- Table View
- List View
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth
by William ShakespearePicking up where Henry IV, Part One left off after the Battle of Shrewsbury, Henry IV, Part Two is the story of England's King Henry IV during his final months of life, his reconciliation with his wayward heir, and his eventual death.
The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth
by William ShakespeareShakespeare's Henry VI plays dramatize contemporary as much as Elizabethan issues: the struggle for power, the manoeuvres of politicians, social unrest, and civil war.
Second Summer
by Gary RichardsComedy / 2m, 3f / Interiors / A good natured, affable man embittered by the death of his beloved wife reluctantly sells his business and home in Brooklyn and moves to Florida. In what he thought would be "God's waiting room," he finds a world of new possibilities as single women his age flock to charm the new, available man. This play by the author of Dividends is about the rebirth of an elderly man who finds that the long dormant teenager in himself still exists. It celebrates the richness of the mature life experience in a warmhearted comedy that clearly demonstrates it's not how old you are, it's how your are old!
The Second Wave: British Drama for the Seventies (Routledge Revivals)
by John Russell TaylorIn the 1970s the revolution that had swept the British theatre in the 1950s had already become accepted as the new establishment. Areas that had been previously regarded as remote ideals - including permanent repertory companies, a lively provincial theatre and an extensive spread of avant-garde and fringe theatrical activities - were now considered commonplace. In this title, first published in 1971, John Russell Taylor assesses the prospects of the British theatre at the start of the 1970s and indicates its points of weakness and its strengths. In this context are placed the key figures among the Second Wave of dramatists, and detailed critical commentaries on the work of writers such as David Mercer, Tom Stoppard and Peter Terson. This is an indispensable introduction for any student with an interest in the history and development of the British theatre and the people who have played instrumental roles in this.
The Secret History of Magic: The True Story of the Deceptive Art
by Peter Lamont Jim SteinmeyerPull back the curtain on the real history of magic – and discover why magic really matters If you read a standard history of magic, you learn that it begins in ancient Egypt, with the resurrection of a goose in front of the Pharaoh. You discover how magicians were tortured and killed during the age of witchcraft. You are told how conjuring tricks were used to quell rebellious colonial natives. The history of magic is full of such stories, which turn out not to be true. Behind the smoke and mirrors, however, lies the real story of magic. It is a history of people from humble roots, who made and lost fortunes, and who deceived kings and queens. In order to survive, they concealed many secrets, yet they revealed some and they stole others. They engaged in deception, exposure, and betrayal, in a quest to make the impossible happen. They managed to survive in a world in which a series of technological wonders appeared, which previous generations would have considered magical. Even today, when we now take the most sophisticated technology for granted, we can still be astonished by tricks that were performed hundreds of years ago. The Secret History of Magic reveals how this was done. It is about why magic matters in a world that no longer seems to have a place for it, but which desperately needs a sense of wonder.
The Secret History of the Future
by James StillComedy \ 5m, 3f \ Unit set \ Originally produced at The Kennedy Center, this humorous journey into history sends three modern teens to 15th Century Spain. They befriend the heir to the throne, Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci, confront the Inquisition and turn history on its ear. This ninety minute play has been successfully cast with both teens and adults and is popular with school and family audiences. \ "Shows a past which contains the future, and offers all the characters a wider, deeper world view."-- USA Today.
Secret Life of a Mother
by Hannah MoscovitchThe raw and untold secrets of pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and mothering are revealed in this true story of motherhood for the twenty-first century. A playwright writes an exposé of modern motherhood full of her own darkly funny confessions and taboo-breaking truths. One of her real-life friends, an actress, performs the piece, and through it her own experiences of motherhood start to surface. These mothers are not the butts of jokes, the villains, or the perfect angels of a household. This empowered and relatable play was written collaboratively between award-winning theatre artists Hannah Moscovitch, Maev Beaty, and Ann-Marie Kerr, with co-creator Marinda de Beer. Uplifting and full of love, Secret Life of a Mother is a generous and powerful act of truth-telling for anyone who has thought about, been, loved, known—or come from—a mother.
Secret Life of a Scandalous Debutante
by Bronwyn ScottJust another dull debutante?From boxing at Jackson's to dancing starry-eyed society belles around London's ballrooms, Beldon Stratten is the perfect English gentleman. And he's looking for a perfectly bland, respectable wife.Appearances can be deceiving...Exotic Lilya Stefanov is anything but bland. Beldon is intrigued to see that the ragamuffin girl he once knew has matured into an elegant lady, poised and polite!But beneath the mysterious beauty's evening gowns and polished etiquette lies a dangerous secret-and a scandalous sensuality...
The Secret Life of The American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built
by Jack ViertelIn the process, he invites us to fall in love all over again by showing us how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, and how one landmark show leads to the next--by design or by accident, by emulation or by rebellion--from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and onward.
The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built
by Jack ViertelNew York Times Bestseller: “Both revelatory and entertaining . . . Along the way, Viertel provides some fascinating Broadway history.” —The New York Times Book ReviewAmericans invented musicals—and have a longstanding love affair with them. But what, exactly, is a musical? In this book, longtime theatrical producer and writer Jack Viertel takes them apart, puts them back together, sings their praises, and occasionally despairs over their more embarrassing shortcomings. In the process, he shows us how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, and how one landmark show leads to the next—by design or by accident, by emulation or by rebellion—from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and onward.Beginning with an overture and concluding with a curtain call, with stops in between for “I Want” songs, “conditional” love songs, production numbers, star turns, and finales, Viertel shows us patterns in the architecture of classic shows and charts the inevitable evolution that has taken place in musical theater as America itself has evolved socially and politically. The Secret Life of the American Musical makes you feel like you’re there in the rehearsal room, the front row, and the offices of theater owners and producers as they pursue their own love affair with that rare and elusive beast—the Broadway hit.“A valuable addition to the theater lover’s bookshelf. . . . fans will appreciate the dips into memoir and Viertel’s takes on original cast albums.” —Publishers Weekly“Even seasoned hands will come away with a clearer understanding of why some shows work while others flop.” —Commentary“A showstopper . . . infectiously entertaining.” —John Lahr, author of Notes on a Cowardly Lion“Thoroughly interesting.” —The A.V. Club“The best general-audience analysis of musical theater I have read in many years.” —The Charlotte Observer“Delightful . . . a little bit history, a little bit memoir, a little bit criticism and, for any theater fan, a whole lot of fun.” —The Dallas Morning News
The Secret Life of Theater: On the Nature and Function of Theatrical Representation
by Brian KulickWhat is the secret DNA of theater? What makes it unique from its sister arts? Why was it invented? Why does it persist? And now, in such an advanced technological age, why do we still feel compelled to return to a mode of expression that was invented over two thousand years ago? These are some of the foundational questions that are asked in this study of theater from its inception to today. The Secret Life of Theater begins with a look at theater’s origins in Ancient Greece. Next, it moves on to examine the history and nature of theater, from Agamenon to Angels in America, through theater’s use of stage directions, revealing the many unspoken languages that are employed to communicate with its audiences. Finally, it looks at theater’s ever-shifting strategies of engendering fellow-feeling through the use of emotion, allowing the form to become a rare space where one can feel a thought and think a feeling. In an age when many studies are concerned with the "how" of theater, this work returns us to theatre’s essential "why." The Secret Life of Theater suggests that by reframing the question we can re-enchant this unique and ever-vital medium of expression.
The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham: A Biography
by Selina HastingsHe was a brilliant teller of tales, one of the most widely read authors of the twentieth century, and at one time the most famous writer in the world, yet W. Somerset Maugham’s own true story has never been fully told. At last, the fascinating truth is revealed in a landmark biography by the award-winning writer Selina Hastings. Granted unprecedented access to Maugham’s personal correspondence and to newly uncovered interviews with his only child, Hastings portrays the secret loves, betrayals, integrity, and passion that inspired Maugham to create such classics as The Razor’s Edge and Of Human Bondage.Hastings vividly presents Maugham’s lonely childhood spent with unloving relatives after the death of his parents, a trauma that resulted in shyness, a stammer, and for the rest of his life an urgent need for physical tenderness. Here, too, are his adult triumphs on the stage and page, works that allowed him a glittering social life in which he befriended and sometimes fell out with such luminaries as Dorothy Parker, Charlie Chaplin, D. H. Lawrence, and Winston Churchill.The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham portrays in full for the first time Maugham’s disastrous marriage to Syrie Wellcome, a manipulative society woman of dubious morality who trapped Maugham with a pregnancy and an attempted suicide. Hastings also explores Maugham’s many affairs with men, including his great love, Gerald Haxton, an alcoholic charmer and a cad. Maugham’s courageous work in secret intelligence during two world wars is described in fascinating detail—experiences that provided the inspiration for the groundbreaking Ashenden stories. From the West End to Broadway, from China to the South Pacific, Maugham’s restless and remarkably productive life is thrillingly recounted as Hastings uncovers the real stories behind such classics as “Rain,” The Painted Veil, Cakes & Ale, and other well-known tales.An epic biography of a hugely talented and hugely conflicted man, The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham is the definitive account of Maugham’s extraordinary life.From the Hardcover edition.
The Secret Mask
by Rick ChafeThis heartwarming and often hilarious play tells the story of Ernie and George, an estranged father and son who are reunited when a debilitating stroke leaves Ernie with a speech disorder and memory loss. While George is undeniably hurt and betrayed by the man who abandoned him as a child, Ernie can't remember his words, or where he lives. Together they must find a way to make sense of their past and their future through fractured memories and muddled language.
The Secret Rapture and Other Plays: Fanshen - A Map Of The World - Saigon - The Bay At Nice (Books That Changed the World)
by David HareA collection of five plays fromthe Tony Award–winning playwright and screenwriter, &“the premiere political dramatist writing in English&” (The Washington Post). David Hare, &“Britain&’s leading contemporary playwright,&” has established a unique reputation for plays that are at once personal and political, deeply serious and incredibly funny (The Times). He is the author of seventeen plays, many of which have been presented on Broadway. Included in this collection are Fanshen; A Map of the World; Saigon: Year of the Cat; The Bay at Nice; and The Secret Rapture. Of the title play, Frank Rich of The New York Times said, &“The Secret Rapture has gone further than before in marrying political thought to the compelling drama of lives that refuse to conform to any ideology&’s utopian plan . . . Mr. Hare embraces the human, messy though it may be.&” Praise for David Hare Fanshen &“The nearest any English contemporary writer has come to emulating Brecht.&” —Financial Times A Map of the World &“Mr. Hare&’s A Map of the World, which passionately embraces utopia without arrogantly presuming to annex it, is original and provocative.&” —The New York Times Saigon &“An impressive new film which vividly captures the last desperate days in Vietnam as the Reds laid siege to the sweltering city.&” —Daily Express The Bay at Nice &“Witty, cerebral, and full of fine-spun ironies.&” —The Guardian The Secret Rapture &“His writing, as always, is smart, and this time, glorious. The characters are unhackneyed and complex; the insights are tough and hard to ignore.&” —New York Newsday
A Secret Rebellion
by Anne MatherOne night was all she'd wanted...Few of Beth's students would have recognized her as the seductive charmer who crashed a posh London party, commanded the immediate attention of Alex Thiarchos, brazenly seduced him...and disappeared.But her mission was accomplished. She was pregnant. And she was happily and quite determinedly alone. Surely the haunting image of her first and only lover-the father of her child-would fade in time?Wrong. A campus tragedy brought Alex back into her life, stirring needs, desires and complications Beth didn't want. Now Alex knew heartache firsthand, and this time he wouldn't let her go!
Secrets of a Soccer Mom
by Kathleen ClarkFull Length, Comedy / 3 f / Exterior / Formerly titled: Soccer Moms. Three engaging women reluctantly take the field in a mothers vs. sons soccer game. They intend to let the children win, but as the game unfolds they become intent on scoring. The competition ignites a fierce desire to recapture their youthful good-humor, independence and sexiness, paving the way toward a better understanding of themselves, their families and changes they need to make in their lives. "Let's hear it for Soccer Moms, a diverting comedy with a slick style and attention, holding crisp dialogue.''-The New York Times
Secrets of Acting Shakespeare: The Original Approach
by Patrick TuckerSecrets of Acting Shakespeare isn’t a book that gently instructs. It is a passionate, yes-you-can guide designed to prove that anybody can act Shakespeare. Patrick Tucker’s classic manual encourages trained and amateur actors alike to look to the original practices of the Elizabethan theatre for inspiration. He explores the ‘cue scripts’ used by actors, who knew only their own lines, to demonstrate the extraordinary way that these plays work by ear. This updated second edition includes: A section dedicated to the modes of address 'thee‘ and 'you‘ A brand new chapter on Original Practices and cue scripts An expanded genealogical chart, showing the interrelations of 92 different characters from the history plays A new discussion of Elizabethan acting spaces – balconies, gates, ramparts and even backstage areas Secrets of Acting Shakespeare is a must-read for actors intrigued by the ‘Original Approach’ to acting Shakespeare, or for anyone curious about how the Elizabethan theater worked.
Secrets of Screen Acting
by Patrick TuckerWhen it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how acting for the camera is different from acting on stage. Reaction time is altered, physical timing and placement are reconceived, and the proportions of the digital frame itself become the measure of all things, so the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle and actors must 'fit' into the frame. Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, this book shows what actually works: how an actor, an announcer--anyone working in front of the cameras--gives excellent performances on screen.Instead of starting with what is real and trying to wrestle that onto the screen, Patrick Tucker explains how to work with the realities of a shoot and work from there towards the real. His step-by-step guide to the elements of effective screen acting is an extension and explanation of a lifetime of work in the field, containing over 50 acting exercises and the tried-and-tested Screen Acting Checklist. As well as being completely updated to cover new techniques, film references and insights, this third edition now includes a set of Film Clip Time Codes for each film. These not only itemise the films discussed in each chapter, but also pinpoint the precise moments where each example can be found so that students, teachers, and professional actors can refer to them quickly and easily.
Secrets of Screen Acting Third Edition
by Patrick TuckerWhen it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how acting for the camera is different from acting on stage. Reaction time is altered, physical timing and placement are reconceived, and the proportions of the digital frame itself become the measure of all things, so the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle and actors must 'fit' into the frame. Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, this book shows what actually works: how an actor, an announcer--anyone working in front of the cameras--gives excellent performances on screen.
The Seduction Business
by Charlotte LambSeducing the boss?Bianca Milne looks the part of the ambitious femal executive, with her sleek, touch-me-not looks and her cool, controlled manner. But there's another Bianca underneath she never lets the business world see. Until she's assigned to buy out Matt Hearne's company.Matt has hear rumors about Bianca-so how far will she go to clinch this deal? When he's called home to look after his little daughter, Bianca impulsively offers him her help, not anticipating that the enforced proximity will only ignite the smoldering physical attraction between them....
The Seduction Scheme
by Kim LawrenceAn unexpected encounter with Ben Arden had caused Rachel many sleepless nights. She couldn’t get him out of her mind—then she discovered he was her new boss! And this sexy, dynamic man clearly wanted to continue their relationship after hours....Rachel hadn’t been looking for a man—her young daughter was her priority. But Ben seemed more than happy to become a father—and there was no doubt he would make an irresistible husband!
See Bob Run & Wild Abandon
by Daniel MacivorBob is on the road. Bob is on the run. But from what, or whom, is she running? Follow Bob as she hops from car to car telling her story to unsuspecting drivers as she tries to put her life in the rear-view mirror. Will she make it to her destination? And what will she find when she gets there? Find out in the critically adored See Bob Run."...the ironic name stands in sharp contrast to this perceptive and thoroughly engrossing one-woman show." —Toronto StarIn Wild Abandon we are introduced to Steve, a man alone in the world. Steve is acerbic, opinionated, and desperate to figure himself out. As he recounts his life story, we follow Steve out the door of his strict Catholic home, through diners and bars and parks as we hear the tales that made the man. Wild Abandon is a story about running away, and about how to find your way home again."...a one-man show without valleys. It's a wonderful piece—honest, imaginative, profound, moving and very funny." —Carole Corbeil
See Me: Prison Theater Workshops and Love
by Jan Cohen-CruzEncounters, transformations, and reflections from in-prison and post-release theater workshopsSee Me is a collection of intimate dialogues about collective experiences in the context of prison theater workshops. Each essay is a collaboration between two or three people who connected profoundly in the temporary community that a workshop can create. Part I is an exchange grounded in the prison theater workshop between the author and one of the incarcerated participants. They alternately tell the story of what they found in the workshop, each other, the future they imagined together, and the social turmoil and utopian aspirations of the times. Part II consists of essays jointly written by eight other people impacted by close relationships spawned in diverse in-prison and re-entry theater workshops.
See You In Bells
by Edie ClaireThe mother of the bride has every reason to panic. Three generations of Bower family weddings - three inexplicable disasters. Now, with the church building falling down, half the wedding party AWOL, and the bride's sisters still fighting over what happened at the last family wedding, daughter Jenna's nuptials seem hopelessly doomed. But peacemaking brother Brian is determined to end the sisters' feud - and the family curse. All he needs is to stage a rip-roaring intervention - and pray it turns divine!
Seeds
by Annabel SoutarPart courtroom drama and part social satire, Seeds presents an intelligent portrait of farming and scientific communities in conflict and at the same time penetrates the complex science of genetically modified crops. The play documents the 2004 Supreme Court of Canada showdown between Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser and biotech multinational Monsanto Inc., a David-and-Goliath struggle that cast Schmeiser as the small-farmer underdog fighting the unscrupulous major corporation. Monsanto accused him of growing their genetically patented Round-up Ready canola seeds on his property without paying the licensing fee they require. Through a suspenseful labyrinth of legal conflicts regarding patent rights, scientific showdowns about GM food and property clashes between farmers and the biotechnology industry, Seeds asks the essential question: "Can you patent a living thing?" Or as Schmeiser famously asked, "Who owns life?"A most interesting aspect of the play is the ambiguity around the hero Percy Schmeiser. Is he a victim or an opportunist and self-publicist? Certainly, he's no innocent; as he keeps telling us, he's an experienced politician, in fact an ex-mayor. He's a believer who knows how to frame his beliefs to advantage. He can be grand and he can be petty - and as such he is antihero as much as hero.Named the top play of the decade by Rover Arts in its review of English theatre in Montreal between 2000 and 2010, Seeds takes us back to the seminal moment when a single farmer stood up to international agribusiness and almost won.Cast of 4 women and 3 men.