Examples of Books and More - THTR 373 | Theatre History II - Collins Memorial Library at University of Puget Sound

Books about Directors & Designers

Search Primo for books and more. In addition to the director or designer's name, try these broader terms.

"Theatres Stage Setting and Scenery"
"Set Designers"
"Theatrical producers and directors"
Theatrical producers and directors Interviews

Some examples from the library's collection are listed below.

The Great Stage Directors by Samuel L. Leiter; Simon Callow (Foreword by)
Call Number: PN2205 .L44 1994
ISBN: 9780816026029
Publication Date: 1994-07-01
"The Great Stage Directors is one of the few comprehensive overviews of this complex artistic craft, from early masters such as David Garrick and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe to contemporary talents such as Elizabeth LeCompte and Harold Prince. Each of its detailed entries contains a brief biography, a thorough career summary, accounts of major productions, and an investigation into the working methods, stage personality, and overall influence on the theatrical world of the director under discussion.
Kazan on Directing by Elia Kazan; John Lahr (Foreword by); Martin Scorsese (Preface by)
Call Number: Print Books (PN1995.9.P7 K39 2009 )
ISBN: 9780307264770
Publication Date: 2009-04-21
Elia Kazan was the mid-twentieth century's most sought-after director of both stage and screen. He directed virtually back-to-back the greatest American dramas of the era;by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams and revolutionized theatre and film with dynamic action, poetic staging, and rigorous naturalism.
Directors on Directing by Toby Cole; Helen Krich Chinoy
Call Number: Print Books (PN2053 .C6 1963 )
ISBN: 9780023233005
Publication Date: 1963-01-01
Less than 200 years ago the director was only an "ideal" projected by disgruntled critics. Today, productions wouldn't be able to survive with our the adept talents of the director. This book has been known for years as the guide to the "unknown theater" of the director. This collection is comprised of the voices of the modern theater as they state their credos and explore their craft.
On Directing by Gabriella Giannachi (Editor); Mary Luckhurst (Editor); Peter Brook (Foreword by)
Call Number: Print Books (PN2597 .O54 1999 )
ISBN: 9780312224837
Publication Date: 1999-09-11
The full diversity of today's approaches to directing are explored through a series of interviews with leading contemporary practitioners.On Directing is a landmark book about the director's craft.
Making Plays by Duncan Wu
Call Number: Print Books (PR736 .M34 2000 )
ISBN: 9780312233716
Publication Date: 2000-09-09
Duncan Wu talks to Michael Attenborough, Alan Bennett, Michael Blakemore, Howard Brenton, David Edgar, Sir Richard Eyre, Michael Frayn, Sir David Hare, Nicholas Hytner, and Max Stafford-Clark.
The Director's Voice by Arthur Bartow
Call Number: PN2285 .B39 1988
ISBN: 9780930452742
Publication Date: 1993-01-01
Foremost stage directors describe their working process: JoAnne Akalaitis, Arvin Brown, René Buch, Martha Clarke, Gordon Davidson, Robert Falls, Zelda Fichandler, Richard Foreman, Adrian Hall, John Hirsch, Mark Lamos, Marshall W. Mason, Des McAnuff, Gregory Mosher, Harold S. Prince, Lloyd Richards, Peter Sellars, Andrei Serban, Douglas Turner Ward, Robert Woodruff, and Garland Wright.
In Contact with the Gods? by Maria M. Delgado (Editor); Paul Heritage (Editor); Delgado
Call Number: PN2053 .I49 1996
ISBN: 9780719047633
Publication Date: 1997
Rarely has the private world of the director in the rehearsal room been so frankly and entertainingly opened. In addition to the art and craft of directing, they discuss: multiculturalism; the 'classical' repertoire; theatre companies and institutions; working in a foreign language; opera; Shakespeare; new technologies; the art of acting; design; international festivals; politics and aesthetics; the audience; theatre and society.
Mainly on Directing by Arthur Laurents
Call Number: Print Books (ML1711.5 .L38 2009 )
ISBN: 9780307270887
Publication Date: 2009-03-10
From Arthur Laurents, playwright, screenwriter, director;a mesmerizing book about theater, the art, the artist, the insider, the outsider and the making of two of the greatest musicals of the American stage, West Side Story and Gypsy.
Theatrical Designers by Thomas J. Mikotowicz
Call Number: PN2096.A1 T48 1992
ISBN: 9780313262708
Publication Date: 1992
This book provides biographical and analytical data on significant historical and contemporary practitioners and theorists of the theatrical design field who have contributed to the development of the art.
American Set Design 2 by Ronn Smith
Call Number: PN2091.S8 A72 1991
ISBN: 9781559360180
Publication Date: 1993
Stage design throughout the world since 1960 by Rene Hainaux (Editor); Yves Bonnat (Editor)
Call Number: PN2091.S8 H23
ISBN: 9780878301294
Publication Date: 1972

Books about Authors

Research Tip: Books that have the words casebook, notebook, or sourcebook in the title provide insightful studies of an author.

Readings on "West Side Story" by Mary E. Williams (Editor)
Call Number: Print Books (ML410.B566 R35 2001 )
ISBN: 0737706945
Publication Date: 2001-09-01
Suzan-Lori Parks by Philip C. Kolin (Editor)
Call Number: PS3566.A736 Z89 2010
ISBN: 9780786441679
Publication Date: 2010
The first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama, Suzan-Lori Parks has received international recognition for her provocative and influential works. Her plays capture the nightmares of African Americans endangered by a white establishment determined to erase their history and eradicate their dreams. A dozen essays address Parks's plays, screenplays and novel. Additionally, this book includes two original interviews (one with Parks and another with her long-time director Liz Diamond) and a production chronology of her plays.
Miller: Death of a Salesman by Brenda Murphy; Michael Robinson (Contribution by)
Call Number: Print Books (PS3525.I5156 D4357 1995 )
ISBN: 9780521434515
Publication Date: 1995-04-27
This is the first book to provide a critical history of one of American theatre's most famous plays, Death of a Salesman. Brenda Murphy offers a detailed account of the most significant Salesman productions throughout the world, on the stage as well as in film, radio, and television. The Death of a Salesman that was first realised on stage was the culmination of the creative collaboration among playwright Arthur Miller, director Elia Kazan, and actor Lee J. Cobb, and was the starting point for hundreds of productions in many languages and styles. The play has also provided a number of memorable interpretations by actors such as Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Frederic March, and Mel Gibson. The volume includes a production chronology, bibliography, discography, videography, and photographs from key productions.
Understanding Tony Kushner by James L. Fisher
Call Number: Print Books (PS3561.U778 Z643 2008 )
ISBN: 9781570037498
Publication Date: 2008-06-01
Surveys the writings of the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama 'Angels in America' and co-author of the Oscar-nominated screenplay for the film 'Munich'. This book guides readers through Kushner's influences and creations to map the importance of his work in postmodern literary and cultural landscapes.
Twentieth Century Theatre by Richard Drain (Editor)
Call Number: PN2020 .T88 1995
ISBN: 9780415096201
Publication Date: 1995
Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook is an inspired handbook of ideas and arguments on theatre. Richard Drain gathers together a uniquely wide-ranging selection of original writings on theatre by its most creative practitioners - directors, playwrights, performers and designers, from Jarry to Grotowski and Craig. These key texts span the twentieth century, from the onset of modernism to the present, providing direct access to the thinking behind much of the most stimulating theatre the century has had to offer, as well as guidelines to its present most adventurous developments.
Contemporary American Playwrights by Christopher Bigsby
Call Number: Print Books (PS352 .B54 1999 )
ISBN: 9780521661089
Publication Date: 2000-01-13
Christopher Bigsby explores the works and influences of ten contemporary American playwrights: John Guare (House of Blue Leaves), Tina Howe (Museum and Approaching Zanzibar), Pulitzer Prize and Tony award winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America), Emily Mann (Anulla: An Autobiography and Having Our Say), Richard Nelson (An American Comedy), Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden), David Rabe (In the Boom Boom Room), Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel (Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief), Wendy Wasserstein (The Sisters Rosenzweig), and Pulitzer Prize winner Lanford Wilson (Talley's Folly). Bigsby examines, in some detail, the developing careers of some of America's most fascinating and original dramatic talent. In addition to well-known works, Bigsby discusses some of the latest plays to reach the stage.

Examples of Films About Authors

Search Primo to find more DVDs and streaming media about the authors.

The Topdog diaries : [an intimate portrait of playwright Suzan-Lori Parks]
Call Number: PS3566.A736 Z784 2004
Publication Date: 2004
The drama of creation : writers on writing
Call Number: PN149 .D73 2006
Publication Date: 2006

Death of a Salesman
streaming video of CBS production of the play directed by Alex Segal
West Side Story
1961 motion picture based on the stage play

Books about Theatre Companies

When searching Primo for books, use the name of the theatre or company. Add the country or city if needed.

National Theatre Great Britain
Abbey Theatre
Split Britches

If you can't find anything about a specific company, try broader terms.

"experimental theater"
"theatrical companies"
"Off Off-Broadway theater"

Listed below are some books from our collection.

A theatre for everybody; the story of the Old Vic and Sadler's Wells by Edward J Dent
Call Number: PN2596.L7 O73
Publication Date: 1945
National by Simon Callow
Call Number: PN2596.L7N327 1997
ISBN: 9781854593238
Publication Date: 1998
Marking Richard Eyre's departure from the National Theatre, Simon Callow looks at the history of the National Theatre. Included are interviews, production photographs and audience reminiscences.
The City and the Theatre by Mary C. Henderson; Gerald Schoenfield (Foreword by); Mary Henderson
Call Number: PN2277.N5 H4 2004
ISBN: 9780823006373
Publication Date: 2004
Remarkably well researched and immensely entertaining, this definitive history of theater in New York City spans more than three centuries and relates the development of theater to the social, political, economic, and cultural climate of the time.
American Theatre Companies, 1888-1930 by Weldon B. Durham (Editor)
Call Number: Reference PN2221 .A43 v.1-v.3
ISBN: 9780313253591
Publication Date: 1987
This companion volume to American Theatre Companies, 1749-1887 is an indispensable guide to an aspect of American theatre covered by no other reference work. Salient facts about resident acting companies of the period in the United States are presented in an easy-to-use format. Information from hundreds of published and unpublished sources relating to the dates, places, personnel, policies, and repertories of the most durable theatrical groups is encapsulated and arranged for easy access.
Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company by Colin Chambers
Call Number: PN2596.S82 R684 2004
ISBN: 9780415212021
Publication Date: 2004
Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company is a multi-layered chronicle that traces the company's history, offers investigation into its working methods, its repertoire, its people and its politics, and considers what the future holds for this bastion of high culture now in crisis.
Theatre Companies of the World by Colby H. Kullman (Editor); William C. Young (Editor)
Call Number: PN2052 .T48 1986
ISBN: 9780313214561
Publication Date: 1986
For information in English about outstanding theater companies in most countries, this is likely to be a standard. Highly recommended.
Ariane Mnouchkine and the Theatre du Soleil by Adrian Kiernander
Call Number: PN2638.M445 K54 1993
ISBN: 9780521361392
Publication Date: 1993
This is the first full-length study of the renowned French theatre director Ariane Mnouchkine and her company, the Theatre du Soleil.
At This Theatre by Louis Botto; Robert Viagas
Call Number: PN2277.N5 B44 2010
ISBN: 9781557837646
Publication Date: 2010
Includes more than 500 color production photos, vintage archival photos, and Playbill covers from all forty currently operating Broadway theatres.
The Abbey Theatre by Christopher Fitz-Simon
Call Number: PN2602.D82 A247 2003
ISBN: 9780500284261
Publication Date: 2003
This volume contains 12 chronological chapters that cover the history of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, which opened its doors to the public in 1904.
Famous American playhouses, 1900-1971
Call Number: Print Books (NA6830 .Y67 1973 v.2 )
Theatre in the United States: a documentary history by Barry B. Witham (Editor, Contribution by)
Call Number: Print Books (PN2221 .T54 1996)
ISBN: 9780521308588
Publication Date: 1996-02-23
volume 2 covers 1900-present. Describes the growth and development of theatre in the United States. Documents and commentary are arranged into chapters on business practice, acting, theatre buildings, drama, design, and audience behavior.
The Royal Court Theatre and the Modern Stage by Philip Roberts; David Bradby (Contribution by)
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 0521479622
Publication Date: 1999-11-25
The Royal Court Theatre is one of the primary forums in the development of post-war drama. The story of the Royal Court is also the history of the contemporary stage. In this absorbing account of the theatre's history from 1956 to 1998,
The City and the Theatre by Mary C. Henderson; Gerald Schoenfield (Foreword by); Mary Henderson
Call Number: Print Books (PN2277.N5 H4 2004)
ISBN: 9780823006373
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Remarkably well researched and immensely entertaining, this definitive history of theatre in New York City spans more than three centuries and relates the development of theatre to the social, political, economic, and cultural climate of the time