Suddenly fatherless and penniless, young Nicholas Nickleby can find no help for himself and his family. His uncle Ralph may be rich, but he is neither a kind nor an honorable man, so it is up to Nicholas to take responsibility. His adventures in Victorian England will take Nicholas to a job at a boys' school run by a brutal and dictatorial headmaster, a London slum, and a theater troupe where he works under an assumed name and into a web of revenge,...

Johnny Vermillion's theater troupe brings masterpieces to the Wild West. The four actors are versatile enough to wear many costumes and play many roles. A few props, a little makeup, a costume and-voilà-applause on the rugged frontier. Johnny also arranges a special attraction for each town. While his actors bustle in and out of costumes, on and off the stage in many roles, one plays the villain in the bank. Then the actors take their curtain...

"Melanie Rawn returns to her rich high fantasy world in Thornlost, the sequel to Touchstone and Elsewhens. Cayden is part Elf, part Fae, part human Wizard--and all rebel. His aristocratic mother would have him follow his father to the Royal Court, to make a high-society living off the scraps of kings. But Cade lives and breathes for the theater, and he's good, very good. He's a tregetour--a wizard who is both playwright and magicwielder. It is Cade's...

"Chicago Shakespeare Theater is widely known for vibrant productions that reflect the Bard's genius for intricate storytelling, musicality of language, and depth of feeling for the human condition. Affectionately known to natives of the Windy City as "Chicago Shakes," and now in its twenty-fifth season, this vanguard of Chicago's rich theatrical tradition celebrates its silver anniversary with this bracing collection of original essays by world-renowned...

"Renaissance Acting Companies and their Plays explores the intimate and dynamic relationship between acting companies and playwrights in this seminal era in English theatre history. Siobhan Keenan's analysis includes chapters on the traditions and workings of contemporary acting companies, playwriting practices, stages and staging, audiences and patrons, each illustrated with detailed case studies of individual acting companies and their plays, including...

Longing to develop his theatrical talents in a world where the fine arts incorporate spell-craft, Cayden, a rebellious descendant of multiple magical races, combines the powers of Merlin, Shakespeare, and John Lennon in an effort to become an honored artist.

An engaging comedy about a star-struck young girl lured into the grown-up world of the theater. Young Stella Bradshaw quickly discovers what it takes to make it in the theater.

Two junior novels in a single collection. On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary and Mary from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage the greatest Muppet Telethon ever and raise the money needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary, and Gary help reunite...

Based in a fictional Canadian town where legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure, to assume the Artistic Directorship after the sudden death of his mentor, Oliver Welles. When Geoffrey arrives he finds that Oliver is still there, in spirit anyway, and with his guidance (and often in spite of it) Geoffrey attempts to reconcile with his past...

Set in 14th century England, the story involves a priest who leaves the church after committing adultery. He falls in with a troupe of traveling actors. The group ends up in a small town where a mute woman is accused of witchcraft and murder. Drawn to the woman, the troupe re-creates the events in hopes of drawing a crowd and solving the crime.