<p>If you want to see some screen adaptations of classic plays featuring some now legendary British actors in their younger days, look up Shakespeareandmore on YouTube. We’re talking people like Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, Michael/Lynn/Vanessa Redgrave, etc. There’s also some stuff that is … well … mainly interesting in that it shows just how far both the American actor and the art of filmmaking have come in recent decads, but check it out. There’s some good stuff there. :)</p>
<p>On the recommendation of a good friend and mentor who spent many years working in the biz on both the left and right coasts as well as many points in between, I just devoured An Agent Tells All by Tony Martinez in one sitting and I plan to read it again. It’s by an LA agent who primarily represents screen actors, but I imagine the basics of a lot of its content could be useful for MT aspirants planning to pursue the Great White Way as well. It certainly seems to echo a lot of what I’ve been told by those out in “the world.” It’s a good read if nothing else. Enjoy.</p>
<p>I hate to be the one to post three consecutive times on one thread, but another recommendation just crossed my mind. I first read A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances by Eloise Ristad on the recommendation of a fellow student my junior year in h/s and and it actually helped me break through some voice and speech barriers and some other creative inhibitions I was experiencing. I then re-read it when my faculty pointed out first year that there was no excuse for me not being a better singer and “strongly recommended” that I get to work on it. It was again of great help. Generally, it can be an excellent aid in helping you break though barriers that are really all essentially “in your head” whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor, violinist, pianist, businessman, professor or whatever … Great book. Highly recommended for anyone.</p>
<p>i am a current MT student at Columbia College Chicago. The head of the theatre department teaches our MT history class and he wrote the text book. it is very well written and easily understandable. it covers everything! “No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance” by Sheldon Patinkin (yes he is related to mandy patinkin). we also just had a guest speaker in that class, Ron Marasco, and he has written a GREAT book on advice for actors “Notes to an Actor” by Ron Marasco</p>
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<p>Does anyone know of a weekly or monthly newspaper or periodical that is strictly related to theater and/or Broadway news? I know there are places to go on the web such as broadwayworld.com or playbill.com for news. But I am looking to purchase an “old-fashioned” newspaper or magazine subscription that is actually delivered to your house :)</p>
<p>Backstage…My D loved it as a Christmas gift</p>
<p>backstage.com</p>
<p>[?Preparing</a> For Your College Audition? Audio CD](<a href=“http://web.mac.com/maryannadennard/Mary_Anna_Austin_Dennard/Order_Audio_CD.html]?Preparing”>http://web.mac.com/maryannadennard/Mary_Anna_Austin_Dennard/Order_Audio_CD.html)</p>
<p>This CD I found out about way after I had auditioned my second year. But it would have made a huge difference if I had had this first.</p>
<p>This post was contributed by our member, utepsong on December 20, 2009. Thank you uptepsong!</p>
<p>Musical Theatre Associations/Forums/Resources
Here are two:</p>
<p>Musical Theater Educators Alliance, formerly IMITS
<a href=“Home — MTEA (Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance)”>Home — MTEA (Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance);
<p>Associate for Theater in Higher Education: Music Theatre/Dance
<a href=“http://athe.org/getinvolved/focusgroups/mtd[/url]”>http://athe.org/getinvolved/focusgroups/mtd</a></p>
<p>I just finished reading Making it on Broadway, by Weiner and Langel, and noticed that there haven’t been any posts about it since 2005. Run out and buy it! This should be mandatory reading in high school and college theater departments. I am all about supporting my daughter in her dreams, but our kids need to go into this with their eyes open. CC helps keep us informed about the difficulties of getting into a good MT college program, and this book will help us all understand that it is even more difficult after that. Our kids will need to have more than dreams to give Broadway a shot, and I believe that they will be better off emotionally when they get there if they know what it will take.</p>
<p>“Audition” by Michael Shurtleff. That is everything you will ever want or need. It is golden.</p>
<p>There’s a new book out my MaryAnna Dennard, check on her website, and also on amazon.com for it It’s called</p>
<p>I GOT* IN!
The Ultimate College Audition Guide for Acting and Musical Theatre</p>
<p>That’s the same book that several colleges recommended to us. I GOT IN!.
I ordered mine off Mary Anna Dennard website. She is the author. It’s a great book and gave us a ton of really valuable specific information about the college audition process"</p>
<p>If anyone wants something eye-opening, watch the movie that’s about the making of the revival of “A Chorus Line.” Won’t make anyone optimistic about the chances of making it on Broadway as a hoofer! But a really interesting movie!</p>
<p>
Every Little Step – great video! It’s been mentioned on CC before, but who knows where? 
I can’t begin to imagine how intimidating it must be for newcomers to sort through this enormous amount of material!</p>
<p>I read “Making it on Broadway” and it made the hair on my neck stand straight up! I told DS that he WILL read the book, and if he could come to me and tell me (after reading it) that he STILL wanted to pursue MT, then I would know he was serious. </p>
<p>I thought the book was great, eye-opening, but surprising that there was so little that was mentioned that was positive. Do you feel that all those people quoted in the book are really that unhappy with their career choice? I suppose that a book like this is needed for sure, but it did make me a little sad. I hated reading about the “Hollywood-ness” of Broadway, but had to laugh about all the references to “the Tony and how it has a plastic base.” Sigh. DS is going to read it WHILE he is at CAP21 for his summer pre-college program. We’ll see if it changes anything. :)</p>
<p>Samuel French in LA and Drama Book Shop in NYC now has I Got In!</p>
<p>“I Got In!” is also available on Amazon.com.</p>
<p>Also available on Maryanna Denard’s website. She shipped it right away…I had it in my possession in 3 days. Very quick read but full of important and relevant information!</p>
<p>What a special treat! We happened to be in New York for the weekend and had the pleasure of attending Drama Book Shop book signing for I GOT IN! We got to meet the author, Mary Anna Dennard who was there along with her student, Hunter Herdlicka who is co-starring on Broadway in a Little Night Music with Bernadette Peters. Mary Anna is a college audition coach and we have heard she is one of the best. How great it was to hear her speak and to meet Mr. Herdlicka. He went to Carnegie Mellon but I think was musical theatre, not acting. Now we want to see the show! Wish we didn’t have to come home.</p>