Far from the glittering lights of Broadway; in a city known more for its horse racing than its artistic endeavors; an annual festival in Louisville; Kentucky; has transformed the landscape of the American theater. The Actors Theatre of Louisvillemdash;the Tony Awardndash;winning state theater of Kentuckymdash;in 1976 successfully created what became the nations most respected new-play festival; the Humana Festival of New American Plays.The Humana Festival: The History of New Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville examines the success of the festival and theaterrsquo;s Pulitzer Prizendash;winning productions that for decades have reflected new-play trends in regional theaters and on Broadwaymdash;the result of the calculated decisions; dogged determination; and good luck of its producing director; Jon Jory.The volume details how Actors Theatre of Louisville was established; why the Humana Festival became successful in a short time; and how the eventrsquo;s success has been maintained by the Louisville venue that has drawn theater critics from around the world for more than thirty years.Author Jeffrey Ullom charts the theaterrsquo;s early struggles to survive; the battles between troupe leaders; and the desperate measures to secure financial support from the Louisville community. He examines how Jory established and expanded the festival to garner extraordinary local support; attract international attention; and entice preeminent American playwrights to premier their works in the Kentucky city. In The Humana Festival; Ullom provides a broad view of new-play development within artistic; administrative; and financial contexts. He analyzes the relationship between Broadway and regional theaters; outlining how the Humana Festival has changed the process of new-play development and even Broadwayrsquo;s approach to discovering new work; and also highlights the struggles facing regional theaters across the country as they strive to balance artistic ingenuity and economic viability.Offering a rare look at the annual event; The Humana Festival provides the first insiderrsquo;s view of the extraordinary efforts that produced the nationrsquo;s most successful new-play festival.
#2755022 in eBooks 2013-05-13 2013-05-13File Name: B00CWYXTFA
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A must-have for costumers; a fascinating resource for anyone interested in mens garmentsBy K of CSpgsAmong theatrical costumers; Norah Waugh is a staple; a gotta-have-it. She has done volumes on both mens and womens attire; based on her extensive knowledge of garments and their construction.This is more than just a picture book; there are illustrations of the patterns used in constructing the garments men wore over four centuries. If youre interested in drafting your own patterns; this becomes an invaluable resource. Novices beware;however. Dont expect McCalls or Butterick. There are only small-scale sketches of the major patterns pieces; with the barest hint of scale. There are no instructions for assembling the pieces; you are on your own (and; even though Ive been making clothes for many; many years; I have found myself baffled at how certain pieces from Waughs drawings are to be sewn together).Another weakness is the lack of detail about certain items. I was recently commissioned to recreate shirts for Benjamin Franklin; circa 1780-90; so I naturally turned to Noras book. No problem finding depictions of the shirt itself; but when it came to the neckwear; she didnt include anything that helped me.It bears mentioning that since most of the garments that have survived to be examined in the 20th Century were made for the well-to-do; Ms. Waughs book will not be a great place to look for peasant or working-class garb. In addition to surviving garments; she relies heavily on paintings; particularly portraits. Again; only the wealthy and/or noble were typically the subjects.Nonetheless; if you are researching and/or attempting to construct period menswear; Norah Waughs books are truly worth having.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great resource book.By cody jefferiesA great resource for seeing the way garments were cut for men. This book is definitely more for someone who has an interest in the history of tailoring and a good understanding of how clothing is cut and assmebled. There are patterns that can be enlarged and used as a starting point to fit a modern body. I highly recommend this book for a working; research library.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great detailed informationBy JSKThis book was recommended to me three years ago as a supplement to costume history books. It is an extremely useful book as it not only provides images of clothing pieces but also historical information regarding the construction of them including layouts of pattern pieces. This is a great book for anyone seriously interested in creating period accurate clothing.