Articles & Books From Theater

Musical Theatre For Dummies
Discover what goes on behind the curtains of your favorite musicalDo you want to know more about the fascinating history of Broadway musicals, the stars of yesterday and today, and what goes on behind the curtain of a musical production? In Musical Theatre For Dummies, Broadway insider and host of Sirus/XM Radio’s ON BROADWAY channel Seth Rudetsky takes you backstage and reveals everything you want to know (and what you didn't know you wanted to know) about life in the theatre.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-13-2023
Whether you strive to become involved with musical theatre or you’re an enthusiastic fan who can’t get enough, you’ll want to know which shows truly made a difference in musical history. Want to star in a musical? Find out how to nail the audition! Want to impress even your most-in-the-know friends? Reference off-Broadway musicals!
Breaking into Acting For Dummies
Understand the business side of your showbiz career We all know acting can be a glittering whirl of glamour—plush red carpets, simply divine outfits, huge sums of money, and oh, the parties! But what a lot of wannabe actors forget is that it takes a lot of practical work to get to the flashbulbs of your first premiere, and that the savviest actors put as much stress on the business side of the profession as they do on the show.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022
Ever wanted to use your voice to make a living but just didn’t know how or what to do? Voice acting is one of the greatest ways that you can use your instrument and also make money.As a voice actor, you can exercise your creativity to its fullest and get all the voices in your head a paying job! Most importantly, though, to be a voice actor is to tell a story and to tell it well.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-26-2022
Playwriting is an exciting and accessible performing arts scriptwriting discipline. Anyone can write a play, round up some friends as actors, and gather an audience to present original theatre at its most fundamental level. But to write great plays that enthrall audiences, you may want to explore playwriting in more detail.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022
Breaking into acting takes more than catching a lucky break. Take steps to show up prepared for your acting audition, like keeping your clothes measurements with you. Keep accurate records of your acting expenses so you can deduct them from your taxes. Learn to deal with the frustration of acting, and keep your hopes of becoming an actor alive.
Article / Updated 04-26-2016
There's no business like show business. But show business, like any business, depends on people. And two of the most important types of people that you'll meet in the film and television business are producers and directors. Producers: The champions of every project Show business is full of great ideas, but nothing happens until a producer takes the initiative to turn a good idea into a finished product.
Article / Updated 04-26-2016
If the thought of spending years studying acting, working in bit roles, and getting paid sporadically (if at all) depresses you, then maybe acting isn't for you. On the other hand, if you truly enjoy acting for the sake of acting, the previously mentioned obstacles will be nothing more than minor nuisances on your way to success — whatever form that success may ultimately take.
Article / Updated 04-26-2016
Acting in film and television can require a special set of acting skills. Film and television can show anything from two normal people eating a normal lunch to microscopic people swimming through someone's arteries, and as an actor, you need to be prepared for how different genres of film and television affect how you act out your role.
Article / Updated 04-26-2016
When you're called in for an acting audition, the people present at the audition will include you, the casting director, and maybe a handful of other complete strangers. Some of these other people may be the producer, a camera operator (if they're taping the auditions), the casting director's bored friend or relative, a representative from the advertiser (in the case of a commercial audition), or a dance choreographer or musical director (in the case of a musical).