Best Stagecraft

In How to Get Dressed , Alison distills her secrets into a fun, comprehensive style guide focused on rethinking your wardrobe like a fashion expert and making what’s in your closet work for you. A New York Times Best Seller "Professional costume designer Freer spills all her secrets for transforming your closet into a truly functional wardrobe. "[Freer is] refreshingly down-to-earth in her first book, which is packed full of helpful tips for building and maintaining a stylish wardrobe . Most of all, her writing constantly reminds me of what fashion is really supposed to be: fun for everyone.” --Jane Pratt, founder of xoJane.com "Years in the trenches of Hollywood have made Alison Freer an authority on every single clothing problem that could befall a person. With more than 150 TV shows, films, commercials, and music videos under her belt, she has reams of hard-won, practical wardrobe expertise at her fingertips. Alison is also the clothes editor at xoJane.com, where her unique take on how to solve common fashion and style conundrums has won her a dedicated following.

This book follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Throughout these pages Meisner is a delight—always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges. One of the founding members of the Actors Studio (with Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, and Harold Clurman), Meisner developed his own special lessons based upon his understandings of the great Russian teacher Stanislavsky. Unlike many other educators associated with "the Method," Meisner had little tolerance for self-absorption or striving after strong emotional effect, instead preaching that clarity of purpose and efficient use of the psyche are the actor's greatest tools. With an introduction by director Sydney Pollack, one of the many influential artists who studied with Meisner (the book includes accolades from Maureen Stapleton, Arthur Miller, Gregory Peck, and Eli Wallach), this is an excellent introduction that helps to demystify the work of a great theatrical teacher.

The ultimate collision of creative imagination and practical maker skills, making props and costume armor involves sculpting, molding, casting, 3D printing, CNC fabrication, painting, and countless other techniques and technologies. Basic fabrication methods using inexpensive, commonly-available tools and materials Simple, low-cost methods to make foam armor out of easy-to-find foam mats How to use the popular Pepakura software to build 3D models with paper Multiple molding and casting techniques How to build a "vacuforming" machine to make armor from plastic sheet stock Painting and weathering techniques that will bring your props to life Just enough safety advice to keep you from losing body parts along the way Whether you're just a beginner or a seasoned builder with countless projects behind you, this book is sure to be an invaluable addition to your workshop library. A hopeless Halloween addict and fan of all things science fiction and fantasy, Shawn's hobby of building prop and costume pieces for his own collection has long since gotten out of control.

Is your closet jam-packed and yet you have absolutely nothing to wear? "it never hurts to take inventory of what's in your closet already in order to make good decisions when you're staring at a pile of "yeses" in the dressing room. [she] is dedicated to helping women curate their perfect wardrobes using all kinds of handy charts, infographics, and lists that make the process less emotional and more data-oriented." – Glamour.com "Fans of the author's blog, Marie Kondo devotees, and anyone who's tired of having a full closet but 'nothing to wear' will treasure this superb resource." "Lifestyle blogger Rees’s first book, based on the blog Into Mind , is a fun and practical guide to discovering one’s personal style. The goal is for women to easily choose an outfit that they like every single morning, to wear a large portion of clothes from their closet, and to be able to dress for their own lifestyles. “In a world inundated with fast fashion and rapidly changing trends, it’s easy for our closets to become graveyards of misguided purchases. Anuschka Rees’s The Curated Closet is a smart, straightforward manual that encourages readers to discover what they like and to develop a wardrobe that makes getting dressed easier. She has a master's in social psychology from the London School of Economics and has spent years studying the intricacies of human decision making, which she's used to develop her unique system of personal style-defining techniques.

The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a 'special rehearsal edition' alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. When Albus hatches a plot to go back in time to save the life of Cedric Diggory—what Albus views as the biggest mistake his father made—time becomes distorted and Harry is left to examine his own life, his relationship with his son, and how love can sometimes be much more complicated than it seems. This is an interesting extension of the "Harry Potter" universe, but readers should go into it knowing that it's its own beast. Rowling didn't write it (much to the fury and vitriol of many fans), and it is in script form, so it loses some of the magic that won over millions of readers back when it all began.

The need is greater than ever to find a simple system that travels anywhere you do, doesn’t take a lot of time, and meets your health and wellness goals. Calisthenics, also known as Body Weight Training, has been the backbone of strength and conditioning workouts for more centuries than you can count on both hands. Whether it was ancient Chinese warriors, the Greek Spartans, or even your fourth-grade gym class, there probably is not a generation in history that hasn’t found strength and wellness simply by working against one’s own body weight. While other diet plans make you feel deprived or have rules that are hard to follow, this one is simple and can easily fit into your daily life. The importance of thinking positively How getting enough sleep can help with your health journey Bulletproof Diet approved cooking methods.

Spanning several decades and three continents, Modoc is one of the most amazing true animal stories ever told. They triumphed against the odds and thrilled American circus audiences with Modoc's dazzling solo performances, only to be torn apart with brutal suddenness, seemingly never to meet again. --Wendy Smith Grade 3-5–From her early days in Germany to a starring role in Americas Ringling Brothers Circus by way of shipwreck and months of teak hauling in India, Modocs story matches her larger-than-life size. The large picture-book format is the typical choice for Lewins fine watercolors, boldly portraying the dramatic episodes of the elephants life and the story of friendship, separation, and reunion.

This easy guide to designing and building your own polyfoam puppets will take you step-by-step through the creative process. The Foam Book is not just a guide to puppet construction but a useful resource of suppliers of hard to find puppet- making materials.

In 1994 Drew was awarded the President's Award by The Puppeteers of America for outstanding achievement in the art of puppetry.

Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages--"since before this was even a show," according to Miranda--traces its development from an improbable perfor­mance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later. This glorious, oversize testament to the multiple Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton is a joy to anyone who loves the sound track or who has been lucky enough to score tickets to the show.

He guides us through his discoveries, showing how communication can be improved through learning to relate to the other person: listening with our eyes, looking for clues in another’s face, using the power of a compelling story, avoiding jargon, and reading another person so well that you become “in sync” with them, and know what they are thinking and feeling—especially when you’re talking about the hard stuff. Exploring empathy-boosting games and exercises, If I Understood You is a funny, thought-provoking guide that can be used by all of us, in every aspect of our lives—with our friends, lovers, and families, with our doctors, in business settings, and beyond. And that is who will find his book invaluable: everyone.” —Deborah Tannen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of You’re the Only One I Can Tell and You Just Don’t Understand “Alda’s curiosity, intelligence and desire to wipe out baffled and bewildered faces make a compelling case for clarity, communication and, always, empathy.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Alda uses his trademark humor and a well-honed ability to get to the point, to help us all learn how to leverage the better communicator inside each of us.” — Forbes. Aided by his warm, conversational style, Alda’s message shows that the lessons also apply to the rest of us—and at a time when we could really use it.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Alda developed this compelling conversation technique to help scientists distill down complex scientific principles for a general audience.” — Entrepreneur Magazine. “A distinguished actor and communication expert shows how to avoid ‘the snags of misunderstanding’ that plague verbal interactions between human beings. “In this charming, witty, and thought-provoking book, full of rich anecdotes, Alan Alda describes some of the tools of communication that he teaches in his work with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and shows how everyone—from lovers to politicians to scientists—can benefit from being better communicators.” —Lawrence M. Krauss, author of The Greatest Story Ever Told . Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, and his many films include Crimes and Misdemeanors,Everyone Says I Love You,Manhattan Murder Mystery, and Bridge of Spies .

When the Iroquois Theatre opened in Chicago on November 23, 1903, it was considered one of the grandest structures of its day, a monument to modern design and technology, as well as "absolutely fireproof." Tony Hatch, former CBS reporter and Emmy Award winner, tells the grisly story in meticulous, riveting detail, based on more than forty years of research, including many exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses. In a rush to open the theatre on time, corners were cut, and the Iroquois lacked the most basic fire-fighting equipment: sprinklers, fire alarm boxes, backstage telephone, exit signs and functioning asbestos curtain. It is often said that history repeats itself as farce; events of this year have proven that it can also repeat itself as tragedy. One hundred years after fire in Chicago's Iroquois Theatre killed 602 people in a matter of minutes, we have seen massive loss of life at nightspots in Chicago and West Warwick, Rhode Island.

Follies was created by Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Michael Bennett, and James Goldman giants in the evolution of the Broadway musical and geniuses at the top of their game. The author, son of arts impresario Schuyler Chapin, was one of Follies's few youngsters, a Connecticut College student observing the production as independent study but becoming the crew's gofer. He also charts Boris Aronson's multileveled sets, the dress that transformed Alexis Smith into the show's star, the inestimable uses of previews in Boston, the Broadway opening and the surrounding national interest in the play. In 1971 Chapin worked as a gofer for the producing team, including directors Hal Prince and Michael Bennett, book writer William Goldman, and Sondheim, involved in the premiere production of the soon-to-be landmark musical; and he kept a detailed, daily journal of the show's progress. Here is Sondheim obsessing over lyrics, Prince fretting over his nervous stomach, and the cast of older actors struggling to learn difficult parts.