Here are books and videos that we believe students, teachers, and others who are interested in studying and making theatre will find useful.
Click on the “Review” link to jump to a review on this page. Many of the reviews first appeared in Dramatics magazine; some appear only here. Also listed are books by contributors to Dramatics and Teaching Theatre, other resources noted in those publications, and classic theatre texts. Titles that are in print are linked to Amazon.com, the book’s publisher, or to EdTA’s Store. The Store link will take you to the Store main page; books are in the section “Educational Resources.” Purchases made through the Educational Theatre Association website’s link to Amazon.com benefit the Association.
An Acrobat of the Heart: A Physical Approach to Acting, Inspired by the Work of Jerzy Grotowski, by Stephen Wangh Review
The Actor as Storyteller, by Bruce Miller
The Actor in You: Sixteen Simple Steps to Understanding the Art of Acting, by Robert Benedetti
An Actor Prepares, by Constantine Stanislavski
The Actor Sings: Discovering a Musical Voice for the Stage, by Kevin Robison Review
The Actor’s Art: Conversations with Contemporary American Stage Performers, edited by Jackson R. Bryer and Richard A. Davison Review
Auditioning: An Actor-Friendly Guide, by Joanna Merlin, foreword by Harold Prince
Five Approaches to Acting, by David Kaplan (West Broadway Press)
Freeing the Natural Voice, by Kristin Linklater
Gielgud: A Theatrical Life, 1904-2000, by Jonathan Croall
Head-First Acting: A Commonsense Technique for Young Actors, by Bruce J. Miller
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre, by Keith Johnstone
Improvisation for the Theater, edited by Viola Spolin and Paul Sills
I Will Be Cleopatra: An Actress’s Journey, by Zoe Caldwell
Sanford Meisner on Acting, by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell
Stanislavski and the Actor, by Jean Benedetti and Alice L. Crowley
Sword Fighting: A Manual for Actors and Directors, by Keith Ducklin and John Waller
Theater Games for the Lone Actor, by Viola Spolin, foreword by Paul Sills
Tips: Ideas for Actors, by Jon Jory
Uta Hagen’s Acting Class (video set)
Career Solutions for Creative People, by Dr. Ronda Ormont Review
The College Board College Cost and Financial Aid 2005, edited by The College Board
The College Board Scholarship Handbook 2005, edited by The College Board
The College Board College Handbook 2005, edited by The College Board
Field Guide to Colleges, by Shannon R. Turlington
The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2005, by Edward B. Fiske
The Performing Arts Major’s College Guide, 3rd edition, by Carole J. Everett
Peterson’s Professional Degree Programs in the Visual and Performing Arts 2005
Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants, and Prizes 2005, edited by Peterson’s Guides
Summer Theatre Directory 2004, edited by P.J. Tumielewicz and Peg Lyons
Collected Writings on Education and Drama, by Dorothy Heathcote
Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond, by Nellie McCaslin
Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education, by Dorothy Heathcote and Gavin Bolton
Drama Worlds: A Framework for Process Drama, by Cecily O’Neill
Games for Actors and Non-Actors, by Augusto Boal
Learning to Teach Drama: A Case Narrative Approach, edited by Joe Norris, Laura A. McCammon, and Carole S. Miller
Master Teachers of Theatre, edited by Burnet M. Hobgood
Raising the Curtain: Activities for the Theatre Arts Classroom, by Gai Jones
Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook, by Viola Spolin
Theater in Cyberspace: Issues of Teaching, Acting, and Directing, edited by Stephen A. Schrum
American Set Design, by Arnold Aronson
The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management, by Thomas A. Kelly
The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques, by Annie Sloan and Kate Gwynn
Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art, and Business, by James L. Moody
Conducting Light, with David Cuthbert Review
Control Systems for Live Entertainment, second edition, by John Huntington
Designer Drafting for the Entertainment World, by Patricia Woodbridge
Designing and Drawing for the Theater, by Lynn Pecktal
Designing with Light: An Introduction to Stage Lighting, by J. Michael Gillette
The Elements of Style, edited by Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth Cromley
Fashion in Costume 1200-2000, 2nd edition, by Joan Nunn Review
A Guidebook for Creating Three-Dimensional Theatre Art, by Ann J. Carnaby
Hair & Wigs for the Stage: Step by Step, by Rosemarie Swinfield
Handbook of Scenery, Properties, and Lighting, Volume I, by Harvey Sweet
Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, by John Holloway Review
Lighting the Stage: Art and Practice, third edition, by Willard F. Bellman
The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant: Making Common Garments 1200-1500, by Sarah Thursfield
Period Style for the Theatre, by Douglas A. Russell
Professional Painted Finishes, by Ina Brosseau Marx, Allen Marx, and Robert Marx
Scene Design and Stage Lighting, by W. Oren Parker and R. Craig Wolf
Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art and Technique of Design, by James Lebrecht and Deena Kaye
Stage Design: A Practical Guide, by Gary Thorne Review
Stage Design and Properties, by Michael Holt
Stage Lighting Design: A Practical Design, by Neil Fraser
Stage Lighting Revealed: A Design and Execution Handbook, by Glen Cunningham
Stage Makeup, by Laura Thudium
Stage Manager: The Professional Experience, by Larry Fazio Review
Stage Managing and Theatre Etiquette: A Basic Guide, by Linda Apperson
Stagecraft 1: A Complete Guide to Backstage Work, by William H. Lord
Stock Scenery Construction: A Handbook, by Bill Raoul
Surfaces: Visual Research for Artists, Architects, and Designers, by Judy A. Juracek
Technical Design Solutions for Theatre: The Technical Brief Collection, Volume 2, edited by Brownislaw J. Sammler and Don Harvey Review
Technical Theater for Nontechnical People, by Drew Campbell Review
The Theatre Props Handbook, by Thurston James
The Theater Props What, Where, When: An Illustrated Chronology from Arrowheads to Video Games, by Thurston James
Theatrical FX Makeup, by David Sartor and John Pivovarnick Review
Wireless Microphones in the Theatre (CD-ROM), by Martin John Gallagher Review
Anne Bogart: Viewpoints, edited by Michael B. Dixon and Joel A. Smith
The Director’s Eye: A Comprehensive Textbook for Directors and Actors, by John Ahart
Directors in Rehearsal: A Hidden World, by Susan Letzler Cole
Directors on Directing, edited by Toby Cole and Helen Krich Chinoy
The Empty Space, by Peter Brook
Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing, by William Ball
Staging a Musical, by Matthew White Review
Thinking Like a Director: A Practical Handbook, by Michael Bloom
Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays, by David Ball
Brian Friel: Philadelphia, Here I Come!; Translations; Making History; Dancing at Lughnasa, by Nesta Jones
Changing Stages: A View of British and American Theatre in the Twentieth Century, by Richard Eyre and Nicholas Wright Review
Days and Nights at the Second City: A Memoir, with Notes on Staging Review Theatre, by Bernard Sahlins
Ghost Light: A Memoir, by Frank Rich
The New York Times Book of Broadway, edited by Ben Brantley Review
A Pocket Guide to 20th Century Drama, by Stephen Unwin with Carole Woddis Review
Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber: The New Musical, by Stephen Citron
Student Companion to Arthur Miller, by Susan C. W. Abbotson
Student Companion to Tennessee Williams, by Nancy M. Patterson Tischler
Theatrical Anecdotes, by Peter Hay
Booking and Tour Management for the Performing Arts, third edition, by Rena Shagan
Produce Your Play Without a Producer: A Survival Guide for Actors and Playwrights Who Need a Production, by Mark Hillenbrand Review
The Stuff of Dreams: Behind the Scenes of an American Community Theater, by Leah Hager Cohen
The Dramatist’s Toolkit: The Craft of the Working Playwright, by Jeffrey Sweet
Perfect 10: Writing and Producing the 10-Minute Play, by Gary Garrison
Playwriting Master Class: The Personality of Process and the Art of Rewriting, edited by Michael Wright
She Also Wrote Plays: An International Guide of Women’s Playwrights from the 10th to the 21st Century, by Susan Croft Review
The Student’s Guide to Playwriting Opportunities, edited by Michael Wright
Women Who Write Plays: Interviews with American Dramatists, edited by Alexis Greene
The Cassell Companion to Theatre Review
Dramatists Sourcebook, 23rd edition
The New Penguin Dictionary of the Theatre, by Jonathan Law
The Smith and Kraus Play Index for Young Actors Grades 6-12 Review
The Stage Director’s Handbook, edited by David Diamond and Terry Berliner
Theatre Sources Dot Com: A Complete Guide to Online Theatre and Dance Resources, by Louis E. Catron
Video Versions: Film Adaptations of Plays on Video, edited by Thomas L. Erskine
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Stage and Film Musicals, edited by Colin Larkin and John Martland
All the Words on Stage: A Complete Pronunciation Dictionary for the Plays of William Shakespeare, by Louis Scheeder and Shane Ann Younts
The Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard, by Norrie Epstein
Shakespeare: A Crash Course, by Rob Graham
Shakespeare’s Names: A New Pronouncing Dictionary, by Louis Colaianni
A Shakespearean Actor Prepares, by Adrian Brine and Michael York Review
What Would Shakespeare Do? by Jess Winfield
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An Acrobat of the Heart: A Physical Approach to Acting, Inspired by the Work of Jerzy Grotowski Top
By Stephen Wangh, Vintage Books, 2000
In An Acrobat of the Heart, Stephen Wangh describes the experiences of a fictional class as they work through an acting process influenced by the physical and movement-based work of Jerzy Grotowski, the renowned Polish director, teacher, and theatre theoretician. Wangh clearly relates the specific purpose of various exercises to acting process and craft. And he introduces each new concept in such a way that it builds lucidly on the previous work.
Readers need to make their own leap from text to practice, working with at least one other actor. Wangh encourages readers to experiment with the exercises, seeking their own paths creatively. He also integrates Grotowski’s work into a more mainstream and accessible approach toward acting process that includes references to Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, Anne Bogart, Viola Spolin, Kristen Linklater, and others. Although it doesn’t contain many practical tools for immediate use, An Acrobat of the Heart is a book in which a master teacher—who writes as well as he teaches—brings to life his class, his students, and himself, while sharing insight on artistic processes.
—Bruce Miller
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, September 2001 The Actor Sings: Discovering a Musical Voice for the Stage Top
By Kevin Robison, Heinemann, 2000
The Actor Sings: Discovering a Musical Voice for the Stage is designed for those who shy away from musical theatre. This book is an encouraging introduction to the world of the singer. In a style that is warm, clear, and informal, Robison offers practical reasons for an actor to find a singing voice and makes a convincing argument that most of us have one. The book offers many suggestions for overcoming fears and negative attitude regarding the ability to sing. Also included is a concise overview of vocal technique that thoughtfully summarizes the skills of breathing, resonance, and articulation. By the end of the book, readers will believe that they, too, can and should explore their singing side. They will be convinced that by pursuing singing as a craft they can overcome their reservations, and like many of the real students referred to in the book, eventually find singing work on the musical theatre stage.
—Bruce Miller
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, September 2000 The Actor’s Art: Conversations with Contemporary American Stage Performers Top
Edited by Jackson R. Bryer and Richard A. Davison, Rutgers University Press, 2001
Biographies are so much more than lists of teachers, roles, and awards. The Actor’s Art conveys stories about numerous productions, insight about becoming and being an actor, and opinions about issues such as color-blind casting and the future of theatre. Together, these conversations form lively, thought-provoking sketches of such stars as Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, Ruby Dee, Julie Harris, Cherry Jones, James Earl Jones, Stacy Keach, Nathan Lane, and Jason Robards. The editors have wisely preserved each actor’s voice, leaving in the digressions that reflect thought naturally developing midstream. About half of the seventeen interviews occurred in 1993 as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s celebration of Broadway’s centennial. The informative introduction offers an overview of professional theatre from 1927—when Tandy made her stage debut—through 1999, brief descriptions of the actors’ performances, and observations on acting. The Actor’s Art demonstrates the value of listening, and the pleasures of reading.
—Laura C. Kelley
Reprinted from Dramatics magazine, September 2001
Career Solutions for Creative People Top
By Dr. Ronda Ormont, Allworth Press, 2001
No matter how skilled they are, many artists need a lifeline, a stable job that enables them to also pursue creative endeavors. The late Dr. Ronda Ormont, a veteran counselor of actors and others trying to balance their art and their checkbooks, wrote Career Solutions for Creative People to help readers find their way. She establishes the realities: “Working in the arts can involve not only fierce competition and low salaries, but a bewildering lack of positive results and feedback” plus the challenge of sustaining artistic success. She helps the reader draft personal goals and discover paths to achieve them, whether through full-time or freelance work. Particularly useful for those who have not yet launched their careers are the self-assessment exercises, interviewing and résumé tips, and the detailed list of popular lifeline careers for creative people.
—Laura C. Kelley
Reprinted from Dramatics magazine, September 2001
Conducting Light, with David Cuthbert Top
Theatre Arts Video Library, 1998
Conducting Light from Theatre Arts Video Library explains and demonstrates the basic procedures and accepted terminology used by amateur and professional stagehands. While most other lighting books and videos address design theory, this set of videos concentrates on maintaining, hanging, focusing, and storing lights.
Tape one covers the lighting instruments themselves, including all of the important mechanical details. Tape two covers lighting instrument accessories, basic lighting theory (poorly illustrated with a sock puppet), color media, and lamp color temperature. Even obvious tips (like wearing leather gloves to focus a hot lighting instrument) are included, as are common safety procedures and instrument maintenance. Conducting Light is an essential addition to every high school theatre training program because it covers the basics for a working theatre electrician. At $129 for both tapes, it’s money well spent. The tapes should be required viewing for every student and drama teacher before they step onto the stage to hang and focus the lights.
—Steve Nelson
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, January 2000  |
Fashion in Costume 1200-2000, second edition Top
By Joan Nunn, Ivan R. Dee, 2000
Fashion in Costume 1200-2000 is a solid costume history survey and a fine, affordable reference addition for a design/tech library. Joan Nunn, veteran costumer and teacher, has produced a one-step guide to European fashion ranging from earliest medieval to the brink of the millennium. Nunn has gathered together a considerable amount of research on period and detail. Using cultural and socio-economic background, she explores not only what people wore but why they wore it. Her pen and ink drawings are derived from a variety of period sources: bronze etchings, carvings, tapestries, paintings, fashion plates, photographs. This is a terrific resource for the director, designer, or craftsperson at the start of a project who needs a quick but thorough overview of historical period style, from hats to jewelry to underwear. Beginning costumers will find their footing here, while those with more experience will appreciate a refresher course.
—Katherine B. Kohl
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, September 2000  |
Illustrated Theatre Production Guide Top
By John Holloway, Focal Press, 2002
John Holloway’s conversational writing style in The Illustrated Theatre Production Guide has the easy-going feel of a coffee break discussion out on the theatre loading dock. It’s easy to imagine him leading a new hand onstage, pointing to a flyrail, and picking up a rope to show the newcomer how to tie a bowline, or flattening out a coffee-stained napkin to draw an explanatory sketch. Holloway’s sensibility reminds me of countless other journeymen stagehands I have met and worked with backstage. For him, all truly useful knowledge is practical and worth sharing with new backstage technicians. His book is a compendium of the practical skills and tricks that working stagehands, carpenters, and electricians need to do their jobs on a daily basis. For every skill and trick, whether it’s loading weights up on the loading rail to balance the pipe or pushing a pallet on stage with a T-handle pole, Holloway includes a cleanly drawn, clearly labeled illustration. While nothing can replace a thorough backstage apprenticeship and on-the-job instruction from an experienced journeyman stagehand, a book like Illustrated Production Guide is definitely the next best thing.
—Steve Nelson
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, September 2002 Stage Design: A Practical Guide Top
By Gary Thorne, The Crowood Press, 1999
Gary Thorne’s Stage Design: A Practical Guide is an excellent book about scenic design that goes well beyond technical basics. The text discusses materials, drawing, color, theatre architecture, technology, script analysis, presentation techniques, and more. The detailed descriptions of tools, equipment, and materials can be useful even for experienced designers. Thorne, a British designer and educator, also explains specific sketching, drafting, and model-making techniques. Throughout the text, examples, anecdotes, and black and white photographs of actual design projects demonstrate the collaborative processes of designers and directors. Most chapters include exercises to guide a designer step by step toward a finished product. Thorne also points out the importance of a designer being able to clearly communicate, document, and justify his or her own thoughts and ideas. His attention to the creative, collaborative, and technical process helps to convey a specific sense of design aesthetic. This aspect of the book is most refreshing and truly useful to a young designer.
—Scott Dahl
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, May 2000 Stage Manager: The Professional Experience Top
By Larry Fazio, Focal Press, 2000
In Stage Manager: The Professional Experience, Larry Fazio presents the journey of a stage manager, from interviewing for the position through striking a theatrical production. He describes what does—and sometimes, does not—make a good stage manager based on his own experience and that of other theatre professionals. Of particular note are the examples and comparisons of a working rehearsal (or blocking) script and a cuing script. Also among the three hundred pages is a glossary that could prove invaluable to any novice theatre artist. Fazio’s intended audience is the beginner, making the book a great resource for a student who has a show or two under her belt and is looking to pursue stage management as a career. As someone who started her career in stage management as a sophomore in college, I would have enjoyed having this book as a guide to get me started.
—Janine Rauscher
Reprinted from Dramatics magazine, April 2002  |
Technical Design Solutions for Theatre: The Technical Brief Collection, Volume 2 Top
Edited by Brownislaw J. Sammler and Don Harvey, Focal Press, 2002
Technical Design Solutions for Theatre is a collection of 121 articles that have appeared in The Technical Brief Collection, a publication of the Yale School of Drama’s Technical Design and Production Department. Tech Briefs—the shorthand title that tech devotees of the book use—tells the reader how shop folks come up with innovative solutions that aren’t in any textbooks or perhaps even in the experience of veteran stagehands and technical directors. Each of the one- to three-page heavily illustrated articles describes a solution that various technical directors, shop techs, and stagehands came up with to solve a specific production problem. The focus ranges from problems in costumes, lighting, and painting to props, rigging, scenery, and sound. The material in this text might seem like pretty advanced stuff for someone new to backstage work, but that’s not a reason to put it aside. There is plenty of good reading here for the apprentice and veteran alike. Not only can you find insight into the problem-solving process of backstage workers and technical directors, but you can glean facts about the standard ways of doing things as well. In truth, innovative solutions always occur in the context of the conventional methods that don’t seem to work for one reason or another. One of the most appealing things about Tech Briefs is the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the solutions. It’s also a great resource of materials and suppliers favored among savvy backstage engineers. Perhaps the greatest value of this volume is inspirational. More then any other technical theatre book I’ve ever encountered, Tech Briefs provides examples of the creative problem solving needed when faced with a daunting production problem.
—Steve Nelson
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, September 2002 Technical Theater for Nontechnical People Top
By Drew Campbell, Allworth Press, 1999
The title says it all. Technical Theater for Nontechnical People provides a global view of the territory—space, scenery, lighting, sound, props, stage management, and more—to help you get your bearings for conversing with rental and sales folks as well as the technicians involved in your next show. Campbell’s book also provides a good outline for covering tech theatre in class. Although it is not a how-to book, it describes equipment along with the context for using it. Also, it is current enough to demystify the difference between digital and analog signals, and thorough enough to include all the lingo along with the “proper” terminology. Even if you use it to bone up on just one tech area, the clearly and amusingly written Technical Theatre for Nontechnical People will be worth the $18.95 cover price.
—Steve Nelson
Reprinted from Dramatics magazine, May 2000 Theatrical FX Makeup Top
By David Sartor and John Pivovarnick, Heinemann, 2001
The Dead, the Disfigured, Crash/Beating Victim, Gouged Eyes, Leprosy, Satan/Devil/Demon—nothing’s normal about the cast of characters you’ll learn to create in this step-by-step book by film and theatre makeup artists David Sartor and John Pivovarnick. Theatrical FX Makeup is an advanced technique book for the makeup artist who has the basics down and wants an introduction to the techniques of gore, disfigurement, and horror. The simpler stuff is here, too—stage blood and bloody delivery techniques, scars and bruises, minor wounds, a broken nose, and the like. Some looks require only makeup, but most use at least some three-dimensional applications. A CD-ROM accompanies the book, repeating the instructions for each of the characters with all color photos instead of the book’s black-and-whites. This book should prove a helpful guide to creating ugly, outrageous, and gruesome looks, from the minor gore of a brawler’s swollen eye to the monstrous visage of a Tempest’s Caliban.
—Steve Nelson
Reprinted from Dramatics magazine, April 2002 Wireless Microphones in the Theatre (CD-ROM) Top
By Martin John Gallagher, distributed by Theatre Arts Video Library, 2001
Martin John Gallagher’s Wireless Microphones in the Theatre provides a solid introduction on the use of these sophisticated and sometimes mysterious pieces of technology. This interactive CD-ROM, available in Mac or PC format, is easy to follow, well organized, and illustrated with several short animated clips and a couple of excellent video demonstrations. Gallagher has divided the material into five sections: sound, costumes, makeup, director/choreographer, and management. I strongly urge anyone interested in the subject to view the entire CD, which takes only about an hour. Each person involved with a wireless mic needs to clearly understand the task faced by the others. Although the $96 list price may place this CD-ROM (distributed by Theatre Arts Video Library) out of the budget of most high school students and even teachers, it is a worthwhile investment for a library or theatre department, especially for those new to the use of wireless systems.
—Chuck Hatcher
Excerpt from Dramatics magazine, April 2002  |
Staging a Musical Top
By Matthew White, Theatre Arts Books/Routledge, 1999
Staging a Musical by British actor and director Matthew White is a valuable resource for any musical theatre director who doesn’t have all the answers for everyone involved with his show.
The book clearly and concisely walks the would-be producer or director through all the steps of a production. Graphics illustrate the responsibilities of the production team members. White suggests how to build strong bridges among designers, directors, and producers, and how to communicate without stifling each other’s |