8 theater should read for July

Book news8 theater should read for July

This month’s new releases include a cultural history of Carrie the musical and a behind-the-scenes look at the musical adjustment of Back to the future.

Whether you visit the sun, sit down on the beach or park at home with the AC, a new book is a perfect summer pastime. Playbill’s got you covered with this finishing of eight emerging releases, specifically compiled for theater lovers.

New releases for July include an analysis of hip-hop in musical theater, a look at the life and works of playwright Terrence McNallyand a guide for writing for the stage and screen. Read on for our full list of book recommendations in July.

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Out for blood: a cultural history of Carrie the musical

By Chris Adams

Dive into the world of the notorious musical flop, the 1988 adjustment Stephen King‘ Carrie. But as fans of the bloody musical can testify, Carrie was not done with a short lead on Broadway. Adams also looks at his redeemed Carrie‘s turbulent history.

Available July 27 of Methuen drama.

Hip-hop in musical theater (topics in musical theater)

Racing the Great White Way: Black Performance, Eugene O’Neilland the transformation of Broadway (Theater: Theory/Text/Execution)

By Katie N. Johnson

Johnson’s book examines how the works of Eugene O’Neill opened opportunities for black artists, and how adjustments of O’Neill’s work challenged racial barriers in the theater. The piece presented artistic as well as historical context and investigated how transnational exchange also contributed to gradual progress on Broadway.

Available July 19 of the University of Michigan Press.

A man of very interest: the art and life of Terrence McNally

By Christopher Byrne

Christopher Byrne’s new version contains the life and work of legendary playwright Terrence McNally. With extensive interviews with McNally, as well as artists, including Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Nathan Lane, and more, A man of very interest Tell how McNally became a ‘a force in American Theater’.

Available July 15 of applause.

Create back to the future the musical

By Michael Klastorin, Bob Gale, Robert Zemeckis, and Roger Bart

Get a look at the screens over the musical adjustment of Back to the futurenow in Previews on Broadway with the opening night for August 3. This new release contains exclusive interviews with cast and crew, as well as previously unpublished photography.

Available July 3 From Abrams.

Write for stage and screen: Create a perception shift in the audience (introductions to theater)

By Sherry Kramer

Kramer’s piece provides an extensive guide for emerging and established writers of the stage and screen. ‘The combination of a step-by-step analysis of the writing technique for the scene and the screen with how the mystery, poetry and emotional momentum for the audience are achieved,’ this new version is ideal to develop aspiring writers their skills.

Available July 13 of Methuen drama.

The Proof Stage: How Theater Reveals the Human Truth of Mathematics

By Stephen Abbott

This new version is considering how playwrights including Samuel Beckett, Tom stoppardand more brought abstract math to the stage. In addition, Abbott explores how math and theater can be “interconnected”, and how playwrights like Stoppard have achieved the difficult task of connecting math with a play’s emotional bow.

Available July 11 From Princeton University Press.

Queer -approaches in musical theater (topics in musical theater)

By Ryan Donovan, Robert Gordon, and Emilio Méndez

This look at strange representation in musical theater explores historical context, text, stage and receipt of shows such as Cabaret, Fun houseand Rent. It promises an ‘understanding of the historically shifting terminology of queerness’, as well as an ‘overview of how queer theory informs the study of musicals to themselves.’

Available July 27 of Methuen drama.