1 comments about Acting is Believing.

1. This was our assigned text in beginning acting. I was first skeptical about how much one could learn about from a book. The answer is, "quite a bit." The book, in spite of its slim appearance, holds a good amount of information and is packed with acting exercises. All in all, a good supplement to anyone's shelf.

5 comments about Topdog/underdog.

1. Ms. Park's play is one of the best plays I have read in a long time. her character's jump out at you and from the first page you are hooked into their lives. It focuses on the relationship between two bothers named Lincoln and Booth. The play has twists and turns and there is always a sense of danger looming. She develps both the characters and story in a very cleaver way, and uses metaphors for what a black man in today's white America may sometimes feel. As a white women I do not know what those feelings are like, but this play taught me what they may be like. read this play. It says something very important that we all should know.



2. Here is New York street Americana...
   a tragedy of the black shattered family.
   Two brothers abandoned by their father and mother
   who have shifted and grafted on their own.
   Lincoln shot by brother Booth...
   Cain killed by Abel.
   It reminded me very much of the Steinbeck short novel.
   This play is a work not lovable but true.
   John Steinbeck of Mice and Men



3. ok, the first 90 or so pages of this play are great, i like the dynamics, the writting is good, the relationship between the brothers is well portrayed. Now this is a contemporary shakespearean tragedy, so the ending is pretty obvious, and your supposed to figure out what happens pretty early in the play, if you still dont want to know however stop reading.
   
   THE ENDING SUCKS, it reminds me of the orignal ending of clerks, in which Dante dies in a robbery, Kevin Smith discovered that the only reason he ended it that way was because he didnt know how to end his movie and wasnt tallented enough to write a good ending yet. Now i think parks is tallented, but this could have been better. The manner in which everything unravells is just not believeable. Anyone can end a tragic play with the guy everyone knew was going to die dying. Now it takes much more tallent to not kill him off. When a main character dies in the last couple moments it sends an emotional wave at the audience, death always has that effect, they dont take the time to analyze things because they are overwhelmed with the emotion of the experience. Just because it evicts an emotion everyone comes to the conclussion that it was good, smart. Killing off a character is a great way to end a trajedy if you arent inspired enough to think of anything more tragic than death. I just finished reading 20 minutes ago so im not going to trash it anymore, upon further review i might warm up to it. As for now though, there is one major error in contintuity really that ruined the ending for me, if you catch it youl probably be left scratching your head too, and unless a light bulb goes off and i figure out what just happened, i cant suggest this book.



4. Parks' play is a well crafted drama about two brothers' lives smoothly built around their relationship with 3-card monte. She does a strong job of handling the darker aspects of sibling rivalry, poverty, and family. I mostly enjoyed Topdog/Underdog for its raw toughness and the way the two-character structure brought out the inner workings and different demons of the two brothers. While not the greatest play ever, it is a good, solid dramatic work and definitely worth reading.



5. About the only thing I wanted to do after seeing this was demand my money back. This has to be one of the most unimaginative plays I have ever seen. It reminded me of a really bad Saturday night live parody meets Friday part 2 but at the end the writer tried to make it poingnant by adding a death. I don't know why this was even printed. If I was a tree that lost my life to print this play I would come back as a ghost a haunt the publisher till his dying day.

No comments about The Merchant of Venice (Cambridge School Shakespeare).

5 comments about On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio.

1. "On The Air"
   I've been after this one for some years but couldn't make the price tag.
   Finally I found one of Amazon's amazing cut price sources & grabbed it.
   It arrived at my UK address in as secure a package as you could hope for and for a third of its original price! It is as near mint condition as one could expect and is one great hunk of reading. I'll be older and feebler before I reach Z with this one! I can't say I'm familiar with all shows as a UK guy but it'll be interesting to plough through the many shows that either I never heard of or that never quite made it. It was mainly thanks to AFRS & its dedication to keeping the troops in touch with Hollywood & the stars during their wartime golden days that drew me (and thousands of other UK listeners)into the web of American radio and now thanks to those dedicated groups like YUSA and OTR much has been preserved to be recaptured & appreciated as if it were yesterday,again! A solid souvenir for all fans of this incomparable media of the mind.



2. Whether you wish to know about the great or the small radio programs of the past, this book is for you. It is more than a resume of the various radio programs but rather is a complete history. With the more famous shows, entries can be several pages. Each entry is well researched and seems to be very complete, from cast members to those "behind the scenes." This is the definitive work, in my estimation.



3. Being an old time radio fan for more than 15 years and having collected more than 45,000 programs I was looking for a reference book that allowed me to better track what I have and what I wanted to look for. John Dunning's book is that and so much more. The detail he has included for the series listed is simply amazing. From showtimes to networks to cast to sponsors to a behind the scenes type view of each series you're left feeling like you were there the whole time.
   
   This book is a must have for both novice and serious collectors of these fine old programs. You won't be disappointed in the detail. If you're looking for pictures then this isn't the book. It is a beautifully written reference book that gives you insight to not only the shows themselves but the actors and actresses who starred in them.
   
   Simply put, a wonderful read!



4. Highly informative, well written, entertaining, sometimes exhaustive. I read this through from cover to cover (several evenings) - a process that has not tempted me with any other encyclopedia! Brings back many memories while adding much information new to me. Great stuff!



5. This book has everything you could ever need to know about OTR. Meticulously researched. I asked my father in law about shows he used to watch and he named some I never heard of and he said were just local shows and wouldn't be in this book. Wrong! This book had them and even said that they were local shows. If you want an encyclopedia on old time radio, this is the one to get!

No comments about The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective.

5 comments about The Cherry Orchard (Dover Thrift Editions).

1. This, Chekov's last play, is the story of Madame Ranyevskaya's family, which lost its wealth, and an estate that included a cherry orchard. The subtext carries the story and is about how not to deal with existentialist stasis -- a state of being immobilized by the fear of change, and the complexity of the denial that under lay this fear. It is this fear and the symbolism it invokes that makes the play universal in its depiction of human fear, suffering, and inability to address change; for at one time or another, these too have engulfed us all. It is against this backdrop that Chekov's real talent, comes to the fore: his incredible ability to graphically develop characters and analyze them psychologically with a fine-tooth comb.
   
   Chekov demonstrates an uncanny ability to draw out the deepest images of personal psychological angst, and is almost comical in his analysis which is always exquisitely sensitive -even of the most serious of issues such as those that beset this wealthy Russian family. The underlying message is that "life must go on" whether or not we address reality squarely in the face, or allow it to hit us in the "behind" as we are on the way out the door, as it did Madame Ranyevskaya and her family, as her creditors came to take away all of her possessions, including her cherry orchard from under her.
   
   This is quintessentially Chekov; but it needs to be read several times to weave together the text with the subtext.
   
   Five stars.



2. With hundreds of versions of The Cherry Orchard available, you would think that Amazon would have the sense to name the translator. I think this is the same version used by LA Theater Works in which case the translator would be Michael Frayn.



3. This is an abysmal production. To anyone outside of LA the accents will become tiresome (I'm so `stoopid'; in the `bairth'-house etc) and the translation and acting style make this play sound like an episode of a soap opera. The recording begins like so many audio books with an unnecessary spoken introduction - "The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov ...." (like if I was expecting Dolly Parton!). And to make matters worse, the announcer claims it is recorded before a live audience. It is patently not so, there are sound effects galore, including a pathetically obvious laugh track purported to be the audience but not one hint of an actor walking across the stage and, apart from the canned laughter, not a cough, murmur, shuffle or peep from the audience. Nice try LA Theatreworks, it might do for a bored 10th grader who is too lazy to read the text but the whole thing sounds like a bunch of second rate actors with no idea of what they doing. They might get walk-ons in The Bold and the Beautiful if they try harder but this fake acting in front of a fake audience is an insult.



4. Chekhov's plays work on many different levels. On the one it is the story of the characters' relationships to each other. Often in Chekhov there is disillusionment and disappointment, misunderstanding and desire unrealized. Often too the characters have ideas and dreams about themselves which simply do not find their justification in the world. But in all this there is always interspersed moments of tenderness and poignancy, of delicate feeling, perceptions of beauty.
   On another level there are ' major themes'. Here it is of the Old Order passing and the coming of the new. The 'Cherry Orchard' is the symbol of this. And the purchase of it by the former serf Lopahin is the sign of the transition taking place in Russia. The old order people, Ranskanaya her daughters and brother cling to the older world, refuse to sell it out by accepting the offer to build on it dachas, and connect it with the railway line. But in the end the extravagance of Ranskaya is forced to yield, and the 'Cherry Orchard' is cut down.
   In the final moments of the play the elderly servant Firs, the true symbol of the one raised in the old order and too deeply connected to it, to ever leave it, lies down and seems to pass away.
   Chekhov's art is an art of sadness and beauty, of cruelty and change , but above all of human character and feeling portrayed in complexity and contradiction- and in a language of poetic compression deep in feeling.



5. I couldn't figure out whether this was a comedy or not. It says at the beginning of the play that it is, but for the most part it seemed really depressing to me. I know technically you can't call it a tragedy because the heroine didn't cause her own downfall, but still, it most certainly was NOT a comedy.
   All that aside, I thought the play was fairly enjoyable. It is basically about a rich family in Russia who are forced to sell their estate and cherry orchard because they have no money. Altogether, it was fairly interesting, but confusing. The character's names were so similar that I had to keep looking back to figure out who was who. Three stars.

5 comments about The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer.

1. 
   Ms. Rodenburg is one of the most wise and trusted teachers in the theater today. Her books are a veritable map of how to have and maintain a free voice - that which any good actor yearns to have, especially doing 8 shows a week as in the regionals or on Broadway. The books are the next best thing to being in the classroom with her - something every actor should experience at least once. Whether you are just beginning your acting studies, or in the thick of a professional career, this book will be an asset to you.



2. Patsy's work I think is fantastic. Patsy learnt from Cecily Berry, and Clifford Turner which laid her foundation down for her work.
   
   She is very thorugher, and so thorugher I am still working my way through it (since last year!) So if you want something quick, fast and easy this book isnt for you.
   Although I am not an actor , I bought the book to help me work with my voice so I can give better speeches.
   Patsy covers everything I need to know, and although It is taking me some time I am improving.I think it is extremly challenging at times because some of her work ask you to do a lot of exercises . And you really need to make the time to do them all. I was reccomended to this book after completing a short actors course in Sydney by the voice director. And although I was a little skeptical at first, after all why buy an acting book to help with speech work? But the same principles apply.
   For speakes, actors, performers, etc this is A MUST to have on your book shelf. Buy it and continuelly use it.
   You can not afford to pass this book up for the sake of your career!



3. The book is useful only to actors because it contains too many exercises and details on voice production and support. It's very complicated and very large. However as the actors said, it's a bible for them. Buy it only if you are an actor...



4. I highly recomend this book for budding young actors, it is filled with great tips and techniques. I loved it.



5. The Actor Speaks is a practical guide to acting. It tells you what to do with your instrument. It is a great book for any performer. However it is purely practically, it doesn't get you out of playing Hamlet perfectly in the livingroom. To prepare for the real industry outside the practical I also recommend picking up "My Fractured Life" by Rikki Lee Travolta. It gives a very detailed and graphic look at real life as actors trying to make it in modern society and some tips on getting luck to play in your favor.

5 comments about Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup.

1. I'm a lighting design major in college, and no matter what I take a class in, Gillette's book is the standard must have for all tech (and acting) majors. It's a requirement for stage tech 1, and then is used again through out the college carreer, and I have heard people even refrence it after they graduate. The best places to start for new techies are this book, and the 'backstage handbook'



2. I think its an amazing book! very complete, it tells you about the roles of every one involved, the make up, scene design, construction, sound, costume and lighting, so if you are serious about becoming an excelent theatrical designer and producer, then this is the best place to start!! from here you can buy other books, but this is a must have!



3. Hi I am 11 and I want to make props for my film!Is This the right book?It looks exspensive but is it worth it?I need a book and fast!



4. This book is an excellent starting point for students interested in theater. It covers all of the major topics: scene design, construction, lighting, sound, costumes, and makeup. I would recommend it to all students and teachers.



5. we used this book in our theatre department and I find it very good for students who want a little knowledge of what goes on in the making of theatre.

3 comments about Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices (8th Edition).

1. This was a used book. Our instructor didn't know that the 8th edition was out, so didn't recommend we get that one. The 7th edition has served our purpose.



2. This book had very simple principals which can be applied to a number of different environments.



3. I used this book in my small group communication class. The book was very helpful and easy to read. There is a website that supports the text.

2 comments about Exploring Sound Design for Interactive Media (Design Exploration Series).

1. The book is not really about sound design. It does not give any new techical information and the musical stuff is very basic. In the book says that the CD files can be used for classes but ther isn't anything that is worthwile (and they are only a few!!!). The only information that it has some interest is about games sound design but is very very short.It was disapointing.Do not be fulled by the tittle.



2. Cancellaro has written a thorougly accessible text here. This isn't one of those dry thousand-page tomes that will never get read. He writes like a real human being speaks - which makes the learning all the easier.
   
   Whether you are a musician, digital video artist or a college student learning digital audio - this is the book for you. It covers everything from basic audio and acoustic theory, digital concepts and compression issues and even introduces music theory - and keeps it all fun and approachable.
   
   Highly recommended.