Bøker av James Magruder

An insider's spirited history of Yale Repertory Theatre   In this serious and entertaining chronicle of the first fifty years of Yale Repertory Theatre, award-winning dramaturg James Magruder shows how dozens of theater artists have played their parts in the evolution of a sterling American institution. Each of its four chapters is dedicated to one of the Yale Rep's artistic directors to date: Robert Brustein, Lloyd Richards, Stan Wojewodski Jr., and James Bundy. Numerous sidebars-dedicated to the spaces used by the theater, the playwrights produced most often, casting, the prop shop, the costume shop, artist housing, and other topics-enliven the lavishly illustrated four-color text. This fascinating insider account, full of indelible descriptions of crucial moments in the Rep's history, is based in part on interviews with some of America's most respected actors about their experiences at the Rep, including Paul Giamatti, James Earl Jones, Frances McDormand, Meryl Streep, Courtney B. Vance, Dianne Wiest, and Henry Winkler-among many others.   More than just a valentine to an important American theater, The Play's the Thing is a story about institution-building and the force of personality; about the tug-of-war between vision and realpolitik; and about the continuous negotiation between educational needs and artistic demands.

James Magruder's collection of linked stories follows two gay cousins, Tom and Elliott, from adolescence in the 1970s to adulthood in the early '90s. With a rueful blend of comedy and tenderness, Magruder depicts their attempts to navigate the closet and the office and the lessons they learn about libidinous co-workers, resume boosting, Italian suffixes, and frozen condoms.

This work comprises three translated versions of plays by French writers. "Turcaret", a tale of sexual intrigue and bad manners, and "Triumph of Love", which deals with self-reflection and self-consciousness, were written in the 18th century, while "Eating Crow" was written in the 19th.