LibGuides: Theatre & Acting: Books

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Library of Congress Classification of Books

Look for books under the call numbers beginning with:

PN1600-3307 Drama
PN1635-1650 Relation to, and treatment of, special subjects
PN1660-1693 Technique of dramatic composition
PN1720-1861 History
PN1865-1988 Special types
PN1990-1992.92 Broadcasting
PN1991-1991.9 Radio broadcasts
PN1992-1992.92 Television broadcasts
PN1992.93-19 92.95 Nonbroadcast video recordings
PN1993-1999 Motion pictures
PN1997-1997.85 Plays, scenarios, etc.
PN2000-3307 Dramatic representation. The theater
PN2061-2071 Art of acting
PN2085-2091 The stage and accessories
PN2131-2193 By period
PN2131-2145 Ancient
PN2152-2160 Medieval
PN2171-2179 Renaissance
PN2181-2193 Modern
PN2219.3-3030 Special regions or countries
PN3035 The Jewish theater
PN3151-3171 Amateur theater
PN3175-3191 College and school theatricals
PN3203-3299 Tableaux, pageants, "Happenings," etc.

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Suggested Keywords

Amateur theater
Authors and theater
Body image in the theater
Comedy
Copyright--Drama
Death in the theater
Dinner theater

Drama
Feminist theater
Gender identity in the theater
Intimacy in the theater
Masculinity in the theater
Masques
Melodrama

Monologue
Monsters in the theater
Moralities
Music in the theater
Passion-plays
Playwright
Race in the theater

Script
Sex role in the theater
Space and time in the theater
Theater audiences
Tragedy
Violence in the theater

Selected Books

Respect for Acting by Haskel Frankel (As told to); David Hyde Pierce (Foreword by); Uta Hagen Respect for Acting "This fascinating and detailed book about acting is Miss Hagen'scredo, the accumulated wisdom of her years spent in intimatecommunion with her art. It is at once the voicing of her exactingstandards for herself and those she [taught], and an explanation ofthe means to the end." --Publishers Weekly "Hagen adds to the large corpus of titles on acting with vividdicta drawn from experience, skill, and a sense of personal andprofessional worth. Her principal asset in this treatment is hertruly significant imagination. Her 'object exercises' display awealth of detail with which to stimulate the student preparing ascene for presentation." --Library Journal "Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting . . . is a relatively small book.But within it, Miss Hagen tells the young actor about as much ascan be conveyed in print of his craft." --Los Angeles Times "There are almost no American actors uninfluenced by Uta Hagen." --Fritz Weaver "This is a textbook for aspiring actors, but working thespians canprofit much by it. Anyone with just a casual interest in thetheater should also enjoy its behind-the-scenes flavor." --King Features Syndicate
Call Number: EBOOK
ISBN: 9780470228487
Publication Date: 2008-07-08
Notes to an Actor by Ron Marasco Do you have any notes for me? If you have spent any time in the theater, or in film or television production, or have an actor in your family, or hope to be an actor, this question will have a familiar ring. Actors always ask for notes on their performance, and they will take them from just about anyone. While people in other pursuits tend not to ask for performance ratings, actors demand them. Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession-which, the author notes, is such a mysterious art. It is learned by experience, trial and error, and by succeeding and failing.
Call Number: PN2061 .M2277 2007
ISBN: 9781566637572
Publication Date: 2007-10-19
Why Is That So Funny? by John Wright; Toby Jones (Foreword by) (Book). This unique exploration of the principles and practice of physical comedy starts with a discussion of the various types of laughter that can be provoked by performance. It then presents graduated sequences of over a hundred games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer. The result is an intensely practical and thoroughly stimulating investigation of how comedy works in physical terms.
Call Number: PN2071.C57 W75 2007
ISBN: 9780879103439
Publication Date: 2007-04-01
Stagecraft by F. A. Buerki; Susan J. Christensen
Call Number: PN2091.S8 B741983
ISBN: 0299093506
Publication Date: 1983-01-01
Black Broadway by Stewart F. Lane; James Earl Jones (Foreword by); Kenny Leon (Foreword by) The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them. Like the doors of many professions, those of the theater world were shut to minorities for decades. While the Civil War may have freed the slaves, it was not until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that the playing field began to level. In this remarkable book, theater producer and historian Stewart F. Lane uses words and pictures to capture this tumultuous century and to highlight the rocky road that black actors have travelled to reach recognition on the Great White Way. After the Civil War, the popularity of the minstrel shows grew by leaps and bounds throughout the country. African Americans were portrayed by whites, who would entertain audiences in black face. While the depiction of blacks was highly demeaning, it opened the door to African-American performers, and by the late 1800s, a number of them were playing to full houses. By the 1920s, the Jazz Age was in full swing, allowing black musicians and composers to reach wider audiences. And in the thirties, musicals such as George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Eubie Blake's Swing It opened the door a little wider. As the years passed, black performers continued to gain ground. In the 1940s, Broadway productions of Cabin in the Sky, Carmen Jones, and St. Louis Woman enabled African Americans to demonstrate a fuller range of talents, and Paul Robeson reached national prominence in his awarding-winning portrayal of Othello. By the 1950s and '60s, more black actors--including Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Sidney Poitier--had found their voices on stage, and black playwrights and directors had begun to make their marks. Black Broadway provides an entertaining, poignant history of a Broadway of which few are aware. By focusing a spotlight on both performers long forgotten and on those whom we still hold dear, this unique book offers a story well worth telling.  
Call Number: PN2270.A35 L36 2015
ISBN: 9780757003882
Publication Date: 2015-02-02
Black Theater Is Black Life by Harvey Young; Queen Meccasia Zabriskie Black Theater Is Black Life fills a critical gap in the history of African American culture in Chicago. Through interviews with prominent producers, directors, choreographers, designers, dancers, and actors, Young and Zabriskie create a portrait of a diverse, dynamic artistic community between 1970 and 2010. They frame this history with helpful guides, including a chronology of key events, a glossary of names, and an appendix of leading performing arts institutions in Chicago.
Call Number: PN2277.C42 Y68 2014
ISBN: 9780810129429
Publication Date: 2013-11-30
Shakespeare Saved My Life by Laura Bates "Shakespeare Saved My Life touches on the search for meaning in life, the struggles that complicate the path to triumph and the salvation that can be found in literature's great works ... An inspiring account."--Shelf Awareness A female professor, a super maximum security prisoner, and how Shakespeare saved them both Shakespeare professor and prison volunteer Laura Bates thought she had seen it all. That is, until she decided to teach Shakespeare in a place the bard had never been before -- supermax solitary confinement. In this unwelcoming place, surrounded by inmates known as the worst of the worst, is Larry Newton. A convicted murderer with several escape attempts under his belt and a brilliantly agile mind on his shoulders, Larry was trying to break out of prison at the same time Laura was fighting to get her program started behind bars. What reviewers are saying about Shakespeare Saved My Life "You don't have to be a William Shakespeare fan, a prisoner, or a prison reformer to appreciate this uplifting book. "Shakespeare Saved My Life" also reveals many important truths ... about the meaning of empathy in our dealings with others"--Finger Lake Times "Shakespeare Saved My Life touches on the search for meaning in life, the struggles that complicate the path to triumph and the salvation that can be found in literature's great works ... An inspiring account."--Shelf Awareness "Opening the mind's prison proves enormously gratifying, not to mention effective ... brave, groundbreaking work"--Publishers Weekly "An eye-opening study reiterating the perennial power of books, self-discipline, and the Bard of Avon."--Kirkus "A powerful testament to how Shakespeare continues to speak to contemporary readers in all sorts of circumstances."--Booklist
Call Number: PR2976 .B37 2013
ISBN: 9781402273148
Publication Date: 2013-04-02