Reviews (1)

Alright
It's about par with every other persuasion text. Nothing spectacular about it. Don't buy unless you have. I give it 4 stars because as text books go, it's an easy read. If you're looking for your own interest in persuasion, read influence. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Peter Brook's career, beginning in the 1940s with radical productions of Shakespeare with a modern experimental sensibility and continuing to his recent work in the worlds of opera and epic theater, makes him perhaps the most influential director of the 20th century. Cofounder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of the International Center for Theater Research in Paris, perhaps Brook's greatest legacy will be The Empty Space. His 1968 book divides the theatrical landscape, as Brook saw it, into four different types: the Deadly Theater (the conventional theater, formulaic and unsatisfying), the Holy Theater (which seeks to rediscover ritual and drama's spiritual dimension, best expressed by the writings of Artaud and the work of director Jerzy Grotowski), the Rough Theater (a theater of the people, against pretension and full of noise and action, best typified by the Elizabethan theater), and the Immediate Theater, which Brook identifies his own career with, an attempt to discover a fluid and ever-changing style that emphasizes the joy of the theatrical experience. What differentiates Brook's writing from so many other theatrical gurus is its extraordinary clarity. His gentle illumination of the four types of theater is conversational, even chatty, and though passionately felt, it's entirely lacking in the sort of didactic bombast that flaws many similar texts. --John Longenbaugh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Insightful and Important
Yes: Brook is a genius.
Yes: This work is of great value to any theatre artist.
BUT!!! This book is rather dense, and those who are unfamiliar with major movements and theories in the last century of theater may find themselves a bit lost when Brook begins to talk about Artaud and the "Holy Theater" or Brecht and "Rough Theater."

Brook's ideas, through his sometimes dense writing, are meant to inspire and invigorate. This is not a manual or even a reference to create good theatre, as a major argument of Brook's is that good theater is far to complex and ever-changing to be explained by any book/manual/dogma/etc.

Read this book and know that it will not help you to create good theatre- if anything, it will raise the bar for "good" theatre so much higher that one's task becomes infinitely more difficult. This is the agony and the ecstasy of reading Peter Brook.

The theatre as a living organism
Building upon the earlier work of Aristotle, Brecht, Artaud and others, Brook confronts the living organism of the theatre on four levels: Deadly, Holy, Rough and Immediate. In each level, Brook makes the case that the theatre is not only a necessary component to the human creature, but a being that despite its constant wounds and ills, manages to bounce up from the death bed and find a way to survive.

Interestingly when Brook was writing (1968) there were many cynical critics who complained that the theatre was dying in the wake of television and film. Brook confronts the issue that theatre attendance was reacing all time lows. Today, over thirty years later, it is daunting to consider that there are even more distractions (the internet, home video, etc.) and attendance is even lower still. Yet despite these imposing knives thrusting into the communal body that is the Theatre, the world's oldest art form manages to forge ahead, survive and, the rare cases, thrive all the while maintaining its cultural importance.

Brook believes the theatre is unique is that it requires a community of artists and audiences alike to exist. That very sense of humanity and awe is what allows it to flourish in many instances.

Brook's writing is admittedly erudite and sometimes pretentious. And perhaps when one takes the positions that he does, such lofty language and posings may indeed be impossible. I hate to say it, but Brook's book may be hard going for the theatre lay person- God knows I'm aware of how elitist that sounds, but I think it is true. Because of his thick verbage, it may take a couple of stabs for the reader to unlock Brook's fevered soapboxing. But the journey is well worth the price.

This is a book of theatre theory and therefore it may appear quite barren of practical solutions. However when read in conjunction with not only life experience in the theatre as well as the many great acting, directing and play wrighting texts, it does provide the theatre artist with the basis for forging a true political manifesto. To quote Brook himself, "To play needs much work. But when we experience the work as play, then it is not work any more. A play is a play."

Opening the mind
Have you ever noticed that several of the worlds truly Great Books are very short? Reading this book, along with The Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmond Jones, Acting: the first 6 lessons by Boleshavsky and Aristotles Poetics are (to my less than humble opinion) all one really needs to have a degree in Theater/re.

THE Manual For Theater Productions
For directors, designers, actors, and theater patrons, read this short book on the theory and practice of making good drama. Peter Brook's four chapters ("The Deadly Theater," "The Holy Theater," "The Rough Theater," and "The Immediate Theater") are filled with practical, helpful advice that it would benefit anyone to read this who loves the stage. Read it with a pencil, too.

A "Must Read" for everyone interested in theater
Peter Brook packs an incredible amount into this terse little gem of an essay. More than a discussion of his view of theater and some personal recollections, this book contains a how-to manual for every director, actor, designer, and producer. It is written in Brooks' unique style and is meant to be reread many times. With every reading, I find new insights as to how to bring real theatrical moments to my productions. As an essential part of my preparation for directing a particular project, I reread this classic. If it isn't on your bookshelf and isn't dog-eared from use, you aren't a complete professional in theater. ... Read more

Book Description

This beautiful new edition features an eye-opening Afterword written by Tappan Wilder that includes Thornton Wilder's unpublished notes and other illuminating photographs and documentary material.

Our Town was first produced and published in 1938 to wide acclaim. This Pulitzer Prize–winning drama of life in the small village of Grover's Corners, an allegorical representation of all life, has become a classic. It is Thornton Wilder's most renowned and most frequently performed play.

Reviews (82)

A book that spans generations
Thornton Wilder's Our Town is an inspiring play about the joy of life. The play depicts the lives of "ordinary people" in the fictional New Hampshire town of Grover's Corners. The play is set in three acts, each representing a different aspect of life entitled daily life, love and marriage, and death. Wilder sets the stage with nothing but two tables and chairs in order to establish the universality of the play. From there, you are transported to a world very similar to your own and watch the lives of two families and a town come together through hardships and happiness. Wilder's love for the past shows through as the setting is in the early 1900's. The play continues as the children of the two families grow up and experience all of the joys and sorrows of life. In the third act, the theme of death is prevalent. The third act pulls together the loose ends created in the first two acts in a philosophical way. A passage from the play that really sums up what Wilder was trying to get across is "Do human beings ever realize life while they live it?--every, every minute?" The characters in the play realize in the end that people rush through life not taking the time to enjoy every minute of it. They don't just stop and look around at the people, at the scenery, and at the world. Wilder's purpose in writing this novel was to inform people of just that, to live each day to the fullest and have no regrets when it's all over and you look back over your life. I recommend this play for anyone who rushes through life without enjoying the simple pleasures. It is short, it reads fast, but most of all, it says something that everyone needs to hear at one point in their life.

A Poignant Drama
When I first learned that I would be required to read "Our Town" as a part of a required reading assignment for English class, I didn't think that I was going to like it. As Wilder begins the play, the reader immediately notices that there is almost no action, suspense, characterization, or setting. The play is all about universality -- Wilder's lack of literary elements is actually a subliminal attempt to communicate the play's theme to everyone who reads it. The first act is a narrative of everyday events in a small New Hampshire town; Wilder titles this act "daily life" because it focuses on the monotony of trivial affairs. The second act is called "love and marriage," which discusses the process in which two people fall in love. The final act is based on "death" and it sums up the first two acts by casting them against the fact that everyone will die someday.

The main theme that Wilder tries to convey is that even the most insignificant, unimportant things in life need to be appreciated. The protagonist asks in the final act, "Do human beings ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?" The answer, of course, is 'no.' We all tend to rush through life like it is a giant marathon, and all too often, we trample on other people along the way. Also in the final act, the protagonist wishes that she would have been nicer to people while she had the chance; she wishes that she would've let the other characters know how much she loved and appreciated them. In writing this drama, Wilder wants to tell us that we should all live our lives to the fullest; we should take time every day to give thanks for all that we have; we should always tell our friends and family just how much they mean to us -- we can only do these things while we're living, and none of us know exactly how much longer that will be. Reading this play has really given me a "wake up call" and has allowed me to cherish everyday, ordinary things like the beauty of nature. I felt that the play was, in retrospect, brilliantly written, brief, and poignant. I recommend this play to everyone because it teaches a message that we all need to remember -- take time to savor the simple things, because they often carry the greatest rewards.

Misunderstood classic
Superficially a folksy, American nostalgia piece, "Our Town" spans the first thirteen years of the twentieth century in the life of Grover's Corners, a small village in rural New Hampshire. It's the archetypal town of the American Mythology. A place where the names on the oldest gravestones are the same as those of the townspeople today. Where the doctor delivers twins before breakfast, and is home in time to shoot the breeze with the paperboy. Where the kids share an ice-cream soda, their mothers sing in the church choir, and a girl grows up and really does marry the boy nextdoor. The play's fond recollection of an America that never existed was nostalgic even in 1938, yet Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama became an instant classic and remains one of America's most loved and frequently performed plays. America today is the shambles of a destroyed hope, the stillborn ruins of the way of life "Our Town" imagines but which in reality was never achieved. For those immune to the appeals of the American Dream, or more familiar with the reality of the American Global Empire, the play may seem deliciously rich in unintended irony. You could be forgiven for thinking the American preference for escapist, self-aggrandizing fantasy might account for its enduring appeal. Yet you would be wrong. Scratch the surface and "Our Town" is no quaint tale of hayseed family life. Wilder was an intellectual, an admirer of the avant-garde and the experimental works of James Joyce. Steadfastly minimalist in its presentation, engagingly postmodern in its insistence that we see the cast as actors rather than characters, and more thematically challenging than we are initially led to expect, "Our Town" is a work of social criticism which indicts us with personal responsibility for the way we see our lives. Wilder turns our nostalgia against us, demolishing our vision of the past as a Golden Age, and demanding we live here and now, simply and fully. The play shows ordinary lives in pursuit of universal meaning, and by confronting us with our own mortality it challenges us to explore our small allotment of years in the same way. This isn't so much a play of memories as a play about memory - private and public. It evokes nostalgia to warn against it, and argues instead for an acceptance of transience, a celebration of life while it is lived, and a recognition of that small, unknowable fragment of the self that is eternal. It's with this universalizing, evident in the final act, that "Our Town" transcends twentieth-century America and becomes an enduringly relevant work of art - one about memory, fantasy, and the power and price of both.

As satisfying a read as a novel or a book of poetry
Like many other people who have read this (and loved it!), it was required. Actually, we were required to watch a filmed stage version of it - starring Paul Newman as the Stage Manager. I found it very difficult to watch. I was, along with many other students, very bored watching that production. So, I decided to just read the play. (Reading the play was not required.) It was nothing short of fantastic and amazing.

I'm not the kind of person who reads plays and enjoys them. But OUR TOWN read almost like a very reader-friendly novel. And its themes of birth, life, and death have a tendency to reach out and grab the reader like few books I have ever come across. I will definitely be reading this again.

It's a Poignant Life!
This beloved classic and most frequently performed of Wilder's dramatic works still charms and captivates--despite the decades since its first production in 1938. A simple story, kaleidescopic time (both between and within Acts), basic family values and the modest joys of small town life are the literary elements offered to readers and theatre-goers. Scorning nobles and tradionally heroic figures, Wilder presents ordinary people in the early 20th century--a kinder, gentler time when horses

were being phased out in favor of automobiles. But writers will always cherish the natural progression of the seasons of human existence.

Why are audiences fascinated by the normal,
typical routine in rural New England; what explains the
timeless appeal of this simply-plotted story in three acts: Daily Life, Marriage, Death and Aftermath. Perhaps we are
haunted by the way the Dead (characters in Act 3) speak about and feel for the Living. Do the residents of the graveyard on the hill reveal painful truths about human life and asperations on earth? Why do the Dead mock those still living as blind and ignorant? What are they patiently, quietly waiting for in their
peaceful plots? Is Life just a waste of time, a farce during which we fool ourselves into believing in our own importance?
This tale of Americana belongs to all people, regardless of national origin--by virtue of its poignant insight into the human heart. ... Read more

Amazon.com

So much mystery and veneration surrounds the writings of the great Russian teacher and director Stanislavski that perhaps the greatest surprise awaiting a first-time reader of An Actor Prepares is how conversational, commonsensical, and even at times funny this legendary book is. After many productions with the Moscow Arts Company, Stanislavski sought a way to introduce his new style of acting to the world outside of his rehearsal hall. The resulting book is a "mock diary" of an actor describing a series of exercises and rehearsals in which he participates. He details his own emotional and intellectual reactions to each effort, and how his superficial tricks and mannerisms begin to disappear as he increasingly gives over his conscious ego to a faith in the creative power of his subconscious. Rarely has any writer on the theater achieved the sort of lucid and inspired analysis of the acting process as Stanislavski does here, and his introduction of such now-standard concepts as "the unbroken line," "the magic if," and the idea of emotional memory has laid the groundwork for much of the great acting of the 20th century. While much excess and nonsense was to follow in the steps of Stanislavski's writings, his original texts remain invaluable, and surprisingly accessible, to any actor or student of drama. --John Longenbaugh ... Read more

Reviews (21)

An absolute must for actors!
This book covers everything you could ever want to know about acting. If you want to be an actor or actress then all you have to do is read this book, and you're there. This book covers every possible technique you will ever need on the stage! Stanislavski takes on the role as a teacher for his students in this book, but the fact is that he is both the actors and the teacher. He uses the students to ask the questions you are wondering about, and answers them as the teacher. His discriptions are so good that you sometimes wonder if you are really there. The only thing that makes you sure is that he can't give you feedback on your efforts at home. But apart from that it is just like having a very knowledgable teacher of your own, that can answer all the questions you have about acting, and then some. It is an awesome book. A must have for everyone!

the fog lifted from my eyes
The first in a series of three, an Actor Prepares deals with the inner process/preparation an actor must explore in order to prepare for a role, how to control and stimulate your mind in order to convey the truth of your character. The story is told through the eyes of Kostya, the ex-stenographer who know shorthand, thus enabling him to take notes of the class. The instructor, Tortsov, is Stanislavski in disguise.
The book takes you on a journey of the art - acting. From learning about the magic "IF" to learning how to find your super-objective there is something for all in this book. Everything interrelates forming a web of knowledge and tools that you can take with you forever.
When you read it, however, keep in mind what the author said about his books:
"It is not a hand-me-down suit that you can put on and walk off in; or a cook book where all you need to find is the page and there is your recipe. No, it is a whole way of life."

Very Informative
This book really backgrounds & outlines the actor's process. It is a must-have for aspiring artists. Don't let the wordy, overly detailed prose discourage. For the valuable info if provides, it is worth it.

Stanislavski's Blueprint Pulses With Life and Passion
I found "An Actor Prepares" to be a deeply rewarding read, and I found its message applicable to all of the arts. Opening a window to a time and place where great strides were made in the modern theater, we join a fictionalized group of students awaiting their first lesson with the great master "Tortsov" (really Stanislavski.) I simply drank in Constantin Stanislavski's wisdom, enjoyed his consummate readability, and shivered in amazement that he was able to advance the philosophy and praxis of acting to such heights at the time that he wrote - he lived from 1863 to 1938. I'm currently inhaling the second volume in this series: "Building A Character." I fully intend round out my reading with some Strasberg, Meisner etc. after I finish Stanislavski's trilogy, but at this moment I am quite content to be able to gaze back in time to the Moscow Art Company, and imagine that I'm there amid the heady acting sessions of these books. Although trailblazers and pioneers in any art or science rarely leave a perfectly polished jewel as their legacy, it is a great mistake to pass over their immense contributions. Read Stanislavski as the great building block he was in the technique of acting.

A Must Avoid!
Just Kidding.
Every actor should sit through this one and then balance it off by reading David Mamet's 'True and False' or for a better if less vehement critique Hornby's outstanding 'The End of Acting'

Personally, whenever I feel it would have been a happier world if Stanislavski had never been born I realize I've been spending too much time with film actors and so I go out and see bad theater.

( Not out of masochism it's just that if you see enough theater you're bound to run into some turkeys)

Usually the reason it's bad is because of some sin Constantin ranted against.

Ranting is actually an appropiate word to describe the style of his writings. He's not theorizing, he's discovered The Organic Truth Of The Uiverse, etc. All this dogmatizing is forgivable when one realizes it's the oupouring of a Slavic soul, but it does tend to eclipse the fact that his system is--stripped of all the hyperbole--based upon, of all things, logic.

What's the objective? Ok, play that.

Or if you wish amore detailed dissertation: To [...] with what you're feeling. Play the objective.

Otherwise you may weep and rave about but fail to find the brooch pinned to the curtain, like the student actress in this book.

Now does it work? Well, if you have faith in it. . .

The progression (some would say the degeneration) of Stanislavski in the US goes something like this: Charles Conrad (who taught for Meisner and never wrote anything, his is the Zen-style of Stanislavski) to Sandford Meisner (who taught for Strasberg and wrote an unintelligible book but who is much admired for getting method actors off their introspective derrieres and on their feet) Lee Strasberg who, unlike Stella Adler never met The Master himself, so felt free to um.. theorize even further, and Michael Checkhov, (the only great actor of the bunch who Stan considered his best student even though he rejected the system) whose mystical ideas are floating somewhere in the stratosphere.

Strasberg, by far the most influential, founded Method Acting (not to be confused with the Stanislavski System or 'The Method of Physical Action ' a short treatise in Creating a Role ) which emphasized remembered mamory a.k.a. emotional memory which at times superseded the objective by demanding a pavlovian type of identification/ conection which would ensure real tears.

In away he set theater back to before 'finding the brooch'

Later, Stanislavski himelf rejected the emotional memory/pavlovian experiment after many of his actors started freaking out..

The main moral of an Actor Prepares is that if you're going to write a world changing treatise on acting, it helps if you've got a genius playwright like Michael's uncle whose palys you can produce.

The second is to play the--oops said that already.

May I also humbly recommend Mike Green's 'The Art of Coarse Acting' Shurtleff's 'Audition' Keith Johnstone's 'Impro' and Klaus Kinski's bio, for a sense of, if not sanity, at least a healthy dose of skeptical heresy? ... Read more

Book Description

Three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee's most provocative, daring, and controversial play since Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Goat won four major awards for best new play of the year (Tony, New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle). In the play, Martin, a successful architect who has just turned fifty, leads an ostensibly ideal life with his loving wife and gay teenage son. But when he confides to his best friend that he is also in love with a goat (named Sylvia), he sets in motion events that will destroy his family and leave his life in tatters.

The playwright himself describes it this way: Every civilization sets quite arbitrary limits to its tolerances. The play is about a family that is deeply rocked by an unimaginable event and they solve that problem. It is my hope that people will think afresh about whether or not all the values they hold are valid. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

one of his best
Edward Albee is without question the finest American playwright we've yet had, and all through The Goat, particularly in the second and third acts, he's in top form. Structurally, it's as perfect a tragedy as anything penned by Shakespeare, perhaps even by Sophocles. And structure and form are very much what seem to be at stake. What was Chagall's famous (partially correct) quote? Something like "It doesn't matter if it's a chicken or a barn door or a red blotch - just that something be there." In The Goat, Albee inserts a goat into a tragedy of marital infidelity, and manages, in spite of it's absurd nature, to be not only hilarious, but deeply moving. The oddness of it all is set off magnificently by the fact that Martin is as conscientious, rational, and aware of linguistic connotations as nearly any character you'll see upon a stage. And as always, Albee's dialogue is masterful, his touch deft, his ear damn near infallible. If I had to take one Albee play, besides V. Woolf this might be it.

Another great play by Edward Albee
Welcome to the quagmire of human sexuality. "The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?" (a 2002 Tony Award winner for Best Play) places the audience in the jury box. The accused are Martin, his wife Stevie and their gay teen-aged son Billy. Albee challenges us to question the nature and meaning of love. Can love and shame coexist? Who defines normal? Who, or what, has been betrayed? Who decides which behaviors are acceptable? After the evidence has been presented and issues debated we realize that this play isn't about bestiality or infidelity, but rather intolerance, nonconformity and the arbitrariness of societal standards. Does Albee provide any answers? No, he insists, as he always has, that you find your own. A truly great play.

Albee on Love
When he accepted the Tony Award for Best Play in 2002, Edward Albee said he was grateful that there was room on Broadway for a play about love. In 2003 we can be grateful that Overlook Press has published The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?

I was fortunate to see The Goat on Broadway both with the original cast (Mercedes Ruehl and Bill Pullman) and with the replacement cast (Sally Field and Bill Irwin). While both casts were superb, what was so satisfying was that the text allowed for two very different interpretations. Having now read the play, its greatness is even more apparent.

The story is a simple, though unusual, one: Martin, a successful and famous architect lives in domestic harmony with his wife Stevie and their gay son Billy. Then one day Martin falls in love with Sylvia, who happens to be a goat. Albee uses three scenes to tell his story: 1) Martin's confession to his best friend Ross about his new love; 2) Stevie's confrontation with Martin over Sylvia (whom she finds out about in a letter from Ross); and 3) the tragic, yet also hopeful (to me at least), conclusion.

In this play Albee has harnessed the wordplay of drawing room comedy to the intense emotions of tragedy. In their confrontations, Stevie and Martin switch from emotional outbusts to clever repartee and back again. They even have the wherewithal to compliment each other on their bon mots.

The audacity of this strategy and Albee's success in bringing it off, apparent on stage, become even clearer after reading the text. His intricate constructions and verbal virtuosity lend a musical feeling to the work, as if every shift of mood and emotion were part of a larger composition. Albee rings changes not only in the lives of his characters, but also in the perceptions and emotions of his audience. With this work Albee has given us a new hybrid form of drama: the drawing room tragedy. In this respect it reminds me of an earlier work, The Lady from Dubuque, which employed a similar strategy, albeit less effectively in my opinion.

This play also marks the debut "the son" as a speaking character. Sons have been part of Albee plays before: in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf he is imaginary; in A Delicate Balance dead and buried; in Three Tall Women he is a silent witness at his dying mother's bedside; and in The Play About The Baby, while he is both born and kidnapped, he is never seen (if he even exists in the first place).

But in The Goat Stevie and Martin's son Billy is a vital presence. For the first time an Albee family feels complete. The imaginary child has been given form and voice. Billy's coming to grips both with his own homsexuality and with his father's new love leads to a moment in the last scene that sent chills of delight and terror up and down my spine each time I saw it performed. Never less than theatrically potent, Albee achieves a new intensity here that was thrilling.

With The Goat Albee has given us not only one of his best works, but also one of the best plays of recent times. I must admit that I never thought any of his works could rival my affection for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But The Goat is its equal and leaves me eagerly anticipating where Edward Albee plans on next going. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A great book to teach the art of reading and writing a play
I have used this book as the basis of several theatre and playwriting classes that I have taught. Ball's language is simple, though the words he creates to explain his theories, such as "trigger" and "heap" (a trigger is the moment when people's motivations are exposed, while a heap is the result of that action) make it it easy for any non-theatre person to grasp the clever concepts.

By having a person read a play backwards, Ball shows how to grasp the playwright's intentions, and the character's movements. It's a basic theatrical literary theatre that is surprisingly effective, especially in trying to teach young writers how to create a play.

I highly recommend this book to the theatre neophyte as well as the theatre professional.

A Must-Have, Especially For Directors
David Ball's Backwards and Forwards is a concise, to-the-point handbook useful to anyone involved in theatre. He, step-by-step, gives methods of analyzing a play, using Hamlet as an example. This is a very useful technique, whereas some books of lesser quality will give information with no examples of application.

As an aspiring director I found the content very helpful, rudimentary, and although at times basic, always insightful. A must-have.

Demystifying the Playwriting Process
David Ball's book is a must-have for all students and professors of theatre. It demystifies the playwriting process and presents a simple, down-to-earth explanation of why a playscript works the way it does. In a word, it explains how scripts work. I find the deceptively simple explanations help the novices in my Introduction to Theatre classes understand how playscripts are put together and make a fun game of script analysis for these students--a concept that is often hard to communicate to Intro students. At the same time, it make so much sense that it becomes the cornerstone for Beginning Directing, Playwriting, and Script Analysis students. Students whom I teach using Ball's ideas always come through the semester with a lot of self-esteem because having such a solid cornerstone allows their creativity to take off in unexpected directions.

A concise text for ALL theater artists!
Ball's book is perhaps one of the most concise and insightful texts written about the subject of text analysis. Short and simple yet powerful, it is a must-have for theater artists of all kinds.

Whenever I am directing or writing, I go back to Ball's book and review it as part of my preparation, and there is always something new or interesting in it. Besides being useful as a resource to directors and writers, it is invaluable to academicians as well as actors. Using Hamlet as a model, it unravels not only the mysteries and traps of that play, but ALL plays.

I cannot recommend it highly enough. It should be taught in directing curriculums and read by actors, writers, and academicians everywhere.

(P.S. - Ball was a professor at Carnegie Mellon, my alma mater, and the birthplace of advanced directing studies in America.)

Another Tool for Theatre Artists
My teacher from San Jose State University made us read this and I learned a lot from it. It was quick, fast, and simple reading; a great tool for those investigating plays. Also this book can help you with riting one as well (If you use reverse psychology). The examples of Hamlet are great examples that help explain the definitations of plot, character, theme, conflict, and other important parts in plays. A great tool for anyone in Theatre. ... Read more

Book Description

The Shakespearean Stage is the only authoritative book that describes all the main features of the original staging of Shakespearean drama in one volume: the acting companies and their acting styles, the playhouses, the staging and the audiences. For twenty years it has been hailed as not only the most reliable but the liveliest and most entertaining overview of Shakespearean theater available to students.For this third edition Professor Gurr has substantially revised the book, bringing it right up to date and incorporating many new discoveries, including those of the archaeologists at the sites of the Rose and Globe theaters. The invaluable appendix, which lists all the plays performed at a particular playhouse, the playing company and date of performance, has also been revised and rearranged. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An emphasis on fact
This is simply a definitive book. Rich in scholarship it is free from much of the dogma, masquerading as fact, that attaches itself to theatrical "scholarship"of this period. Gurr has an astonsihing array of knowledge that encompases all the major authors, players, companies and audiences of this fascinating era. Quite simply he makes it come alive. He also answers so many of the questions that puzzle the reader about this time. Of particular interest is his attempt to investigate the acting "style" in the playhouse and the growing schism between the "personative" school of acting and the "rhetoriticians". Please buy, it will reward your purchase many times over!

The best survey of its kind
It is very easy, and very pleasant, to write in praise of this book, for it is hard to envisage that the task accomplished by Gurr - an absolute expert in the area under discussion - could have been carried out yet better. For several years now, this guide has very justifiably been accepted as the best of its kind, and it is an essential possession for all of us who want, within one handy volume, a comprehensive account of what the theatres of Shakespeare's time were like, and what is likely to have happened within them. The author's detailed, well-informed and specific work is based not only on his own formidable research into the matters at issue, but also on close acquaintance with what others have done. Everything is presented with impeccable, sensible and perceptive judgement. The book can certainly be read through with benefit and enjoyment, but repays frequent visiting whenever one wants to consult a particular chapter or to find out more about a specific issue or fact (there is a very good index to help one in this). All in all, therefore, this book is not only very informative to read, but surpasses a great many books on Shakespeare and his time by being also an excellent reference tool for frequent use. Unhesitatingly recommended. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

A learned and accessible background guide
This book gives an engaging breakdown of how Shakespearean plays were performed in early modern London. Gurr gives an idea of the range of players' companies, playhouses, and different playing practices, as well as a sense of how the companies and their plays changed throughout the period. I refer to this book all the time and plan to order it for my students to read as a companion to Shakespeare's plays. ... Read more

Book Description

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CULTURES continues with the features that have made it the best-selling text for the intercultural communication course. This new edition of Samovar and Porter's leading text gives students an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and helps them develop practical skills for improving their communication with people from other cultures. It's renowned for being the only text on the market to consistently emphasize religion and history as key variables in intercultural communication. Packed with the latest research and filled with numerous, compelling examples that force students to examine their own assumptions and cultural biases, this book helps students understand the subtle and profound ways culture affects communication. The book is divided into four interrelated parts: Part I introduces the study of communication and culture; Part II focuses on the ability of culture to shape and modify our view of reality; Part III puts the theory of intercultural communication into practice; and Part IV converts knowledge into action. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (58)

*smashing* play
Ibsen himself said that this play was about human rights, not womens rights, and i think that this is true. Nora was constantly belittled by Helmer and had never been given the chance to grow up. She had been treated like a doll in a dolls house, first by her father and then by her husband, who she had been passed on to. Although it seems trivial, even the mere fact that she was forbidden to eat macaroons is significant. People may well say that a womans first responsability is to her family, and children especially, i think that it is ultimately to herself. Nora closing the door at the end of the play is very significant - she is closing the door on that part of her life. Torvald realised what he had done in the end, but by that time it was far too late for anything to be changed. Although i studied this play in school, i really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who will listen. Nora managed to break out of the life she had been confined to, that many of the women of her time were confined to. (i studied this play for a-level and wrote, like 100 essays on it, can you tell?)

The start of Realism
When Ibsen's "A Doll's House" came out, it would be a start of a new revolution in the theatre. Science and Society was changing so the theatre had to change too. Instead of seeing Kings and Historical figures on the stage, we would see the common person and their role in society and their environment. Everything(Dialouge, props, acting etc.) would be all Real and be as if the audience were looking through a keyhole in these peoples lives and the people unaware of the audience. Audiences now would see a "slice of life." Ibsen's "A Doll's House" along with Strindberg's "Miss Julie" would establish the Realism movement and inspire the future of playwrights such as Chekhov, Shaw, Wilde, O'Neill etc...

"A Doll's House" is a play about the role of women in Ibsen's time. Nora who struggles to bring happiness to her family. When her husband Torvald is sick, Nora borrows money from a co-worker(Krogstad) at her husband's bank to pay for a trip to heal her husband. The play takes place after this trip and we see that Torvald is restored to full health. Torvald treats Nora just like a doll and nothing more. We find out that Nora secretly is saving up to pay back the money she borrowed by buying cheaper clothes or not eating. An old friend named Mrs.Linde comes to Helmer's house in search for a job and Nora persuades her husband to let Mrs.Linde have a job at his bank. Meanwhile Krogstad comes to visit and hears this. He is very afraid that his position is at risk and thinks Torvald will fire him. He tells Nora that if she doesn't convince her husband to keep his job, he'll tell her husband of her borrowing money. This sets up the conflict and the way Nora deals with it, is not the traditional way a character like hers might in previous plays. If you have not read the play and don't want the ending spoiled don't read on.

After Torvald finds out, instead of Torvald being thankful for his wife for trying to save her husband for a dreadful illness, he is furious and says he will be humiliated and torn by Society when they find out what his wife did. We the audience/reader think that it is all over for Nora, that Torvald will leave her and she will be a cast out. Instead in Act 3, in a moment of epiphany Nora's whole life goes past her. She realizes that her whole life she has just been a doll in a doll house passed down from her father to Torvald. She tells Torvald how hard she has tried to be a good wife and build a family but it won't work. She decides to leave Torvald. This action went against all the traditional values at the time and sparked a revolution. Ibsen showed the world a reality, society didn't want to see. Nora leaving Torvald was unheard of at the time and that is why "A Doll's House" is so important.

Ibsen's "A Doll's House" aside from starting Realism, is just a well written piece. Anyone who loves literature or theater must read it. Ibsen from "A Doll's House" would question the role of people in Society and question authority like no other playwright before him had.

What is happiness?
This book is hailed for giving females a voice. Although it does speak for women, it really speaks for society as a whole. Just what is happiness? Living in a comfortable house with not a care in the world? Or, defining who you truly are by working hard at whatever you're good at? The story will seem slow at first. There's just character development/background and an introduction to the "troubling" dilemna of Nora in the early parts of the story. The perfect pacing builds up so much until the big devastating end, where the characters make huge life changing revelations. I started questioning what happiness was after reading what the characters went through. Are people so caught up at trying to maintain the ideal image of the "good" life that they forget to find out what they truly want? Real good book, I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Not needed, but still helpful.
"Spark Notes A Doll's House" was helpful in clearing up small, subtly plot facts, but the play is so straightforward, that "Spark Notes" is essentially unnecessary. I "sorta" recommend.

Splendid!
"A Doll's House" is a book that should be read by all women, but should also be read by men. The story is so powerful, intriguing, heart wrenching, nail biting, ulcer giving, and just fantastic! For Henrik Ibsen to write this during his time must have sent wives into fantasies and men into worries. While I'm unsure about Nora's final decision, I was positively sure that Torvald was a pathetic husband and didn't deserve a wife. I recommend! ... Read more

Book Description

The world's most famous guitar has a golden anniversary in 2004, and this official, authorized book/CD package offers the best photos, quotes, facts and sounds to properly celebrate this achievement. From Buddy Holly to Jimi Hendrix to today's hottest players, the Fender Stratocaster defines rock'n'roll for generations of fans and players. Special features include exclusive photos from the world's greatest guitar collection, as well as a CD with musical examples of famous Strat sounds and styles hilariously performed by Greg Koch - even spoken excerpts from the author's interviews with the Strat's beloved inventor, Leo Fender. This book also recognizes that the Stratocaster's deeper significance lies in the music that guitarists have created with it. You'll hear what Strat players have to say about their instrument, their music and each other. The Fender Stratocaster both reflects and influences popular culture worldwide. The Stratocaster Chronicles focuses on the people who brought it into the world, the designers and builders who refined it, and the players who have taken it from there. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Stratocaster Chronicles
Tom Wheeler has done it again !
This will become the "Bible" by which all others books
pertaining to Fender's most famous work of art, the Fender Stratocaster, will be judged.

A must have book for 'Strat lovers everywhere!

Amazing book, the whole story in 264 pages
This by far the best book I own in respect to the Stratocaster and its history. This hardcover, coffee table book is great from front cover to back cover. Carefully binded and in Matte black cover with color printings, The Stratocaster Chronicles is a must for guitar fans, strat players or not.

There is not one of the 264 pages that doesn't include a great picture, from the first strats, to rare prototypes, to newer models, custom shops and stars' models.

The book includes many excerpts with key memebers of the Fender factory in 1950's, including the man himself, Leo Fender, along with Bill Carson, Freddie Tavares and many others. The author dove into his archives to present the most accurate history of the Strat to date, from its inception, the two horns, the origin of the famous peghead and all the details of the most loved guitar.

Rare pictures from the early 50's tell the tale along with narration from the author and dozens of interviews. This book includes an Audio CD with fragments of interviews with Leo Fender, plus 50 different sounds the Strat has become famous for, in the styles from player like Eric Clapton, Hendrix, Knopfler and Malmsteen, you can even learn to make your Strat sound like a Koto, from Japan!

In all, just the pictures in this book are worth the price, the history, interviews and Cd are a great plus. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the instrument that shaped modern music with this great book.

Worth the wait
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this nearly as much as the 50th anniversary Stratocasters themselves. Full of beautiful photos and tidbits not present in previous stratocaster books, this is destined to be a classic in your library. The CD by Greg Koch is a fun item with Greg duplicating the sounds and styles of many classic Strat Heroes.

waiting, waiting, waiting.....
I finally cancelled my order and got it through Barnes and Noble and they have already shipped it. I have been waiting for 2 months through Amazon and checked the Barnes & Noble site, ordered it, and when I checked the next day they had already shipped it to me. The last time I checked my order before cancelling it Amazon said it should ship in 1-2 months! Forget it Amazon!

Might Be A Good Book???
BUT I DON'T KNOW. I ORDERED IT IN DECEMBER 2003 AND THIS IS MID APRIL 2004!!!!!!!! I'LL PROBABLY CANCEL MY ORDER SOON!!!! AND ORDER IT FROM BARNES & NOBLE!!!! YES THAT'S RIGHT!!!! BARNES & NOBLE!!! WHO KNOWS, BARNES&NOBLE MIGHT EVEN DELIVER IT. I WONDER IF BARNES AND NOBLE, IN CONTRADISTINCTION TO AMAZON, WILL POLITELY, LET ME KNOW IF THEY REALY ""JUST CAN'T GET" "THE STRATOCASTER CHRONICLES: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE FENDER STRATOCASTER"" ... Read more

Book Description

Our matching folio for this multiple-Tony Award-winning musical by Elton John and Tim Rice features 17 outstanding songs, and a stunning 8-page section of full-color photos from the Broadway production. Includes: Another Pyramid * Dance of the Robe * Easy as Life * Enchantment Passing Through * Every Story Is a Love Story * Fortune Favors the Brave * How I Know You * I Know the Truth * My Strongest Suit * Not Me * Written in the Stars * and more. A Piano/Vocal Highlights collection (00313223, $16.95) is also available, featuring 11 songs in standard piano/vocal format with the melody line in the piano part. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Aida songbook
This book is very thorough, includes most all of the songs from the show. Chords are provided for less advanced musicians, but the piano score is quite difficult - not for beginners! Intermediates will be able to play about half the songs easily. True to the soundtrack, and all the parts are provided as well as the lyrics and details about which character is singing. Love this book!

Very good!!!
This book is excellent - it contains piano music for most of the songs in the musical, and the transcriptions are largely faithful to the very pianistic Broadway score. All of the songs are complete, containing the piano versions of the instrumental solos found in the actual score. It also has guitar chords and lyrics for singers, with a separate line for the singers' notes, complete with harmonies. Unlike many Broadway music books, this one is very thorough and does not disappoint!!! Although that playing some songs in their entirety may be a difficult task for beginning pianists, the result of playing the music from this great musical is well worth the effort, and I'm sure that pianists and singers of all levels will enjoy this book.

Exactly As It Should Be
I didn't know what I was ordering at the time because of the lack of description given by this website. This is the music book containing the notes for the music in Aida. It's set up well and it's easy to play. The music is written in both piano and guitar form. ... Read more

Book Description

The first book from the leading coach and teacher to thestars, whose client roster has included Brad Pitt (Academy Awardnominee), Charlize Theron (Academy Award winner), Djimon Honsou(Academy Award nominee), Elizabeth Shue (Academy Award nominee) andHalle Berry (Academy Award winner).The Power of the Actorguides the reader to dynamic and effective results.For many oftoday's major talents, the Chubbuck Technique is the first choice - theleading edge of acting for the 21st century.Previous generations ofactors were steeped in the teaching traditions of Stanislavski, Meisnerand Strasberg.Taking the theories of these masters into a new realmof psychological and behavioral study, industry veteran Ivana Chubbuckhas developed a curriculum that moves acting to the next step: how toutilize the inner pain and emotions, not as an end in itself, but as away to drive and win a goal.The result recreates human behavior init's most fundamentally accurate and compelling form, taking the readerto the source of what motivates real behavior.

In addition to her powerful twelve-step process for becoming and livinga character, The Power of the Actor:

* Includes fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts of howcountless celebrities mastered their craft, offering a trove of tidbitsthat are inspiring for actors, writer, directors and fans alike.

* Takes classic and contemporary scripts from film, televisionand theater, and comprehensively breaks them down using Ivanaís scriptanalysis process.

* Provides sections on special acting tools and exercises on howto organically feel drunk or high; creating organic fear; how toorganically feel the mindset of a killer; and creating sexualchemistry.
... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Must Read For High School Techies!
Stage Rigging Hand Book is a great book for anyone responsible for rigging. It covers very important topics and safety issues. Working in one of the biggest and best high school theatres in the state of Virginia, I can say that this book is a major help on any rigging job and is an indispensable book when safety is concerned (and when is safety not involved?). If you are a TD at any high school with a rigging system you must have this book.

Nothing Better
As an instructor in the Canadian College system, I have found this book best sits within easy reach. I am constantly using it as a teaching tool for my students and myself. I had the priviledge of attending a master class with Jay in 2001 and would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity. When teamed with Harry Donovan, you will find no better pair to flood your mind with all that is entertainment rigging.

An Amazing Book
Jay O. Glerum has written a book filled with history and practical hard-to-find information every theatre tech should have in his/her library. This book is rich with clear illustrations and photos for just about every rigging situation you will encounter. It has chapters on "Loads and Reactions" "Block and Tackle Rigging" "Hemp Rigging" "Motorized Rigging" and much more. There's a very useful chapter on cutting and knotting rope. I was particularly impressed with the sections on "Special Problems" and "Recordkeeping". As today's threatres move more and more toward mechanized scene changes and motorized light rigs, a solid understanding of rigging techniques is more important than ever. Whether you are a novice or have years of experience ... whether you are an independent or on staff, Jay O. Glerum's "Stage Rigging Handbook" will improve your knowledge and give you a wealth of information. I highly recommend this book.

A Must for any Flyrail!
As an IATSE stage rigger, I have worked with people like Eddie Blue and Aaron Hutsch, and I have yet to work with a flyman or rigger who doesn't use and own this book. Glerum's methodical approach to everything rigged, from sand bags and tension pulleys to loft blocks and chain bags makes the complicated art and physics involved with theatrical flying and baton loading easy to understand, and in-depth enough for the novice or master rigger. A must have for anyone persuing a theatrical or IATSE position.

Great Stuff
Stage Rigging Handbook is an excellent book on a subject that's often ignored or glanced over in tech theater books. It's very hard to find, good, authoritative information on stage rigging, but Glerum is "The" authority. The book is packed with information and photos. It clearly covers the physics involved in rigging, the types of equipment (both old and new), the maintenance, and the do's and don't of the craft. It's not always totally clear, but the wealth of practical, and in many cases, vital information more than makes up for it. If you're a TD or Director that's just inherited a house with a fly loft, you must read this book. It sounds melodramatic, but it's true--lives may depend on it. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the secrets of successful songwriting with this essential guide! Cofounder of the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase John Braheny teaches you the craft of songwriting while going behind the scenes of the music business to reveal insider secrets that will make your work stand out. Dozens of exercises, examples and anecdotes from songwriters such as Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, TLC, Lenny Kravitz and Paul McCartney will you show you how to: develop a songwriter's consciousness; overcome barriers in the creative process; write in all musical styles, and for film and TV; and skillfully manage the business of demos and contracts. This updated edition also covers online opportunities for songwriters."A practical street-level look at today's world of songwriting ... Read and learn."- Diane Warren, six-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year with more than 50 Top 10 hits ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Ever wondered what it would be like to write a hit song?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to write a hit song? Perhaps you have asked yourself why do some songs become commercial successes while others end up in the dustbin?

Journalist, talk show host, teacher and consultant, John Braheny, provides us with the answers to these queries as well as many other topics in his blue-ribbon manual The Craft and Business of Songwriting-Second Edition.

Braheny was one of the founders, along with Len Chandler, of the Los Angles Songwriters Showcase. For 15 years he was intimately involved with this national non-profit organization that was dedicated to creating opportunities for discovering aspiring songwriters. As a result of this relationship, he accumulated an exceptional amount of knowledge pertaining to the business and craft of song writing. The reader is fortunate to have all of this information neatly wrapped up in a compact manual that is split into two main sections, the craft of writing songs and the business of selling and marketing songs.

Within the section dealing with the craft the author delves into such topics as creativity, inspiration, subject matter, media, listeners, lyric writing, song construction and possible collaboration with other writers. Naturally we would probably be sceptical of a book that purports to teach us how to write a song. Some would say you are born to write a song, others would disagree and say it is possible to be taught the craft. Braheny believes that you can't be taught inspiration or imagination. However, you can be taught ways to get in touch with what you have to say and how to communicate it effectively. Using this premise as a base, the book provides us with the tools that will perhaps uncover our hidden talents.

The second half of the book deals with the business features of song writing and as the author states, "writing a great song is only part of being a successful songwriter. Unsung thousands possess the talent and craft to write great songs, but without understanding the business and knowing how to protect your creations and get them heard by those who can make them successful, those songs are like orphans." Perhaps we should refer to the second half as the entrepreneurial skills needed to sell, promote and market your songs. Within this section we are introduced to such topics as protecting your songs, securing money, publishing, self- publishing, demos, marketing, Internet and record deals.

The appendix of the book provides the reader with a very comprehensive listing of songwriters' resources containing names, addresses, phone numbers, web sites and general descriptions of the various references. No doubt this inclusion will save anyone who aspires to be a songwriter a great deal of time and effort.

After reading the book are you guaranteed that you will be successful songwriter? Probably not. Unfortunately, we don't have a crystal ball indicating who will succeed and who will fail. However, at least after reading and being exposed to the elements of song writing, you will have a better understanding as to how the music industry works in relation to the songwriter, or writer/performer. As the author asserts in his introduction, "it will demystify and humanize what can often feel to a newcomer like a cold, monolithic, and impersonal industry."

The above review first appeared on the reviewer's own site

Bumpy Ride---Great Guide
So what if words and music come natural? We write the stuff down, add a tune and sing it to the world. Then what? This book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting, is a very affordable reference; and probably all you need.I'm happy it contains material that will make me wiser.Buy this or you'll miss out.

A Must Read Book for All Songwriters!
The first Edition of the book, was a must read, now this 2nd Edition, updated with new information and current song references, is also a must read for everyone that writes songs. The most complete songwriting book, for beginning songwriters to the aspiring, to even pro writers will learn from the book. I often refer to it as "The Songwriters Bible", just full of information that we need in the world of songwriting.
I have been a Nashville Songwriters Association International coordinator in Charlotte for (6) years, and do at least one activity or read a quote from a hit writer or music professional in the book at every meeting. This book is years of songwriting seminars and workshops all in one. The reader will learn just like the title says, the craft and business from someone who knows what they are talking about, and has led workshops for some of the best songwriters of all time, including the awesome Diane Warren and several other hit writers. John Braheny made a difference with hit writers, with myself, and other songwriters that I have recommended the book to in the past 14+ years of reading the first edition, and now the 2nd edition. I recomend this as the very first book for every songwriter to read and study. If you know someone who writes songs, buy the book for them, and a copy for yourself. Buy a highlighter or two, to use when reading the book. ...Doak Turner
...

Strategy and structure andlots more
One of my most basic problems when starting off as a songwriter, was the lack of background and knowledge on how to approach a new song. I am talking about your basic strategies and how to structure them into a final product. Where does one begin, what do you need to take into account, what to do first, how to approach rhyme, basic tips about melody, chords etc. I found this book to answer these type of questions in a simple and interesting way.

The author is obviously a specialist with a very good track record. He taught me how to analyse existing songs to expand my knowledge. No more do I just listen to music, I learnt the skill to expand my songwriting knowledge whilst listening to other songs on the radio or on CD.

I have learnt how to decide on a basic structure, how to approach the most important issue of finding a "hook" for your song and refining it to something useful. I have discovered that it is O.K. to rewrite songs, but I have learnt how to approach it. This book has taught me how to make songs more interesting and it has made songwriting a more interesting hobby for me.

I think the most important lesson from this book is how to grow from a songwriter that tries to express his/her own feelings to himself/herself and a few close friends, to someone who can express his deepest feelings in such a way that his song could be loved by millions and could become a commercial success. It also contain an abundace of valuable information on the industry and how to promote your music.

If I did not read this book I would have missed something for sure. If you are serious about songwriting you cannot go without this book.

Terrific book for basics of songwriting & the business
Although this book isn't as comprehensive as others in the songwriting department, it presents information in a very concise and interesting format. It also has a comprehensive section (half the book) on the BUSINESS. It's a quick, easy read and definitely worth the price. But if you want to get serious about songwriting, you'll also need a book with more theory such as WRITING MUSIC FOR HIT SONGS. ... Read more

Book Description

4 plays about an existential portrayal of Hell, the reworking of the Electra-Orestes story, the conflict of a young intellectual torn between theory and conflict and an arresting attack on American racism. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

A MASTERPIECE SHOULD BE SEEN & EXPERIENCED BY ALL -GENIUS
It is apt that the title of the book does not include the names of the other three plays, because 'No Exit' alone is a feast. As such I am embarking on an exciting journey to stage this play in London. I am an actor, and I performed this play whilst studying drama at University with 2 American students, way back in 1982. It is a play about life. For me the overriding message is that he wants to shock his audience out of their complacency. We don't have to perpetuate hell here on earth we can control our own destiny and make a difference. As a result we should learn to love the characters by the end of the play, because they are us. The play is a black comedy/thriller. It's simply stunning. Read It!

Great drama, great philosophy
No Exit is a tautly written that works on both the dramatic and philosophical levels. With only one act, four characters, and no set other than a sofa and chairs, this play takes minimalism to its extreme. The tension is palpable throughout. Sartre creates a perfectly unworkable triangle of personalities in Garcin, Inez, and Estelle, and within this triangle the dramatic tension steadily builds.

The real beauty of this play is that its message can be interpreted in many different ways. It's not entirely clear what Sartre is trying to say about human nature here. I've heard some people argue that the main point is that the company of other people can be a form of hell. I think this is way to simplistic. If anything, Sartre might be trying to say that hell is a self-fulfilling prophecy - that these people, realizing that they were in hell, created among themselves a set of circumstances that was hellish. The logical converse of that idea would therefore be that by exercising their free will, they could have chosen otherwise. Then there is also the interesting question of why these people are in hell in the first place. Here Sartre makes a strong argument that people have a moral responsibility to act in the best interest of humanity as a whole - something that none of these characters can claim to have done.

While existentialism as a movement has long since been abandoned by most philosophers, this play has lived on, and rightly so. It's well worth the hour that it takes to read it.

Some of the Greatest Writing Ever
No Exit and The Other Plays is, in my humble opinion, the greatest collection of plays I have ever read, restoring my enjoyment of them after high school ruined it by shoving Shakspere down my throat. Sartre is able to convey great imagery and story lines through his writing, and it makes for a gripping read. Out of these, I would recommend Dirty Hands as the best, but all of them are an essential read.

Much Impressed
I was a bit skeptical going into this one. The premise of the book is fairly simple: three strangers are locked into a single room with minimal furniture and expected to stay there with one another for all eternity. That's it. No violent overthrow of government, no breaking into an elaborate computer mainframe. So why bother reading? C'mon Sartre, show us some plot.
The amazing thing was, I completely enjoyed this play. I gave it a chance and read it through and was not at all disappointed. Think of it: three strangers walk into a room containing three couches, a mantle, an odd mantle decoration, and a door that won't open, and try to make sense of the whole setup.
The female/male ratio is 2 to 1, leaving Garcin to hold his own against Inez, a trouble-making bisexual, and Estelle, a woman who doesn't believe she can function without the support of a man. They realize that the room is their torture chamber, of sorts, in a long corridor of Hell, and their punishment is to be carried out through--are you ready?--annoying one another.
For fear of giving away the plot, or lack thereof, I'll leave you with this: the book is a must-read, if only to discover for yourself the awesome ability of human beings to torture one another using only their personalities. :o)

Nothingness
Okay, let me start with mentioning that this book is worth of few hours. Turn off the TV and read it.
Sartre's existentialism is best expressed in his fictions including this one, at least I think.
His persuation to nothingness is not quite expressible without phenomenological settings. And here they are.
I'm having hard time to interest myself by reading Being and Nothingness, but this book is fun to read and easier to capture by sense, not even getting to literal understanding of existentialism.
For those of whom not interested in Philosophy, this book still is to read. It's a well written persuasive book which doesn't seem spoiled by translation. If it doesn't bring us original intention of Sartre, the translator was as brilliant as the author. So read it. ... Read more