2 comments about The Holly Woodlawn Story: A Low Life in High Heels.

1. This book is so funny you'll lay down and scream. I think it's a modern day classic and should be required reading for every literature class in America and beyond. And I'm not just saying that because I wrote it. I'm saying it because I need an increase in my royalty checks because I'm out of cocktail cash and who can function without that?



2. I have never seen one of Andy Warhol's films and that did not stop me from being able to understand this book. Andy Warhol is a peripheral figure here and that helps to dispel the idea that he sucked all of his Superstars dry. Though Holly has intense love-hate relationships with every drag queen she introduces, it is great seeing work on how trans women relate, or fail to relate, to each other. This book portrays George Cukor, the Golden Age film director, as supporting Holly, but in his own biography, the writer noted that Cukor hated feminine gay men intensely. I am not sure which book is telling the truth.
   
   Holly shows how she has seen so much and been through so much. Though she never mentions being directly involved, she stated that she saw the Stonewall Riots as they happened and she remembered when gay men were first coming down with what would be called AIDS. She was there to see the rise of Studio 54. She even mentions being around before the B-52s and Blondie became famous.
   
   Holly goes through the struggles that many transgendered people face. But she is never able to vocalize that or politicize the issue. In this book, she faces homelessness, job insecurity, poverty, and rampant drug and alcohol abuse. I wish she could have pointed to her life as a reason for gender conformists, of any sexuality, to support trans individuals. Then again, this book, and Holly herself, are highly apolitical. Further, her identification as a gay man, a woman, and a transvestite are blurred here. In fact, she goes into detail about her sexual contact with women but speaks quickly of her contact with men. I am not sure what explained the heterosexism behind that.
   
   Though she has seen and done much, Holly is not a role model here. She is terribly irresponsible. She ruins romantic relationships that would have been life-sustaining for her. She lies to people. She runs away from problems, rather than facing them. She never mentions saving any money. She is obviously drug- and alcohol-addicted, but just laughs those issues off.
   
   On the one hand, Holly admits that she is from Puerto Rico. However, her identification with Puerto Ricans, and other people of color, is close to nil. She portrays Puerto Ricans as aggressive and dangerous. She referred to Puerto Rican lesbians as "chili ch*ch*s." She equally says nasty things about African Americans. Though she stated that she supported the civil rights movement and has Black relatives, she pretty much abandons her ethnicity as she arrives on the Mainland. Though she had physical relationships with Latino and Black men, she only romances white men throughout this book. She seems like she can promote gays and feminine people, but she leaves people of color in the dust.
   
   Additionally, though this book is sprinkled with French expressions, one would never think that Holly knew or remembered any Spanish. At one point, there is a headline written in Spanish that is so broken, even a freshman in high school-level Spanish could correct it. Whether this signifies that Holly is illiterate in Spanish or that her writing assistant Jeffrey Copeland doesn't know any Spanish, I am not sure, But it's pretty pathetic no matter what the cause.
   
   The first two chapters of the book differ from the rest of the book. Obviously, they want to place campiness and the height of her fame first before they got into her childhood. Her epilogue says close to nothing. She obviously wasn't thinking hard about the conclusion.

5 comments about Drama in the Classroom: Creative Activities for Teachers, Parents & Friends.

1. As a home school parent, I am always looking for resources to improve my childs education. I found this book to have many great ideas for a wide age range of children. They were well organized and listed the ages for which the activities were geared to. I am looking forward to using this book for years to come!



2. Though not an educator by profession, I have had extensive experience working with youth groups and have seen Polly Erion's teachings put to practical use. Results have been everything she claims and more. Obviously, her lessons were derived from many years of teaching experience.



3. "Drama in the Classroom" has been an invaluable source of ideas for sparking the curriculum. My students and I have used lessons from this book to plan special programs. Throughout the year, in Social Studies and English, I have turned to it to guide students as they shape skits and oral presentations. The structure the lessons provide helps keep students focused as they plan and work but does not stifle their creativity. Celima Smith, 6th grade teacher, Mill Valley Middle School, Cal.



4. Polly Erion presents a drama program that is rich, varied, and in synch with the children. Drama in the Classroom is invaluable for suitable, stimulating ideas. Helen Morris, Kindergarten Teacher Tam Valley School, California



5. Polly's activities are easy to use. They teach the 'higher lessons' so desperately needed in our society and world today; cooperation, being considerate, using self-discipline and they are fun! Janice Moore, Third Grade Teacher

5 comments about Making Money in Voice-Overs, 2nd Edition (with CD): Winning Strategies to a Successful Career in TV, Commercials Radio and Animation (Book & CD).

1. This book was highly recommended to me by a producer in New York. I read it and immediately knew that this is who I wanted to learn from. Great tips throughout - she really wants everyone to succeed - she's not selfish with her knowledge at all. I subsequently contacted the author through her website (www.terriapple.com) and signed up to train with her while she was in New York. She's widely recognized as one of the BEST in the business; professional, positive, smart and she has a real "Go Team!" attitude that shows in her writing style. Without a doubt, this book is the first step in working toward a career in voice-overs.



2. There are so many typos in this book that it is actually frustrating to read. There is also so much repetition, not in general, but huge paragraphs that can be found word for word three pages earlier. Terri Apple is very good at cheerleading and she obviously knows the business but there's too much emphasis on LA contacts and way, way, way too many text errors to recommend this book. And I'm not talking about grammar. I'm talking about "The re" "and and" or whole words left out. I found myself struggling to read this book. Since it was published in 1999 some of the advice is out-of-date, like carry a pager (pre-cell phones) which is not Ms. Apple's fault, nor her editors, if she had one. I do find her responsible for the content of her book. With so many books on voice-overs out there, I would recommend another.



3. I doubt that Terri Apple even edited her book one-time through. There are a number of grammatical mistakes and spelling errors, making the meaning of several sentences nearly incomprehensible. Had she or an editor read this book, they would have caught many of the obvious mistakes ahead of time. The chapters were not very well laid-out and extremely inconsistent. The book's content was not organized well. Much of the information in each chapter did not coincide with the chapter title and she would skip ideas from one paragraph to the next. Also, she repeated much of the same information in several different chapters under different sections. Perhaps she wrote the book in between her many voiceover auditions. The information in this book is outdated since the industry has changed so dramatically since its publication. Terri Apple has proved that pretty voices should only be used when they have something to say. And that a pretty voice can be an ugly read.



4. Personally I expected more helpful hints and techniques for improving your skills in voice-overs but instead most of the book is concentrated on advising how to promote your talent. So if you want to know how to be a voice-talent this is propably not the best book for you, but if you feel you already have what it takes to be a voice-over artist, it gives you advise what to do to get yourself into business.



5. The massive amount of helpful information in this book is marred by only two things:

   o It desperately needs some copy editing to remove the sentence fragments and other "word-processing glitches," and

   o The discussions of technology need to be reviewed by someone with a firmer grasp of how such things actually work.

   Because of this, I would give it 4-1/2 stars instead of 5 if that rating were available.

   In the big picture, however, these are minor quibbles with a book that otherwise covers a lot of ground and answers a lot of questions that aspiring voice actors would have. It provides an in-depth look at the voice-over business (with particular focus on Los Angeles) from the perspective of a busy, in-demand performer who has paid enough dues to know what she's talking about, and because it is fairly new it covers recent developments that older books omit. Certainly well worth the modest investment for anyone wanting to know more about this business.

5 comments about Homebody/Kabul: Revised Version.

1. I have been a huge Tony Kushner fan ever since i read and subsequently performed in Angels in America my first and second years of college. I bought Homebody/Kabul as soon as it came out in paperback, and was fortunate enough to see it performed at the Intiman Theater in Seattle recently. After reading and seeing this play, my love for Kushner and his work has only deepened.
   At this point, to call Kushner a master of language is to belabor the point. He capable of provoking any reaction under the sun, from hilarity to pathos to utter despair, with a simple, poetic phrase one moment, then a completely different reaction the next. I also won't waste time your time with my interpretation of the "message" of the play, though it certainly has many messages. The first act of Homebody/Kabul consist of one character (the Homebody) sitting in a chair recounting a selective history of Afghanistan mixed in with stories from her life, for an entire hour! Now, read on the page this can get tedious at times, though the stories are interesting. But Ellen McLaughlin, the masterful actor who performed the role in Seattle, sat on stage in one place for that whole hour and commanded the entire attention of the audience. It was mind-boggling, awe-inspiring, transporting, and reminded me forcibly of the difference between reading and performance. McLaughlin took the, admittedly brilliantly constructed, words on the page and turned them into something vital, poetic, and magical.
   The rest of the play deals with the aftermath of the Homebody's decision to go to Kabul and disappear. Her husband Milton and her daughter Priscilla, hearing she has been killed, go to Kabul to recover her body. Soon evidence turns up that she may have taken the veil and married a Muslim man. But she is never actually seen again, leaving the other characters to come to their own conclusions and deal with her disappearance as best they can. Along the way we are treated to hilariously funny moments, such as Priscilla almost setting her burqua on fire with a cigarrette and Milton trying opium and heroin with junkie NGO employee Quango Twistleton, and heartbreaking ones such as an Afghan woman's multilingual rant about the state of her country and a man moved to tears by a Frank Sinatra song.
   As a whole the play is certainly not perfect, it is sometimes unwieldy and some scenes seem under developed. But for me this is more than made up for by its scope, ambition, and searching intelligence. This is not Tony Kushner telling us what to think, he is presenting us with historical information filtered through the eyes of some deeply flawed but fascinating and ultimately human characters. In the end, he does not lay blame for the miserable state of Afghanistan on this or that country or faction, but shows how eveyone is responsible and no one wants to take the responsibility of really making it right. See it performed if you can, but if you can't, read the script, mull it over, and come to your own conclusions.



2. Can you imagine a play that is awesome? I can, because I saw it last month at the Hillsboro community center for Arts Performance. It was Tony Kushners (no relation to Ashton : )) play called Homebody Kabul. What is good about it? The timeliness, and also how it relates to our situation in the Middle East and in Afghanistan and in Pakistan also right now. Of course, after I saw the play I immediately bought the book and then read the play in the book, and I was not disappointed--its Kushner's dramatic explication of important ideas that really made the characters "leap" off the page and into my imagination, not to mention how it made me think. I recommend this book to the socially-minded literati of today's generation X youth. Good? Yes it is. Also check out his other play, Angles in America.



3. Homebody's extended thought streams and speeches were wonderful. I would like to meet her, assuming she is not dead of course. This is the first play I have read by Tony Kushner and I have never been lucky enough to see any of his plays performed. I think he is a fascinating writer. I laughed, I learned, I was outraged, I nodded my head in agreement.

   Tony Kushner was quoted and an excerpt was read from "Homebody/Kabul" at a local Not in Our Name event. His words and work resonate with the time.

   Since I wrote the above review, I saw the play last night. It is even more powerful on stage. In the long Homebody monologue, it felt like the audience wanted to support Homebody, she seemed vulnerable alone on the stage for so long. Her comments made the audience laugh, nod in agreement, and feel her sadness.

   The tone changed in the second half of the play and the audience seemed wrung out at the end with all the emotions and ideas to ponder. Whether read or watched, this play is exceedingly powerful. I highly recommend both.




4. I was fortunate enough to see this performed in New York last year. This play unleashes great torrents of language and ideas at every turn and is the theatrical equivalent of a clusterbomb. Yet, with time to read and mull, it becomes something quite different.

   Years of work and research are hung on the frame of a simple melodrama about a father and daughter searching in a strange country for a wife and mother. Kushner's mythical Afghanistan is a place where the tower of Babel toppled and people speak everything from Russian to Esperanto. The hapless British thrust into this burka'd world will never grasp that we in the west have "succumbed to luxury" -- though perhaps the audience will.

   Some other reviewers found the Homebody's monologue dull on the page. I assure you it is quite stirring in performance. The same may be said of much of the play which, like Angels in America, is unwieldy but brilliant. Kushner has admitted in interviews that the play should be trimmed but I think, when reading the play, the overambitiousness is a plus. Kushner is a playwright with a social consciousness, but also a literary and poetic conscientiousness. The use of 'sunny' as an adjective recalls Sunni and the etymology of Quango's name is a play unto itself.

   This play is 'about' too many things to effectively say what it is about. I appreciate it as a feast of language and a virtuoso display of Kushner's talent. While it may run long and fail to cohere thematically, it is shorter and more thematically coherent than Angels. What is a clusterbomb in the theater is chocolate cake when iced with covers.




5. Like Angels in America, Kushner juxtaposes two seemingly different people and their respective societies, only to show how similar they really are. What are more absurd, Kushner seems to ask, some of the obvious horrors of life in Afghanistan, or some of the subtle opiates that constitute life in the Western world? Neither society appears to be fulfilling in the long run, though a change of scenery seems to be the tonic. Kushner describes a world in which the insanity of one world appears to be the cure for the insanity caused by the other.

   This play is certainl though-provoking, and not easily forgotten. I'd love to see it in the theater.

3 comments about Theatre Management.

1. If you are a serious theatre management student or professional, this is the first book you need to have on your shelf. It is the definitive "Go To" book for all things related to managing theaters and shows, at all levels of the industry.
   
   For example, box office operations and advertising are just as important to Broadway theaters as they are to school and community theaters. The dimensions are different of course - a million dollars a week for the pros, or a thousand dollars a week for schools and communities. But those dollars are equally critical for the economic health of each venue and producing organization. As a result, the book's discussion of box office operations is very relevant to all venues and organizations.
   
   However, just because various performing arts have many things in common, does not mean that solutions to their various concerns are freely interchangeable. Thus, Conte has chapters that focus on the various performance levels - commercial, non-profit theaters, and so on. Within special chapters, the problems and challenges of each type of operation are reviewed in detail.
   
   Conte has a down-to-earth approach to arts production, borne from years of hands-on management experience. Conte says that, in spite of the numerous examples he provides, this is not a "how-to" book. I respectfully disagree. There is so much information contained in this book that any theater manager or producer can learn and use methods and means to accomplish almost any managerial objective. To get a start at achieving anything, the resource to begin with is Theatre Management. As an academic resource, Theatre Management is a veritable encyclopedia of all theatre management.



2. A COMPREHENSIVE TEXT- SUITABLE FOR THE CLASSROOM OR THE PRODUCTION VENUE; HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. LITERALLY IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PUT ON A PRODUCTION- WHETHER IT BE THEATRICAL, MUSICAL, OR DANCE.



3. If you are serious about theatrical management, this book is an invaluable asset. I mean that in every sense of the word. Completely up-to-date and excessively thorough.

1 comments about Speak with Confidence: A Practical Guide (9th Edition).

1. I really like this book which helps me a lot. This book came with 100% new. I highly recommand people to buy books from this site.

5 comments about Wonder Bread & Ecstasy: The Life and Death of Joey Stefano.

1. With the explosion of porn distribution on the net and the constant rise and fall of "stars" being basically anyone paid to be naked for an orgasm in front of a camera at any time in their lives, the story of Joey Stefano is a cautionary tale that many ought heed. This entertainingly written and fairly well researched biography is a brief but revealing text. Perhaps Stefano's life could not carry a longer book, either. In any event, the reader will join him on a fast down escalator into self-destruction that shows the reality of low self-esteem, emotional insecurity, and short life span (in the marketplace or, like Stefano, literally) that often marks the human fabric of this industry. Well worth the investment of time and money, not least because a number of the people in the book, like Chi Chi LaRue, continue as active presences in the business of the meat market.



2. The only thing that I got out of this book what that Joey Stefano broke the glass celing in the porn world for being a bottom. It is his life story but it is just the same: A troubled kid with a drug, sex, and alcohol problem. I would have like to have read a store where he turned his life around and made an impact. I dont recommend this book.



3. What I got out of this was a portrait of a beautiful, self-involved, rather self-indulgent young man who gave in to his weaknesses and lack of motivation or ability to do anything aside from relying on his looks and sexual prowess. As such stories usually go, this mindset led Stefano down a road of self-destruction and eventually death. It's certainly a fascinating portrait of a time and place very specific in Gay pop culture and adult-film history; this is a must-read for any porn aficianado for the very colorful events and characters that pop up in Joey Stefano's story. The author does a good job of outllining the events of his life and contextualizing them in the gay-porn scene of the late '80s to early '90s when gay video really came of age.
   
   However, i must again disagree with those who characterize this story as a "tragedy". A tragedy implies that the participants had no choice or fought valiantly against the forces which eventually overwhelmed them. Joey Stefano made his own choices and was clearly not willing to own up to them---yes he was gorgeous and had great sexual mystique but he was all too willing to squander his gifts in a morass of drugs and self-degradation which he enthusiastically participated in. Clearly he was too willing to buy into the myth that you are only worth as much as your beauty allows (a too-prevalent attitude in the gay world) and his unfortunate lack of self-awareness was his ultimate undoing.
   
   Compare and contrast him with the story of his mentor, Chi Chi LaRue---a large, homely man who became one the most successful business people in the porn world. LaRue had enough character and self-awareness to realize that looks would not get him along in the world---hard work, character, and a willingness to confront harsh realities are all necessary qualities for anyone but especially to those not gifted with dazzling good looks. LaRue becomes the de facto hero of "Wonder Bread and Ecstasy", especially considering that although Stefano barely gave him the time of day during their friendship/collaboration LaRue stood by him through anything and everything. That Stefano perished at an early age, burnt out and used, and LaRue emerged successful and thriving to this day, says much about the vagaries of vanity, empty self-gratification and excessive worship of beauty in the gay mainstream media.



4. The first time I saw Joey Stefano in film I was overwhelmed by his beauty, his body, his sexual appetite, and his vulnerability. I think that vulnerability; that good boy/bad boy persona that was able to reach out beyond the screen is what made him into the "star" he became. Those who saw him fantasized being with him, and in the process, perhaps to protect him from all those things that could and would hurt him. His meteoric rise to fame, and his tragic demise are recounted in this sad tale about a man who became a legend in his own time.
   One thinks of stars who's greatness was cut short...Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Carole Lombard, among others...and then there too was Joey Stefano.



5. I'll cut some slack for this being Isherwoods first book but alas ther is nothing to see here. His Norma Jean approach to Nick Iaconna life is cliche' at best. To Isherwoods credit he does include morsels of what was going on in gay culture at the time of the early nineties which are genuinely intresting observations. Isherwoods took the E! true hollywood story approach to this bio and quite frankly been there done that.There are no new insights or revelations about the porn industry or gay culture.

No comments about Critical Theory and Performance: Revised and Enlarged Edition (Theater: Theory/Text/Performance).

5 comments about Physicists.

1. 
   Friedrich Duerrenmatt appended "21 Points to THE PHYSICISTS," and in Point 14 he insisted that, "A drama about physicists must be paradoxical." His next point stated that, "It cannot have as its goal the content of physics but its effect." Duerrenmatt's 1962 play (which was translated into English from the original German in 1963 and then appeared on Broadway) succeeds most memorably by adhering to these two points (and his other nineteen which are printed in this edition as well).
   
   THE PHYSICISTS features three characters who make claims to being the famed physicists Newton, Einstein and Moebius. These three toddle into the action as unpredictably as individual gas molecules move in a heated, sealed container as the play utilizes bizarre happenings in an old section of a sanitarium to examine the potential destructive power of physics (and by extension, all branches of science) and the moral and ethical dilemmas arising from that. Plot twists and turns abound as the main characters -- and some minor ones -- change like chameleons and the contexual frame of reference is turned repeatedly on its head.
   
   THE PHYSICISTS will soon reach the half-century mark, but its themes continue to be relevant as twenty-first century scientists and the public at large confront an ever widening arena of scientific "advances" that could conceivably unleash immense, even catastrophic, repercussions. As Duerrenmatt says in Point 19, "Within the paradoxical appears reality." Within the play, one can see truths for our times.
   
   Anyone who has seen or read the more recent plays COPENHAGEN or PROOF will probably find THE PHYSICISTS a great read.



2. Three physicists have been confined to a very expensive posh mental institution, Les Cerisiers. Herbert George Beutler says he is Isaac Newton, but he knows that he is really Einstein. He adopted the guise of Newton to avoid upsetting another patient, Ernst Heinrich Ernesti, who claims he is Einstein. The third, Johann Wilhelm Mobius is himself. As a long term patient, he enjoys frequent visions of King Solomon.

   I had the great fortune of knowing little about the plot. I was continuously entertained by the playful unraveling of a murder mystery. I urge you to avoid learning more. The imagination of Durrenmatt is quite remarkable. He weaves an entertainingly unpredictable story.

   This short play warrants reading more than once, even more than twice, as the Swiss playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt not only entertains us, but explores fundamental questions regarding the role of science in modern society. The Physicists was written in 1962 when the world faced the possibility of nuclear war at any moment. The Physicists has been produced at the London Royal Court Theatre, on Broadway, and by many university theatre departments. I intend to become acquainted with the plays of Friedrich Durrenmatt.




3. I originally read this play some time ago while studying German in college and it is one of the few works from those years that has "stuck with me". In fact I still have the German language edition that I used at that time.
   As other reviewers have said, one of the central themes of this work is the degree of responsibility that scientists have to humanity or something called "the public". Having worked for over twenty years now as a nuclear scientist, I can definitely say that at times the desire for knowledge can override the consideration of all the possible uses of a given technology. The question them becomes, can an idea be "unthought"? This secondary theme of the book is intertwined with the theory of the inevitability of ideas at a given time and place.
   The translation by Kirkup is quite good as compared to the original German version that I have. Though the expository style (some very long dialogs) may be a bit daunting at times, stick with it. This play is a philosophical discussion, not a Hollywood action film.



4. I want all of you to read this play. It is weird butfascinating, surprising and just brilliant. Get to know Germanliterature at one of its best!



5. Durrenmatt's play provides an excellent and thought-provoking critique on the role of modern science and technology in human affairs. Is science responsible to humanity? If we deem specific knowledge "harmful", how can we hope to prevent its discovery? If the knowledge does exist, how do we prevent its misuse? This is a play that is incredibly relevant in an age plagued with similar issues in genetic engineering and cloning. I'd highly recommend the German translation.

3 comments about The Harold Arlen Songbook.

1. Musical theater daughter in college has this songbook and really liked some of the songs--some very popular songs and others unknown gems which are great for auditions. We had to give this as gifts to several voice teachers--after she had shared the songbook, they really wanted a copy to share with their own voice students. Most popular song by this musical theater and movie composer: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...Check out his other songs!



2. This is a wonderful anthology of Harold Arlen songs. Since he wrote over 400 songs, it's impossible to include them all, but the best are definitely represented here. If you want to learn an Arlen song, this is the source.



3. Even if he never wrote anything else, Harold Arlen earned a stellar position in the Great American Songbook for writing "Over the Rainbow", as well as the other songs from "The Wizard of Oz". But he wrote so many more wonderful songs, ranging from the happiest and most light-hearted melodies to songs of nearly-operatic power. Sopranos, in particular, should look at this collection, which contains "Blues in the Night", "I Had Myself a True Love", and "I Wonder What Became of Me". The arrangements in this book are quite full, although a professional accompanist could make more of them, and the keys are singable. It is one of the staples of my popular music library. Harold Arlen's work is often associated with Judy Garland, but I think Eileen Farrell is actually the absolute best interpreter of his songs. Look for her CDs titled "Eileen Farrell Sings Harold Arlen" and "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues". They will blow you away, and maybe change your perception of what great singing can be.