Book Description
Naked Playwriting is a complete playwriting course—from developing a theme through plotting and structuring a play, developing characters, creating dialog, formatting the script, and applying methods that aid the actual writing and rewriting processes. Naked Playwriting also offers sound guidance on marketing and submitting play scripts for both contests and production, protecting one's copyright, and working with directors and theater companies.
Well-written, comprehensive, and filled with illustrative examples, Naked Playwriting includes both innovative and tried-and-true writing techniques, sage advice from veteran writers, a short study of the major schools of dramatic thought, and writing anecdotes. This one-of-a-kind playwriting book, which covers both the basics of playwriting and the practical advice on getting a play published and produced, will help both novices and working writers discover and improve their playwriting skills and see their plays performed on a stage.
Customer Reviews:
A Well-Crafted Ship.......2006-10-02
Okay, maybe its attractive title did draw this reader's attention to the book, but Naked Playwriting proves to be, as one other reviewer stated, not just a great one amidst so many How-To...books. Naked Playwriting is the best book I've read on writing, as well.
I finished this and thought (yes, exhilarated) that every writer could benefit from this one. No matter what genre. No matter what style. Naked Playwriting is, incredibly, written by two voices, Downs and Russin, and yet it speaks so fluently, so masterfully, and so concisely--with this humor throughout--that I just trusted these writers were actually writers from the first line.
That it speaks so smoothly to the reader, guides the reader, without pompous self-glorifying stories of their own past careers, speaks of the closeness these two writers stayed on course with the subject--and it speaks of the dedication to playwriting that Naked Playwriting follows.
A well-crafted ship is, as the authors describe, the beauty of a stage play, carefully crafted, going somewhere, with purpose, and capable of taking others along on a tremendous ride--that is what the great ones do--and that's what Downs and Russin have offered us.
Read this, then reread, and continue to reference it--Naked Playwriting will become a manual to hold onto.
Naked Playwriting.......2006-08-06
There is an entire industry in publishing books about writing. Writers, especially aspiring writers, are very insecure about their work, and seek reassurance that they're on the right track from others. Most of the books produced to ameliorate writers' self-doubt are crap. But I can say with confidence that Downs and Russin's NAKED PLAYWRITING is not only the best playwriting book I have ever read, it is the best book I have ever read on any kind of writing, from the beginning of the process to the end.
It's easy to talk about how to tell a good story, but how many books actually break down ideas point by point to determine which ones actually have a future? This one. Many would-be writing mentors talk about sitting down and writing, but how many have actually given instructions on how to create a style sheet on Microsoft Word so that you can create a perfectly formatted manuscript on your first try? This one. Everybody knows that the creative process isn't complete until the work is seen by an audience, but how many books demonstrate how to comparison-shop theatre companies, give you balanced pointers on how and when to get an agent, and show how to evaluate a contract to tell if it serves your interests? This one.
The light conversational tone that obtains through most of this book makes the information contained between the covers very approachable. The authors are aware that many of their readers will be beginning writers, but they also incorporate more intermediate and advanced information, so young writers can follow through to the end on what they've already begun. This book is not some compendium of lukewarm exhortations to write now and write more; it's an actual plan to turn your writing into a vocation and a life.
Young writers buy a lot of books to get them started on the art and the craft. This is one of the few books those writers will actually keep on their desks through the years as they write.
Naked Playwriting: The Art, The Craft, And The Life Laid Bare.......2006-03-19
This is an excellent book to get you on your way towards fulfilling your dream of writing plays.
This is a great book!.......2005-11-01
The authors have a great sense of humor and tons of information. There are a lot of books out there on playwriting but this one really opened my eyes. Naked is a good way to write.
This Is A Great Playwriting Book!.......2005-03-14
I've looked at lots of books on playwriting, but this one is different - It has real information. It's also clear and to the point. It's so honest it's inspirational.
Book Description
There’s good news and there’s good news. The first is that just about every gorgeous stripper out there has some cellulite. The second is that every woman, no matter what shape, size, color, or age, has the potential for that seemingly effortless swagger that strippers pull off so beautifully.
In this joyful, funny, down-to-earth guide, professional stripper Jessica “Kayla” Conrad demystifies that je ne sais quoi that makes strippers so outrageously hot. It’s all about creatively sidestepping your insecurities. From the magic of self-tanner to the all-important naming of the new you, this one-of-a-kind sourcebook arms you with a repertoire of easy, effective tricks for becoming bootylicious.
Whether you’re getting your groove on alone in your living room, trying to kick your love life up a notch, or just wondering what it’s like to feel as sexy as Britney Spears, Dance Naked is the only book you’ll need.
Customer Reviews:
Save your money, I'm sure the library carries this book.......2005-10-03
This book is excellent for women who don't plan on stripping outside of their living rooms.
Most of the "exercises" in the book are for getting comfortable with your own body like doing laundry naked, etc. I suppose this is practical for some women who have issues with being naked except for shower and sex.
Some of the tips are useful (like GlamaPam makeup tips) but others are not like making abs with tanning lotion because strippers don't workout because they don't have time anf the list of different types of strippers of which none I could relate.
The 3 song New York City lap dance is broken down per song and detailed. In the end, she tells you to 'never do this dance in an actual strip club' unless you are getting paid a million dollars or dancing for Sugar Ray, yet NYC is known for this type of lap dance. All this talk about being a "hottie" and making money and there are NO pictures in the book to back it up.
The book seems like it is made for woman who just want to dance for their husbands in their dark living room and not for aspiring strippers, like myself.
Become a HOTTIE now!.......2005-06-27
Ok very unlikely this 40 something will be dancing naked anytime soon. Not sure the strip clubs are looking for my 40 something type and to be honest..just dont have the desire to shake the "thang" for the masses. So even though I don't want to Dance Naked..I sure want to look good naked!
And thats why I picked up a copy of Jessica Kayla Conrad's book,
"Dance Naked: A Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Hottie".
To my shock the library had it...but I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy.
In the book Conrad makes the case on how you too can become a hottie by taking tips from the women who make their living taking it off.
The deal is you don't have to be beautiful to be hot. You can give the impression of "hotness" by how you style your hair, do your makeup etc.
Conrad walks you through the steps.
I have always opted for a classic simple style and I am not about to switch to cleavage baring tops or dragon lady nails....but I have taken a few tips from Conrad to spice up my everyday persona.
I will keep the short blond classic bob I have though Conrad states that men love long hair (we all know that) but I did start dancing more for exercise and wearing frosty pink on my nails occasionally. I picked up gel baby oil for a soft body glow, fake individual eyelashes for eye flirt and heck even retired a few pair of grandma panties.
My complaint with the book is its too short. I want more and greater details. However, the book is a super starting point to have fun with.
Other Conrad tips include how to get that pouty mouth, fake bake a tan, what jewelry to wear and more.
A super read for women who want more Pama Glama (Pam Anderson) in their life..I just took a tidbit here and a tidbit there without going over the top and am having fun with it!
Great Little Bible for Wanna Be Strippers! .......2004-11-19
This book is a "must have" for ladies who'd like to emulate the look of professional strippers for their lovers or for ladies who are learning the art of striptease. The information is easy to understand and follow. Additionally, the author does an excellent job of dispelling a lot of myths that regular women have about the stripping profession.
The exercises included really help women who are not comfortable with nudity or who don't feel comfortable with their bodies to become comfortable with being naked and just enjoy their bodies no matter what their size or shape is. Also, the author makes some very good points about how to get the sexual confidence that good strippers seem to exude naturally.
The tips on music, make-up, nails, clothes, lingerie, shoes and how to talk sexy are good and practical. Unfortunately, this book does not include any pictures. I think pictures would have given absolute novices a better idea of how to pull the stripper look together. I also wish that the author had spent a bit more time writing about props. I find that men really love to see women use and play with props!
Ladies, if you want to surprise your man with a new "stripper look" or learn some stripper techniques---Get this book! I think it'll be worth every bit of your money and more! Moreover, this book is an excellent addition to the video, "The Art of Erotic Dance for the Everyday Woman."
Book Description
In this book, Cynthia Freeland seeks to counter both aesthetic disdain and moral condemnation toward horror by focusing on a select body of important and revealing films, demonstrating how the genre is capable of deep philosophical reflection about the existence and the nature of evil-both human and cosmic. In exploring these films, Freeland argues against a purely psychoanalytic approach and opts for both feminist and philosophical understandings. Freeland is particularly interested in showing how gender figures into screen presentations of evil. Written for film enthusiasts and students, the book examines a wide array of films including The Silence of the Lambs, Repulsion, Frankenstein, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Alien, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, Frenzy, Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Hellraiser, and many others.
Customer Reviews:
Solidly written, thought provoking look at horror in film.......2005-08-20
This book is extremely accessable and discusses horror in film in a profound way with considerable scope. Anyone who responds keenly to the supernatural in literature and film is bound to enjoy these in depth discussions of many of the finest horror films we have. The author is upfront about her approach, and about her own likes and dislikes, but these admissions do not limit the book in any way. There is much to learn here, much to ponder. For an author like me who believes that horror fiction and film reflect our deepest social and psychological concerns, this book has tremendous value. I am looking for more books by the author.
Really good book on all kinds of horror.......2002-07-16
I found this book to be wonderfully readable and absolutely facinating.
Ms. Freeland's view of the movies she discusses (Frankinstien, Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, the Hunger, The Shining, Eraserhead, the Alien series, the Hellraiser movies, etc.) is very interesting and her perspective on good and evil deserves to be brought to the foreground. I also appreciate her critiques of flat feminist critiques. Noting that sometimes a chainsaw is just a chainsaw.
This book makes a great basis for a number of film festivals. And with the advant of DVD, you can program it right in your own home. Say, what about your book club reading this book and watching the movies? That would be a blast.
Now...If I could only find a book club.
Thorough & insightful, but too academic........2000-05-27
My favorite title of recent memory, "The Naked and the Undead" (a play on Mailer's WWII classic "The Naked and the Dead") is a much-needed review of recent horror films. Too many books on this topic are sadly out of date, incomplete, condescending, or just plain wrong. Philosophy professor Cynthia Freeland, however, dives right into the thick of things, stating that her favorite director is auteur David Cronenberg and that she has little patience for mainstream schlock like Freddy and Jason. "All right," I thought to myself, "my kind of writer."
She covers the entire "Hellraiser" series, the most recent vampire films, and classics like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Repulsion," "Them!" "Eraserhead," "Peeping Tom" and "Nosferatu." The chapters range from "Women and Bugs" (the Alien and Species films) to "Monstrous Flesh" and "The Slasher's Blood Lust." Freeland knows her stuff, and her insights are profound and interesting. She considers feminist images in contemporary horror, graphic violence and its impression upon viewers, the appeal of the seductive, aesthetic vampire, and the visionary, intellectual works of Cronenberg ("Videodrome," "Dead Ringers," "The Fly").
The major problem, however, is that she's an academic, and the book reads like a PhD. dissertation. It's not a lot of fun to read, like, say, Stephen King's "Danse Macabre" or Kim Newman's "Nightmare Movies" or the anthology "Cut!" If you're a serious reader as well as horror film buff, then this book is very worthwhile. If you've ever studied film in college this book will be right up your alley. If, however, you don't really call into either category, then this book probably isn't for you.
There is much to be learned from in this book, and I'm very glad Ms. Freeland took such care and patience. I only wish she had approached this book more as an intelligent fan rather than as an academic. So, 3 and a half stars. And kudos for the awesome cover art!
Average customer rating:
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Dance Naked
John Cougar Mellencamp
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
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Popular
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ASIN: 0897245024 |
Average customer rating:
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Follow Your Dreams: (Except for That One Where You Go to Work Naked and Dance the Polka)
Cheryl Caldwell , and
Co-Edikit
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Humor
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General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
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Motivational
| Self-Help
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Motivation
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| 4-for-3 Books Store
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By Topic
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
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General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| 4-for-3 Books Store
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Motivational
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
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General
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| 4-for-3 Books Store
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General
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ASIN: 0740763644 |
Book Description
Cheryl Caldwell pairs lively humorous illustrations and satirical humor with to-the-point observations on life to ensure readers maintain a laughing perspective:
"I may not know karate, but I know crazy."
"What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?"
"It has been lovely but I have to scream now."
Follow Your Dreams is sure to have everyone smiling, laughing, and appreciating this quest called life. In 2001 Co-edikit began as a T-shirt and gift manufacturer with sales doubling every year. After several successful years, Co-edikit now licenses products ranging from calendars, stationery collections, stickers, tattoos, fashion and room accessories, clothes, intimate apparel, home decor, and more. This is the first Co-edikit gift-book offering.
Book Description
Dance Naked in Your Living Room: Handling Stess & Finding Joy by Rebecca Ruggles Radcliffe is a playful little gem that helps us cope with the increasing stress of our lives. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with the pressures and complications of life and turn to something unhealthy like overeating, drinking, or excessive shopping. Stress can make us extra angry or depressed when we don't know how to handle it. We aren't taught to cope with life's curves--we are just expected to deal with everything somehow. Dance Naked in Your Living Room shows us 120 simple, quick, and no-cost ways to get rid of tension, blow off steam, and unwind. Stop taking your stress out on others! Stop letting stress hurt your health! Just learn simple techniques to use at home, work, and in the car--anytime, anywhere.
Our bodies take a beating with our fast-paced lifestyles. To take care of them, we need to know how to stop the fight-or-flight response that gets triggered in every situation. Dance Naked in Your Living Room describes how to simply and easily counteract the stress in our lives. When we take a few minutes to unwind, we begin to feel more nurtured, supported, and connected to our inner needs and the world around us. It opens us up to simple moments of joy that can enrich our lives no matter how stressed we are.
Dance Naked in Your Living Room offers us a way to more peacefully handle our stress--and show our kids creative and constructive ways to cope. Too often, bad habits are passed down generation to generation. This continues until we decide to learn healthier ways to handle stress. Dance Naked in Your Living Room makes the process so easy for anyone at any age. Full of 120 fresh and easy options, there is something for everyone in every situation. Dance Naked in Your Living Room is as playful and inspirational as its title and is a perfect addition to everyone's personal library or to give as a birthday, office, hostess, holiday, mother's day, or father's day gift.
Finally, for those of us who make a resolution to live a healthier life and end emotional eating, smoking, excessive drinking, or stress-related grouchiness, Dance Naked in Your Living Room will make the journey much easier. It is hard to change an unhealthy habit unless we have learned to handle the stressful triggers that set us off in a more positive way. Dance Naked in Your Living Room is a powerful tool to help us live up to our promises to live healthier lives and heal the habitual, addictive behaviors with which so many of us struggle. By providing alternatives for us to choose when we are under stress, Dance Naked in Your Living Room helps us begin to change unhealthy patterns and create healthier, more joyful lives.
Customer Reviews:
O what fun to use as book report material.......2005-12-12
As the title implies, I purchased this book for a book report in my Stress Managment book. Once I had read through it, I had decided that by itself, it was not enough for the report.
There are plenty of good suggestions throughout, the best being thinking of your own stress-busting techniques. I also like how Rebecca used things her daughter said as appropriately placed quotations.
Another great thing from this book is that Radcliffe touches on subjects that people tend to take too seriously, and still presents it in a gentle way.
Bring back the romance, the magic and the joy.......2000-10-13
I bought this book because Michael Webb recommended it in his excellent "Romantic's Guide". I expected a book showing creative (and romantic) ways to cope with stress and pressure, and I wasn't disappointed: This wonderful little book is stuffed with helpful ideas.
Instead of drinking, eating, shopping or whatever short-term solution you subscribe to, Rebecca Ruggles Radcliffe suggests creative, cheap and healthy ways to relax and get in touch with your self again. The solutions range from obvious to weird, but there are plenty of things in between that strike you as great ideas - and you keep saying to yourself: Why didn't I think of that before? And the best thing is that to each of us, different thoughts seem obvious, different suggestions weird, and different ideas strike us as just right.
So this book should be helpful for everyone who is looking for ways to relax in this fast paced world, and bring back some of the romance and magic that seems to be missing. The best thing by far is that once you've read "Dance Naked", you keep coming up with ideas of your own.
(Other books you might find useful to make your life more romantic are the "Romatic's Guide" by Michael Webb and "Creative Romance" by Doug Fields. You don't have to accept every idea they come up with - just browse and sample, collect your own store of ideas, come up with a few more . . . romance is good for you!)
Average customer rating:
- A well-written biography on La Baker
- An amazing true biography of this georgeous woman.
- Well research and very well written, thank you
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Naked at the Feast: A Biography of Josephine Baker
Lynn Haney
Manufacturer: Robson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart
ASIN: 0860519651 |
Customer Reviews:
A well-written biography on La Baker.......2005-08-29
The middle-aged librarian at my local library kept a straight face but I wondered what went through her mind. You see, I'd just taken out a copy of Lynn Hanley's "Naked at the Feast" biography - the original edition with Picasso's beautiful portrait of Josephine, nude in all her glory. To onlookers, the cover resembled an erotic art collection.
Some 30 years after Paris bid its final farewell to one of its brightest stars, interest in Josephine Baker's life and career remains high. La Baker's meteoric rise from the slums of St Louis in America to the 'Toast of Paris' is the stuff that legends and dreams are made of.
There are several biographies on Josephine's life on the market. Lynn Hanley's book makes for interesting reading for the following factor: it was written from the prospective of an inquisitive researcher rather than an obsessed hero-worshipping fan. Hanley discovered that many of the myths and legends surround Baker were created and fuelled by the lady herself. Josephine constantly re-invented herself to stay ahead of her game. I'm not going to spoil it and reveal all here.
If you're curious but unfamiliar with Josephine Baker's incredible life and career, I recommend that you read this well-researched but under-rated book first.
An amazing true biography of this georgeous woman........1999-03-07
I think that this book sould be a best-seller because it contents a lot of profitable information about Josephine.
Well research and very well written, thank you.......1999-02-03
1-3-99
Dear Amazon.com
I would appreciate you giving me a contact number for Ms. Haney, I would like to write to her directly regarding a matter. Sincerely Sheila10011@yahoo.com
Average customer rating:
- I'm in the book
- An Excellent Look at Nude Dancers
- Barely interesting
- Exotic pictures, nothing else!
- words and pictures
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Dancing Naked in the Material World
Marilyn Suriani Futterman
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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| Professional & Technical
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ASIN: 087975737X |
Customer Reviews:
I'm in the book.......2006-10-05
This book came out about ten years after I posed for the photos in it, so it's very intense to look at them now. I was in my early twenties then, I'm in my midforties now. Although stripping wasn't an ideal job, I got just about exactly what I wanted out of it. Now I have a miraculous career as a cabaret and burlesque performer and teacher, and I always want to pay homage to my roots in the adult entertainment industry.
Being involved with this book was an amazing experience. As an activist and out stripper I've been interviewed and photographed and handled by the media a bit, and Marilyn was scrupulously honest and respectful with all of us. I was thrilled with the results when I saw the book, and it means a lot to me that the women I worked with in that era are represented so simply and clearly and realistically. The pictures tell stories words just can't.
I'm writing this review very late in the game, considering how long ago the book was published, but I just wanted to take a minute to give Marilyn props for being an ethical documentarian. A lot of them aren't.
An Excellent Look at Nude Dancers.......2001-06-15
Marilyn Futterman is a photographer and this is largely a book of her photographs. Almost every other page contains a photograph or photographs and most of them are of women dancers in revealing costumes. Yet seldom are the pictures eroticized. They are documentary in nature. All are black-and-white and many use available light. Other were taken with on-camera flash, and still others were taken in a studio setting.
The text accompanying the pictures are the dancers own words. They talk about why they do this work and how they feel about dancing and the customers they dance for. Some are more articulate and insightful than others, but all are thoughtful and personal.
The book ends with an article, "Stripping for a Living," by Dr. Jacqueline Boles, a Sociology professor. It describes the history and current setting of nude dancing in American society. All in all, this is a well-conceived and executed documentary on an occupation halfway between entertainer and sex worker. It is a great book for anyone who has wondered about the women who dance in these clubs.
Barely interesting.......2001-04-05
The stories told in this book are somewhat interesting and well written, but they are all basically the same. The book seems to go in no particular direction. It contains interviews with various stripppers, but it leaves alot of questions unanswered.
Exotic pictures, nothing else!.......2001-04-04
I read this book to get an insight on strippers, but I was very disappointed. This books is a photo(black & white) documentary of strippers. It covers interviews about their lives, goals, fears and accomplishments, but it all sounds very repetitive, dry and boring. It seems like most all strippers do it because they have to finance their education, support their children because their spouse left them or they have to support a drug habit.I wish someone would write a book that explains what moral issues(if any) do these women have. How do they justify to their children or loved ones what they do(other than, I was just trying to put food on the table). One of the commandments clearly states that one shall not commit adultry. Promiscuous involvement is covered here. This Commandment definitely says that homosexuality, lesbianism, abortion, pornography, and all promiscuous endeavors of man or woman, have a permissiveness that is against the reason for creating mankind.
In the bible, there's a section where God said to Moses, Men and women will have many excuses and will justify their sins against this Commandment. Also, men and women will deliberately attach only specific sins on this Commandment, for shame will make them call this The Hidden Commandment'.
I guess that's the biggest question I have, how do these women justify what they do?. I still can't find a book that covers that issue. I have an open mind about pornography and strippers, but I also have many unanswered questions. This book is so much like everything you see in TV documenteries or movies. I found it to bae a waste of time.
words and pictures.......2000-05-29
this is an excellent documentary of a variety of strippers spanning a number of years. the pictures are very well done and all of them are evocative. the strippers themselves write commentary about their lives, their work or whatever else pops into their head. it makes for some great and surprising reading. futterman obviously has great empathy for her subjects and this is neccessary in a field where the knee-jerk reaction is limiting stereotypes. i recommend this book as an excellent book for anyone interested in documentaries or strippers.
Average customer rating:
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City Women/20 Powerful, Contemporary Monologues Embracing Characters of the Naked City
Cynthia Smith
Manufacturer: Dramaline Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Acting & Auditioning
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
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ASIN: 0940669218 |
Book Description
Twenty-one powerful monologues embracing characters of the naked city. These speeches strike at the heart and soul of women who are products of our urban society. Gritty, honest, no-holds-barred audition pieces.
Customer Reviews:
my review.......2000-06-21
This book has a great selection of moving monologues. Perfect for beginners or the more experienced.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating theater autobiography
- How not to win friends and impress people.
- The Annonated Adam
- This book doesn't deserve a star rating.
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Dance Naked in the Sun
Adam Darius
Manufacturer: Latonia Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
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| Books
General
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ASIN: 0950270709 |
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating theater autobiography.......2003-10-31
I happened to find this book in a second hand bookshop in S.F. and I found it by far the most interesting (and entertaining) theater book I've read in quite a while.
The author's outspoken style will clearly not be to every reader's liking, but for those willing to overlook a few instances of WSTRSS (Writer Setting The Record Straight Syndrome), the book is chock full of well-written anecdotes and sharp insights into the world of theater.
Sure, Mr. Darius seems to be endowed with a generous sense of purpose and self-worth, but name me an internationally successful performer - in any field - who isn't. If you're looking for a generic, bland, p.c. theater bio, then give this one a miss. But if you want a straight-from-the-shoulder account of what it takes to be a successful, individual practitioner in the performing arts, it doesn't get much better than this.
Too bad the book seems to be pretty hard to find these days, but if you see it, grab it! You might not agree with everything the author says, but you will definitely not be bored. Highly recommended.
How not to win friends and impress people........2000-12-14
I met the author of this book in Finland recently. I thought, when I was given the book, that I was going to experience something extraordinary. What a disappointing book this is.
I always imagine performing artists to have big generous natures. This was blown to bits by reading about the mean spirited activities of this author. Does he realise that he comes across as a most unpleasant person? He mows down everyone in the path of his fearful egoism.
Helsinki is a small town, and now I cross the road to avoid the author when I see him coming.
The Annonated Adam.......2000-05-25
Miss Mitford, who makes me howl with laughter, has got it about right. But unlike her I'm keeping my copy because it's full of marginalia penned by someone who worked with Darius and clearly loathed him. I bought this book off a borrow on 14th Street for two bucks the other day, and read it over three days. It was gushingly [not to say patronisingly] signed by the author in 1975 to one Colin. It's one of the most depressing books I've ever read. And, thanks to Colin's illuminating marginalia, one of the funniest, though I'm sure the author didn't mean it to be. [1 star for the book, but 4 for the marginalia.]
It took me a day or so to work out who Mr Darius reminded me of, and it's Dustin Hoffman at the beginning of Tootsie, i.e. desperately serious about himself, with everybody 'against' him, not taking him as seriously as he takes himself, and how could they? Darius inhabits a hostile artistic world of his own making, and remains stubbornly and resolutely on guard against his artistic enemies. He is right in his world, and everyone else in the wrong. Mr Darius comes across as a sort of Benny Hinn of mime. Everyone is grist to his mill, from Ginger Rogers to Otto Frank [Anne Frank's father]. Darius did a mime version of The Diary. [And now I've heard everything].
If only the man had a spark of humour his life and certainly his writing would have been a lot easier. There's no sense of irony here - and a mime artist without a sense of irony? Hel-lo? Some of the things he writes about are easy to see from a different perspective, and it's as if he's telling a story that he is not fully party to, and because Darius seems to have tunnel vision about himself he does come across, sadly, as patently absurd.
In fifty years time I could see this book becoming a cult item. Especially if a low budget film, like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, was made of it, with Dustin Hoffman playing Darius.
Thanks to the marginalia I discover that Mr Darius was to mime what Florence Foster Jenkins [whoever she was] was to opera. Likewise that when Mr Darius 'returned' to the American stage one reviewer wrote [and the review is pasted in my copy of the book], "Mr Darius has been absent from these shores for 17 years. In that time he has not picked up even the rudiments of his craft." Poor Soul! A fascinating book. I've started reading bits out to friends over the phone, and we fall about. It was the best two bucks worth in New York last week, and now I'm going straight back to down to 14th Street to see if there's anything else by him on the barrow.
This book doesn't deserve a star rating........1999-10-26
This is the saddest book I have ever read. It's about a not very talented person, who has a giant ego, who wants to be famous, but not put in the work required, who likes to [apparently] sidle up to celebrities and have a snapshot taken with them for future mileage. There are so many situations in this tome where the author, who must be the thinnest skinned person alive, takes continual umbrage at the slightest opportunity, that I became very bored, very quickly. Everybody else is always to blame, and as most grown ups know, sometimes it's our own fault. Mr Darius clearly prefers an loud argument to a long friendship. The result is the story of a nobody who remained, absolutely entirely through his own efforts, a nobody - and who doesn't have much good to say about the famous people he has collided with either, many willing to offer a helping hand up the ladder to. It reminded me of a dog who bays at the moon.
After reading this sad book, which looked so promising from the cover, I quietly binned it, which is something I've never done with any other book in my life.
Books:
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
- Nutcracker
- On Collective Memory (Heritage of Sociology Series)
- Oprah Winfrey (Biography (a & E))
- Philadelphia Chickens
- Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
- Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture
- Rationalizing Culture: IRCAM, Boulez, and the Institutionalization of the Musical Avant-Garde
- Roadshow: Landscape With Drums: A Concert Tour by Motorcycle
- Saint John's Bible: Prophets
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Prime: A Novel
- Mac OS X Tiger: Missing Manual
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- Design and Maintenance of Accounting Manuals: 1997/1998 Cumulative Supplement
- The World Economic Factbook '99
The Elements of Playwriting
The Art & Craft of Playwriting
To Be a Playwright
Dramatists Sourcebook: Complete Opportunities for Playwrights, Translators, Composers, Lyricists and Librettists (Dramatists Sourcebook)
The Playwright's Guidebook: An Insightful Primer on the Art of Dramatic Writing
