Reviews (57)

Great read
Very good reading. I was impressed by the knowledge. I expected it to more about the show with very little information about wicca.

Charmed: THE BOOK OF SHADOWS
GREAT BOOK!!!First off all,if your a reader & you enjoyed the show Charmed,then I advise you to purchase this book,it goes deeper into the knowledge behind the show & if your a practicing Wicca,like myself then you'll really enjoy this book. There are places within the book inwhich you can write your own experiences & such & there are chapters within the book that help you better understand the knowledge & practices & what made the show such an success!

could have ben better
the book had it's moments however it is mostly about the meaning of of witch craft and a few spells here and there, in which i am not interested in ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Charmed (Television program)    2. Movie / TV Tie-Ins    3. Movie-TV Tie-In - General    4. Performing Arts    5. Performing Arts/Dance    6. Television - General    7. Television - Guides & Reviews    8. Witchcraft    9. Performing Arts / Television / General    10. Television    11. The occult, witches & witchcraft   

Reviews (13)

A Great Book!
This is indeed a great book for both beginning and experienced photoshop users. Although it helps to get the "Photoshop CS2 One-on-one" combined with it if you're just starting out, but the author still gives a tutorial on the basics for those of you who are still a tad green.
Great book for beginners...
I'm in the game industry, and this book is right on in its techniques, and tutorials! This guy knows what he's talking about, and his easy to follow tutorials are great. Beware, this book is more for begginers, showing you the basics. I do wish he had gotten a little more into advanced technique in photoshop.

A must have for game artists!
Luke Ahearn has done an impeccable job of compiling so much information into a concise, thorough and informative book.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - Design    3. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    6. Computer games    7. Computer graphics    8. Computers    9. Computers - Desktop Publishing    10. Computers - General Information    11. General    12. Interactive & Multimedia    13. Programming    14. Computers / Interactive Media    15. Photoshop   

Reviews (11)

Yale's may be the best edition of Macbeth
Virtually all editions of Macbeth will have at least some annotations. Rummaging through five different editions, I preferred the Yale University Press version, edited by Burton Raffel, as having the most comprehensive and comprehensible notes, as well as an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's play. Raffel not only explains the meanings of obscure words, but also gives brief notes pertaining to relevant history, geography, stage directions, etc, that are rarely addressed as fully by other editors. In addition, Raffel frequently gives the proper way to stress the syllables in a line when reading it aloud, which can be extremely helpful. (However, in most places these stresses need to be very subtle, so that you don't sound like "taDUM taDUM taDUM".) And Yale's page layout is among the clearest that I've seen.
Macbeth does murder sleep -finish it tonight
One of the great Shakespearian tragedies. It deals with political avarice in the royal family and the consequences thereof on the personal lives of those involved.
a wonderful tragedy ...
Today, many people desire to see what lies ahead in life but fail to realize the ceaseless consequences that can transpire if premonitions about the future come about prior to its arrival. Macbeth is the victim in this situation, when he receives a foretelling from three supernatural witches that he would become the king of Scotland. From then on, fueled by his greed, Macbeth does anything to reign, and goes far enough as to killing his best friend. As the previous noble knight becomes a malicious evildoer, many people in Scotland yearn for his abdication or someone to put an end to his life. Soon, their wish comes through.
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Subjects:  1. 11th cent.    2. Classics    3. Drama    4. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    5. Fiction    6. King of Scotland,    7. Kings and rulers    8. Literature: Classics    9. Macbeth,    10. Plays / Drama    11. Regicides    12. Scotland    13. Shakespeare    14. Drama / General   

Reviews (16)

Highly recommended for any dancer any age
All dancers should be familiar with classical ballet terminology.This book is great for spelling, pronunciation and defition.It's one of those great books to have in your ballet bag at all times.I wouldn't go anywhere without mine!Highly recommended for all dancers.

A great reference book!
This a great manual if you want to compare RAD, Vaganova,BBO and Cecchetti methodology.

The best ballet pocket dictionary, I've ever used !
I have had ballet studios and educational school for many years. This little unpretencious dictionary has an amazing content. It is full of steps and drawings with the correct ballet terminology, which is carefully explained.
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Subjects:  1. Ballet    2. Dance - Classical    3. Genres & Styles - Ballet    4. Performing Arts    5. Performing Arts/Dance    6. Dictionaries    7. Performing Arts / General   

Reviews (3)

The Text is Excellent.
I have taught with several of the major readers on the market: Samovar and Porter's, Nakayama and Martin, and others. This text has the most well written readings and contains articles on many seminal issues, context (Hall), time (Hall), etc. This text has the LEAST blatantly fluff filled articles intended only to titillate and pander to students. Additionally, if you review some of the other texts, you will see that they often have poorly referenced articles and the work is less than scholarly. It is possible to write a chapter for a reader such as this and support your content with support and references. The articles here are interesting, well written, well referenced, and more-grounded in theory and research than a lot of the competition. I recommend it highly. MLK

Great Book!! Very Informative
I was lucky enough to take a class from Professor Samovar.This was a great book and a good introduction to intercultural communication.

Order: Intercultural Communication : A Reader
Intercultural Communication : A Readerby Larry A. Samovar (Editor), Richard E. PorterPaperback 9th edition (July 1999)Wadsworth Pub Co; ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Intercultural communication    3. Performing Arts    4. Performing Arts/Dance    5. Speech    6. Theater - General    7. Communication Studies    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Speech   

Reviews (6)

Usefull text
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'

EXCELENT!! VERY COMPLETE
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!

Huh?
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! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Performing Arts    2. Performing Arts/Dance    3. Production and direction    4. Stage management    5. Stage-setting and scenery    6. Theater    7. Theater - General    8. Theaters    9. Performing Arts / Theater / General    10. Sound, lighting, scenery   

Reviews (4)

dry, but good
Having taken a course that required reading the book I can safely say that it is dry in some sections of history due to the "PC" nature of it's telling.But it's mostly an interesting resource and reference book for theatre buffs and history buffs alike.

Yes, Oscar Brockett is God
I had the pleasure of being Brock's student for three years at the University of Texas. The book is phenomenal, easy to read and amazingly complete. The History of the Theatre experience should also be augmented bythe opportunity to hear Brockett speak. He is erudite, funny, a livelyteacher and an incredible intellect. There is no other book to serve as areference and introduction to theatre history. No other book and no otherteacher so expertly and informatively makes you realize the interweaving oftheatre and society throughout its long history. IMHO, Brockett shouldwrite the history not just of theatre but of everything. His non-didactic,straight-forward and lively prose would make any work of history orcriticism on any subject a delight.

An Excellent and Thorough Text Under Great Editorship
As a former student of Franklin J. Hildy's, and a reader of the Brockett text for several theater courses, I must highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a detailed, yet expansive, overview of the history of thetheatrical arts throughout the world. Dr. Hildy's passion for and knowledgeof the subject matter is rivaled by none and the complete scope of thisproject would have daunted many editors less competent to undertake such atask. A great reference text as well as course material. I often find mineuseful in day-to-day queries as well as research on period and scenicstyles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. General    3. History    4. History and criticism    5. Performing Arts    6. Performing Arts/Dance    7. Reference    8. Theater    9. Theater - General    10. Theater - History & Criticism    11. History of specific subjects    12. Performing Arts / Theater / General    13. Theatre, drama   

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Costume    3. Masks    4. Performing Arts    5. Performing Arts/Dance    6. Plays / Drama    7. Theater - General    8. Theater - Stagecraft    9. Theatrical Costume    10. Theatrical Makeup    11. 20th century    12. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    13. Performing Arts / Reference    14. Wardrobe & makeup    15. c 1700 to c 1800    16. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (15)

Kicking the Habit
Are there times in the course of human endeavors where the end justifies the means?Are there times when mere suspicion is sufficient to take up arms against a potential threat? Suppose the potential victim is a child and the suspected predator is a person of power. Suppose the suspect is your superior? Suppose you are a nun and he is a priest. Do you act to stop him without proof? How much proof of harm, potential harm, do you need?Does the way the priest looks at the boy provide sufficient reason for a nun to interfere? Suppose the evidence of that "look" came to the nun second hand. Then what? What should the nun do?
So good it is destined to be a classic of dramatic arts.
John Patrick Shanley's script for the play Doubt is a masterpiece. It is basically about "truth" as a social construct with a broad range of consequences depending on how the construct is framed and accepted. Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the Catholic school principal, is convinced that she has discovered a truth about Father Brendan Flynn, a robust likable assertive priest.
"What do you do when you're not sure?"
The opening line of John Patrick Shanley's spectacular Pulitzer prize winning play asks the question "What do you do when you're not sure?" When you think that something may be so, but have no proof? Do you hold out for evidence, allowing your reservations to halt any action? Or do you boldly -- perhaps recklessly -- move forward on the "proof" afforded you by your gut instinct? The two sides of this argument make up the characters of Sister Aloysius Beauvier and Sister James, two nuns at a Catholic school and church in the Bronx in 1964 who suspect that Father Flynn, the pastor, may have engaged in an improper relationship with the school's only black student. Sister Aloysius, the stern and old-fashioned principal, demands that they immediately move to have Father Flynn removed from the school, while Sister James wavers that she may have misjudged the interactions between her pupil and the seemingly benevolent Father Flynn. Since the nuns cannot go to their institution for help (Flynn would deny any wrongdoing and the monsignor would take his side) they must take action against Father Flynn directly to convince him to leave before they expose him. Naturally, Father Flynn denies any impropriety and seethes with indignation at his accusers (in righteousness? Or in desperation to protect himself?).
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Subjects:  1. American    2. Catholics    3. Child sexual abuse    4. Clergy    5. Drama    6. General    7. Nuns    8. Plays    9. Plays / Drama    10. Drama / General    11. Drama texts: from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Collections    3. Drama    4. General    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Plays    7. Drama texts, plays    8. English    9. Films, cinema    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    11. Theatre, drama   

Reviews (10)

. . . and Hamlet too.
I agreee wholeheartedly with those below. But Mr Ball is not merely a theorist, he supplies a chapter in which he takes us on a brief journey backward through Hamlet for a distance, and through this method shows how single and specific Hamlet's action is. I can't approach a script now without setting up my dominoes and charting it backward. It seemes foolish not to.

Required reading for anyone working on the stage!!
I had a conversation yesterday in which the other theatre artist asked what approach this book advocated to script analysis:
Valuable advice
The scope of BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS is narrow, but its ambition is important.This is a book about how to read a play.More specifically, it's about how to read a play whose production you are planning.There are 96 pages in this book and many of them are only partially filled.Some of them are blank.So in very few pages, author David Ball gives some valuable and(I would say, essential) advice.So many bad productions are bad simply because of a basic misreading of the script.Ball tells prospective directors what's important and how to recognize what's important.His advice is very straightforward and concise.He does not pad the book by going off on tangents or use long anecdotes to illustrate a point.He makes a point and then moves on to the next one.I think this book should be compulsory reading for the director, but it is also valuable to the playwright, the actor and the designer.This book is basic.There is a great need to get back to basics.David Ball has done the theatre a great service by writing this valuable book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Play/Scriptwriting    2. Drama    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Oral Interpretation    5. Performing Arts    6. Performing Arts/Dance    7. Production and direction    8. Shakespeare, William,    9. Technique    10. Theater    11. Theater - Direction & Production    12. Acting techniques    13. Hamlet    14. Plays & playwrights    15. Shakespeare, William   

Reviews (19)

Stunning and beautiful
This book is absolutely beautiful. When I ordered it I had no idea what exactly I would be getting when it arrived; I'm pleased to say though that it was worth every penny. The book in itself is all very glossy and high quality paper, and even the text pages are decorative. I found this book to be over all very visually appealing as well as very interesting and informative as it peers into the history of the art as well as Dita's life and opinions. It's really a bit half and half, written like a documentary but also filled with very intimate and warm stories of this fantastic woman`s life.
Lavish, Beautiful and Witty Like Dita
This book cannot disappoint: lots of stunning photos with tips and anecdotes about stripping, seduction, corsetry, fetish dressing, hair and makeup, and show business. This woman is fascinating. If you're an admirer you'd be nuts not buy it.

Fall in love....
Hints, history, and humor make Dita's book a very charming read. She also shares a bit of her life story, making for an all the more interesting experience. The photos are gorgeous; true art. I highly recommend this book for all fans of burlesque, fetish, and/or Dita Von Teese. If you aren't an admirer of Dita's already, you certainly will be after flipping thru this lovely and informative trove. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1972-    2. Biography    3. Burlesque (Theater)    4. General    5. Love / Sex / Marriage    6. Performing Arts    7. Performing Arts (Specific Aspects)    8. Performing Arts/Dance    9. Sexual Instruction    10. Striptease    11. Stripteasers    12. United States    13. Von Teese, Dita,    14. Art / Popular Culture    15. Biography: general   

Reviews (26)

Meaningful stuff, makes you think.
This was the first improv book that I ever read, and in retrospect I kind of wish I'd read something like Charna Halpern's TRUTH IN COMEDY or Mick Napier's IMPROVISE first. Those books will give you a better introduction to what most of us know of as group improvisation - the "Whose Line is it anyway" sort of thing. They'll give you a better framework to work with.
I own two copies
As teh other reviews of this book mention, this isn't just a book on theatre and acting!
Remember the Audience
There are many books about performing improvisational comedy.The most important lesson I took away from Johnstone's work is to remember the audience.Improv is a performance art, and by definition that requires that you perform for the audience.Too often, to me, improvisors look to please themselves in isolation.Pleasing yourself is great, but not at the expense of the audience.Johnstone helped teach me this. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acting    2. Acting & Auditioning    3. Improvisation (Acting)    4. Performing Arts    5. Performing Arts/Dance    6. Acting techniques    7. Performing Arts / Theater / General   

Reviews (3)

Relections...
Yes, it's one of the best book... with a lot of french cinematographers. Eric is right ;-)

A masterpiece about masters by masters
This is one expensive book, but what a joy!
Very interesting book
The ultimate book about cinematography in technical and artistical ways. Excellent and richly illustrated. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Performing Arts/Dance   

Reviews (100)

My Little Town
OUR TOWN gives us American experimental theater in its most easily graspable form.Once you get the general drift of the thing, you remain interested, for Wilder has planned it so.He gives us a little at a time, like a fisherman letting out his reel, slowly, now, then for yards at a time, once we are hooked.The Stage Manager orders the actors about, and we seem to be let into two different worlds at once: the backstage look at the theater, and also, at the same time, God pulling his puppets from one end of the stage (birth) to the other (the tragic death that ends the play).Thornton Wilder, born in Madison, Wisconsin, grew up in China (Shanghai and Hong Kong) and made a study of Eastern religion at Yale, later at Princeton.All his life he remained fascinated by the patterns of things: birth, marriage, death. Save Lotsa Money On Scenery And Produce This Play!!!
This is another yet highly overrated so called "Modern Classic". It is about the mundane lives of people in a small town called Grover's Cornerwhere nothing of great significance occurs.I give it 5 stars because it can be readin about half an hour which is just about my attention span for Junk posing as 'Literature".

Good play
This play is a classic and still done by many H.S. theater groups today.Quick and easy read with very interesting plot twists.Thought provoking! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. City and town life    3. Death    4. Drama    5. General    6. New Hampshire    7. Plays    8. Plays / Drama    9. Wilder, Thornton, 1897-1975    10. Young women    11. Drama / American   

Reviews (2)

An excellent resource for any person studying theater.
This is a [must have] for anyone who desires to study theater outside of high school and into college. Throughout my studies in college, I constantly referred back to this piece for references. It is an expensive book, but trust me. You will get your money's worth out of this one.

very informative
This has been the only textbook I have enjoyed in 4 years of university. Great pics. Very well done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Performing Arts    3. Performing Arts/Dance    4. Theater    5. Theater - History & Criticism    6. Theatre, drama   

Reviews (10)

Julius Ceasar
Julius Caesar
et tu brute?
This is a book that i have recently finished for the first time reading all the way through. It asks compelling questions through the thoughts and converstations between the main characters and their wives. It also relates to current political parties battling for control of the governtment with a 3rd side party also involved. There are also many ironic and suspenseful moments that kepp you reading evan if you are not reading it for study. Over all, Ifind it a great novel, but it is not something that I would read again for a long while; but possibly see the play acted out or watch a telivision form.

Shakespeare never gets stale
Scholars have expounded on the merits of Shakespeare's work for centuries, so I'm not likely to add anything of value here.I merely want to point out how extraordinary and rewarding it is to read something written 500 years ago that still seems so fresh today.Human nature really hasn't changed at all.Upon rereading this tale of the machinations surrounding the assassination of Julius Caeser, the scene that really stood out for me was the one in which the assassin Brutus and the loyalist Antony take turns addressing the public following Caeser's death.The manner in which the crowd is stirred against Caeser by Brutus and then swayed the opposite way by Antony can be read as a humorous parody of today's poll-driven political scene.When Antony insists that "I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth,/ Action, nor utterance, nor the powers of speech/ To stir men's blood; I only speak right on," I can hear the voices of any number of modern politicians, including good old George W. himself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 85?-42 B.C    2. Assassination    3. Assassins    4. Brutus, Marcus Junius,    5. Caesar, Julius    6. Classics    7. Conspiracies    8. Drama    9. General    10. Performing Arts    11. Performing Arts/Dance    12. Plays / Drama    13. Shakespeare    14. Drama / General    15. The Arts   

Reviews (2)

Terrific score, unplayable reduction
This is one of the great scores of late 20th century musical theatre, with one of the all time great orchestrations, worthy of Nelson Riddle at his best. It is also indisputably one of the smartest sets of lyrics in recent musical theatre memory, with a consistently high standard of humor and poetry. Unfortunately, the vocal score is reduced in a very unpianistic way, which makes it almost totally useless as a performing edition. In a score which is so oriented to the big-band and jazz tradition, there are almost no chord symbols to help the pianist along, which leaves the pianist to the exact voicings indicated in the score. That might be fine, if it weren't for the fact that many of the voicings are really impractical. In several places, it would be physically impossible to play all the notes, and the reduction doesn't make some of the notes smaller to indicate what is essential to the playing. Other times, when the reduction does indicate with smaller notes which parts are unessential, the performance of the notes left over are really unreasonable. For example, on page 71, in the song 'The Buddy System', in measures 54 through 56, the right hand plays the trombone part, a single e held all three bars, while the left hand plays quarter notes that hop up and down four octaves at 152 beats per minute. For the benefit of holding what is essentially a left hand 'thumb-line' for a full 8 beats with the same finger, we lose the sense of where the phrase goes on the piano with two clef changes and the passage, which is really rather simple musically, becomes so confusing and hard to read as to warrant significant practice or rewriting to accomplish it in performance. The accidentals are all musically accurate throughout the piece, but chord symbols would help any working pianist play the fast swing sections much more accurately and idiomatically. This is admittedly an extremely complicated score, with a lot of nuances, but the reduction makes it unnecessarily one of the most difficult scores in the world to play, I would say even more difficult than Candide, West Side Story or Night Music, which aren't walks in the park. And for a pianist who is actually going to play and help a singer along, the brainpower required to muddle through the score will make it impossible to really listen to the singer properly. Get it for the songs in the right key, but if you plan on playing it, give yourself a LOT of prep time.
The Complete City of Angels
The full score to the popular darkly synical but comic musical, "City of Angels", is a very useful score for any true fan of great musicals.All the songs are in there original keys compared to the vocal selections book where some of the songs (example: Funny) are in lower keys.This was extremely irritating to me so I had to get the full score.It also contains all the diologue which helps one understand the backround to each song.Overall, it is an extremely worth while buy for anyone who wants an accurate version of the musical.Good Stuff! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Genres & Styles - Musicals    3. Music    4. Music/Songbooks    5. Musical scores, lyrics & libretti    6. Musical theatre    7. Vocal music   

Reviews (5)

The converging point!
Since I have been doing extensive research on the voice lately, I have found that most authorities often mention this book. Vennard's widely-respected compendium will prove to be useful for every singer, beginner or full-fledged.

Simply none better
This book remains one of THE fundamental must-reads for all serious vocalists. Read it slowly and fully absorb it-even if you have to read it again and again.

The best and most complete
The title is misspelled here, it is Technic - not Technical.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Performing Arts    3. Techniques of music    4. Vocal music   

Reviews (3)

ALL SHE EVER NEEDED WAS THE MUSIC
All she's ever needed was the music and the mirror and the chance to dance for you . . . Musical theatre fans will always recognize the last lines of the 11 o'clock number from A Chorus Line. The show, returning to Broadway this month in it's first revival since it closed there after 6,137 performances in 1990, starred Donna McKechnie. In her autobio, co-authored by Greg Lawrence, who wrote Dancing with Demons, the definitive bio of Jerome Robbins, there is much to like. The book, however, is not without a few jarringly uncomfortable moments.
one opinion from Italy
a true indispensable treasure of information for a lover ofamerican musical shows.
I couldn't put it down.
This is a wonderful read.Broadway and musical fans will be thrilled to hear the insider stories, but also saddened that a woman as talented and driven as Donna McKechnie never became a household name.Unflinchingly honest, almost painful at times.I practically inhaled the book and I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actresses    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Dance    7. Dance - General    8. Dancers    9. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Production Of Musical Drama    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts