- Table View
- List View
Staging a Musical: An Essential Guide (Backstage)
by Matthew WhiteA step-by-step guide to the whole process of putting on a musical, placing a firm emphasis upon good organisation and careful planning. This book describes all the elements involved including: how to choose the right show, budgets and schedules, auditions, rehearsals and performances. There are also sections on set designs, costumes, sound, lighting and publicity.
Clear Speech: Practical Speech Correction and Voice Improvement (Performance Books)
by Malcolm MorrisonThis book gives clear guidance to good pronunciation and is written in an easily-accessible form. Many people can identify and solve their speech problems and significantly improve their voice by using tried and tested exercises. The systematic arrangement of the material with clear illustrations makes it easy for the layman to understand and work from effectively. This new edition contains additional exercises as well as an expanded chapter on Indistinct Speech.
Ballroom Dancing
by Alex MooreA guide to ballroom dancing. It includes all the main ballroom dances,along with versions of most dances approved for championships. Thereare diagrams showing every step from both the male and femaleperspective. This tenth edition is revised and updated.
Actor's Guide to Auditions and Interviews (Stage And Costume Ser.)
by Margo AnnettNow in its third edition, this useful guide outlines the techniques needed to achieve success in the challenging process of getting work. It covers all aspects of casting, including gaining a place on a drama course, landing a part in film, TV, commercials or theatre, and becoming a radio or TV presenter. Updated and revised throughout, the book contains sections on choosing and preparing an audition speech, staging and performing the piece, sight-reading, interview techniques, coping with nerves and even suggestions on how to use those inevitable periods when you are resting. It also includes advice from notable experienced producers, agents, directors and casting directors.
Singing and the Actor (Ballet, Dance, Opera And Music Ser.)
by Gillyanne KayesClassical singing training is no longer relevant for the theatre performer today. So how does an actor train his singing voice? Now in its second edition, this practical handbook takes the reader through a step-by-step training programme relevant to the modern singing actor and dancer. A variety of contemporary voice qualities including belting and twang are explained, with exercises for each topic.
Ballroom Dancing
by Alex MooreA guide to ballroom dancing. It includes all the main ballroom dances,along with versions of most dances approved for championships. Thereare diagrams showing every step from both the male and femaleperspective. This tenth edition is revised and updated.
An Actor's Guide to Getting Work (Stage And Costume Ser.)
by Simon DunmoreCompetition for acting work is fierce, and although talent is important, actors need all the help they can get. Now in its fourth edition, this practical, comprehensive guide contains invaluable information and advice to enable actors to make the most of: drama schools; audition speeches and sight-readings; letters, CVs and photographs; finding and working with an agent; auditions for musicals; the fringe; interviews; TV, commercials and films; voice-overs; the Internet; Equity. The author, an experienced director, has drawn on his own knowledge and also on the experience of numerous other professionals to produce a book that has become the standard work of reference for actors of all ages.
Clear Speech: Practical Speech Correction and Voice Improvement (Performance Books)
by Malcolm MorrisonThis book gives clear guidance to good pronunciation and is written in an easily-accessible form. Many people can identify and solve their speech problems and significantly improve their voice by using tried and tested exercises. The systematic arrangement of the material with clear illustrations makes it easy for the layman to understand and work from effectively. This new edition contains additional exercises as well as an expanded chapter on Indistinct Speech.
The One-Act Play Companion: A Guide to plays, playwrights and performance
by Colin Dolley Rex WalfordThe one-act play stands apart as a distinct art form with some well known writers providing specialist material, among them Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill. Alan Ayckbourn, Edward Albee and Tennesee Williams. There are also lesser-known writers with plenty of material to offer, yet sourcing one-act plays to perform is notoriously hard. This companion is the first book to survey the work of over 250 playwrights in an illuminating A-Z guide. Multiple styles, nationalities and periods are covered, offering a treasure trove of compelling moments of theatre waiting to be discovered. Guidance on performing and staging one-act plays is also covered as well as essential contact information and where to apply for performance rights. A chapter introducing the history of the one-act play rounds off the title as a definitive guide.
Lightning Girl
by Alesha DixonHigh-voltage fiction from a top TV judge! When life gets dark, can Aurora save the world with her totally _flash_ superpowers? Aurora Beam is utterly (yawn) normal. There's nothing special about her. She can't even do a proper cartwheel. That is, until the day she spots a bully picking on her little sis - and sparks suddenly fly! Seriously: there are beams of light shooting out of Aurora's fingers. What's going on? That's when Mum drops a life-changing bombshell. She's a secret superhero - and now it's time for Aurora to join the crusade against crime!
Barmy British Empire (Horrible Histories Ser.)
by Terry Deary Martin BrownFor centuries, the barmy Brits bounded round the globe, conquering other countries in the name of their Empire. From infamous India to dreadful deeds down under, brutal Britannia ruled the land and waves. Are you ready for some horrible Empire-grabbing action? Then find out... · How a war started when a Brit insisted on sitting on a stool · Who wore a necklace made of 50 human skulls · Why a British soldier used his own coffin as a wardrobe! From savage slavers and rotten rebels to horrible heroes and nasty natives, grab the foul facts about the Barmy British Empire - with all the gore and more!
Ruthless Romans (Horrible Histories Ser.)
by Terry Deary Martin BrownReaders can discover all the foul facts about the Ruthless Romans, including which emperor enjoyed eating camel's heels, who were the terrible twins who founded Rome and which evil emperors made murder a sport. With a bold, accessible new look and a heap of extra-horrible bits, these bestselling titles are sure to be a huge hit with yet another generation of Terry Deary fans.
Still Me: A Life
by Christopher ReeveThrough his leading role in the three Superman films, Christopher Reeve became so closely identified with the superhero that he wasn't just seen as the actor who played Superman, he was Superman. Which is why the tragic riding accident which left him paralysed from the neck down shocked the world. Superman was not superhuman. It is also why he is now the world's most recognisable person in a wheelchair. In true superhero style, Christopher Reeve refuses to resign himself to the life of a quadriplegic, and is actively campaigning to raise the profile of spinal-cord injury victims and research. Although he was initially told that he would only ever be able to move his head, he can now shrug his shoulders and breathe alone for increasing periods of time, and is determined that he will walk again. It is this extraordinary courage and determination that has made Christopher Reeve the internationally admired figure that he is, and it is this bravery which makes this autobiography about his paralysis and his journey to recovery such a powerful and moving story.
A Writer's Life
by Gay TaleseHow has Gay Talese found his subjects? How has he gotten them onto the page? What drives him to write? These are some of the questions at the heart of the narrative that combines memory, reflection, explanation and a satisfying obsession. I his trademark prose - precise, beautifully crafted, elegant - Talese traces the paths his passionate interests have made through his life and writing. He talks about first becoming absorbed in issues of race as a student in Alabama, about covering the civil rights struggle and about a recent interracial wedding in Selma. He reflects on the changing American sexual mores he has written about over the last 50 years, and gives an incisive examination of the lives of Lorena and John Bobbitt. He talks about his legendary Esquire profile of Frank Sinatra - judged by the magazine to be the finest in its long history - and about the ordinary men and women whose stories led to some of his most memorable work. And as he delves into the life of a young female Chinese soccer player, we see his consuming interest in the world in its latest manifestation. In these and other recollections and stories, he gives us a fascinating picture of both the serendipity and meticulousness involved in getting a story, and getting it right.Candid, humorous, deeply impassioned - a dazzling book about the nature of writing in one man's life, and of writing itself.
Remembering Ronnie Barker
by Richard WebberRonnie Barker was one of our most respected and best-loved comedy actors and here, in this fascinating biography, Richard Webber delves deep in to the heart of Barker's life and career, peppering his narrative with original and incisive memories from some of Barker's closest contemporaries, including Ronnie Corbett, Michael Palin and Barry Cryer. Star of the much-adored comedy classics Porridge, The Two Ronnies - one of the most successful and long-running television comedy shows ever on British television - and Open All Hours, Ronnie Barker was universally admired by the public and industry insiders alike. From his early days writing for and performing skits on The Frost Report right up to his retirement in 1988, he lit up television screens across the country with his wonderful gift for comedy and his remarkable skill for character acting. Beyond his performances on the stage and screen, Barker was also an accomplished comedy writer, providing many of the sketches and songs for The Two Ronnies and contributing material to a number of other television and radio shows. And despite his retirement he retained pole position in the public's affection, returning to the screen in 1999 to team up with his erstwhile comedy partner and great friend Ronnie Corbett for a Two Ronnies night on BBC1, followed by a BAFTA tribute in 2004 and a final appearance on television in 2005 on The Two Ronnies Christmas Sketchbook. Effortlessly funny, universally adored and an actor and writer responsible for some of Britain's best-loved and most-respected comedy, Ronnie Barker was a true comedy legend. Here he's brought to the page in winning style as he's remembered by those who best loved and knew him.
The River: A Love Story, a New Life in the Country, and One Idyllic Year With Otters
by Philippa ForresterWhen TV presenter Philippa Forrester first met Charlie, a wildlife cameraman, she thought he was a show-off - and he thought she was arrogant. The second time, despite being hungry, thirsty and trapped in torrential rain aboard the world's most uncomfortable boat, they fell in love. This is the story of their move out of London, deep into the heart of the English countryside. When they impulsively buy an old mill-worker's cottage, they are entranced by its river, teeming with kingfishers, mink and water fowl. But they are overjoyed when they spot an animal long thought to have abandoned the area: an otter, swimming happily past their house. Inspired, they decide to make a film about the otters on their doorstep ... at the same time as having a baby, setting up house, and pursuing their careers. Unsurprisingly, things turn out to be easier said than done.Written with endless charm and real affection, featuring a cast of memorable characters, The River is packed with hilarious stories spanning floods, chicken keeping and wildlife watching. The result is sheer delight.
Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford
by Donald Spoto'I've been protected by studio publicity men most of my life, so in some ways I'm a goddam image, not a person. I was a commodity, a piece of property... I felt an overwhelming obligation to my career, and so I was an actress first, a wife second. I worked almost constantly, and even when I wasn't working, there was that image thing of looking like a star, conducting myself like a star. I just went ahead like a bulldozer. I was a very selfish woman.'Joan Crawford was a complex, contradictory, driven human being, but not the alcoholic, sadistic monster depicted in the notorious book, Mommie Dearest, which appeared a year after her death. In some ways, Donald Spoto's Possessed is the ultimate Hollywood book - about a young woman, poor, abandoned by her father, but determined at all costs to succeed . Born in Texas, Lucille Fay LeSueur escaped destitution by becoming a popular dancer and then managed to make the decisive leap that transformed her into a luminous, unique star of the screen. She became Joan Crawford.There were many important men in her life, not least Clark Gable, with whom she appeared in eight pictures and with whom she conducted a thirty-year affair. She was married four times, once to the debonair Douglas Fairbanks Jr, unaware that he had failed to discontinue his relationship with Marlene Dietrich. Dancer, dramatic actress, businesswoman, corporate executive with Pepsi-Cola, Joan Crawford during her lifetime (1906 - 1977) was rarely out of the news. With the use of only recently opened archives and personal papers, Donald Spoto probes behind the lurid headlines to bring us Joan Crawford, the private person as well as the movie legend.
The Fully Authorised History of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: The Clue Bible from Footlights to Mornington Crescent
by Jem Roberts'It's a great missing piece of the jigsaw - people go on endlessly about Python and Peter Cook, which is all well and good but there's basically this great corpus of work stretching for decades - and consistently good ... A major piece of work, and universally loved.'So says John Lloyd, brains behind Blackadder, QI, Spitting Image, and so much besides - all shows with a massive debt to I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. Together they form a body of work stretching across five decades, from Cambridge in 1960 to today's world-beating Antidote to Panel Games, a laughter-bringer which has inspired unparalleled adoration in millions over fifty series. This book tells the whole story, from Footlights to Broadway to the ferret-filled madness of Radio Prune - comedy's answer to the rock & roll revolution of the sixties. Offering an exhaustive guide to the comedy world that brought us Mornington Crescent, besides episode guides, glossaries and rare facsimiles, Jem Roberts will take the story right up to the present day, celebrating the lives of Willie Rushton, Sir David Hatch and of course, the irreplaceable Humphrey Lyttelton. With exclusive input from the Teams, plus Bill Oddie, Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey, Neil Innes and many more, this is the long-overdue authoritative, entertaining and, above all, very silly lasting celebration of an unsung comic legacy that both shows so richly deserve.
Fred: The Definitive Biography Of Fred Dibnah
by David HallFred Dibnah's World celebrates the life and work of Britain's best known steeplejack and national treasure, Fred Dibnhah. Before his death in 2004, Fred presented many popular series, including Magnificent Monuments, The Age of Steam and Made in Britain, all of which attracted viewers in their millions.Fred is the companion to the 12-part BBC2 series celebrating the life of this great man, which combines highlights from some of Dibnah's classic programmes with previously unseen footage. The book can of course go much further than the series, including an extraordinarily account of Fred's childhood which evokes a lost England and our great industrial heritage. Fred's passion for the glories of the Victorian age and his fascination with the landscape he grew up in, plus his admiration for the craftsmen and labourers who made it all possible, captivate us on every page. Fred is the personification of everything that made England great in the first place. And this is a glorious tribute to a man whom millions came to love.
Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Good
by Corey Taylor'I was 22 years old, a hard-on with a pulse: wretched, vice-ridden, too much to burn and not enough minutes in a hour to do so'The action begins in West Des Moines, Iowa, where Corey Taylor, frontman of heavy metal bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, systematically set about committing each of the Seven Deadly Sins. He has picked fights with douche bags openly brandishing guns. He has set himself on fire at parties and woken up in dumpsters after cocaine binges. He lost his virginity at eleven. He got rich and famous and immersed himself in booze, women, and chaos until one day he realised, suddenly, that he didn't need any of that at all.Now updated with a brand new chapter, Seven Deadly Sins is a brutally honest look at 'a life that could have gone horribly wrong at any turn', and the soul-searching and self-discovery it took to set it right.
Dance Together Dinosaurs
by Jane ClarkeThis fantastic rhyming romp is a magical mix of dinosaurs and dancing competitions. Each type of dinosaur has its own dance style, from tapping raptors to body popping triceratops.But why do the judges keep disappearing?The funky artwork is packed with crazy colours and deliciously funny outfits.Come on! Dance with the dinosaurs. You could be a winner.It's tons of fun for everyone, until it's time for ...
With Billie: A New Look At The Unforgettable Lady Day
by Julia BlackburnJulia Blackburn's brilliant and haunting book is a life of Billie Holiday told in the voices of those who knew her. During the 1970s a young woman called Linda Kuehl, planning to write a biography of Billie, recorded interviews with more than 150 people. Kuehl died in 1978 and her book never came out, but her recordings survived to provide the raw material for this extraordinary account of the life of America's First Lady of Jazz.Billie Holiday is usually portrayed as a tragic victim of her own vices. These intimate stories give us a much deeper picture of her personality - we witness scenes from her chaotic childhood; we see her when she first arrives in Harlem at the age of fourteen; and we follow her through her rise to fame and into the notoriety that came so close on its heels. Billie's friends and lovers and fellow musicians talk about her troubles and her addictions, but they also have a lot to say about her warmth and her courage, and the ones who were really close to her understood that although she had a lot of men and drugs and booze in her life, all that really mattered was the singing.
Moonwalk
by Michael JacksonThe only book Michael Jackson ever wrote about his lifeIt chronicles his humble beginnings in the Midwest, his early days with the Jackson 5, and his unprecedented solo success. Giving unrivalled insight into the King of Pop's life, it details his songwriting process for hits like Beat It, Rock With You, Billie Jean, and We Are the World; describes how he developed his signature dance style, including the Moon Walk; and opens the door to his very private personal relationships with his family, including sister Janet, and stars like Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Marlon Brando, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, and Brooke Shields.At the time of its original publication in 1988, MOONWALK broke the fiercely guarded barrier of silence that surrounded Michael Jackson. Candidly and courageously, Jackson talks openly about his wholly exceptional career and the crushing isolation of his fame. MOONWALK is illustrated with rare photographs from Jackson family albums and Michael's personal photographic archives, as well as a drawing done by Michael exclusively for the book. It reveals and celebrates, as no other book can, the life of this exceptional and beloved musician.
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood
by Suzanne FinstadBorn Natasha Zakharenko, Natalie Wood continues to haunt us 20 years after her tragic and mysterious death. Her dark hypnotic beauty and passionate performances made her a movie star legend, appearing in over fifty films including West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause for which she was Oscar nominated. The story of her life is tinged with tragedy and drama. Pushed by her domineering, frustrated mother - an alcoholic determined to make her child a star at whatever cost, Natalie grew up fast - lonely and a misfit, uncertain of her identity. At fifteen she had embarked on an affair with a director 30 years her senior, she was brutally raped by a leading Hollywood star when she was sixteen -an attack which her mother forbade her to report. Her leading men frequently became her lovers including Elvis Presley, James Dean , Warren Beatty and the real love of her life, Robert Wagner whom she eventually married twice. Her fear of being alone and the years of exploitation and abuse led to an addiction to sleeping pills and several suicide attempts and for the first time, this book looks at evidence, yet to be published, surrounding her premature and controversial death - drowning at the age of 43. Suzanne Finstad has spent 3 years researching this, the first substantive biography of Natalie Wood, conducting over 400 interviews with friends, family, lovers, co-stars and the police officials who investigated her death.
Sinatra: The Life
by Anthony Summers Robbyn SwanIn 1941, at age twenty-five, Sinatra told a friend, 'I'm going to be the best singer in the world'. Two years on, the bobbysoxers were already weeping and screaming for him in their thousands. Half a century on Bono defined him as 'the Big Bang of popular music'. 'To hell with the calendar,' a music critic wrote before his death in 1998, 'The day Frank Sinatra dies, the twentieth century is over.'There have been many books about Sinatra, but the last comprehensive biography was Kitty Kelly's HIS WAY, published in 1986. it has taken renowned biographer Anthony Summers years to research this new biography, which promises to be the definitive story of a musical and film career spanning six decades. In this massively documented book, meticulous investigation is coupled with sensitivity to examine every aspect of Sinatra's life, public and private, from his obscure beginnings in an immigrant neighborhood in Jersey City to his twilight years as a living legend in Palm Springs. It tells the human story of an American icon who was irresistible to women and who was plagued throughout his life by scandal and hints of links with the Mafia. In this book, Summers finally uncovers the whole truth.