Behind Lily's every move lies her greatest secret, her undying devotion to the child she was forced to abandon. The Confession of Lily Dare is the latest comic melodrama written by and starring the legendary master of theatrical parody Charles Busch (Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Die Mommie Die, The Divine Sister). Here he celebrates the gauzy "confession film" tearjerkers of early 1930's pre-code cinema, such as The Sin of Madelon Claudet, Frisco Jenny, and Madame X.

As lines between characters and actors - as well as observers and observed - blur, a dizzying series of vignettes builds to a climactic moment in which performance and reality collide, highlighting the absurdity of anti-Blackness in our society. Through facilitation and dialogue we must decide how to cope, resist, and move forward.

Karma's foster brother, Terrell, has gone missing, and she's trying to find him amidst the inner city chaos that is The Oblong - but his teacher can't remember his name, his foster mom is still cashing his reimbursement checks, and his ex is glad he's gone. Where's the police, where are the reporters? Karma seems to be the only one who cares, but the more she looks, the more she realizes that in The Oblong, caring only means trouble.

When Onegin, a dashing but jaded aristocrat from St. Petersburg, inherits his uncle's estate in the country, his arrival sets hearts afire and stirs the embers of jealousy. Even the reclusive young Tatyana falls hopelessly under the spell of the aloof Onegin and professes her love for him. Will playing with lonely Russian hearts reap heartbreak or romance?

An estranged bi-racial couple must confront their feelings about race and bias after their son is detained by the local police following a traffic stop incident. Their disparate histories and backgrounds inform their assumptions as they try to find out what happened to their son.

Based on over seventy interviews conducted around the world by playwright Paul Lucas, Trans Scripts, Part I: The Women is a compelling exploration of the lives of trans women, as told in their own words. These unique and compelling stories are honest, funny, moving, insightful, and inspiring, but most of all, they are human, shedding light not on our differences but on what we all, as humans, share.

The play opens in a modern-day art museum, where three individuals yearn to experience firsthand the wonder and glory of Rembrandt's work. When a museum guard decides to touch a famous Rembrandt painting, a remarkable journey across the ages ensues. Spanning centuries of human experience, The Rembrandt movingly explores the power of creative expression and the sacrifices we make in the pursuit of love and beauty.

'I suffer from acute kleptomania. But when it gets bad, I take something for it.' Ken Dodd was a legend of British comedy. He launched his career in 1954, adopted his trademark 'tickling stick' two years later and went on to enjoy a sixty-year career as the nation's jester. Dodd's act was frenzied and zany, exploiting his saucer-eyed, buck-toothed appearance and deploying a repertoire of one-liners, whimsical and verbal inventions and liberal doses of saucy - but never dirty - jokes. Louis Barfe charts Dodd's life and extraordinarily long career, revealing him to be the last of the great variety acts - and a comic phenomenon who delighted his audiences across seven decades. Reviews for Happiness and Tears: 'The definitive account' The Times. 'An industriously thorough, entertaining biography' The Spectator. 'Sure to delight Dodd's many admirers' TLS. 'Fascinatingly odd' Daily Express. 'An absolute joy' Choice.

Incorporating the theoretical conceptualizations of Jon Kabat-Zinn and Ellen Langer, this volume illustrates how performers from a variety of disciplines - including sport, dance and music - can use mindfulness to achieve peak performance and improve personal well-being. Leading scholars in the field present cutting-edge research and outline their unique approach to mindfulness that is supported by both theory and practice. They provide an overview of current mindfulness-based manuals and programs used around the globe in countries such as the United States, China and Australia, exploring their effectiveness across cultures. Mindfulness and Performance will be a beneficial reference for practitioners, social and sport psychologists, coaches, athletes, teachers and students.

Long after returning from Neverland, Wendy decides that she must find Peter in order to reclaim her kiss and move on with her life. Along the way, she meets other girls who went to Neverland and learns she is not alone. A coming-of-age exploration of first love and lasting loss, Lost Girl continues the story of J.M. Barrie's beloved character - the girl who had to grow up.

This collection of seven short plays explores the many facets and platforms of social media. From Instagram to Facebook, and even a #throwback to the days when MySpace was cool, Anti-Social pokes fun at the "social" in social media.

In Middle Class, Too we find students making the transition from childhood as they navigate that uncertain passage into becoming adults. Through these scenes and monologues we hear their voices, feel their emotions, and observe their interactions. We also see that young people of pre-teen and early teen years are incredibly resilient. Over the course of the school year the students at this middle school will add one more year of growth to their lives not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well.

When their eighty-five-year-old father dies, sparring siblings Maggie and Jake must face a question: How to break the bad news to their brother Andy, who has Down syndrome and has lived in a state home for years? Along the way, the pair find out just how much they don't know about their family and each other. It seems only Andy knows who he really is.

Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose.

The ultimate collection of artworks, history, memorabilia, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes every fan of The Jungle Book, one of the Disney Studios' most popular movies, will cherish. Written by Disney Legend Andreas Deja and lavishly illustrated, Walt Disney's The Jungle Book gathers original animation celluloids, animation drawings, and concept art--many of which have never been shown to the public--from the popular exhibition at The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Considered one of the finest and most influential Disney movie, The Jungle Book (1967) is the last animated film that Walt Disney personally produced with his signature vision and footprint. This curated collection explores the nuanced complexities and challenges that were overcome throughout the film's development and production, such as the unique characters and their voice-actor counterparts, the application of cutting-edge animation techniques of the time, and the timeless, original songs by the Sherman Brothers and Terry Gilkyson. Dive into the impact of Walt's passing on the Disney Studios and the everlasting legacy of the film throughout the world. NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ANIMATION: Includes original animation celluloids, animation drawings, and concept art from lead animators, most of which have never been seen by the public HEARTWARMING BEHIND-THE SCENES-STORIES: Learn how lead animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas's real-life friendship became the inspiration for the on-screen chemistry between the characters Mowgli and Baloo EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF A BELOVED CLASSIC: Walt Disney's The Jungle Book narrates the complexities faced during the film's development and production as well as the use of new animation techniques at the time WRITTEN BY A DISNEY LEGEND: Andreas Deja, named a Disney Legend in 2015, has designed and overseen the animation of countless animated Disney films including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, and Lilo and Stitch PERFECT GIFT: Walt Disney's The Jungle Book is a must-have collectible gift for every Disney enthusiast and film historian in your life

When their eighty-five-year-old father dies, sparring siblings Maggie and Jake must face a question: How to break the bad news to their sister Amy, who has Down syndrome and has lived in a state home for years? Along the way, the pair find out just how much they don't know about their family and each other. It seems only Amy knows who she really is.

A compelling guide to the fundamental place of humour and comedy within Western culture-by one of its greatest exponents Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study reflects on the nature of humour and the functions it serves. Why do we laugh? What are we to make of the sheer variety of laughter, from braying and cackling to sniggering and chortling? Is humour subversive, or can it defuse dissent? Can we define wit? Packed with illuminating ideas and a good many excellent jokes, the book critically examines various well-known theories of humour, including the idea that it springs from incongruity and the view that it reflects a mildly sadistic form of superiority to others. Drawing on a wide range of literary and philosophical sources, Terry Eagleton moves from Aristotle and Aquinas to Hobbes, Freud, and Bakhtin, looking in particular at the psychoanalytical mechanisms underlying humour and its social and political evolution over the centuries.

Join us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the filming locations for the award-winning Netflix series The Crown.The series recreates the romance and intrigue at the heart of our very own royal family and within these pages we seek out the settings so integral to the story, linking each 'fictional' site to its real-life counterpart.Covering the first four series, starting with Princess Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 and concluding in 1990 - in particular with the relationship of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer following their 1981 wedding - this is the perfect opportunity for every fan of The Crown to follow in the footsteps of royalty.Stunning Ely Cathedral provides the backdrop to the iconic Westminster Abbey where Princess Elizabeth's wedding took place, while Belvoir Castle, Hatfield House and Burghley House are just three of the fine locations that 'double' as Windsor Castle. Historic Winchester Cathedral transforms into St Paul's Cathedral in the run-up to the wedding of Charles and Diana, its versatility also seeing it representing both Romsey Abbey and Westminster Abbey.Sweeping across Britain from London and the home counties to the Welsh treasure that is Caernarfon Castle, heading north to Manchester and Liverpool and onwards to the majestic Scottish Highlands, The Crown's Royal Britain takes you on a royal tour of Britain and the venues that were an inspiration for this special drama.Many of the featured sites are open to the public so as well as learning about how these places played their part you can visit and enjoy the real spectacle in person.

This book explores alternatives to realist, triumphalist, and heroic representations of war in British film and television. Focusing on the period between the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the Falkland War but offering connections to the moment of Brexit, it argues that the "lost continent" of existential, satirical, simulated, and abstractly traumatic war stories is as central to understanding Britain's martial history as the mainstream inheritance. The book features case studies that stress the contribution of exiled or expatriate directors and outsider sensibilities, with particular emphasis on Peter Watkins, Joseph Losey, and Richard Lester. At the same time, it demonstrates concerns and stylistic emphases that continue to the present in television series and films by directors such as Lone Scherfig and Christopher Nolan. Encompassing everything from features to government information films, the book explores related trends in the British film industry, popular culture, and film criticism, while offering a sense of how these contexts contribute to historical memory.

From master comedian Mark Schiff, a long-time touring partner of Jerry Seinfeld, comes a hilarious account of decades of foolery with comedy and acting legends and how he honed his mensch skills in all of life's arenas. Pursuing a career in comedy has always taken a lot of chutzpah. Today Mark Schiff looks back at his fifty-year career as a stand-up comic, actor, and writer and knows he's laughed with the best of them. His comedy and character have been widely praised by everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Bill Maher, Paul Reiser, and Colin Quinn-as Seinfeld writes in his foreword, Mark is "the greatest comedy pal a guy could ever wish for"-but it hasn't always been easy. In this brilliantly honest collection of essays inducing both heart tugs and deep belly laughs, Mark recounts growing up Jewish in the outer boroughs of New York City and shares how he survived a harrowing childhood and managed health crises, aging, marriage, parenting, and career highs and lows. With wit and wisdom, Mark reminds us that no matter the troubles at-hand, the show must always go on. The result is an unforgettable and highly relatable account from one of the best humor writers of our time that will leave readers of all faiths energized and feeling like they've schmoozed with the best of them.

Critics and audiences often judge films, books and other media as "great" -but what does that really mean? This collection of new essays examines the various criteria by which degrees of greatness (or not-so) are constructed-whether by personal, political or social standards-through topics in cinema, literature and adaptation. The contributors recognize how issues of value vary across different cultures, and explore what those differences say about cultural attitudes and beliefs.

This book proposes contemporary decolonization as an approach to developing cultural economies in the Global South. It presents the account of the transformation of television in Jamaica and Ghana to audiovisual subsectors; from cultural institutions to cultural industries and then subsectors of emerging cultural economies as representative case studies. 'Glocal' changes are presented within five organizing phenomena: philosophical, ideological, and economic change, and their impact on governance and the operational transformation of the television sectors of Jamaica and Ghana. This book represents the first critical examination and comparison of cultural and creative industries (CCI) and economy concepts in the Caribbean and Africa. It is an original contribution to the development of strategies that influence processes, structures, and policies related to the cultural economy concept and those required to improve television industries. This process of describing culturally specific characteristics of CCI is designed to be applicable to the CCI of developing countries including those in Africa and the Caribbean, where interpretations and implementation suited for advanced industrial nations have been insufficiently questioned and challenged.

In examining the major critical humorists that have clashed with religion, this book investigates the dynamics at the heart of this long-standing cultural antagonism. The dramatic skirmishes recounted here revolve around various facets of religion, including its policies and edicts, its political manifestations, and the nature of faith itself. The popular wits profiled in each chapter draw upon an array of humor techniques (satire, parody, sarcasm, irony, hyperbole, jokes, puns, and the grotesque), and their expressions are analyzed in the contexts of their particular forms and methods. Genres covered include literature (Twain, Vonnegut), journalism (Mencken, Hitchens), film (Monty Python), cartoons (Charlie Hebdo), cartoon sit-coms (The Simpsons, South Park), stand-up comedy (Carlin, Maher), music (Newman, Pussy Riot), performance monologue (Sweeney), and magic (Jillette). Structured in a loose chronology that allows readers to dip and sip as they choose, this entertaining and insightful survey highlights the expressive diversity of our frontline secular humorists in a sweep that spans the last 150 years.

This is the first book-length introduction in Spanish to the current debate on transnationality in Spanish and Latin American cinema, with theoretical and analytical contributions by several of the leading scholars in the field. Este es el primer libro en espanol que se dedica enteramente a plantear el debate contemporaneo acerca de la transnacionalidad del cine espanol y latinoamericano, con aportaciones teoricas y criticas que ofrecen algunos de los mejores especialistas.