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This is Theodore Mann's account of his own and the Circle's remarkable history. At times it's difficult to tell where the two diverge, so integral to the company has he been. From Thornton Wilder to Al Pacino, it seems as if every great actor and playwright of the past fifty years has had his or her best work at Circle. As befits a story about theatre, it is at times comic and at times tragic. If you ever wondered how Off-Broadway ever came to be (and how it ever managed to survive), this is the tale to read. DVD BONUS: As a special bonus, An American Theatre Revolution includes a DVD of the 1977 CBS-TV Camera Three program "Twenty Five Years of Circle in the Square." It features Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Vanessa Redgrave, Colleen Dewhurst, James Earl Jones, and Mann himself talking about their experiences at the theatre and includes excerpts of such noted Circle in the Square productions as Death of a Salesman, Mourning Becomes Electra, and The Lady from the Sea. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

interesting book about an interesting "mann"
This is a book for theatre fans,,especially if your interested in the history of the modern off-broadway scene,and how it began

So far no one has mentioned the DVD included!
I only had the opportunity to see one play at the original Circle In The Square Theater in the Village but we were charter subscribers when they moved uptown. I remember seeing Irene Pappas in "Medea" and James Earl Jones in "The Iceman Cometh" to name just a few. Four times a year we'd take the train into Manhattan to be engaged by some of the best talent in the theater world performing classics we knew and others we didn't.

Like the prior reviewer, I found this book fascination but - to me - the real bonus was the DVD that is included in the back of the book. Taken from a series produced for use in schools in 1975 - for the 25th Anniversary of the CITS - the 90 minute presentation consists of five segments of both interviews with Ted Mann and some celebrated actors (Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Colleen Dewhurst, Paul Rudd, James Earl Jones, and Vanessa Redgrave) as well as brief scenes from plays these artists performed on the CITS stage. The interviews ask about how each actor started and more specifically about their years on the stage.The print is acceptable and - during the interview with Mann there is an annoying red "bleed" beside his face.

Long before James Lipton started his "In Side The Actor's Studio" show this document was recorded. It is as fascinating as anything Lipton ever did (without the fawning over his guests). If you need further encouragement to get this book, let the DVD convince you.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

The O'Neill Connection
I haven't worked out yet exactly how old Theodore Mann must be, but he must be one of the oldest people I have ever read an autobiography by.

Nearly everyone he knows from the glory days of the Circle in the Square is dead, so he must feel pretty much free to give his own version of the events that changed American theater and the reputation of Eugene O'Neill.Teddy Mann (or as George C Scott habitually called him, "Teedy,") was there and laid the groundwork, right at a time when O'Neill was a drug on the market and his last Broadway play, THE ICEMAN COMETH, had been a notable flop.Mann and his friend Jose Quintero stepped up, met Carlotta Monterey, fielded all the flak from naysayers, and put on triumphant productions of ICEMAN (with Jason Robards) and other O'Neill plays.Eventually they talked Carlotta (the widow O'Neill) into giving them the rights to stage US premieres for several of O'Neill's then unpublished plays, including LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, HUGHIE, and MORE STATELY MANSIONS.

Theodore Mann saved the day when Florence Eldridge, creating the important role of Mary Tyrone, fell sick on the eve of the opening.He enlisted the famous Dr. Feelgood, Max Jacobson, to step in with an enormous suitcase filled with syringes and soon brought her up to fighting speed.He's filled with great stories like that about half-forgotten people.Why, there was even another Paul Rudd, not the actor of today, but another one back in the 1970s, whom Mann discovered.What's up with that?The two Paul Rudds look crazy different from another, and I have to say, the present day one is far better looking.He also describes the love affair between Amy Irving and Rex Harrison in piquant terms, I'd like to see a whole docudrama about the interaction between ingenue and old man.

Despite continual rumors, Teedy and Quintero were never lovers, just friends from Woodstock.Indeed Theodore Mann's theater is pretty much a straight theater, with plenty of couples and lots of children.He discovered both Rip Torn and Geraldine Page and gave early work to trailblazers like Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave.The Circle in the Square had a long history of reviving forgotten plays and renewing interest in dormant careers, like George C. Scott's 1983 production of Noel Coward's PRESENT LAUGHTER, which showed the world that the man who played General Patton could also play Garry Essendine.

Journeys in the Night: Creating a New American Theatre with Circle in the Square: A Memoir
This book was well written and includes many significant and intimate stories about the start of the American theatre and Eugene O'Neill.There are many short and interesting stories about the acting giants in American theatre.Did you know that Director Jose Quintero met Ted Mann in Woodstock, and that is where the revival of O'Neill plays began?

The greats
This is such a wonderful book in the way it reviews a spectacular time in history.Some legendary actors got their start at the Circle in the Square such as Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Al Pacino and many more.This theatre has been the behind the American theatre as we know it and this book tells the stories of the Circle in the Square and Theodore Mann, a driving force. ... Read more

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Where Adam delved and Eve span Who was then the gentleman? Mark Dawson's approach to this riddle is not to study the lives of those said to belong to early modern England's gentry. He suggests we remain skeptical of all answers to this question and consider what was at stake whenever it was posed. We should conceive of gentility as a mutable process of social delineation. Gentility was a matter of power and language; cultural definition and social domination. Neither consistently defined nor applied to particular social groups, gentility was about identifying society's elite. The book examines how gentility was portrayed through plays at London's theatres (1660-1725). Employing a rich assembly of sources, comedies with their cits and fops, periodicals, correspondence of theatre patrons and polemic from its detractors, Dawson revises several of social history's conclusions about the gentry and offers new interpretations to students of late Stuart drama. ... Read more

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In 1965, the first Asian American theatre company, the East West players, was founded by a group of actors who wanted to find better opportunities in the acting industry. Forty years later, Asian American theatre is one of the fastest growing theatre sectors with over thirty active theatre companies and numerous award-winning artists such as Frank Chin, Jessica Hagedorn, Ping Chong, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Velina Hasu, and B. D. Wong. Based on over seventy interviews, the book surveys the history of Asian American theatre from 1965 to 2005 with focus on actors, playwrights, companies, audiences, and communities. Emphasizing historical contexts, Esther Kim Lee examines how issues of cultural nationalism, interculturalism, and identity politics affect a racially defined theatre. Addressing issues ranging from actor's activism to Asian Diaspora, the book documents how Asian American theatre has become an indispensable part of American culture. ... Read more

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"Every now and then a book comes along so startling in its ingenuity, so crisp and invigorating in its perception and argument, so revealing in its investigation of its subject matter, that one is forced to reevaluate, reconsider, and restructure one's understanding and one's perspectives on theatre, discourse, and history. Such a book is Anthony Kubiak's Stages of Terror." -- Theatre Studies

"... quite compelling. It is rich and complete while leaving plenty of room for further development... " -- Text and Performance Quarterly

Using Aristotle's Poetics as its point of departure, Anthony Kubiak traces the forms or "stages" of terror as a cultural and performative principle through English Renaissance and Restoration plays, through the modern and postmodern, to contemporary terrorist "theatres."

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Endlessly entertaining, these albums of mad miscellany abound with true tales of history's strangest characters and events—from potty potentates to dotty inventions. A mind-boggling excursion through the byways of the bizarre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book Theatre lovers should ALL read!
I first became aware of this awesome book when I was majoring in Theatre Scene Design..."The Making of Theatre History" was being used not only for the Theatre History course needed for the humanities requirement, but for Theatre majors.I am here to say that this book is far more than "just" a college textbook.This book is a gem for anyone who loves theatre.Theatre.From the time man began doing more than drawing pictures on the walls of caves, theatre has been with us all the way, and Paul Kuritz has done a splendid job of detailing it.NOT in some kind of BORING textbook words, no, but in ways that makes one WANT to learn MORE.In the first chapter Mr. Kuritz defines WHAT theatre is.I was blown away--I mean here I was, a theatre design major and had never really considered WHAT theatre was, beyond actors on a stage.Folks, theatre is much MORE.Theatre is social...theatre and society go hand in hand thoroughout a rich long history.Mr. Kuritz takes us from Classical Theatre to Asian Theatre to Medieval and Renaissance Theatre to Modern Theatre-chronologically focusing on every aspect of theatrethroughout the course of world history.He leaves nothing out. Everything from costume, to stage design, to acting, to theatre layout, to lighting, to the audiences are detailed within each period.He focuses upon the social aspects of theatre during each period, how events in the course of history have affected theatre, and how theatre affected events, both large and small.Though the book is well illustrated, it still lacks a bit in this regard, but if it's pictures you're after, then I would recommend either "The Oxford Illustrated History Of Theatre," or a huge "coffee table book," called "Theatre In America."But if it's theatre history you're after, I would definitely recommend "The Making Of Theatre History!" ... Read more

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A must have for school libraries.
This is currently my favourite theatre history book.

It is comprehensive but not overwhelming.It is not as dense and scholarly as Oscar Brockett's enormous and respected tome of the same name.What is does offer though is a brief, concise and accurate overview of each of the topics and is accompanied by some of the best theatre photographs I've encountered in a long time.And the price is hard to beat compared to other options.I'm actually organising to buy several copies of this one for the school library - it really is a great book for theatre lovers and especially suitable and approachable for students. ... Read more

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The movie house is an integral part of the physical and cultural American landscape. From the modest nickelodeons of the early twentieth century to the audacious palaces of the 1920s to the mighty megaplexes of today, changes in theater design over the last 100 years coincide with America’s understanding of entertainment and how it is delivered. A comprehensive look at the movie houses of one large American city can reveal much about motion picture exhibition in the country as a whole. This book covering the city of Baltimore offers such revelations, as well as fascinating details on a local level. Part I is a narrative history of the motion picture exhibition business and the moviegoing experience in Baltimore from 1895 to the present. Part II lists theaters alphabetically and describes them in sumptuous detail. Appendices offer a list of the theaters by street address; a roster of the architects; some comments on theater architecture in general; and a discussion of theater personnel. A bibliography completes the work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

great fun
this book proved more fun than i had expected,bringing back many memories of fun times in and around Baltimore. I did not realize the number of neighborhood theaters there were.

Wonderful Flashback To The Good Old Days
I found this book virtually by accident and, when it arrived, instantly neglected everything else for several hours as I dipped and flipped through its delightful pages. This book is a thorough history of all the movie theatres that ever were in Baltimore and, since I grew up there and spent (or misspent) most of my youth in seeing nearly every film that came to town, this was a wonderful wallow in nostalgia as well as an education of the "Gee, I didn't know that" variety. As the book's unfortunately dry title implies, it traces the history of motion picture exhibition in Charm City from 1895 to 2004. The first part of the book is an era-by-era general history. But the second, and more fascinating, part gives a description and history of each individual theatre from the lowly Howard to the mighty Stanley. Arranged alphabetically, it was easy to look up my old favorites and, along the way, find others that I once knew but had totally forgotten about.

It has been more than twenty years since I left Baltimore so I was surprised and a tad shocked to discover how many theatres - both neighborhood and downtown first-runs - no longer exist. There are a number of nice black and photos (of course, in a book like this, there are never enough photos) and information on the architecture and size and seating capacity, as well as the highlights of each theatre's existence. Some entries are, understandably, more detailed than others. If I were to nitpick, it would be to say that the writing style is sometimes a bit too academic. There are occasional anecdotes that give the book a more personal touch and more of these would have been welcome. I certainly re-discovered a wealth of fond memories that were brought back while paging through the book. I expect it will be a book that I will be frequently picking up for a casual browse that will turn into a more extended re-read.

Of course, because I am from Baltimore and knew many of the theatres from personal experience, I find the book fascinating. How much interest there will be for non-Baltimoreans is hard to say. The history of movies theatres in Baltimore is probably similar to that in most large American cities. But, for myself, I am grateful to Robert Headley for all his research, hard work, and obvious love for the subject. It almost makes me want to book a flight back to Baltimore just so I can spend another enchanted evening in the magical darkness of the Senator. ... Read more

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This bold undertaking covers Western theatre from ancient Greece to the present day. It traces the development of dramatic art through the miracle plays, the great Shakespearean period, Moliere and Racine in France, Goethe in Germany, through the 19th century and the main movements in the 20th century. It is illustrated by numerous examples of differing styles, with some historical recordings as well and excerpts from nearly 50 plays. A fascinating journey. It is written by David Timson, the British actor and director who features extensively on Naxos Audiobooks in both roles. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

good for beginners and highly stressed undergraduates
I found this set to be highly entertaining to listen to. The 5 hour course on the whole span of 2500 years of history certainly leaves out a lot of good things, but it also covers almost all the important points that will actually appear in your exam if you are currently enrolled in such classes in college. Amazing, isn't it? But the set narrated by Jacobi is so engaging that very soon you will stop doing other things you normally do while listening to an audio book. It does require your full attention if you really want to get something out of it.
The material is succintly written, but you can always replay the part you do not fully understand. To students I would recommend this set to help them prepare for the exams. Too many times I've read answers that just keep avoiding the main points. This set, in my view, is very much like private tutoring. It will help you through your notes point by point, simple and straightforward! However you do need to check on your own spelling of names.:)
The approach is traditional. The basic framework revolves around literary materials as it brings you through mini-biorgraphies of major playwrights throughout history. Supporting these literary giants, the conditions of performance and audience are also briefly explained. It recounts all the cliches you will probably encounter in basic level history of theatre classes. Thus Greek theatres evolve from a full circle to a semi-circle and Medieval theatre naturally grows from simple to complicated forms... Excerpts from key plays or documents are read by radio drama actors/actresses, so they sometimes sound quite funny (or mildly absurd). But they are well chosen and representative.

A high-speed tour through European and US theatre
As a highly infrequent theatre-goer, I picked this up in the hope of plugging the many gaps in my understanding of what plays are all about.Visits to the theatre have left me frustrated and bored more often than captivated.Halfway through a performance, I'll be looking at my watch and thinking I'd be better off watching a video at home!Perhaps I'm simply re-living all those terrible plays I was forced to watch at school.

This audio CD has boosted my understanding and awareness of the theatre.Not only does it cover the history of playwrights, nicely giving name-checks to every author I've heard of, but it also lists the key achievements of many of the key directors, impressarios and actors.And it also covers the development of the physical stage from Greek tragedy to the modern era.And there's the odd bit of reasonably appropriate classical music (from the Naxos catalogue) to link some items.

In the course of five hours, this can only dip its toes in the water of each era, and it does have a bias towards the English theatre, but the main benefit to me is that it's got me wanting to go and see some plays again.A major achievement indeed!

Terrific for theatre majors and general public
Not since I played the Naxos book-on-tape "A History of Opera"have I so much enjoyed a recorded non-fiction treat like David Timson's (NA 419914), narrated by the venerable DerekJacobi on four audio tapes. \

The title is really misleading, sincethe text covers only Western theatre and even that not comprehensively,given the little over 5 hours of playing time. The author himself admitsthis in the notes provided with thetapes and can be forgiven. What thereis here would make an excellent review for a theatre major studying forexams and an even better introduction to one not all that familiar with thestory of our theatre as it progressed from the rites dedicated to Dionysusto what it is today. Of course, the important playwrights are touched upon(Shakespeare gets an all too brief treatment) and the English ones get whatis perhaps a somewhat disproportionate amount of attention. But as Englishspeakers, we will not carp at that.

An especially good feature of thisset is the use of professional actors--Carole Boyd, John McAndrew, TeresaGallagher and Caroline Faber--to give some short excerpts from major works.The booklet gives a brief"Glossary of technical terms not explainedin the text," a need created perhaps by the author's being anactor.

Once again, you will enjoy hearing this set even if you have noexams coming up; and it will give you a very nice idea of where our presenttheatre has come from, if not where it is going. ... Read more

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This text examines paradigmatic moments in the rich performance history of Shakespeare's play, from its early modern origins in the mid 1590s to postmodern stagings in the 1990s. The author aims to write in a lucid and engaging style and his book should appeal to a broad readership - from novice Shakespeareans, to eager readers of history, to pedants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Superb
A brilliant, insightful resource with a lot of delightful and evocative illustrations.

Shakespeare gets some of the credit here, since his play is such a wonderful and odd accumulation of stuff: Greek mythology, Elizabethan workmen, English countryside folklore, and fairy fancy.

Consequently, the script has had a particularly varied and rich production history and the author captures a full 400 years of performances in English. To the book's credit, it isn't just a series of descriptions of costume and set designs. It attempts to communicate why different people at different times took different approaches to production.

Love it.

Excellent for Dramaturgs
Recently, I was the dramaturg for A Midsummer Night's Dream. One of the primary jobs of the dramaturg is to research the production history of the play, and as my teacher once told me, "There's no point in re-inventing the wheel." This being said, Our Moonlight Revels is a great place to start.

Beginning with the original production and moving to the present, Williams explores several productions of this classical play. He hits all the major productions, such as Peter Brook's 1970 production, Beerholm Tree's 1900 production, and productions by Kean, Vestris, and Reinhardt. The book is divided by theory rather than chronologically. There are chapters devoted to the Wedding-play myth,Modernism and Post-Modernism, Scenic images of the "Empire." Of course no book, can be able to explore every single production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the last four hundred years, but Williams' book gives one landmark productions that can be used for further research. One book can't tell you everything, you have to do some research on your own, but Williams at least can point you in the right direction.

The book contains several production photos both in color and in black and white. ... Read more

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Historians of theatre face the same temptations and challenges as other historians: they negotiate assumptions (their own and those of others) about national identity and national character; they decide what events and actors to highlight—or omit—and what framework and perspective to use for telling the story. Personal biases, trends in scholarship, and sociopolitical contexts influence all histories; and theatre histories, too, are often revised to reflect changing times and interests. This significant collection examines the problems and challenges of formulating national theatre histories.

The essayists included here—leading theatre scholars from all over the world, many of whom wrote essays specifically for this volume—provide an international context for national theatre histories as well as studies of individual nations. They cover a wide geographical area: Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America. The essays contrast large countries (India, Indonesia) with small (Ireland), newly independent (Slovenia) with established (U.S.A.), developed (Canada) with developing (Mexico, South Africa), capitalist (U.S.A.) with formerly communist (Russia), mono-lingual (Sweden) with multilingual (Belgium, Canada), and countries with stable historical boundaries (Sweden) with those whose borders have shifted (Germany).

The essays also explore such sociopolitical issues as the polarization of language groups, the importance of religion, the invisibility of ethnic minorities, the redrawing of geographical borders, changes in ideology, and the dismantling of colonial legacies. Finally, they examine such common problems of history writing as types of evidence, periodization, canonization, styles of narrative, and definitions of key terms.

Writing and Rewriting National Theatre Histories will be of special interest to students and scholars of theatre, cultural studies, and historiography. ... Read more

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This book explores the importance of the theatre in Tudor times. Throughout the book, the canine history detective, Sherlock Bones, helps the reader find clues in newspapers, photographs, artefacts and other primary sources. These give the reader enough evidence to present a project on the Tudor theatre and to answer questions such as: Why and how did the Tudor theatre become important? What sort of people became actors? Why did they act? and, Who went to the theatre? Throughout the book, there are mysteries and puzzles to solve on these questions and more. ... Read more