of perennial interest to undergraduates, this book will engage students from beginning to end.</p>
American Playwriting and the Anti-Political Prejudice
by Nelson PressleyTwenty years after Tony Kushner's influential Angels in America seemed to declare a revitalized potency for the popular political play, there is a "No Politics" prejudice undermining US production and writing. This book explores the largely unrecognized cultural patterns that discourage political playwriting on the contemporary American stage.
American Politics in Hollywood Film (Edinburgh University Press)
by Ian ScottHow is the American political landscape represented in cinema? What is the relationship between Hollywood and Washington? From Arnold Schwarzenegger's rise to the Governorship of California through to the drama of the celebrity-fuelled 2008 Presidential election, Hollywood and politics have never been more intimate. This thoroughly updated and revised new edition continues to analyse the theoretical and conceptual relationship of Hollywood to national politics and the way film content and criticism has aligned itself to political culture and debate.Chronicling the evolution of American political cinema from the 1930s, this book explores the genre's symbiotic relationship with the American political culture and history. Through textual analysis of a range of films and television series, Scott provides a critique of current and past developments across several sub-genres, including the bio-pic, the election film and documentary. New for this edition* Analysis of the post-9/11 and Bush era's effect on
American Pop: A Novel
by Snowden WrightAN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR“Mr. Wright’s imagined history of the rise and fall of the sugary drink empire is so robust and recognizable that you might feel nostalgic for the taste of a soda you’ve never had.” – Sam Sacks, TheWall Street JournalNAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY Parade • Cosmopolitan • Town & Country•AARP • InStyle • Garden & Gun • Vol. 1 BrooklynThe story of a family.The story of an empire. The story of a nation.Moving from Mississippi to Paris to New York and back again, a saga of family, ambition, passion, and tragedy that brings to life one unforgettable Southern dynasty—the Forsters, founders of the world’s first major soft-drink company—against the backdrop of more than a century of American cultural history. The child of immigrants, Houghton Forster has always wanted more—from his time as a young boy in Mississippi, working twelve-hour days at his father’s drugstore; to the moment he first laid eyes on his future wife, Annabelle Teague, a true Southern belle of aristocratic lineage; to his invention of the delicious fizzy drink that would transform him from tiller boy into the founder of an empire, the Panola Cola Company, and entice a youthful, enterprising nation entering a hopeful new age.Now the heads of a preeminent American family spoken about in the same breath as the Hearsts and the Rockefellers, Houghton and Annabelle raise their four children with the expectation they’ll one day become world leaders. The burden of greatness falls early on eldest son Montgomery, a handsome and successful politician who has never recovered from the horrors and heartbreak of the Great War. His younger siblings Ramsey and Lance, known as the “infernal twins,” are rivals not only in wit and beauty, but in their utter carelessness with the lives and hearts of others. Their brother Harold, as gentle and caring as the twins can be cruel, is slowed by a mental disability—and later generations seem equally plagued by misfortune, forcing Houghton to seriously consider who should control the company after he’s gone.An irresistible tour de force of original storytelling, American Pop blends fact and fiction, the mundane and the mythical, and utilizes techniques of historical reportage to capture how, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s words, “families are always rising and falling in America,” and to explore the many ways in which nostalgia can manipulate cultural memory—and the stories we choose to tell about ourselves.
American Soldier
by Matt MorilloDrama / Characters: 3m, 2f / In American Soldiers, the patriarch of a politically prominent Long Island family fights to hold the family together when his eldest daughter, an Army veteran, returns from the Middle East for an uneasy homecoming. The girl, emotionally scarred from her military service, is struggling to take her ex-boyfriend and sister away with her to start a new life in Colorado. Her aim is to liberate them of the hometown influences of society, religion and class that led her to enlist. The play reveals the urge of children to break away, the power of family destiny and the emotional ties that bind. What is it about Nassau and Suffolk counties that makes them a breeding ground for "good little American soldiers," as Angela Coletti, the returning veteran, says? Her late mother had been a local Assemblywoman and her brother, Carlo Jr., is now running for a congressional seat. They are liberal politicians and "modern" Catholics, chastened by the wars of our time, who would seem to hold the old beliefs at arms' length. But to Angela, they are no more than cogs in a machine of conformity whose morals make no sense and who perpetuate dangerous myths. The force of her rebellion is set against the determination of her father, a Vietnam Veteran who is equally committed to holding the family together. His methods range from the good old fatherly temper tantrum to the kind of heart-to-heart with his soldier-daughter that only veterans can have. Through their tug of war, we witness the real forces that keep many of our young people fighting what Angela calls, "the same fight, generation after generation." It's the power of family and the hold of religion.
American Tales
by Ken Stone4m, 1f / Running Time: 90 minutes plus intermission / Period costumes and set pieces, mid to late 19th century / Act I, The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton, is from Mark Twain's story of two people falling in love at a great distance with the aid of that brand-new invention, the telephone. Alonzo in Maine and Rosannah in California meet by the accident of crossed wires and each falls in love with an imagined ideal of the other. So complete is their self-deception that even when brought face to face they cannot recognize each other. Love is found, lost, and found again. Played as period melodrama, but the relevance to 21st century dating habits is clear. Act II, Bartleby, the Scrivener, is dramatized from Herman Melville's slyly funny but ultimately tragic story. Building on the theme of human connections made and missed, this act takes a darker turn, looking at people who occupy the closest of quarters and yet don't really communicate at all. Bartleby, employed as a copyist in a law office of the 1840s, inexplicably begins to refuse to work, forcing his colleagues to ask themselves the transforming question that ends the play: What do we owe to the people who come into our lives? "Excellent new musical." - Critic's Choice, LA Times
American Television during a Television Presidency (Contemporary Approaches to Film and Media Series)
by Steven Cohan Donna Peberdy Oliver Gruner Hannah Andrews Simon Stow Kathryn Castle Michael Mario Albrecht Aimee Mollaghan Martin Murray Karen McNally Teresa Forde Gregory Frame K. Scott Culpepper Kwakiutl L. Dreher Jessica Ford Rafal Kus Dolores Resano Martin Zeller-JacquesIn American Television during a Television Presidency, Karen McNally and contributors critically examine the various ways in which television became transfixed by the Trump presidency and the broader political, social, and cultural climate. This book is the first to fully address the relationship between TV and a presidency consistently conducted with television in mind. The sixteen chapters cover everything from the political theater of televised impeachment hearings to the potent narratives of fictional drama and the stinging critiques of comedy, as they consider the wide-ranging ways in which television engages with the shifting political culture that emerged during this period. Approaching television both historically and in the contemporary moment, the contributors¾an international group of scholars from a variety of academic disciplines¾illuminate the indelible links that exist between television, American politics, and the nation’s broader culture. As it interrogates a presidency played out through the lens of the TV camera and reviews a medium immersing itself in a compelling and inescapable subject, American Television during a Television Presidency sets out to explore what defines the television of the Trump era as a distinctive time in TV history. From inequalities to resistance, and from fandom to historical memory, this book opens up new territory in which to critically analyze television’s complex relationship with Donald Trump, his presidency, and the political culture of this unsettled and simultaneously groundbreaking era. Undergraduate and graduate students and scholars of film and television studies, comedy studies, and cultural studies will value this strong collection.
American ‘Unculture’ in French Drama
by Les EssifA book about the role America plays in the French imagination, as it translates to the French stage. Informed by a rich variety of Western cultural scholarship, Essif examines two dozen post-1960 works representing some of the most innovative dramaturgy of the last half century, including works by Gatti, Obaldia, Cixous, Koltes, and Vinaver.
Americans on Shakespeare, 1776-1914 (Routledge Revivals)
by Peter RawlingsPublished in 1999. Shakespeare is ‘the great author of America’ declared James Fenimore Cooper in 1828. The ambiguous resonance of this claim is fully borne out in this collection of writings on Shakespeare by over forty prominent Americans, spanning the period between the War of independence and the outbreak of the First World War. Featured writers include: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Whitman and Mark Twain. The essays, many of which are reprinted here for the first time, are arranged in chronological order and provide a fascinating conspectus of American attitudes to Shakespeare, from Revolutionary and Transcendentalist approaches through to the influential interventions of professional American critics in the early twentieth century. The extraordinary and bizarre contribution to the Shakespeare debut by Delia Bacon is exemplified by the inclusion of her 1856 article which is reprinted in its entirety. Americans on Shakespeare charts the emergence of an American literary tradition, and the gradual appropriation of Shakespeare as part of the American search for cultural identity; an identity whose domination is set to continue into the twenty-first century.
Aminta: A Pastoral Play (Dual-language Poetry Series)
by Torquato Tasso Charles Jernigan Irene Marchegiani JonesTasso's masterpiece "Aminta" is perhaps the most famous pastoral play ever. It is also the work that launched the reputation of the author of the famed Italian epic poem of the First Crusade, Gerusalemme liberata. This story of satyrs and nymphs, shepherds and lovers is set in the ideal forest, far from the world of urban sophistication and decadence. It is presented here in the first Italian-English, dual-language edition of the play, and is the first new English translation published since the 19th century. Aminta's importance can not be overestimated; and its influence has been phenomenal, spawning over 200 plays by 1700 in Italy alone. This Italian pastoral is the source of numerous plays in France, Spain and England. Indirectly at least, it is also an inspiration for Shakespeare's pastoral comedies, such as "As You Like It," "Twelfth Night," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This volume is illustrated with the original woodcuts of the 1589 Aldine edition. Winner of the 2002 Premio Internazionale Diego Valeri of the Premio Monselice. DUAL-LANGUAGE POETRY. Introduction, notes, bibliography, illustrated.
Amor Bandido
by Cristiano ParafioritiEsta es una obra de fantasía. Los personajes, las organizaciones y las circunstancias son el resultado de la imaginación del autor o, si existen, se utilizan con fines narrativos. Por lo demás, cualquier referencia a eventos reales y personas reales deben considerarse mera casualidad. O casi coincidencia.
Amor nacido en la guerra
by Terezinha RepulaUn joven estadounidense criado en Rusia, al cumplir la mayoría de edad, fue llamado a servir a su país en el ejército sirio, donde vivió los horrores de la guerra, pero donde también encontró el amor verdadero.
Amorous Ambassador
by Michael ParkerFarce / 4m, 4f / Interior When Harry Douglas, the new American Ambassador to Great Britain, tells his family he is going to Scotland to play golf, his wife and daughter announce weekend plans of their own. Their newly hired butler, Perkins, watches stoically as each leaves and secretly returns for a romantic rendezvous in the empty house. Harry's secretary and Captain South of Marine Corps Embassy Security then arrive in the wake of a bomb threat and the embassy is sealed off, with hilarious results. Even the imperturbable Perkins is drawn into the shenanigans .
Amour et brigands
by Cristiano ParafioritiAu début du printemps 2017, Cristiano Parafioriti, le Sicilien de quarante ans, avec la résidence en Lombardie depuis déjà vingt ans pour les raisons professionnelles, atterrit sur son île pour une brève période de repos auprès de sa famille d’origine, à Galati Mamertino, un petit bourg sur les monts de Nébrodes dans la province de Messine. Il est marié, père d’un fils, et avec une fabuleuse passion littéraire ; ayant déjà publié deux recueils de récits se référant à sa terre natale. Dans l’après-midi de son arrivée, il rencontre Calogero Bau, surnommé ‘’Bau’’, employé dans les archives municipales du village, qui l’invite à jeter un coup d’œil sur un étrange document, transcription ancienne de l’État civil, sauvegardée dans son bureau. Intrigué par ces paroles, Cristiano accepte, et, le lendemain, après un bon café matinal, se rend aux archives. Après la première recherche infructueuse, lors d’une autre inspection de l’après-midi, il tombe par chance sur une découverte inespérée. À l’intérieur de cet immeuble délabré, il a découvert, en fait, dissimulé à l’intérieur d’un autre livre ecclésiastique du huitième siècle, le journal du brigand sicilien (Giovanni Darco), rédigé à cheval sur 1864 et 1865. La curiosité d’en savoir davantage sur son auteur et ses aventures inouïes, émergées à la lumière du jour, plongera Cristiano dans une semaine frénétique d’un authentique pathos émotionnel. Ces pages secrètes ne sont pas, en fait, une simple chronique des histoires de lutte entre une bande de rebelles et de nouveaux patrons, mais témoignent dans leur essence, avec la conviction et la vivacité, du merveilleux amour clandestin entre le brigand Giovanni Darco et la femme aristocrate Eufemia Celesti, épouse délaissée de Gepi Montes, aristocrate prétentieux de Nicosia et le rival le plus redoutable du brigand. Les histoires teintées de sang et d’amour s’en
Amphitryon
by David Christenson PlautusThe play Amphitryon provides an introduction to the world of Roman comedy from one of its best practitioners, Plautus. As with all Focus translations, the emphasis is on an inexpensive, readable edition that is close to the original, with an extensive introduction, notes and appendices.
Amphitryon
by Molière Richard Wilbur"Richard Wilbur's translations of classic French drama are among the undiscovered treasure of our recent literature."-The Hudson ReviewMolière's late, elegant comedy, based on Plautus' Roman version, alludes to the love affairs of the French king. This is the fourth and final volume of Theatre Communication Group's series (with cover designs by Chip Kidd), completing trade publication of these vital theatrical works. ncludes Richard Wilbur's translation notes.Richard Wilbur is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and a former poet laureate of the United States. His verse translations of Molière's plays have been performed for audiences throughout the world.
Amphitryon
by MolièreAfter his wedding night with beautiful Alcmene, Amphitryon leaves to participate in a war. Jupiter, who is fascinated by Alcmene's beauty, come to earth under the appearance of Amphitryon, accompanied by Mercury who has taken the appearance of Amphitryon's servant Sosie. Amphitryon is successful in war and sends Sosie back home to report this. <P> <P> Sosie is greeted by his look-alike Mercury, who beats him and convinces him that he Mercury is the real Sosie. The real Amphitryon meets Alcmene and is naturally confused and shocked by her account of an amorous night. Various other confusing episodes of the same type take place, including a confrontation between the two Amphitryon's. In the end, Jupiter assumes his real aspect and tells Amphitryon that his wife was faithful, since he had to take on Amphitryon's aspect in order to seduce her. He informs Amphitryon that his wife will bear Jupiter's child, the demi-god Hercules.
Amphitryon, By Molière: The Misanthrope / Amphitryon / Tartuffe / The Learned Ladies
by MolièreWilbur is at the peak of his form in this stellar translation of an unusual Molière play-populated with Greeks and Greco-Roman gods and flavored with the essences of vaudeville, fan-tasy, high comedy, farce, and even opera. Afterword by Richard Wilbur.
Amy's Wish
by Tom SharkeyComedy / 3m, 3f / Interior Recently retired and newlywed, Sam Galway is flabbergasted when the spring water at his honeymoon retreat transforms dear old Amy into a 19-year-old knockout. His "young'' bride attracts a youthful admirer while the sheriff becomes convinced that Sam has murdered Amy. This romantic comedy by the librettist-composer of It's a Wonderful Life, the author of My Heart Reminds Me and the co-author of Just Say Yes! is a charming audience-pleaser.
Amédée, The New Tenant, Victims of Duty: Three Plays (Books That Changed the World)
by Eugène IonescoThree hilarious and provocative plays by the absurdist pioneer who remains “one of the most important and influential figures in the modern theater” (Library Journal).The author of such modern classics as The Bald Soprano, Exit the King, Rhinoceros, and The Chairs, Eugene Ionesco’s plays have become emblematic of Absurdist theatre and the French avant-garde. This essential collection combines The New Tenant with Amédée and Victims of Duty—plays Richard Gilman has called, along with The Killer, Ionesco’s “greatest plays, works of the same solidity, fulness, and permanence as [those of] his predecessors in the dramatic revolution that began with Ibsen and is still going on.”In Amédée, the title character and his wife have a problem—not so much the corpse in their bedroom as the fact that it’s been there for fifteen years and is now growing, slowly but surely crowding them out of their apartment.In The New Tenant, a similar crowding is caused by an excess of furniture—as Harold Hobson said in the London Times, “there is not a dramatist . . . who can make furniture speak as eloquently as Ionesco, and here he makes it the perfect, the terrifying symbol of the deranged mind.”In Victims of Duty, Ionesco parodies the conformity of modern life by plunging his characters into an obscure search for “mallot with a t.”
An Acrobat of the Heart: A Physical Approach to Acting Inspired by the Work of Jerzy Grotowski
by Stephen Wangh"The actor will do, in public, what is considered impossible. " When the renowned Polish director Jerzy Grotowski began his 1967 American workshop with these words, his students were stunned. But within four weeks they themselves had experienced the "impossible. " In An Acrobat of the Heart, teacher-director-playwright Stephen Wangh reveals how Jerzy Grotowski's physical exercises can open a pathway to the actor's inner creativity. Drawing on Grotowski's insights and on the work of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and others, Wangh bridges the gap between rigorous physical training and practical scene and character technique. Wangh's students give candid descriptions of their struggles and breakthroughs, demonstrating how to transform these remarkable lessons into a personal journey of artistic growth. Courageous and compelling, An Acrobat of the Heartis an invaluable resource for actors, directors, and teachers alike.
An Actor Rehearses: What to Do When and Why
by David HlavsaWith a commonsense approach, An Actor Rehearses takes performers through the rehearsal process and explains exactly what to do when. The actor’s process is explained simply, sequentially, and in detail, starting from the period before rehearsals begin and continuing through first read-through, blocking rehearsals, technical rehearsals, and performances. Packed with exercises that are useful in the classroom and in the rehearsal studio, An Actor Rehearses is an indispensable guide to the rehearsal process that makes building a character easier and more rewarding for both actor and audience. And because author David Hlavsa’s emphasis is on relating acting to life, performers learn to make a remarkable connection between becoming a better actor and becoming a better person: more compassionate, more vital, more alive. Clear, practical, usable advice for actors at every level Unique focus: learning to become a better actor means learning to become a better person Huge potential audienceAllworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
An Actor Survives: Remarks on Stanislavsky (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Tomasz KubikowskiThis book focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the first volume of the book An Actor’s Work by Konstantin Stanislavsky. This volume is the only part of his planned major work on theatre art that he was able to finish and authorise before his death. Its highly edited variant has long been known as ‘An Actor Prepares’ in the English-speaking world. Tomasz Kubikowski explores Stanislavsky’s material not only as a handbook of acting but also as a philosophical testament of Stanislavsky, in which he attempts to contain his most essential experiences and reflections. This book explores the underlying theme of ‘survival’ in its various meanings, from professional to existential; and the mechanisms and actions we attempt to survive. This study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre and performance studies.
An Actor's Companion
by Seth Barrish Anne Hathaway"I was totally unprepared for the transformation that Seth's technique created in me. . . . I realized that what I thought I knew about acting up to that point was largely misguided . . . but I now had a great, talented, dedicated teacher who generously wanted to share his tools with everyone. There is muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, and I know that having him as my first guide is one of the luckiest things to have happened to me in my career and life. And when I can't get back to class with him, I am so grateful I have this book to turn to."--Anne Hathaway"This book is truly unlike anything else I know--these pieces are haikus on specific elements of performance and character building."--Philip Himberg, executive director, Sundance Theatre InstituteA collection of practical acting tips, tools, and exercises, An Actor's Companion is ideal for both the seasoned professionals and actors-in-training. The tips--all simple, direct, and useful--are easy to understand and even easier to apply, in both rehearsal and in performance.Seth Barrish is an actor, teacher, and the co-artistic director of The Barrow Group in New York City. In his thirty-year career, he has directed the award-winning shows My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Show, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Solo Show), Sleepwalk With Me (Nightlife Award for Outstanding Comedian in a Major Performance), The Tricky Part (Obie Award, Drama Desk nominations for Best Play and Best Solo Show), Pentecost (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and Garland Award for Best Direction), and Good (Straw Hat Award for Best Direction), among dozens of others.