1 comments about Dramatist Guild Resource Directory.

1. As a memeber of the Guild, I get this every year without cost. So the first thing to know is: if you are trying to be a playwright, you should join the Dramatists Guild (the dues are $95 per year for an Associate Membership). At any rate, you need this book---Theaters, Agents, Directors, Contests, etc.---it's all here every year and you must have this information to even begin to successfully market your play.

5 comments about The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.

1. I ordered this book the day after we saw the play. There was much to think about and I wanted to read what I had heard. The lanuage was a bit rough for me but then I'm old. I really would recommend it to anyone who likes to think about what they do or do not believe. Patricia Murchek



2. This was so distasteful to me that I ended up throwing it away.



3. I enjoyed this play so much. It wasn't that I could not put it down- instead I wanted it to last- I would read a scene and force myself to put it down so it would be waiting for me the next day. The way he makes his characters come to life is brilliant. As you read it you can hear the voice of each person. Mr. Guirgis causes you to think about how things are perceived differently by different people, and we ourselves are sometimes our own worse critic...I loved how when I was reading the scene with Satan- at one point I literally felt nauseous- I did not love feeling nauseous- but then I realized- this is Satan- it should make you sick. And the stunning monolgue given by Jesus near the end is so beautiful and heart wrenching and says, "This is who I am- who I am meant to be-and many of you who think you know me- need to think again about who I am and what I came here for." It sums up the teaching of Jesus using his greatest lesson- to love others- especially those whom you really really really don't want anything to do with. And it's the lesson that most of us forget so easily- and yet its the most important one. And the final monologue by Butch Honeywell-well--you just have to read that one yourself...What a great play...Thanks Mr. Guirgis.



4. If you have ever read a play by Stephen Adly Guirgis, you know he's a great writer, in his own right. "The Last day of Judas Iscariot", in my opinion, is a very well written play with a variety of differents characters that bring a certain savvy to the play. I enjoy read plays show character interaction with a purpose either subtly or obviously and I think "relationships" and character interaction work effectively. Now if one reads this thinking they're about to read some kind of biography of Judas Iscariot from the bible, then they are about as backwards as someone watching the musical "Jesus Christ: Superstar" for spiritual growth. The play presents different ideas, not necessarily about religon, but about ethics, morality and seems to show characters in a three dimensional matter. I strongly recommend that most every one should read this play, especially if one is a student of the arts. If you are open-minded and like good plays, then read this play! I'm a christian and I still think it is a good play! I also recommend that if you like this play by Guirgis then you will certainly love his play called "Our Lady Of 121st." You can't go wrong with either of these play.



5. Stephen Adly Guirgis is a playwright that as a young person living in an urban city you feel you could chill with. He's also a playwright that if you're an affluent privileged person you'd still love to meet...why? The guy makes you think.
   
   In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot we are met with a cast of characters that are so famous and infamous that we can't help but get excited to see what's next. Where else can you see Mother Teresa and Satan take the stand on the same day in a trial set in purgatory. Comic and thought provoking at the same time.
   
   The play focuses on what led to the downfall of Judas Iscariot, the notorious disciple. Was it really his fault? Did Jesus want him to do it? Did he still love him after the fact? This play is not an attack on christianity. If anything it is a play that spotlights spirituality and the importance of faith, whatever that may mean for the individual.
   
   The writing is very accessible with dialogue you would hear on a modern day street corner to more refined monologue moments. If anything, this play will make you think about right and wrong and how what we opine is relative, especially if we weren't there and didn't "walk a mile" in their shoes thing.
   
   Get this and get the Guirgis trilogy. If you're a young actor who can't find a monologue that "speaks to you" check out Guirgis's work. You'll be hard pressed not to have at least one "wow" or "that's tight" moments after reading.
   
   Enjoy.

5 comments about What They Don't Teach You at Film School: 161 Strategies For Making Your Own Movies No Matter What.

1. An entire page was dedicated in given you the recipe on how to bake cookies...I'm not kidding, it's there!
   
   Apart from atrociously redundant information littered through this book that has little to do with actual film making. There are still a few gems dispersed in it. If you're masochistic enough to read the entire thing then it might be worth it.
   
   If you're really really into making movies then don't waste your time and money (I wasted the former cause I'm sick like that) buying this book. Buy a book you can actually learn something from.



2. I bought this book for the soul purpose to learn what it takes to make films and what not. I'm an aspiring actor and I just started in films last May 2007 and up to Dec. 2007 I've done 11 films as an extra or an actor with speaking lines. I'm also reading Screenwriting for Dummies which is also very helpful. Someday I'll take this knowledge from these two books and more to come and make a film.
   
   This book is easy reading and enjoyable. So far I have no negative comments about it.



3. If you want something that might motivate you to make a film..-_- then go ahead and buy it... but dont expect to learn anything useful.



4. I just finished this book and thought I would share a few things, good and the not so good.
   
   First the good:
   The authors do a really nice job explaining a lot things first time filmmakers might have trouble with, in other words, the 'gotchas'. Things as blaringly obvious as backup batteries and duct tape are included. They touch on a lot of things one should consider when making films.
   
   The book is well laid out and lead one from beginning to end, like a good story. It was a very easy read and sometimes out-loud funny. They talk a lot about dealing with personalities, which is both good and bad.
   
   Which leads me to the not so good:
   As encouraging as they are, at times they bring up so many difficulties that one wonders why anyone would bother to make a film at all. The book is alternately encouraging and discouraging.
   
   Given that they are both former film students, this book relies heavily on their film school background, which is an advantage for film school students, but not as useful for non-traditional film students (like Jeunet and myself). They reference the Hollywood film industry/culture almost exclusively, which again does not help those who are based elsewhere.
   
   Bottom line:
   I found this book useful, but not as much as I had hoped. This book is ideal for anyone who went to film school, but is only half helpful for the rest of us. The cover is a little deceiving (blame marketing) in that the publisher makes the book sound ideal for any filmmaker. Despite the flaws, I find it to be a useful reference for my filmmaking endeavors. I give this four stars, one extra star than I normally would have, just for sheer entertainment and readability value.



5. This book gave me the final nudge that I needed to go out and make my own films. It is light on the 'technique-side' but there are already enough books on that. What's missing is some inspirational words to muster up the courage as well as some wisdom to make your first filmmaking experience easier and this book fulfills those needs.
   
   If you're interested in seeing how a newbie uses this book in making his own first film visit my film blog at www.kasemkharsa.com/empire

5 comments about The Seinfeld Scripts: The First and Second Seasons.

1. This was one of the best books I have recieved, it is a very good book for seinfeld lovers of all ages! Highly recommended



2. Yes, Seinfeld is always funny. Here's what he said about his comedic inspiration: "[Lois Nettleton] was married to Jean Shepherd. He's the guy who invented talk radio and really formed my entire comedic sensibility. Yes. I learned how to do comedy from Jean Shepherd." He said this in his commentary for "The Gymnast" episode on the sitcom's DVD set, sixth season. Who is Jean Shepherd? See the book EXCELSIOR, YOU FATHEAD! THE ART AND ENIGMA OF JEAN SHEPHERD.



3. What the hell am I saying? THIS IS A GOOD BOOK. This will be great along when season one of seinfeld comes out. This show is no drama, is no soap opera, has no continuous story. I mean seinfeld, you don't have to watch other episodes to get the others. This is the best if not the best or only script out there. Mothers "Eat your vegetables and don't forget the lima beans!" Isn't laughter the best medicine? Seinfeld twice a day keeps the drugs and medicine away. ( not serious, if you experience any symtonms for anything, consult your doctor, and don't run to your t.v. )



4. this isn't not worth buying or even staring at. i mean if you read it you might be thinking right now...why do people even bother read these reviews this is a horrible book imma watch tv! i defenetly recomend throwing this book away i don't even know why they made it a book. this is the worstest thin i have ever read. i have seen the show and it's ok...only when it ends i can't beleive people actually like this stuff.



5. Seinfeld is one of the funniest sitcoms ever. (Next to married with children)This show shows that life is really about nothing. You wake up in the morning and you go to work, you wake up and go to work. But it does prove,....$H!* happens. This shows funny, but it doesn't get funnier till the later episodes. But this stuff is still funny. You need to buy this. You laugh your @$$ off. It's not that much either, Jerry seinfeld, he so crazeh. They should come out with the other seasons and the DVD. They better come out soon (cause if they don't) ill be.....be very angry.

5 comments about The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror; Revised Edition with a New Afterword.

1. This book starts out great! It was so interesting to read about the old fashioned horror films and the people who created them. The author made it so easy to read, and I was flying through it all! I could tell that the book was very well researched, and it was nice to see how the author made connections and observations of his own. It is a very good beginner book for anyone interested in historical horror cinema.
   
   The second part of the book is ridiculous. It goes on about silly people who think they are vampires, dumb connections that the author just threw in, and the writing starts to get really silly. It is almost as if the author was told to make the book longer, and he stretched it as far as it could possibly go. It wasn't exactly boring, but unresearched and juvenile.
   
   I would recommend this book for people who are just starting to read about the history of the horror movie. It was really easy to read, and the first half was great! Although the second half let me down, I still think this book is worth the read. (Maybe from the library, though!)



2. It sometimes seems that the history of horror films began with Universal's Frankenstein and Dracula, with an occasional nod to some silent film. It doesn't make much research to find out that there is much more to this history, as David Skal illustrates in The Monster Show. In fact, it is till almost the one-third point in the book that these landmark films are really discussed.
   
   What happened earlier were such crucial films as Nosteratu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Phantom of the Opera. Skal also relates stories of early figures, including Lon Chaney and Tod Browning and some of the literary and dramatic predecessors to the horror film. Only after laying this foundation does Skal really get into the iconic movies of Dracula and Frankenstein. There were other horror landmark films in this era, including The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Island of Lost Souls, and between the early 1930s and 1940s, others would appear as well, most prominently the Wolf Man.
   
   These films are quite tame by today's standards, but to many overly sensitive and self-righteous souls of the era, these movies practically heralded the end of civilization, leading to de facto censorship. The genie, however, was out of the bottle, and like any good movie monster, it could never be truly killed.
   
   Skal zips from this era to the age of early television, when a new audience got to see these movies (often introduced by figures like Vampira) and the fan base expanded to a new, ardent generation. Then it's on to the era of more modern horror, ushered in by Psycho: not only is horror more gruesome (the result of better special effects and more relaxed ratings standards). As earlier films could be allegories for war or the Depression, newer films could provide symbols for AIDS and birth control. And new or old, sex and religion were always entangled in the themes.
   
   This book is subtitled A Cultural History of Horror, but as fascinating as it often is, perhaps it should be a Cultural History of American Horror made by Major Studios. There is a lot that is omitted here that should be found in any reasonable history of cinematic horror. Val Lewton, the influential horror producer of the 1940s, has only one of his movies really described (Cat People) and only gets a couple pages of text. Roger Corman and his Poe movies are hardly mentioned at all. Most glaringly, Hammer Films, which reinvented horror in the 1950s (when American horror was at its nadir), is discussed in little more than a couple of scattered sentences (let alone any non-English films after the initial German movies).
   
   Despite these omissions, this is still a pretty decent book, but the flaws keep it from earning more than four stars. If you're a horror movie fan, this is worth reading. Skal is pretty knowledgeable on the subject and can add an extra level of appreciation for this film genre.



3. David J. Skal's The Monster Show manages to strike a balance. It is reasonably interesting and indepth, but it is not so dry that you are wondering about how that paint is doing in the bathroom. So, a bit of entertainment here in his reasonably broad coverage of the genre of horror entertainment and media.



4. Horror historian David J. Skal is the rare combination of an authoritative voice with a truly entertaining and readable writing style. His in-depth insights into everyone from Bram Stoker to Tod Browning are fascinating, and his combination of little known facts, biographical details, rarely seen photographs, and analytical insights into the broader social context of each major horror phenomena makes The Monster Show a must read. Highly recommended.



5. 'The Monster Show' plays to David J. Skal's strengths - specifically the genesis of early-twentieth century Hollywood Gothic - and the results are a book that belongs on the shelf of any serious fan of the genre. Well-written and riddled with original and interesting research, Skal treads what will be a familiar path to many horror fans, but crucially places it in context and finds a few truly novel angles on the topic. Not everybody will agree with all of his analysis - I certainly didn't - but 'The Monster Show' manages to be provocative in just the right measure.

2 comments about Theater Games for the Lone Actor.

1. "Theater Games for the Lone Actor" is not a beginner's book. It is structured to take advantage of the lingering effects actors enjoy after participating in the games played in Spolin's "Improvisation for the Theater." For instance, the mindset needed for side-coaching the self, essential to succeeding at the activities in this book, does not come without exposure from an outside source.

   However, for those who have learned the thought processes that come of Spolin-style improvisation, "Theater Games for the Lone Actor" has multiple applications. When working in a solo position, such as a one-man show, a screen test, or an audition, using these activities in preparation can make the difference between doing well and doing exquisitely. These activities also are useful for memorization and other scene work within a directed play, and for compensating for a lackluster director or weak co-star.

   Many of these activities are adapted from "Improvisation for the Theater." Some activities that were originally presented for group work, such as Space Walk and Feeling Self With Self, recur between the covers of this slim pamphlet. The difference lies in doing them individually, refreshing the benefit of prior group work, and also in coaching yourself, becoming aware in a more objective manner of what you're doing as an actor and how you're doing it.

   Repetition of the concept of "present time" reinforces the almost Buddhist nature of theatrical improvisation, requiring participants to be entirely in the moment. This is good advice for all forms of actors, since, if you're in another time and place, you're not giving the character you play the commitment it deserves. Through long-term exposure to the activities in this book, and effort consummate to commitment, an actor can develop the ability to be in the moment on command, or even on a permanent basis.

   This book is tiny, small enough to slip unobtrusively in a shirt pocket and have on hand to do solo warm-ups or skills exercises. This helps allow the actor to develop while waiting for an audition, while riding on a bus, while lying in bed at night, or in any situation where time and solitude permit even a moment's concentration.

   Highly recommended for all working and aspiring actors, "Theater Games for the Lone Actor" is the kind of book that can make all the difference between doing a good job and doing a merely good enough job.




2. I am a former student of Viola Spolin. I was around when Viola was working on this book. She knew her work was needed in group situations, but she also knew the needs of actors who have to work "in one". Either in front of a camera or an audtion situation. She knew the problems of fear, urgency and over thinking were the actor's nemesis.
   These games and suggestions help an actor become 'present' to his/her own work and therefore fully involved in the reading, audtion or solo performance.

   Not only that, it is a great method to enrich your everyday life. The same games and suggestions are great ways to bring yourself more fully to your relations with others.
   The Sills, Paul and Carol have done a great job of editing this book. It's really easy to read.
   I especially like the poems included in the book. "Crystal Ball" is my favorite of Spolin's poems celebrating the mystery of present time.
   Her whole theory of play and present time is a great way to live life.

5 comments about Mayberry 101: Behind the Scenes of a TV Classic.

1. Neal Brower's book, "Mayberry 101" is one of those books that you pull out before or after you watch a classic episode of the Andy Griffith show. In Brower's book, the episodes are broken down by season and a little more information about each show is given along with comments from the writers, producers, directors and even the actors. I do wish there were more comments from the actors, but the book is still a gold mine of information for Andy Griffith show fans (like yours truly).
   
   I wonder what happened to the other two volumes of this book? This is Volume One, but according to what I have read/understood two more volumes were to be published.
   
   Get this book if you enjoy the Andy Griffith Show!



2. we are trying to get into the andy griffith fan club. could
   some one please help us out!
   our address is Bruner's 804 Pecan Cir.
   Hickman,Ky. 42050 thanks



3. This book is a delight for Andy Griffith fans and scholars alike. I have used this book for graduate work, the Mayberry Bible study, and for a reference tool when I am watching a marathon. Brower brings new insights to these old friends and makes the show even more enjoyable



4. Let me first start off by saying Neal Brower did a fantastic job on Mayberry 101, that said, all that was missing was an in depth look at all the cast members. I would have like to seen profiles of actors like Frances Bavier, what made her the opposite of Aunt Bee in real life ?



5. Of the two books I own on The Andy Griffith Show, this is definitely my favorite. The detailed episode summaries are a breath of fresh air, and point out lil things you never bothered to take stock of. And the comments from the writers and actors make it even better! Man, I wish something like this would come out for The Monkees' TV show! If you like The Andy Griffith Show, you MUST have this book in your collection!

5 comments about General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook.

1. EXCELLENT!!! I love this book. I've been waching GH for years now but this book gave me the backstory to alot of plots. The pictures are great and seeing all the old charachters from years back is the best. I love it, love it,love it!



2. A wonderful compilation of memories from a once-great soap opera. It's a necessary memory tool for Classic GH fans to remember the show before it turned into the poorly produced, poorly written mockery it is today, courtesy of current misproducer Jill Farren Phelps (better known as Dull Darren Delps) and hack writer Bob Guza Jr. (a.k.a. Mob Luza Junior Writer).
   It's a fine written tribute to the late, great producer Gloria Monty, who guided GH out of the doldrums in the late 1970s. Monty's best are on parade in the scrapbook --
   The love triangle of Luke, Laura and Scott.
   The love triangle of Alan, Monica and Rick.
   The spy adventures of Luke teamed with Robert Scorpio opposite the wicked and domineering Cassadines.
   The expansion of the WSB/spy stories through the characters of Sean Donely, Anna Devane and Frisco and Felicia Jones.
   The enduring loving couples that put your faith back in human nature -- Drs. Rick and Lesley Webber, Lee and Gail Baldwin, Steve and Audrey Hardy, Edward and Lila Quartermaine -- are well presented.
   The great villains -- Helena Cassadine, Cesar Faison, Grant Putnam, and Heather Webber -- are in the house.
   There's also a neat section of GH vets who went on to bigger and better - singer Rick Springfield (GH's Dr. Noah Drake) and Demi Moore (the soap's erstwhile newspaper reporter Jackie Templeton).
   Only thing that's needed is an update of the book. The current book only goes as far as 1995. Warner should bring it up to 2002, the year GH began its rapid decline.
   
   Sincerely,
   J. Mosher.
   (a.k.a. doneleywannabe of ABC's GH Internet message board).



3. This is especially great for old time fans like myself, because it reminds us of some great old scenes. It's too bad a lot of the newer actors are not in this, but it's a few years old. I love seeing this on my book shelf, proclaiming my love for GH. A great gift for the fan.
   
   Okay, this book goes back, way back, to the beginning. LOTS of great photos and it explains the storyline as well! So if you wonder what Jason used to be like or who's related to whom...this will explain it all!



4. This book I will cherish for all my life. I love looking back at the old GH to the present. It just shows you how awesome General hospital is. It has such great stories. Love stories like Brenda and Sonny, Robin and Stone, to break through stories like Allen drug addiction to Stone's AIDS Story. God this book will make you scream in glee or shead a few tears. To All- ENJOY!



5. I bought this book as a gift for a friend so I can't comment on the contents but she LOVED it and is a big GH fan so I'm assuming I did well! My experience was exceptional. Got my book within a few days in mint condition as promised!

No comments about Being an Actor.

4 comments about The Shakespearean Stage, 1574-1642.

1. This is a thoroughly researched piece of work by Gurr, but it's not for the casual or general reader, methinks. It is detailed, readable, and. . . pedantic. Only the specialist would be interested in every bit of this book, but if one has selected interests, he will get probably the best information here. My interests were in the staging of the plays, the architecture of the amphitheaters and halls, and the chronological evolution of the playhouses and methods of staging. I'm not so interested in which players and playwrights performed and wrote for which companies. This part of the book I found fairly tedious.
   
   The illustrations are mostly familiar ones (if you've done much reading on the subject), with some truly interesting photos and building footprint sketches of the latest "digs" in London. There is a note in this edition (the third) that the list of plays, playhouses, authors, and dates for the period (in the appendix) have been revised from the format of the previous edition and placed in alphabetical order of the play titles. This must suit the needs of some readers, but it frustrated me because I most wanted a chronological listing. Ah, well.
   
   The author makes very clear at the beginning what period he means by "Shakespearean": latter half of Elizabeth's reign (1570s to 1603); whole of the reign of James I (1603-1625) and the rule of Charles I (1625 up until he lost control of things in 1642). He gives cogent reasons for this particular nomenclature.



2. This is simply a definitive book. Rich in scholarship it is free from much of the dogma, masquerading as fact, that attaches itself to theatrical "scholarship"of this period. Gurr has an astonsihing array of knowledge that encompases all the major authors, players, companies and audiences of this fascinating era. Quite simply he makes it come alive. He also answers so many of the questions that puzzle the reader about this time. Of particular interest is his attempt to investigate the acting "style" in the playhouse and the growing schism between the "personative" school of acting and the "rhetoriticians". Please buy, it will reward your purchase many times over!



3. It is very easy, and very pleasant, to write in praise of this book, for it is hard to envisage that the task accomplished by Gurr - an absolute expert in the area under discussion - could have been carried out yet better. For several years now, this guide has very justifiably been accepted as the best of its kind, and it is an essential possession for all of us who want, within one handy volume, a comprehensive account of what the theatres of Shakespeare's time were like, and what is likely to have happened within them. The author's detailed, well-informed and specific work is based not only on his own formidable research into the matters at issue, but also on close acquaintance with what others have done. Everything is presented with impeccable, sensible and perceptive judgement. The book can certainly be read through with benefit and enjoyment, but repays frequent visiting whenever one wants to consult a particular chapter or to find out more about a specific issue or fact (there is a very good index to help one in this). All in all, therefore, this book is not only very informative to read, but surpasses a great many books on Shakespeare and his time by being also an excellent reference tool for frequent use. Unhesitatingly recommended. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia



4. This book gives an engaging breakdown of how Shakespearean plays were performed in early modern London. Gurr gives an idea of the range of players' companies, playhouses, and different playing practices, as well as a sense of how the companies and their plays changed throughout the period. I refer to this book all the time and plan to order it for my students to read as a companion to Shakespeare's plays.