2 comments about Thirty 10-Minute Plays for 4, 5, and 6 Actors from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest (Contemporary Playwrights Series).

1. "30 Ten-Minute Plays for 4, 5, and 6 Actors from Actors Theatre of Louisville's National Ten-Minute Play Contest," edited by Michael Bigelow Dixon, Tanya Palmer, and Brendan Healy, is a solid anthology that is focused on a specific type of play. The book is part of a set of three volumes; the other 2 contain plays for 2 actors and 3 actors. The introduction to this book briefly discusses the 10-minute play as a distinct theatrical form.

   This collection of plays shows diversity in both tone and subject matter. Some plays are funny, some are creepy; topics covered include romance, marriage, violence, the impact of popular culture, war, communication, betrayal, revenge, and broken dreams.

   This book is full of great pieces, but I'd like to mention a few that stood out for me. Richard Dresser's "The Road to Ruin": a Twilight Zone-ish tale about a couple whose car breaks down; Stephen Gregg's "A Private Moment," a touching depiction of an episode in the lives of Chang and Eng, the original "Siamese Twins"; Kim Levin's "Just One Night," which explores the issue of date rape; John Pielmeier's "Pillow Talk," an outrageous, violent satiric comedy that takes place in a marriage counseling office; "The Processional," by Robert D. Kemnitz and Jennifer McMaster, which depicts a very bizarre wedding rehearsal; Jane Martin's "Tattoo," a funny and unsettling story of justice; and Sheri Wilner's "Labor Day," which is dominated by a word game played by the characters.

   The only disappointing thing about this anthology was the lack of any information about the authors of each play. But that complaint aside, this is an excellent anthology which I would recommend both for literature courses or just for some entertaining independent reading.




2. Three fine books in the Smith & Kraus '30 10-Minutes Plays' series by Michael Dixon, et.al. present winners from the Actors Theatre of Louisville's national 'ten-minute play' contest, provide aspiring students and dramatists with a wide range of plays. These three volumes are divided into plays for 3 Actors (1-57525-278-3), 2 Actors (277-5) and 4, 5 & 6 Actors (279-1). Characters, settings, and details on obtaining performance rights accompany each sketch.

5 comments about The Here and Now: The Photography of Sam Jones.

1. the Clooney album, too many shots of Clooney makes it too boring and creepy. Obviously Jones has a 'jones' for Clooney.



2. The photos are absolutely brilliant... I only wish there was more text explaining Jones's take on each shot -- how he came up with the setting, what his inspiration was, what happened during the shoot, etc. He does a little of this in the intro of the book where he remembers moments with Jessica Beil, Clooney, etc, but it would be so much better if each photo had something like that.



3. The images in this book are spectacular & beautiful. If you are a fan of George Clooney you're in luck as he has the most photos spread, some serious some funny.



4. fantastic book! a must have for anyone who appreciates stunning photography by a clever and talented photographer. whether jones is drawing out a subject's demure side or silly side, he lets you feel as if you are, at once, let in on the secret and the surprise of the moment. no coffee table collection is complete without this photographer's monograph.



5. I loved it.....
   buy it now....IT WILL IMPROVE YOUR SEX LIFE!
   seriously. there is nothing like some bare naked ladies...

3 comments about American Set Design.

1. Covering important early stage design throught the early '90s, this is immeasurably important to the understanding of how scenic elements enhance theatrical production.



2. I was hoping this would be something more technical. Instead, it deals more with contemporary designers' individual creative process and an overview of their work.



3. This book, one of the few that takes a more academic, rather than practical, view of scenic design, should be required reading for any designer (lights and costumes as well as set) as well as every director. In his designer profiles Aronson shows the reader the different processes that can be utilized to achieve a successful design. It is also one of the few books that gives the reader an opportunity to get deeper into the history of contemporary American design, as each designer is sure to mention his or her influences and teachers. Far more useful then the practical books on design in helping a young designer conceptualize, collaborate and create interesting designs. Unless you want to design in a vacuum, this book is a must read

5 comments about A Midsummer Night's Dream.

1. This is a great play to introduce young people to the wonderful world of Shakespeare. There are fairies and elves galore in it, as well as some very wonderful characters. It is also extremely funny, albeit the humour has Shakespeare's characteristic bawdiness. What makes this play special though is Shakespeare's wonderful poetry where he skillfully mixes characters from Greek mythology with Elizabethan craftsmen. This play is a comic parody on Shakespeare's famous Romeo and Juliet where he depicts a pair of tragic star-crossed lovers. In this play there are actually five sets of ill-assorted lovers. And his characters! Who has not heard of the wonderful Puck? And what about Nick Bottom and Hermia? This is a wonderful, funny and beautifully crafted play.



2. This is one of my favorite Shakespears.. I loved it! It's witty, smart and light hearted unlike many of his other works. If you think Shakespeare might be too heavy for you, try this one.



3. Having read the majority of Shakespeare's plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream was, without a doubt, the most glaring omission on the list of plays which I have read. So, naturally I felt most inclined to read it -- finally. I found it enjoyable, witty, and entertaining. In Shakespeare's use of blithe love, fairies, magic, the forest, & a play within a play, I found similar, if not redundant elements seen innumerably in his other works. I did, however, find some seemingly prosaic, yet surprisingly profound social overtones on both love and marriage.

   The whimsical insouciance of the young Lysander, Hermia, Helena, and Demetrius emanates in stark contrast to the more mundane, if not rigid, love of Theseus and Hippolyta. This inevitably provokes thought on the very underpinnings of love. Also, another impending paradox of sorts presents itself with the love of the two young couples. While Lysander and Hermia enjoy a jovial and reciprocal brand of love, conversely Helena and Demetrius enjoy, courtesy of one of Shakespeare's most famous characters, Robin Goodfellow(aka Puck), a forced, yet unwitting, brand of love. The two couples' love, while diametrically opposite, nevertheless results in the same ineluctable and identical outcome -- marriage. While true love may indeed be blind as in the former case, Shakespeare, however, also makes a case that some love is perhaps forced, if not arbitrary, as well -- as in the case of Demetrius and Helena. As the two couple leave the fairies, the wildwoods, and the forest, a place that represents a world of infinite freedom, chaos, and with them lessened inhibitions, the lovers end the story by arriving at the Athenian Court, a place that represents a return to decorum, refinement, and quite possibly, confinement.

   "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" - Puck




4. A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps one of Shakespeare's greatest comedic works. It is intricate and at the same time simple, engaging, lighthearted, and funny.

   The characters include:

   The Fairies - Oberon, Titania, Puck, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, and Mustardseed

   The Athenians - Theseus, Hippolyta, Egeus, Philostrate, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia

   The Actors/Common Men - Nick Bottom, Peter Quince, Tom Snout, Francis Flute, Robin Starveling, and Snug

   This is a play in five acts, with many dynamic characters and various different story lines - there is even a play within the play. This might sound confusing, but Shakespeare masterfully ties it all together through a key event introduced in the beginning of the play, which is followed through at the end. This event is the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta.

   Basically, four headstong teenagers (Lysander, Demetrius, Helena, and Hermia) become entangled in a love triangle of sorts - a triangle that is made even more complex by the meddlings of the fairies. Pure confusion results, which accounts for most of the comedic interest of the play. Through the four lover's story we slip in and out of the dream-like fairy world.

   An argument between the King and Queen of the fairies (Oberon and Titania) creates another story line that is also intertwined with the actors/common men.(in particular, Nick Bottom)

   Standing on the outskirts of all this confusion is the knowledge that Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding is about to take place, giving a time frame, structure, and "method" to Shakespeare's "madness". As I stated before, it also ties the whole play together.

   While it might sound confusing, once read, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a marvelous work to comprehend. There are so many different connections and interpretations to be made about it. I feel that this factor, coupled with the pure fun and fantasy
   of the play, makes it a very worthwhile read.




5. I just cant rave enough about Midsummer Night's Dream. I read this book in eight grade English and I really didn't think I would enjoy it. How wrong I was.

   To put it simply, Midsummer Night's Dream is just hilarious. Love tangles and potions, mistaken identities, faeries and gods, and a play with a play can all be found in this tale.

   The story revolves around the forest God Oberon and his obsession with Titania, a goddess but most of the story follows the tale of Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena and their crazy and constantly tampered with lovelife. Lysander and Helena flee into the forest in hopes of eloping (Helena's father will not allow the two to marry) and the duo are followed by Demetrius (who loves Helena) and Hermia (who loves Demetrius). This is the start of the love tangle. Thanks to the meddling of Oberon and Puck (a well loved and comedically apt fairy), at one point, each man loves each girl, even so far as a complete reversal where Lysander and Demetrius scorn Helena and court Hermia.

   In addition, a play is being put on for the lord of the city from which the four love-wrought teenagers are from's wedding. One member of the cast, Bottom (a pun on the word ass.. you'll see) is turned into a donkey, or an ass. At one point, Titania is madly in love with the ass Bottom.

   The stories, while seperate, eventually come together in a pleasing ending.

   Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeares greatest comedies. The light hearted, jovial, and mystical story will please any reader and comes highly recommended and perhaps Shakespeares most popular comedy.

   On a side note, the Folgers Series edition is excellent. As with all the Shakespearean Folgers books, the side-notes and scene summaries will help the reader understand and enjoy the play much more. This play itself comes highly recommended, even more so with this edition.

3 comments about La Danse.

1. La Danse
   The reproduction of his fantastic photos is even better than I had hoped for and the CDs are a great bonus!



2. A beautiful book with the impressionistic photography of David Hamilton. The main dance of the book is ballet, a rather nawor focus these days. Featured are mostly young, female dancers, but there are also shots of Nureyev and a few other male dancers. Finally, it differs from other David Hamilton books by featuring mostly fully-clothed dancers.



3. Do you enjoy ballet photography? Are you a fan of David Hamilton? Do you enjoy classical music? Are you a fan of Rudolf Nureyev? If you are a fan of one or all of them, you'll want to own this fine collectible publication. I recently purchased a copy and find it to be of top quality in terms of professionalism in photography.
   The original La Danse, which, I believe was published in 1974? Contained many of the same photographs which grace the pages of this up-to-date version. There's the splendid full page photographs of charming young girls in ballet, and the rare photographs of Rudolf Nureyev.
   But in the updated version, there is more, much much more. The book contains 4 Classical Ballet music cds, plus photographs from two other David Hamilton classics, Laura and Bilitis. So in many ways, this up-to-date version is much better than the original version.
   If you want to own a book of David Hamilton's at a more affordable price, La Danse will be it.

No comments about I Love Ballet (Dover Coloring Book).

1 comments about What I Meant Was: New Plays and Selected One-Acts.

1. Craig Lucas' amazing THE DYING GAUL is the centerpiece of his latest collection of full-length and one-act plays, WHAT I MEANT WAS. Lucas' provocative drama responds to the perils of cyberlife, one of contemporary drama's most recently popular subjects (as in Kopit's Y2K and Marber's CLOSER). However, Lucas delves deeply, chronicling the pain of a screenwriter who has recently lost his lover to AIDS. He has sold his script to a heartless producer, and enters an affair with him, even though the producer is both married and simultaneously attempting to rid his manuscript of any trace of its gay subject matter. As an outlet to his suffering, he surfs the loveless yet safe confines of the Internet. However, the series of events which ensue are both blazingly theatrical and a sobering statement on the capacities of the human spirit in the age of technology. Presented here with a number of other recent Lucas plays, the playwright exhibits a longing and passion which could not be seen in his earlier work PRELUDE TO A KISS. Readers cannot miss Lucas' introduction to the plays, which identifies the new found anger inherent in his "new" theatrical voice.

5 comments about Acting for Animators.

1. While targeted towards animators, non-animator actors will find this book useful. I am studying acting myself, as well as traditional hand-drawn animation, and read this book in less than a day, absolutely drawn into Ed Hooks' teachings. A wonderful overview of 'method acting' and other theories of acting. I lent it to my acting teacher, and even she learned some new stuff from it.



2. Ed Hooks delivers a consise and insightful look at the background and fundamentals of acting for animators.



3. Of all the books about animation I found this to be the least useful. The important stuff is so diluted that the reader has to go through several pages before finding something useful. The live action included in the cd was also disappointing. For example, you can find a sketch where a guy slap a girl's butt: how useful (and tasteful) is that? If you are into animation, you are much better off with Richard Williams's 'Animator's Survival Kit'or Frank Thomas''Illusion of Life'.



4. I've been working in animation for 7 years professionally and bought this book with some hesitation, based on the negative reviews here. As it turns out, I LOVE THIS BOOK! There isn't the polish and thickness that I'm used to seeing in other books, but the heart of it is extremely useful. If you want to create a film (student, festival, or even Hollywood) you need to know the contents of this book. Otherwise, nobody will really care about all the work you've done to animate your characters. Further, I've added myself to Ed's monthly newsletter email list. It's a terrific support for what he teaches in his book. I believe you can sign up for it at the Acting for Animators website.



5. I found the content of this book too thin to justify the price. There was really not much stuff in it that I didn't already know, which is a shame considering that I have never been trained in acting. As a character animator, I also find the title somehow decieving since most of the topic could be covered in any acting book and in most parts, it was not really animation related. I wish I had spent my money on a general purpose acting book with more content.

2 comments about Vertigo (BFI Film Classics).

1. This is one of a series on classic movies put out by the British Film Institute, and I guess Alfred Hitchcock qualifies because he began as an English director, even though Vertigo was made in Hollywood...Anyway, like all of the BFI series I have read, this one is a little gem (almost as good as Camille Paglia's essay on The Birds). If you are a Hitchcock fan -- if you love movies, especially suspense thrillers -- if you think Vertigo is one of the best movies ever made (like me), you will devour this little book the way a chocolate lover gobbles up a box of Godiva truffles. Everything you ever wanted to know and more about Vertigo. Well, almost. My only complaint is that it isn't long enough.



2. Although I have always enjoyed the movie Vertigo, it was never on my list of favorite Hitchcock movies, preferring North By Northwest and Rear Window even more. Charles Barr's book VERTIGO may not have changed my opinion but it certainly allows me to understand why someone else would disagree with my personal ranking. The book explores Vertigo on several different levels allowing for a richer appreciation of the movie.
   
   As Barr notes, Vertigo is unlike many other Hitchcock movies in that it is more about the relationship of the characters played by Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak than it is about the criminal plot. In fact, again unusual for Hitchcock movies, the plot twist, the scheme by which murder has been committed, is revealed not at the end of the movie but rather about two-thirds of the way into it. This allows the remaining forty or so minutes to focus on the interactions between the characters. That Novak is playing a dual role and all the characters are working with different levels of knowledge at different times makes this all the more interesting.
   
   One part of VERTIGO that I find fascinating is the theory that Jimmy Stewart actually dies at the beginning of the film after hanging from the rooftop. The viewer never sees him rescued and therefore, so the thought goes, everything that follows (basically the whole movie) takes place in his head while hanging, falling and dying.
   
   Usually I do not go for such metaphysical theories unless there is a solid basis of support. Here there is. Barr introduces the reader to the author Ambrose Bierce who wrote a story using the same plot device. Clues of Bierce's presence are placed throughout the movie and one of the screenwriters made an elliptical, though nonetheless explicit, reference to Bierce with respect to the story. Although this theory of Stewart's death at the beginning of Vertigo may be a minority opinion, it is nonetheless valid and quite interesting.
   
   Film criticism being what it is, Barr throws in a number of phrases that come off as hoity-toity. But I never had the feeling that he was speaking down to the reader. The British Film Institute guides are usually fairly well written and informative and VERTIGO is no exception.

No comments about Patronizing the Arts.