Plays / Theatre

85 Years of the Oscar, newly revised and expanded, is the official history of the Academy Awards. Following an introductory chapter on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the birth of the Oscars, the book presents the story of each year's awards, beginning with the very first, for the years 1927-28. Author Robert Osborne surveys the movies in competition, recounts the speculation on various winners, and describes events during the awards ceremony. He also provides a complete listing of the all the nominees and winners in every category.

Each year is illustrated with evocative stills from winning films and candid shots from the awards ceremony. Altogether, the book features more than 750 rare photographs, including original movie posters for every best picture. Drawing on Osborne's profound knowledge of film, the Academy's exceptional archives, and the personal reminiscences of stars from Katharine Hepburn to Clint Eastwood, 85 Years of the Oscar is unrivaled in illustration, accuracy, and completeness.

In its first two years of production in Italy, Dario Fo's notorious Accidental Death of an Anarchist was seen by over half a million people. It has since been performed all over the world, and become a classic of twentieth-century drama. A sharp and hilarious satire on police corruption, it concerns the case of an anarchist railway worker who, in 1969, 'fell' to his death from a police headquarters window.

'I ought to warn you that the author of this sick little play, Dario Fo, has the traditional, irrational hatred of the police common to all narrowminded left-wingers and so I shall, no doubt, be the unwilling butt of endless anti-authoritarian jibes.' (Inspector Bertozzo, Central Italian Police HQ)

'A marvellous concept: a zany political farce.' (Michael Billington)

This edition has been adapted by Gavin Richards from Gillian Hanna's translation and features an introduction by Stuart Hood and a preface by Dario Fo.

Since its original publication, Acting as a Business has earned a reputation as an indispensable tool for working and aspiring actors. Avoiding the usual advice about persistence and luck, Brian O'Neil provides clear-cut guidelines that will give actors a solid knowledge of the business behind their art. It's packed with practical information--on everything from what to say in a cover letter to where to stand when performing in an agent's office--including:

-- Tactics for getting an agent, including preparing for the interview
-- How to research who will be casting what--and whether there is a role for you--well in advance
-- Examples of correspondence to agents and casting directors for both beginning and advanced professionals
-- A detailed analysis of the current trend of paying to meet industry personnel
-- How to communicate effectively with an agent or personal manager
-- Creative ways to use the internet and social media

O'Neil regularly updates Acting as a Business (most recently in 2025) to keep up with the latest show-business trends, making this a reference no actor should be without.

After training and studying for years, you've earned a degree: now what? How to get a job and have a career as an actor is the number one question facing emerging artists and one which this book answers for you.

While performing arts schools do a great job of teaching how to act, most don't teach you how to launch and sustain a career. This book addresses this fundamental aspect of your creative journey, delivering a precise formula to help you organize the next chapter of your life. It helps you to find work and proactively build a career by providing the tools you'll need to connect with working professionals within the industry.

If acting is your business, you must run it as a business. Positioning you as CEO of your own company, this book uses a boardroom table as a visual model. At that table are 7 key positions, each representing an area of action and expertise that you must understand to build a successful career. With worksheets and tools, supplemented throughout with interviews with industry professionals from North America, the UK and Europe, and Australia, and further supported by a companion website, this action plan will empower and equip you to achieve your career goals.

A new book that provides actors and theatremakers with innovative methods for approaching the concept of space in theatrical performance.

In his bestselling book The Actor and the Target, Declan Donnellan laid out a fresh and radical approach to acting that has inspired actors around the world. Now, in The Actor and the Space, he develops and extends those ideas, exploring that most profound source of vitality in life as well as performance: the space around us.

Tackling fundamental questions that face any actor--What makes performance better? How do I create a space for my character to live in? How do I tap into that space, and draw energy from it?--Donnellan offers a universal set of keys to unlock the mysteries of performance. Full of insightful precepts, acute psychology and practical, hands-on advice, the book presents a bold new way of thinking about acting, illustrated throughout with line-by-line analysis of scenes from Macbeth to show how it works in rehearsal and performance.

Essential reading for any actor or theatre director, The Actor and the Space is also a fascinating distillation of the work of a world-leading director that will reward and enrich anyone with an interest in theatre.

Includes monologues from plays by Alan Haehnel, Alec Volz, Anne Washburn, Anton Dudley, Ariadne Blayde, Bekah Brunstetter, Bobby Keniston, Bonnie Dickinson, Bonnie J. Monte, Brendon Votipka, Charlie Peters, Chisa Hutchinson, Christa Crewdson, CJ Johnson, Courtney Baron, Dan Gordon, David Rush, Don Zolidis, Douglas C. Wager, Emily C. A. Snyder, Eric Simonson, Jane Steiner, Janet Allard, Jon Jory, Jonathan Dorf, Jorge Ignacio Cortinas, Joshua Conkel, Karen Hartman, Katie Henry, Kimberly Lew, Laura Schellhardt, Liz Flahive, Tom Kitt, Lucy Alibar, Luis Alfaro, Marco Ramirez, Marielle Heller, Mark Rigney, Melissa Cooper, Michael Mitnick, Rebecca Schlossberg, Rob Ackerman, Robert Lawson, Robert Pridham, Ron Fitzgerald, Sarah Hammond, Steven Levenson, Tim Kochenderfer, Trista Baldwin and William McNulty.