Video: The Life Changing Power of Live Theater (14:01)
Theater at Oakton
Library Resources
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The Actor in You
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Explore the fundamentals of acting The Actor in You presents a thorough and systematic exposure to the fundamentals of the acting process in simple, direct language and a streamlined structure. This title draws on exercises and examples from students' everyday lives, well-known plays, and popular television programs to lead the beginning student through the process of creating a role.
Call Number: PN 2061 .B392 2015ISBN: 9780205914906Publication Date: 2014 -
Theatre
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Successful theatre relies on a complex interaction of all theatrical elements: script, direction, acting, and design interact in shifting configurations to offer a new work of art at every performance. Examining these relationships often enriches the theatrical experience. Theatre: Its Art and Craft is an introductory theatre text that focuses on the practitioners and their processes. Using an accessible tone and a focused exploration of how theatre artists work, the book covers every aspect of this art form: from writing, directing, and acting to the designing of sets and costumes, as well as the use of props, lights, sound, and new technology. This book also examines the varying roles of scholars, critics, and dramaturgs. This seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and features new statistics, new photos, and updated references. New sidebars have been added throughout, including one on cultural appropriation, another on lighting technology, and more and better discussions of what carpenters, technical directors, stage managers, and theatre artists do. Accessible to students who have little or no theatrical background, this book helps readers understand how theatre happens by explaining who makes it happen and what they do. Reflecting a commitment to explore how all theatre practitioners work, Theatre: Its Art and Craft is a useful text for beginning theatre majors, minors, and non-majors alike.
Call Number: PN 2037 .A63 2017 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 9781442277748Publication Date: 2017 -
Technical Theater for Nontechnical People
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Here is help for actors, directors, stage managers, producers, and event planners who want to understand every aspect of technical theater--from scenery, lighting, and sound to props, costumes, and stage management. In this thoroughly revised new edition, the popular guide firmly embraces the digital age with new content about digital audio, intelligent lighting, LED lighting, video projection, and show control systems, all explained in the same approachable style that has kept this book in the pockets of industry professionals for many years. A brand-new chapter on sound design has also been added, and every chapter has been updated with more information about the basics of theater technology, including draperies, lighting instruments, microphones, costume sketches, and more. This book teaches: Who's who on a theatrical production team What is needed to know about technical theater and why What to look for when choosing a space for a show How to communicate with lighting, scenery, audio, and costume designers How to stage manage an effective show or presentation Covering both traditional and digitally supported backstage environments, this book is an essential guide for working with every technical aspect of theater! Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Call Number: PN 2091.S8 C36 2016 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 9781621535423Publication Date: 2016 -
Stagecraft Fundamentals
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Stagecraft Fundamentals tackles every aspect of basic theatre production with Rita Kogler Carver's signature wit and engaging voice. The history of stagecraft, safety precautions, lighting, costumes, scenery, career planning tips, and more are discussed, illustrated by beautiful color examples that both display step-by-step procedures and break with the traditionally boring black and white introductory theatre book. This third edition improves upon the last, featuring three new chapters on design for props, projection, and touring. Also included are new end-of-chapter questions and an expanded discussion on LED lighting, stage automation, digital technology, stage management, makeup, theatre management, and sound design. This is the must have introductory theatre production book.
Call Number: PN 2053 .C32 2019 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 9780415791045Publication Date: 2018 -
The Complete Audition Book for Young Actors
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A comprehensive guide to winning by enhancing acting skills by Roger Ellis. This text is not a typical shake-and-bake manual of quickie tips on how to do a good audition. No other book puts auditioning in the context of acting training. The nuts and bolts are all here, but this book will do much more. It will develop audition and acting skills in a systematic way over time, throughout the actor's study and career. This book is first and foremost an acting text. It shows auditioning as another kind of acting performance, not a technical exercise or desperate attempt to highlight every skill or talent the actor possesses. It is a step-by-step guide for training young actors to audition well by developing acting skills. Includes more than sixty relevant acting exercises or 'explorations', as well as fourteen sample audition pieces from contemporary playwrights and a wealth of other resource material. An all-encompassing audition text.
Call Number: PN 2071.A92 E47 2003 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 1566080886Publication Date: 2004
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Musical Theatre Auditions and Casting
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Musical theatre is a tough and over-crowded industry. Yet, despite the huge competition, many performers find auditioning difficult with little knowledge of what the directors, creative teams and producers are looking for, or how to win the panel over with their unique talent. As a leading international casting director, Neil Rutherford has seen thousands of hopefuls audition over the years. Uniquely, he also understands what it is like to audition from his years as a professional actor in musical theatre. This book provides a unique perspective on the musical theatre audition process and how to improve the chances of landing a role. With wit, humour and insight, Neil Rutherford guides the reader through the crucial elements of musical theatre auditions, opening up the process of casting and auditioning to the thousands of hopefuls trying to secure work in this industry every year, as well as anyone involved in musical theatre. With a foreword by Tony-award-winning director Bartlett Sher, the book also contains contributions from some of the world's leading directors and musical directors, including Sir Richard Eyre and Jerry Mitchell, adding further valuable insight from those at the centre of the musical theatre world. This book is a vital tool for anyone hoping to improve their audition chances and survive in the world of musical theatre.
ISBN: 1408160625Publication Date: 2013 -
The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide
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Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. With a theater degree in hand, she was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong? Uh, basically everything. The path to being a professional actor was so much more vast and competitive than she'd imagined. It would be eight long years before she landed her iconic role on The Office, nearly a decade of frustration, struggle, rejection and doubt. If only she'd had a handbook for the aspiring actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way--an established actor who could educate her about the business, manage her expectations, and reassure her in those moments of despair. Jenna wants to be that person for you. With amusing candor and wit, Fischer spells out the nuts and bolts of getting established in the profession, based on her own memorable and hilarious experiences. She tells you how to get the right headshot, what to look for in representation, and the importance of joining forces with other like-minded artists and creating your own work--invaluable advice personally acquired from her many years of struggle. She provides helpful hints on how to be gutsy and take risks, the tricks to good auditioning and callbacks, and how not to fall for certain scams (auditions in a guy's apartment are probably not legit--or at least not for the kind of part you're looking for!). Her inspiring, helpful guidance feels like a trusted friend who's made the journey, and has now returned to walk beside you, pointing out the pitfalls as you blaze your own path towards the life of a professional actor.
ISBN: 9781944648220Publication Date: 2017 -
A Critical Companion to the American Stage Musical
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This Critical Companion to the American Stage Musical provides the perfect introductory text for students of theatre, music and cultural studies. It traces the history and development of the industry and art form in America with a particular focus on its artistic and commercial development in New York City from the early 20th century to the present. Emphasis is placed on commercial, artistic and cultural events that influenced the Broadway musical for an ever-renewing, increasingly broad and diverse audience: the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, the World War II era, the British invasion in the 1980s and the media age at the turn of the twenty-first century. Supplementary essays by leading scholars provide detailed focus on the American musical's production and preservation, as well as its influence on daily life on the local, national, and international levels. For students, these essays provide models of varying approaches and interpretation, equipping them with the skills and understanding to develop their own analysis of key productions.
ISBN: 9781472510488Publication Date: 2017 -
The Routledge Companion to Adaptation
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The Routledge Companion to Adaptation offers a broad range of scholarship from this growing, interdisciplinary field. With a basis in source-oriented studies, such as novel-to-stage and stage-to-film adaptations, this volume also seeks to highlight the new and innovative aspects of adaptation studies, ranging from theatre and dance to radio, television and new media. It is divided into five sections: Mapping, which presents a variety of perspectives on the scope and development of adaptation studies; Historiography, which investigates the ways in which adaptation engages with - and disrupts - history; Identity, which considers texts and practices in adaptation as sites of multiple and fluid identity formations; Reception, which examines the role played by an audience, considering the unpredictable relationships between adaptations and those who experience them; Technology, which focuses on the effects of ongoing technological advances and shifts on specific adaptations, and on the wider field of adaptation. An emphasis on adaptation-as-practice establishes methods of investigation that move beyond a purely comparative case study model. The Routledge Companion to Adaptation celebrates the complexity and diversity of adaptation studies, mapping the field across genres and disciplines.
ISBN: 9781138915404Publication Date: 2018
Journals
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American Theatre (Online)In addition to the articles found at AmericanTheatre.org, the magazine publishes playscripts several times per year.
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Theatre History Studies (Online)Peer-reviewed journal provides critical, analytical, and descriptive articles.
Databases
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Academic Search Ultimate - EBSCO This link opens in a new window
Provides a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with around 10,000 full-text periodicals - of which more than 9,000 are peer-reviewed journals.
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Alexander Street Press Streaming Video Collections This link opens in a new windowProvides a searchable online streaming video collection of documentaries and interviews.
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CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Each issue examines a single "hot" topic with comments from experts, lawmakers and citizens on all sides of every issue. Includes charts, graphs and sidebar articles -- plus a pro-con feature, a chronology, lengthy bibliographies and a list of contacts.
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Digital Theatre+ This link opens in a new windowDigital Theatre+ provides powerful ways to connect English and Drama students with dramatic texts, poetry and performance. Resources include high-quality productions, video resources, and written materials.
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Drama for Students - Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Provides critical overviews of the most-studied plays of all time periods, nations, and cultures. Includes discussions of themes, characters, critical reception, dramatic devices and traditions as well as cultural and historical context.
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Gale Literature Research for Students This link opens in a new window
Gale eBook editions of Concise Major 21st Century Writers, Drama for Students, Novels for Students, Poetry for Students, and Short Stories for Students.
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Literature (Academic Video Online) - Alexander Street Press This link opens in a new window
Offers a range of documentaries and interviews covering multiple literary forms. Also includes video productions of literary works throughout history.
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New York Times All-Access This link opens in a new window
Unlimited digital access to all offerings from The New York Times, on any device. Includes full site access to news and sports coverage, podcasts, games (Spelling Bee, Wordle, The Crossword, and more!), recipes and cooking advice, and Wirecutter reviews. Also includes access to TheTimesMachine.
New users:- Create an account using your preferred login credentials.
- Select whether you are a student or staff/faculty user.
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Existing users:
Use the “log in” link next to “Already have an account?”
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Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Database of contemporary social issues with content structured to promote critical-thinking skills. It contains reference book titles, pro and con viewpoint articles, and a variety of periodicals, podcasts, reviewed Web links, images, statistical tables, charts, and graphs.
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Theatre (Academic Video Online) - Alexander Street Press This link opens in a new window
Features performances of works by American, European, Asian, and other worldwide dramatists from the past several centuries. In addition to performances, Also includes dozens of documentaries and interviews about theatre, discussing the history of theatre, acting methods, pioneering dramatists and actors, and much more.
Careers in Theater
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Theater Careers
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Theater Careers is designed to empower aspiring theater professionals to make savvy, informed decisions through a concise overview of how to prepare for and find work in the theater business. Tim Donahue and Jim Patterson offer well-researched information on various professions, salary ranges, educational and experience requirements, and other facets certain to enlighten students contemplating a theater career, as well as inform counselors, teachers, and parents of available opportunities and the demands of each path. Theater Careers offers valuable details not readily available elsewhere, including � Dozens of informative job descriptions surveying the impressive variety of theater careers, both on and off the stage � Statistics on the working and earning prospects of various careers as drawn from the best sources in the business � Thoughtful assessments of the value of education and training choices, including the most meaningful way to look at the costs of college�estimating net costs, which is seldom described elsewhere�and how to choose a school Straightforward and objective, Theater Careers is an ideal reference for those seeking careers in the theater. Armed with this information, readers will be better equipped to pursue choices that best lead to satisfying and secure employment in the rewarding field of the dramatic arts.
Call Number: CAREER. PN 2074 .D66 2012 (Des Plaines)ISBN: 9781611170801Publication Date: 2012
Get career information and statistics from the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Professional Organizations
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Screen Actors Guild"SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York, and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond."
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Actors' Equity Association"Actors' Equity Association, founded in 1913, represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans."
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Dramatists GuildThe national trade association of playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists.