Author: Jennie Ford Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN: 9781497464742 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 162
Book Description
There are thousands of performing arts schools grooming students for Broadway. Broadway is revered as the pinnacle of every performer's career. It's the “Olympics” of our sport that we have trained and worked so hard for. Would you be confident if you received a Broadway contract that said you were going to be a swing, a dance captain or an understudy? Hopefully you would reply, “yes”...after all, you have a college degree in the arts right? Half of the Broadway swings this season made their Broadway debut! These are fundamental jobs in every Broadway musical, so why aren't graduates prepared to do these jobs? The problem is that there is “book knowledge” from school and “learned knowledge” from being on the job. This book series is here to bridge the gap between the two. Students are taught how to pick songs for the roles they are right for, how to perform them, how to study scripts, how to audition and how to show the best of themselves. They study the history of theatre and graduate with confidence that they can nail that audition and land a job. What happens when a talented performer actually books a job? What skill-set do they have to prepare them for the responsibilities that come along with performing under a union contract? It's a rude awakening for some performers to find out that about 85% of Broadway performers are not principal performers. Even those principals are not always principals! The career choices are endless on Broadway and the idea is to prepare yourself for all opportunities. “Be the best on Broadway” is a how-to-series that will demystify and teach those who really want a career on Broadway, no matter how much schooling you may (or may not) have. Each book is written by a Broadway professional with first-hand experience and is regarded as an expert. Each writer is respected by their peers for the work they contribute on a daily basis on Broadway. The series breaks down the different job particulars in depth and provides tangible Broadway show examples. The goal is to combine valuable insight and resources into one book series to strengthen the chance of success for those who have the Broadway dream! “Be The Best on Broadway” series is intended to be the newest “gold standard” of this industry. It will become one of those “must have” book series similar to “Audition” by Michael Shurtleff, “Meisner on Acting” by Sanford Meisner”, and “Respect for Acting” by Uta Hagen. This particular book will prove to be invaluable to swings as well as any performer who wants to learn through this special “lens” ...the eye of a swing! This book looks at Broadway through the unique perspective of a swing. It will help you understand the chorus better and you will gain an appreciation for the old Broadway adage “the show must go on”. Swings are the very reason that the show can go on and you will soon see why. It is a job function on Broadway that is not widely written about or taught in schools. Until now, it's been every actor fending for themselves when offered a swing contract. I have been there! It took me many years of being a Broadway swing to figure out what works and what doesn't. I wish I had someone or some book to give me guidance at the beginning of my career. Think of this book as a “book of secrets” to give you the chance to be an outstanding swing. There is nothing more rewarding than being recognized by your peers for doing your job well. There is a high percentage of performers on Broadway that, at one time or another, have been asked to be a swing. The tips in this book will make you stand out as a swing. It also deals with relationship skills needed for a career on Broadway. “Talent” doesn't give you opportunities, relationships do! The goal is not to just do it well, but to become “the best” at it! The ultimate goal is to have it be the only book you will ever need to be the best swing on Broadway.
Author: J. Austin Eyer Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1472590023 Category : Drama Languages : en Pages : 225
Book Description
In this textbook for performers, the position of a Swing-an Understudy for the Ensemble-on Broadway is examined from every angle, showing just how vital Swings are to the success of any musical theatre production. Authors J. Austin Eyer and Lyndy Franklin Smith draw on their own experiences as performers, and gather first-hand stories from other Swings about the glories and hardships of their industry. The book features interviews with over 100 Broadway pros-Swing veterans, Stage Managers, Casting Directors, Choreographers, and Directors-including Rob Ashford, Susan Stroman, Jerry Mitchell, Larry Fuller, Tony Stevens, Beverley Randolph, and Frank DiLella. Broadway Swings is the ideal guide for anyone considering a career in this most unique of positions, or anyone curious about what really goes on, behind-the- scenes, in a long-running show.
Author: Kay Green Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN: 9780793577507 Category : Music Languages : en Pages : 412
Book Description
Includes the following information about Broadway musical shows produced between 1866 and 1987: Music by -- Lyrics by -- Book by -- Producer -- Director -- Cast stars -- Choreographer -- Songs -- New York run information.
Author: Michael Riedel Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster ISBN: 1501166638 Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
The extraordinary story of a transformative decade on Broadway, featuring gripping behind-the-scenes accounts of shows such as Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Producers—shows that changed the history of the American theater. The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the nineties, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent. American musical comedy made its grand return, culminating in The Producers, while plays, always an endangered species on Broadway, staged a powerful comeback with Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. A different breed of producers rose up to challenge the grip theater owners had long held on Broadway, and corporations began to see how much money could be made from live theater. And just as Broadway had clawed its way back into the mainstream of American popular culture, the September 11 attacks struck fear into the heart of Americans who thought Times Square might be the next target. But Broadway was back in business just two days later, buoyed by talented theater people intent on bringing New Yorkers together and supporting the economics of an injured city. Michael Riedel presents the drama behind every mega-hit or shocking flop, bringing readers into high-stakes premieres, fraught rehearsals, tough contract negotiations, intense Tony Award battles, and more. From the bitter feuds to the surprising collaborations, all the intrigue of a revolutionary era in the Theater District is packed into Singular Sensation. Broadway has triumphs and disasters, but the show always goes on.
Author: Rebecca Claire Gilman Publisher: Dramatic Publishing ISBN: 9781583423851 Category : Drama Languages : en Pages : 84
Book Description
"In The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, an artist named Dana Fielding is suffering from a slump in both her career and her personal life. After a disastrous gallery showing, her paranoia and depression send her boyfriend packing. When Fielding attempts suicide, she lands in a mental ward and finds she enjoys the structure of the days. But when she learns her health insurance will pay for only a 10-day stay, she cooks up a scheme with two fellow patients to fool the doctors into believing she's psychotic. Without knowing much about him, she takes on the personality of troubled baseball star Darryl Strawberry. Known for having the 'sweetest swing in baseball, ' Strawberry also struggled with ... the darker side of fame, including rejection by fans and the effort to make a comeback ... When Dana chats with fellow patients Michael, an alcoholic, and Gary, a stalker, the dialogue here is hilarious as Dana instructs a would-be killer on drawing negative space and the two men coach her on Strawberry's stats."--Publisher's website.
Author: Richard Oberacker Publisher: Concord Theatricals ISBN: 0573706751 Category : Drama Languages : en Pages : 135
Book Description
It’s 1945. American soldiers return home to ticker tape parades and overjoyed families; Private First Class Donny Novitski, singer and songwriter, returns with the hope of rebuilding his life with just the shirt on his back and a dream in his heart. When NBC announces a national competition to find the nation’s next swing band sensation, Donny joins forces with a motley group of fellow veterans, and together they form a band unlike any the nation has ever seen. However, complicated relationships, the demands of the competition, and the challenging after-effects of war may break these musicians. But, when Donny meets a beautiful, young singer named Julia, he finds the perfect harmony in words and music that could take this band of brothers all the way to the live radio broadcast finale in New York City. Victory will require every ounce of talent, stamina, and raw nerve that these musicians possess.
Author: Eric Grode Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN) ISBN: 076035734X Category : Biography & Autobiography Languages : en Pages : 331
Book Description
Whether you're coming to Broadway fresh faced or are an old hand, you'll enjoy these 150+ profiles of the great musicals to hit the stage--including Hamilton!
Author: Rupert Holmes Publisher: Random House ISBN: 0307431894 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 386
Book Description
Two-time Edgar Award winner Rupert Holmes–author of the critically acclaimed Where the Truth Lies and creator of the Tony Award—winning musical whodunit The Mystery of Edwin Drood–now fuses gripping suspense and evocative music in an innovative novel of intrigue set in 1940, during the very heart of the Big Band era. Jazz saxophonist and arranger Ray Sherwood, touring with the Jack Donovan Orchestra, is haunted by personal tragedy. But when a beautiful and talented Berkeley student named Gail Prentice seeks his help in orchestrating a highly original composition called Swing Around the Sun, which is slated to premiere at the Golden Gate Exposition on the newly created Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, Ray finds himself powerfully drawn to the beguiling coed. Within moments of first setting eyes on her, Ray also witnesses a horrifying sight: a young woman plunging to her death from the island’s emblematic Tower of the Sun. As the captivated Ray learns more about Gail and her unusual family, he finds himself trapped in a tightening coil of spiraling secrets– some personally devastating, all dangerous and deadly– in which from moment to moment nothing is certain, including Gail’s intentions toward him and her connection to the dead woman who made such a grisly impact upon the stunning island. As events speed toward a shocking climax, Ray must use all his physical daring and improvisational skills to unlock an ominous puzzle whose sinister implications stretch far beyond anything he could imagine.
Author: Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN: 1480383864 Category : Music Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
(Vocal Selections). "This show has guts!" proclaimed Richard Zoglin of Time magazine about this 2012 revival, which won the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical Revival. It features music by Michael Gore, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and book by Lawrence D. Cohen (based on the novel by Stephen King). Our folio features vocal selections for 18 songs from that revival, including: Alma Mater * And Eve Was Weak * Carrie * Carrie (Reprise) * Do Me a Favor * Dreamer in Disguise * Epilogue * Evening Prayers * I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance * In * A Night We'll Never Forget * Once You See * Open Your Heart * Unsuspecting Hearts * When There's No One * Why Not Me? * The World According to Chris * You Shine.
Author: Ron Fassler Publisher: ISBN: 9780998168623 Category : Performing Arts Languages : en Pages : 246
Book Description
Actor and theatre aficionado Ron Fassler recalls his upbringing on Broadway, in conversation with Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Bette Midler, Sheldon Harnick, James Earl Jones, Austin Pendleton, Ken Howard, Hal Linden, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander and Mike Nichols among many others.
Author: Jennie Ford
Author: J. Austin Eyer
Author: Kay Green
Author: Michael Riedel
Author: Rebecca Claire Gilman
Author: Richard Oberacker
Author: Eric Grode
Author: Rupert Holmes
Author: 
Author: Ron Fassler