Theatre

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5-MINUTE PLAYS FOR TEENS – Lawrence Harbison, editor

Posted by Daniel on June 21, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

There is a special knack to reading plays and unless you are used to it, it can be frustrating.  But for those of us who enjoy reading plays, it can be difficult to find reading material that isn’t one of the classics that we’ve all already read a dozen times, or not the latest Pulitzer Prize winner. And if you are a student or a younger reader, finding plays that are targeted to you is next to impossible without buying individual scripts directly from play publishers.

5-Minute Plays for Teens is just the ticket!

The plays in this anthology have a wide range of topics and all of them relate-able to the teen reading audience.  Most are two or three person plays so it would be easy to even sit and read these out loud with a friend or two.

As is typical with almost any anthology, not every script appealed to me, but there were plenty of them that did. One of my favorites was “Over the Moon” by Lavinia Roberts in which a perfectionist male teen is trying to tutor an artsy female student who is planning to turn in her science paper as an interpretive dance.  The short play pushes stereotypes to the edge, adds plenty of humor and a resolve of understanding that is often missing in a short play like this.  I would love to see this done or direct it myself sometime.

“Rainbow Bunnies in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Bennet Preuss was strangely stupid but fun.  This is precisely the sort of short play that could easily get students who might normally enjoy theatre into reading, watching, or even being in a play.

Plays such as “The Sibling” by Jeanmarie Collins are nice, even important for letting young readers know that others might have similar issues, and Collins writes a tight, poignant script.  It’s not something I would consider producing nor have interest in seeing performed, but there is a lot of value in having a script like this in such a collection.

Finally, I really enjoyed “We. Are. Un. Cool.” by Nicole Pandolfo in which, unless you attend an arts school, probably really defines many of us who would be reading a collection of five-minute plays.  Although the characters are teen females, I could still identify with students hiding out during a physical education class and complaining about peers.  This should be a hit with most readers.

A book like this can easily be enjoyed by theatre students, but it would also make a great book to have in English and theatre classrooms.  The plays are short enough to read in a matter of minutes, easy enough to perform in a classroom, and topical and appealing to the target audience. This is highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? 5-Minute Plays for Teens, edited by Lawrence Harbison, is a great collection of very short plays that could easily get more students interested in theatre.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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5-Minute Plays for Teens

editor: Lawrence Harbison

publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Book Publishers

ISBN: 1495069257

paperback, 256 pages

STORIES ON STAGE – Aaron Shepard

Posted by Daniel on April 20, 2017
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, ENTERTAINMENT. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

Reader’s Theatre is a bit of a lost art. From the late 1970’s through the mid-1980’s I participated in a number of reader’s Theatre programs – usually through church groups but also in my university theatre program.  It’s quite likely that some of those scripts I performed in were written by Aaron Shepard.

This current collection of short reader’s theatre scripts is a revised reprint of a collection printed in 1993 and revised in 2005.  They’ve been revised again for fit the e-device reader.

The scripts are geared for a young audience – late elementary school/early middle school, most likely and it is easy to see how these short plays, intended to be read aloud and not necessarily performed, might fit nicely into a school English or speech class.

Only one moment in a script struck me as not particularly ‘pc.’  In the final script, Westwoods, a Narrator (there are almost always more than one narrator per script) says: “The Princess was beautiful, thought John, only very, very fat.  Her father was still fatter.” And just a few lines later King John recites a poem:

You’re fatter than butter, you’d melt by the fire.
You’re very much fatter than I could desire.
When I see you, my courage commences to ooze.
I’ve come to propose, but I hope you’ll refuse.

Funny, but every overweight child in the class will cringe and there will be snickering all around.  I don’t see this particular script getting much attention in today’s educational system that is extremely sensitive to issues such as this.

The scripts included in this book are:

Millions of Cats – Wanda Gag
Harriet – Florence Parry Heide
The Legend of Lighting Larry – Aaron Shepard
Mr. Bim’s Bamboo – Carol Farly
Three Sideways Stores From Wayside School – Louis Sachar
The Jade Stone – Caryn Yacowitz
Talk – Harold Coudrlander
The Bean Boy – Monice Shannon
How Tom Beat Captain Najork – Russell Hoban
Tapiwa’s Uncle – Nancy Farmer
The Kid From the Commercial – Stephen Manes
The Fools of Chelm – Steve Sanfield
Mr. Twit’s Revenge – Roald Dahl
Mouse Woman and the Snails – Christie Harris
Westwoods – Eleanor Farjeon

All the scripts were adapted for reader’s theatre by Aaron Shepard and they do tend to sound the same when you read them straight through, as I did.  My favorites were Millions of Cats, Three Sideways Stories from Wayside School, The Jade Stone, and The Bean Boy.

Looking for a good book? Reader’s Theatre is a great opportunity to involve a number of ‘performers’ without having to spend any rehearsal time and Aaron Shepard’s Stories on Stage is a collection of fifteen Reader’s Theatre scripts for young readers and is a wonderful introduction to the format.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Stories on Stage

author: Aaron Shepard

publisher: Shepard Publications

ASIN: B00LLXRG98

Kindle edition, 164 pages

HAG-SEED – Margaret Atwood

Posted by Daniel on March 27, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, OTHER. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

For me, Margaret Atwood is one of those writers who quietly keeps invading the literary world, transforming fiction and storytelling and leaves an indelible imprint on the reader’s soul.  I don’t seek out her works the way I should (and the way I do for a few other writers) which is why she seems so quiet to me.  But of course that’s really on me and no one else.

I was drawn to this not only because it’s an Atwood novel but because of the Shakespeare theme – the description of this as a re-telling or re-imagining of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.  When not reading and writing my blog, I work for a Shakespeare festival and have an affection for Shakespeare’s works.  I applaud any opportunity to bring his stories to a new audience.

Atwood is a remarkable and gifted writer and she takes this story and puts her magic touch on it, bringing it to a very modern world.

The story is about Felix – an artistic director at a major theatre who very suddenly is given the ol’ heave-ho and replaced by his assistant. Understandably, Felix is upset and wants to make the theatre regret their decision but finding a way to make a bold, theatrical statement is hard to do without a theatre company.

Felix becomes involved with a program called Literacy Through Theatre where he teaches and stages theatre productions at a local correctional facility (prison).  His current production?  The Tempest.

In a rather unique manner, Atwood retells the story in multiple layers.  There is the straight-forward manner of Felix’s teaching the story to the inmates, but we also see the parallels of the story to the characters inside Atwood’s story.  Felix isn’t just playing Prospero … he is a modern Prospero – discarded, lost, looking for revenge.  In fact, all the characters are the characters that they are portraying in some way.  It’s a brilliant bit of writing.

I can’t say that I’ve ever seen The Tempest where I felt so connected to the characters as much as I did with this book, and I feel I’ve seen some very good productions.

One small touch that I just loved was the idea that Felix presented to his inmate cast – that they could not swear during their rehearsals unless they did so using Shakespeare’s words.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and can be enjoyed on so many different levels.  It is highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? Hag-Seed shows why Margaret Atwood is a true powerhouse as a writer and why Shakespeare’s plays are still relevant to us today.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Hag-Seed

author: Margaret Atwood

series: Hogarth Shakespeare

publisher: Hogarth

ISBN: 0804141290

hardcover, 301 pages

ERTÉ’S THEATRICAL COSTUMES – Érte

Posted by Daniel on March 9, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

There’s not much to this book – it’s a short forty-eight pages long – but what’s here is beautiful.

Érte is one of those names you might recognize but not be quite so sure why.  Érte is a theatrical costume designer who created some of the most stunning costumes ever seen on stage throughout the 20th century.  His designs are works of art by themselves and you just might want to buy two copies of this book so that you can tear out all the pages and frame each painting.

When I’m not reading books and writing about books, I work in professional theatre.  I’ve often been impressed by the design concepts for the costumes.  Some designers are much better at presenting the designs than others, with some including backgrounds and interesting poses.  Érte is one such designer.  You get the feeling that his concepts aren’t just about the costume, but about the mood the costume evoke in the actor and the setting in which it will be used, as well.

I’d love to see photographs of the costumes themselves, in use on stage.  I Googled a couple of them (That Octopus costume! That Ceres costume!) and most of these are pretty scarce, but then again, some are from as early as 1911!

There is a strong sense of Art Deco and Art Nouveau here.  Being a theatrical and fashion designer, Érte had a hand in creating these genres.

Looking for a good book? Érte’s Theatrical Costumes is all-around beautiful and worth picking up for anyone interested in fashion, theatre, theatrical costuming, and art.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Érte’s Theatrical Costumes in Full Color

author/artist: Érte

publisher: Dover Publications

ISBN: 048623813X

paperback, 48 pages

ANYTHING GOES – Ethan Mordden

Posted by Daniel on February 17, 2017
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I’m pretty much a sucker for any book about musical theatre.  Who doesn’t love, singing, dancing, colorful costumes and lights, fantastic sets, and a rousing good story?  Of course, musical theatre hasn’t always been just that, and author Ethan Mordden explores the history of this American institution in this book, Anything Goes.

I definitely learned a thing or two through this book and I would not consider this light, casual reading.  One must really be a fan of the subject and probably already fairly knowledgeable, otherwise some of the names won’t mean anything.

The book is subtitled “A History of American Musical Theatre” but Mordden is quite selective in giving us the history. In fact, more often than not this book comes across as reflections on historic theatre rather than a history of the musical theatre.

The most difficult aspect of this book, however, is the author’s voice.  Over and over I highlighted passages in my Kindle version that annoyed me or drove me crazy with the author’s bias or, as I referred to it once “cattiness” (in writing about Sondheim, Mordden writes: “Rule Two: Marry smart lyrics to tuneless music, and if Jerry Herman complains, tell him, “My art’s longer than your art.””).

I think that in a history book, even a book about Musical Theatre, I prefer a less overt personality. Mordden often comes across as trying to be so clever, letting us know HE gets the inside joke (did he really need to share the idea that Sweet Charity managed to sneak in a smutty joke?).  I think it’s pretty clear what Mordden thinks of revivals and re-workings of classic tunes into new stories:

When Broadway needs to re-employ old music in show after show, it is reaching senility. In the past, authors quoted their hits as acts of desperation … By the 1970’s, however, Broadway was quoting entire old scores in what has become a genre all its own: the revival.

Wait a minute … a revival is “quoting from” … ?

Given Mordden’s definite voice throughout this book, I was greatly amused when he writes about other works of this kind he mentions The World of Musical Comedy by Stanley Green, and American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle by Gerald Bordman and says: “Unlike the dispassionate Green, Bordman had not only fun but opinions.”  Mordden, too, definitely has opinions.

I’ve since gone to look at this book on Goodreads and I note that even in the description of the book, usually posted by the publisher, it says “narrated in Mordden’s famously witty, scholarly, and conversational style.”  ‘Witty’ is certainly up for debate, but if the author’s voice is sharp enough to bear mentioning in the book’s description, then it’s clearly going to come across when you read this.  The danger is that some of us aren’t going to enjoy that voice.  Which is too bad since there is some useful information here for the musical theatre fans.

Looking for a good book? Anything Goes by Ethan Mordden is an interesting look at the history of musical theatre but the author’s voice will just as likely put you off than draw you in.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre

author: Ethan Mordden

publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN: 0199892830

hardcover, 360 pages

WINTER PASSAGES – Robert Brustein

Posted by Daniel on August 17, 2016
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

If there is anyone writing today more eloquently and regularly on theatre and theatre artists than Robert Brustein, I would very much like to know who that is.

For those of us who work in the theatre, we can often be consumed by the day-to-day rigors of the work, but works, such as Brustein’s essays, remind us of the power of theatre and the effects it can have on society.  His essays here are really quite smart and easy to read and anyone interested in theatre really should take the time to read them.

The brief little mini-biographies are perhaps just a tad too brief, especially for those of us already familiar with most of the names here.  However, I think that this book is targeted mainly toward the new-comer to the theatre arts.  To the students who dream and have aspirations of changing the world.  This is an intelligent starter for the student.

The mini-biographies include early playwrights such as Aeschylus, Aristophanes, and Sophocles, but also more modern playwrights such as Sam Shepard, Christopher Durang, and Tony Kushner, with quite a few others (including a few that might be new names to many, such as Theresa Rebeck and Lorraine Hansberry [names which may not be new but many probably don’t know much about them]).

Not only could this book easily become a popular text-book for university theatre courses, it should become such a text-book.

This was a really great read and I’m disappointed only that it took me so long to get to it.

Looking for a good book? Winter Passages, by Robert Brustein, is a really great book for those interested in learning more about theatre or as a reminder of the power of theatre to those who have lost sight of why they work in the theatre.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, though Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Winter Passages: Reflections on Theatre and Society

author: Robert Brustein

publisher: Transaction Publishers

ISBN: 1412854733

hardcover, 160 pages

MONSTROUS LITTLE VOICES – Jonathan Oliver & David Moore, editors

Posted by Daniel on August 1, 2016
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Although I wasn’t particularly crazy about reading Shakespeare when I was in college (and still not a fan of it), I actually enjoy seeing Shakespeare done well by professional theatre companies.  (Full disclosure, for the past eleven years, I’ve worked for a Shakespeare theatre festival.)  What we have here, in Monstrous Little Voices, are five short stories using characters from Shakespeare to tell new or continuing stories.  It is not a particularly new idea … I’ve enjoyed the comic book series Kill Shakespeare, which also plays on this theme … but I’m not sure I’ve seen it packaged in a book this way before.  And it works.

These stories are really delightful, and for those of us familiar with the characters already, they are worked nicely.  For those not familiar with Shakespeare’s characters, this can still be enjoyed as a collection of five wonderful fantasy tales.

Some of the stories (not all) are broken down into five acts, or chapters, simulating Shakespeare’s five-act plays.  I appreciated this.  (Though it was a little cruel to have the last story NOT be in five segments, since I was expecting it!)

Foz Meadows’ “Coral Bones” is likely to be a popular favorite in this collection.  The story follows Miranda, from The Tempest, and shows that he fairy-tale ending isn’t quite what we hope for.

“The Course of True Love” by Kate Heartfield shows us lovers who aren’t the typical teens or early twenty-somethings, which is a nice twist.

“The Unkindest Cut” by Emma Newman is a really powerful piece with a lot of depth.  I think I liked this one the most just for how much we’re given about these characters.  This is one I’d really like to see expanded to a full novel.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s “Even in the Canon’s Mouth” was probably my least favorite of the bunch.  This was just the opposite of Newman’s story in that the characters had very little depth to me.  I could only picture the characters as I’ve seen them portrayed on the stage (which I don’t think is a good thing for a book like this) and it just didn’t work.

And finally, “On the Twelfth Night” by Jonathan Barnes.  I’m really mixed on this story.  There were aspects that I really liked (bringing in Anne Hathaway), and things that didn’t work as well (sort of tying the other stories together).

One thing that I find is that the use of characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream is just too over-done.  It’s so easy to play the fantasy of a spirit like Puck and fairies like Peaseblossom and Mustardseed that it gets done a lot (and perhaps my own dislike of the play – again, because it’s so often done – is part of my dislike, I admit).  I really would have preferred not seeing any of the Midsummer characters in this collection (take that as a challenge writers!).

Overall, I think fans of Shakespeare and fans of solid fantasy writing will really enjoy this collection.

Looking for a good book? Monstrous Little Voices is a collection of stories using characters and themes from Shakespeare’s works and is a really nice collection that ought to be enjoyed by any fantasy reader.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Monstrous Little Voices: New Tales from Shakespeare’s Fantasy World

editors: Jonathan Oliver & David Moore

publisher: Abaddon

ISBN: 1781083940

paperback, 336 pages