In “an unabashedly biased, deeply researched book” (SF Gate), Ed Asner—the actor who starred as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—reclaims the Constitution from the right-wingers who think that they and only they know how to interpret it.Ed Asner, a self-proclaimed dauntless Democrat from the old days, figured that if the right-wing wackos are wrong about voter fraud, Obama’s death panels, and climate change, they are probably just as wrong a...

Learn how to adapt the craft of acting to the needs of the camera and how to make it in TV & film with this guide full of insights from pros in the field.Culled from Tony Barr's forty years of experience as a performer, director, and acting teacher in Hollywood, this highly praised handbook provides readers with the practical knowledge they need when performing in front of the camera.This updated edition includes plenty of new exercises for honing on-camera s...

In “an unabashedly biased, deeply researched book” (SF Gate), Ed Asner—the actor who starred as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—reclaims the Constitution from the right-wingers who think that they and only they know how to interpret it.Ed Asner, a self-proclaimed dauntless Democrat from the old days, figured that if the right-wing wackos are wrong about voter fraud, Obama’s death panels, and climate change, they are probably just as wrong a...

A unifying narrative for divided times, Bent Toward Justice tells the story of Murray Schwartzman, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust and escaped to America. But while Schwartzman may have found respite from external conflict in his peaceful and supportive American Jewish community, he faces a new internal upheaval. An encounter with an apparently anti-Semitic doctor forces Schwartzman to confront his beliefs about Palestinians being the enemy of the Jewish people.Mar...

On a spring day in 1947, Mr. Rickey, the powerful General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, summons heavyweight champion Joe Louis, tap star Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson and actor Paul Robeson to his hotel room in Manhattan. Rickey wants their support when he taps Jackie Robinson to be the Major League’s first black ballplayer. But a power struggle ensues when the eloquent Robeson raises questions about Rickey’s motivations to integrate white baseball.An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast pe...

Two one-act plays by Joyce Carol Oates.The Key: a hilarious perverse encounter between a vacationing suburban housewife, recently separated from her husband, and a prosperous businessman.Tone Cluster: a chilling trig-comedy that takes the form of an interview between a middle-aged, middle-class American couple and the media.Full-cast L.A. Theatre Works performances featuring Edward Asner, Hector Elizondo, Don Reed, Joyce Van Patten, JoBeth Williams

Eight highly diverse works from one of America’s most prolific and versatile authors, this collection includes an exclusive dramatization of Oates’ bestselling novel American Appetites, two comedic plays The Perfectionist and The Truth Teller, four short stories Gulf War, Black, The Key and Tone Clusters, as well as her libretto for Black Water: An American Opera, composed by John Duffy.American Appetites:The façade of an affluent suburban couple crumbles under the weight of...

Inspired by the released American hostages, Hotel Oubliette is a darkly comedic play that explores what happens when two emotionally disconnected men are chained to a post with an endless amount of time stretching before them.An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Edward Asner, Thomas Caruso, Arye Gross and Marsha Mason.

Coming of age in America by way of the baseball diamond, left-hander Henry Wiggen grows to manhood in a right-handed world. From his small-town beginnings, to the top of the game, Henry finds out how hard it is to please his coach, his girl, the sports page and himself-all at once. The first installation of a series that includes Bang the Drum Slowly, The Southpaw is a comic and poignant look at Henry Wiggen’s first season in the majors. Based on the novel by Mark Harris.An L.A. Th...

With an all-star cast including Stacy Keach, Helen Hunt, Edward Asner, Ted Danson and Richard Dreyfuss, this epic of the booming 1920’s uniquely captures the relentless culture of American business. Babbitt is a true classic about conformity in small town America - celebrated for its comic tone, satire, and vivid dialogue. The play is based on Sinclair Lewis’ novel, first published in 1922.An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Edward Asner, Rene Auberjonois, Bonnie ...

Dostoyevsky’s monumental novel The Idiot, adapted into a spellbinding full-cast drama by playwright David Fishelson.In The Idiot, meet the kindly, childlike Prince Myshkin, as he returns to the decadent social whirl of 1860s St. Petersburg. The two most beautiful, sought-after women in the town compete for his affections, in a duel that grows increasingly dangerous.An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Edward Asner, Kate Asner, Angela Bettis, Arye Gross, Joh...

As a young Jewish man in 17th century Amsterdam, Baruch de Spinoza excelled as a theological student; but as he encountered free-thinking Protestants, atheists, and radicals in this relatively tolerant city, he began to question his religion and the nature of God. As a result, he was branded a heretic and faced excommunication.Includes an interview with Steven Nadler, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s Scan...