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Theatre Biographies N to S See also: Theatre > Playwrights Film > Biographies; Directors; Producers Tales of a Theatrical Guru Danny Newman In Tales of a Theatrical Guru, legendary showman Danny Newman brings together thirty-three profiles of key arts people he's known during his amazing career. Ranging from hilarious to somber, these fascinating vignettes and anecdotes provide a backstage pass to insider stories from the dynamo who's kept the American arts thriving and a complete picture of a world that few have ever seen so intimately. Hardcover, 260 pp. $38.00. Paul Newman: A Life Shawn Levy In Paul Newman: A Life, film critic and pop culture historian Shawn Levy gives readers the ultimate behind-the-scenes examination of the actor's life, from his merry pranks on the set to his lasting romance with Joanne Woodward to the devastating impact of his son's death from a drug overdose. Hardcover, 490 pp. $37.99. Olivier Anthony Holden In this biography of Laurence Olivier, Anthony Holden creates a witty and penetrating portrait of one of the greatest screen actors of all time. In addition to exposing new revelations that have come to light since Olivier's death, Holden investigatesa the truth behind rumours of Olivier's alleged homosexual affairs with the likes of Marlon Brando and Danny Kaye, for a lonf time covered up by Olivier's family. Hardcover, 515 pp. $35.95. The Real Life of Laurence Olivier Roger Lewis In this classic biography of Laurence Olivier, Roger Lewis goes beyond the magical illusions the actor created to tell the truth about the man's sexuality, ambition, revenges, power, preoccupations and achievements. Olivier's life and work become a love story - the tale of the relationship with Vivien Leigh, who was destroyed by the extent of her passion for him, as he himself was cast into a frenzy of guilt and disillusionment. Softcover, 347 pp. $25.95. Stratford Gold: 50 Years, 50 Stars, 50 Conversations Richard Ouzounian This unique book is a collection of interviews with fifty performing artists who had a unique role in the history of The Stratford Festival. Includes discussions with such luminaries as: Tom Patterson, Timothy Findley, Christopher Plummer, Maggie Smith, Zoe Caldwell, Alan Bates, Martha Henry, William Hutt, Peter Ustinov, William Shatner and others.Statford Gold also features interviews with all of the surviving Artistic Directors: Michael Langham, Robin Phillips, John Neville, David William and Richard Monette. Softcover, 397 pp., $18.95. Memories: Celebrating 40 Years in the Theatre Elaine Paige In Memories, Elaine Paige takes us through her career from her earliest stage appearances to her starring roles in some of the biggest musicals of the past 40 years: Grease, Evita, Cats, Chess, and Sunset Boulevard. Fans of musical theatre will treasure this revealing, often funny, and personal book. Hardcover, 160 pp. $46.50. Free for All: Joe Papp, the Public, and the Greatest Theater Story Ever Told Kenneth Turan & Joseph Papp In this oral history, we see how theatrical visionary Joe Papp overcame myriad obstacles to bring first-rate theatre productions to an urban audience with The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre. Here, in all their backstage drama, are the accounts of how such landmark productions as Hair, No Place to Be Somebody, A Chorus Line, That Championship Season, Streamers, for colored girls ... , True West, The Normal Heart, and Aunt Dan and Lemon came into the world. Hardcover, 593 pp. $49.00. Actor Nicholas Pennell: Risking Enchantment Mary Z. Maher Nicholas Pennell skyrocketed to fame in the BBC's 1967 television serial, The Forsyte Saga, but was best known as a classical actor at the Stratford festival. Before his untimely death at the age of 56, he had played 250 parts in theatre, film, and television. Interviews with Pennell, as well as with his friends and colleagues, inform this biography, written with actors in mind and sparkling with Pennell's narrative gifts and teeming with theatrical advice about performing for the stage and screen. Softcover, 172 pp. $34.95. Hello - The Autobiography Leslie Phillips In this autobiography, Leslie Phillips reveals how he honed his comedy skills while creating a string of moving and unforgettable characters on stage and film. He also offers thoughtful insights on the business of being a tireless actor while still remaining a father at the centre of a large, loving family, sometimes against severe personal odds. Taken together, this is a moving story of private disasters and triumphs, and professional ambitions and achievement. Hardcover, 406 pp. $37.95. Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter Antonia Fraser Based on Fraser's recollections and on diaries she kept since 1968, seven years before they spent the next 33 years together, this is a both a love story and an insightful account of Pinter's process of writing. Cloth, $29.95. November. Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre Foster Hirsch Here is the complete look at the outstanding career of Harold Prince, the most honoured and influencial producer/director in the history of postwar American musical theatre. Foster Hirsch has updated the original edition of this book adding new interviews with Prince. He also analyzes Prince's more recent work, including Kiss of the Spider Woman, Parade, and the award-winning revival of Show Boat. Softcover, 269 pp. $23.95. Back to top

Theatre Biographies are listed alphabetically by last name. • New & Featured • A to C • D to H • I to M • N to S • T to Z Film Biographies Television Biographies Theatre Studies Canadian Theatre Studies Criticism /Theory/ History Musical Theatre Theatre Biographies National Theatre Studies Playwrights Playwrighting Theatre Reference Actors & Acting Plays Shakespeare Technical Theatre Drama in Education

Happiness Indeed: An Actor's Life Dennis Quilley Denis Quilley, star of Privates on Parade, La Cage aux Folles and Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, had a career of tremendous range and diversity. His autobiography is a cavalcade of stories of the great, the good and the difficult. This candid account of a rich life on the stage takes us on a journey through almost sixty years of British theatre: from the highs and lows of 'rep' in the 1940s and 50s, via the rise of the National Theatre in the 1970s, to the present day. Hardcover, 232 pp. $44.95. Without You: A memoir of love, loss, and the musical RENT Anthony Rapp Marked by fledgling love and devastating loss, piercing frustration and powerful enlightenment, Without You charts the course of Anthony Rapp's exhilarating journey with the cast and crew of Rent as well as the intimacies of his personal life behind the curtain. Hardcover, 309 pp. $34.50. Secret Dreams: A Biography of Michael Redgrave Alan Strachan Using Redgrave's diaries and archives -- made available for the first time -- Alan Strachan, who directed some of Redgrave's last appearances on the stage, has uncovered the full story of an unorthodox life, with private guilts, demons and tensions 'which informed the public work with so much of its uniquely troubling intensity.' Hardcover, 484 pp. $39.95. Ghost Light Frank Rich Written with humour and eloquence, Rich's memoir is a moving account of a childhood transformed by a passion for theatre. A joyous and triumphant coming-of-age story in which the stagestruck daydreams of a young boy blossom into a lifelong love affair. Cassette Tapes $38.95. Fading into the Limelight Peter Sallis In this highly entertaining memoir, Peter Sallis reveals how he discovered his aptitude for acting in the wartime RAF, and went on to win a scolarship to RADA after he was demobbed. During a long and varied career, he worked with most of the great theatrical figures of the last century, and here he provides vivid portraits of John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Judi Dench and Patrick McGoohan, among many others. Fading into the Limelight is a brilliant portrait of a career that spans more than sixty years, and will richly reward his many admirers. Hardcover, 245 pp. $37.95. Writing Wrongs: The Work of Wallace Shawn W.D. King Writing Wrongs is a close and personal look into the life and literary work of Wallace Shawn. W.D. King's incisive critiques of the plays and inquiry into the life and times of their author develop a portrait of Shawn as a major figure in contemporary theatre. Hardcover, 242 pp. $51.95. The World in an Orange: Creating Theatre with Barney Simon Irene Stephanou & Leila Henriques Barney Simon was the legendary artistic director, writer and co-creator of one of the most important theatres in South Africa and the world: The Market Theatre. This book was conceived and created just after his untimely death. Scores of great South African and international artists record and share what and how they learnt from Barney. As such there are eighty testaments from artists about the often mysterious process. Hardcover, 380 pp. $65.00. Stephen Sondheim: A Life Meryle Secrest Here is Sondheim the man, the music, the genius -- a star of his own fascinating unfinished life. Indispensable for all Sondheim fans. $22.95. Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern 1950-1995 Edited by Nile Southern and Josh Alan Friedman A delicious compendium of Southern excerpts, featuring interviews, letters, and stories from the lips of the devilish comic genuis himself. Also available in softcover. Hardcover, $38.95; Softcover, $21.50. You Must Set Forth at Dawn: A Memoir Wole Soyinka In the tough, humane and lyrical language that has typified his plays and novels, Soyinka captures the indomitable spirit of Nigeria itself by bringing to life the friends and family who bolstered and inspired him, and by describing the pioneering theater works that defied censure and tradition. Soyinka not only recounts his exile and the terrible reign of General Sani Abacha, but shares vivid memories and playful anecdotes. More than a major figure in the world of literature, Wole Soyinka is a courageous voice for human rights, democracy and freedom. You Must Set Forth at Dawn is an intimate chronicle of his thrilling public life, a meditation on justice and tyranny, and a mesmerizing testament to a ravaged yet hopeful land. Hardcover, 499 pp. $37.95. The Importance of Being Barbra A diva among divas--Barbra Streisand, the last genuinely unique show business personality of the 20th century, is the most honoured entertainer in the world today. In Tom Santopietro's witty yet analytical look at this one-of-a-kind career, the myths and personal foibles are stripped away, and the focus lands squarely on the work. This is a full-scale examination for all those who have wondered at the phenomenon that is Barbra Streisand. Hardcover, 228 pp. $29.95. August Strindberg: Painter, Photographer, Writer Olle Granath While August Strindberg is well known to an international audience as a prolific writer of plays, novels, poetry, scientific essays and letters, his work in the visual arts has remained largely unseen. This beautifully illustrated book examines the paintings, drawings, and photographs that display Strindberg's independent and radical approach to art, and his experimental innovations in photography. Softcover, 160 pp. $50.00. Put On A Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir Charles Strouse In Put On A Happy Face, the man behind the hit shows Annie Get Your Gun and Bye Bye Birdie pulls back the curtain for a behind the scenes tour of his remarkable life and achievements. With a sparkling wit, Charles offers an inside glimpse of Broadway, Hollywood and beyond. With prose tuned to capture both soaring highs and operatic lows, the composer whose music has delighted audiences for decades now adds words to his repetoire. Hardcover, 326 pp. Back to top

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Last modified August 30, 2010. Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.