Matthew Bourne and His Adventures in Dance is an intimate and in-depth conversation between the prize-winning pioneer of ballet and contemporary dance Matthew Bourne and the New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay.In 1987, a small, aspirant dance group with a striking name made its debut on the London fringe. In 1996, Adventures in Motion Pictures made history as the first modern dance company to open a production in London's West End. From this achievement,...

I can hardly believe that it is more than half a century since I first stepped on to the stage of the Old Vic Theatre and into a way of life that has brought me the most rewarding professional relationships and friendships. I cannot imagine now ever doing anything else with my life except acting…" – Judi DenchFrom London's glittering West End to Broadway's bright lights, from her Academy Award-winning role as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love to "M" in the James Bond films...

Anything Goes traces the life and career of John Barrowman, from his Glaswegian childhood and American adolescence to his first big break starring alongside Elaine Paige in Anything Goes. Since then, John has made a name for himself with outstanding West End achievements, including an Olivier Award nomination, and success in the movies The Producers and De-Lovely. His triumphant transition into television was confirmed when Torchwood won a Best Drama BAF...

In "All Balls and Glitter", Craig turns the spotlight on himself and is at his most candid yet. Craig tells his remarkable life story, beginning with his childhood in Australia, and spills the secrets of his celebrity encounters.

The first, definitive biography of the iconic, notoriously private British fashion designer Alexander McQueen “offers new insights...and provides unprecedented access to a misunderstood soul” (The Boston Globe).When forty-year-old Alexander McQueen died by suicide in February 2010, a shocked world mourned the loss of the haute couture visionary. McQueen had risen from humble beginnings as the son of an East London taxi driver to scale the heights of fame, ...

For readers who are unsure of the difference between an alto and a contralto, wonder exactly when to applaud at a concert, or aren't even sure what music they should be listening to in the first place, this is the perfect guideAll too often, potential classical music listeners are put off due to its perceived elitism. This book gleefully dispels this notion and many others as it works brilliantly to make classical music not only accessible, but also disarmingly sim...

Award Monologues for Women is a collection of fifty-four monologues taken from plays written since 1980 that have been nominated for the Pullitzer Prize, the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards in New York, and The Evening Standard and Laurence Olivier Awards in London. The book provides an excellent range of up-to-date audition pieces, usefully arranged in age groups, and is supplemented with audition tips to improve your acting, and to ensure that the best possible performan...

This book is a perceptive and critical account of the first 75 years of The Royal Ballet, tracing the company's growth, and its great cultural importance - an indispensable book for all lovers of ballet.In 1931, Ninette de Valois started a ballet company with just six dancers. Within twenty years, The Royal Ballet - as it became - was established as one of the world's great companies. It has produced celebrated dancers, from Margot Fonteyn to Darcey Bussell, and one of the richest ...

The inspirational memoir by the international classical music star and winner of Britain's Got Talent, now a major motion picture starring James Corden.One Chance is the remarkable true story of Paul Potts. When Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night, stepped onto the stage in the premiere season of Britain's Got Talent, no one expected the phenomenal voice that would emerge. Judge Simon Cowell and...

Over the decades, gay cinema has reflected the community's journey from persecution to emancipation to acceptance. Politicized dramas like Victim in the 1960s, The Naked Civil Servant in the 1970s, and the AIDS cinema of the 1980s have given way in recent years to films which celebrate a vast array of gay lifestyles. Gay films have undergone a major shift from the fringe to the mainstream—2005's Academy Awards were dubbed "the gay Oscars" with statues going to Brokeba...

The Sound of Pictures is an illuminating journey through the soundtracks of more than 400 films. How do filmmakers play with sound? And how does that affect the way we watch their movies? Whether pop or classical, sweeping or sparse, music plays a crucial role in our cinematic experience. Other sounds can be even more evocative: the sounds of nature, of cities and of voices.In The Sound of Pictures, Andrew Ford listens to the movies. He speaks to acclaimed directo...

Sir Ian McKellen, is an English actor. He is the recipient of six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BIF Award, two Saturn Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and two Critics' Choice Awards. He has also received two Academy Award nominations, eight BAFTA film and TV nominations and five Emmy Award nominations. McKellen's work spans genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. His notabl...