Theatre Arts: Books

The Kilroys are a gang of playwrights and producers who came together in Los Angeles in 2013 to stop talking about gender parity in theatre and start taking action. In 2014, they released their first annual List: a vetted collection of plays written by female and trans writers, nominated by hundreds of professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors, producers, directors, and dramaturgs.

The theater of the 21st century, in many ways, is expanding to require new muscles of its actors, and so should their monologue choices. Contemporary Monologues for Twentysomethings is a compilation of monologues for actors ages 15 to 30, incorporating characters from a variety of backgrounds with different stories to tell, giving you the chance to explore those who are close to you and those who may come from someplace else.

A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fair

A play about the imagined fault line between black and white lives by Claudia Rankine, the author of Citizen The White Card stages a conversation that is both informed and derailed by the black/white American drama. The scenes in this one-act play, for all the characters' disagreements, stalemates, and seeming impasses, explore what happens if one is willing to stay in the room when it is painful to bear the pressure to listen and the obligation to respond.

Creative and Successful High School Set Design discusses the spatial relationship of the auditorium and stage; the factors to be considered when choosing a script; and the research necessary to arrive at a proper visual metaphor for a production.Muffatti covers many design style options and creative approaches that don't require extensive building expertise; large amounts of time; or great expense. He shows how a small stock of basic scenery can be used to creatively serve multiple set designs with minimal additions. Muffatti outlines the skills involved in the design process -- from sketching and drafting; to set dressing and model building -- and provides illustrations to offer further guidance.

Step-by-step makeup applications paired with textual content create an enriching experience for future performers and makeup artists. Students will learn relevant history, color theory, makeup sanitation processes, and the use of light and shadow to engage in discussions about the aspects of professional makeup.

Known as the "bible" of theatre history, Brockett and Hildy’s History of the Theatre is the most comprehensive and widely used survey of theatre history in the market.

This work examines actors and their popular reception from the origins of theatre in Classical Greece to the Roman Empire. The book presents a highly original viewpoint into several new and contested fields of study and offers a systematic survey of evidence for the spread of theatre outside Athens.