In New Introduction, Experience the Magic of Staging, Watching, and Performing Shakespeare's Plays: Book Release Coincides with the Bard's 444th Bir
(PRWEB) April 21, 2008 -- On April 23 the world will celebrate the birthday of William Shakespeare, the world's greatest living playwright. Coinciding with the 444th anniversary of his birth, an unusual guide to Shakespeare's plays is being released.
THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS (Penguin/Alpha Books; April 2008; $18.95) brings Shakespeare's 400-year-old dramas alive in a new introduction for students, playgoers, and general readers. This new book reminds us that Shakespearean theatre is a social art form. Understanding the Bard's plays lies within everyone's grasp and doesn't have to be a dull academic exercise.
Written by Cynthia Greenwood, a performing arts journalist and critic who has taught Shakespeare's plays to college students, the guide offers the essence and experience of the Shakespearean spoken word. It does much more than dissect great soliloquies on the page.
This guide is an invaluable reference tool for high school and university students, drama students, professional and amateur actors, teachers, playgoers, drama critics, and casual readers -- or anyone who wants to discover, brush up on or reacquaint themselves with Shakespeare's plays. Inside the book:
? Cultural and historical contexts are provided for 20 major plays, using refreshing perspectives from directors and actors in lengthy, original commentary;
? Each major play is explored in depth, explaining Shakespearean terms;
? Each chapter offers close attention to language and verse;
? Appendices include Shakespeare's likely collaborations with other playwrights, a glossary, suggested further reading, and resources for viewing live performances and video/audio recordings.
Introductory chapters also remind us that Shakespeare was at the forefront of Western show business. (Most Americans don't think about Shakespeare as a highly talented entrepreneur -- they think of him as the author of plays they couldn't get excited about in school.) This book brings you closer to the heady, behind-the-scenes world of freelance playwriting and the London theatre scene of the 1590s. It also lends insight into decisions that theatre people make while acting and staging Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, to name a few.
About the author:
Cynthia Greenwood is an editor, writer, and performing arts critic based in Houston, Texas. For the last 10 years, she has reviewed opera and theatrical productions, ballet theatre, and classical music. She has published arts reports and reviews in such publications as The New York Times, Playbill, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Andante, among others. From 1998 until 2002, she served as the opera and classical music critic for the Houston Press. She taught English and American literature and introduction to film to undergraduates at Wharton County Junior College for nine years.
Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., publishes high- quality lifestyle and reference books in 30 different categories. The Complete Idiot's Guides®, Alpha Teach Yourself in 24 Hours, At Your Fingertips -- as well as other series and stand-alone titles -- provide helpful how-to information and general knowledge in an easily accessible manner.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare's Plays
Author: Cynthia Greenwood
$18.95, 368 pages, 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.8, paperback,
ISBN-10: 1592577083; ISBN-13: 978-1592577088
Alpha Books, April 2008
Contact:
Gardi Wilks or Patty Henek, 708-366-3839
gardi@wilkspr.com
A L P H A B O O K S
800 East 96th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240
http://www.cynthiagreenwood.com
# # #
Related Articles:
Getting the Best Price for your Hammered Coins
If you have managed to get your hands on an old hammered coin then you may be surprised to find out exactly how valuable they are. For the past decade the price that hammered coins sell for has generally continued to rise, more so in portrait coins of Henry V111, EdwardV1, Elizabeth 1, James 1 and Charles 1 coins than many earlier including Celtic. Through being prudent in your approach to selling, you may find that someone will be willing to pay a very fair price.
New Jewish Coins Use Old Wisdom To Aid In Life Balancing
SoulCoin offers timeless wisdom through unique coins. SoulCoin has just released The Humility and Joy Coin Set, two 1.5 inch brass coins based on a well-known parable of Jewish wisdom. The coins help people balance their approach to life so that they can focus on achieving their goals in a positive, satisfying, yet humble way.
Coin Dealers
I hope that the next article will help you to better understand this topic. When somebody becomes concerned in collection coins they look for places and people who will be able to sell, and in some cases advise them about, coins. The best people to look for when you want to buy coins for a coin collection are coin dealers. These people are also interested in coins but their interest does not inevitably breed into collection these coins. A strike bargainers will actively look for diverse types of coins. They will make sure that the character of all the coins that they are thought of purchasing is of a high quality. The grading of coins that is exploited will be looked into as well before the coin dealers agree to purchase any coins. These co...
Why You Need To Buy and Sell Gold Coins (Part 1)
The Value of Gold in a Era of Paper Assets, Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds..
New Release of NASA Approved Collectible Space Coin Collection
The National Aeronautics and Space Association has licensed a new, extremely limited line of 10 collectible space coins celebrating the final years of the Hubble Space Telescope called the HST Discovery Coin Series.
The Key To Protecting Your Valuable Coin Collection
Finding the proper place for storing coins is the world?s most important task for all coin collector?s or numismatists, because, for ensuring that the value and quality of their precious coins is well maintained, it is necessary to store them in a secure and good place.
Buy Old Hammered Coins Online
When it comes to buying old hammered coins, the internet is awash with opportunities for experienced buyers looking to make a very specific purchase and first time buyers that have a certain level of uncertainty about exactly what they are looking for. With the evolution of e-commerce it is now possible to find, buy and receive old hammered coins from the comfort of your own home.
How to Find Old Hammered Coins
Old hammered coins are becoming increasingly popular among collectors that appreciate the history and culture that is engrained in their very essence. For those people, being able to find coins for sale can be difficult; especially when supply far outstrips demand. Celtic hammered coins and English hammered coins are often sometimes found on excavations, others are kept in museums, whilst others are passed down through generations, or are in the hands of people who do not understand the heritage that associates them.
Understanding Coin Price Guides
There are many coin price guides published; weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and annually They come in the form of magazines, newsprint, ?hot sheets?, and books
Identifying US Coins with Bullish Futures
Okay, let's get something straight..
NumisMaster.com Makes Coin Prices Available Online
Available online at www.numismaster.com, NumisMaster opens Krause Publications' coin and paper money database to a worldwide online audience and allows hobbyists to select and sort the information to fit their individual collecting interests. This database comprises the content of every book Krause has published in the Standard Catalog line of price guides for more than 50 years. Real-time pricing, featuring daily updates from a respected team of coin and paper money experts, makes NumisMaster a must-have tool for dealers and collectors.
Success and Failure: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Failure is GreatYou are probably asking yourself what could be good about failing. Failing means .
The Rare Coin Company set to Secure "Holy Grail" of Australian Numismatics
The Rare Coin Company is poised to set yet another World Record when it bids to acquire the very first Australian Commonwealth Banknote ever printed, the 1913 Ten Shilling note. If successful, this will be the second time in less than four months that The Rare Coin Company has set a new world record for the price paid for an Australian banknote at public auction.
Rare Gold Coins Return 39.4 Percent on Investment, But Timing Is Everything, Reports a New Online Service
GPA for Coins reports that the certified coin market has shown overall strong growth in 2007, but median prices are where they were in the first quarter of 2006. However, the total gold coin segment has shown strong median prices steadily increasing to give a return of almost 40 percent for those who purchased in the first half of 2005.
Russian Coins Phenomenon
Reading latest news you could see titles like ?Sale of Russian Ruble Paves the Way in Goldberg Coins Pre Long Beach Auction?, ?Russian Ruble (1714/3 PCGS EF-45) fetching $46,800? and going through Russian Coin forums, you will see topics, such as ?Russian Coins Prices are MAD? and ?This hobby is becoming too expensive?.