The Playbill Broadway Yearbook: June 1, 2004 - May 31, 2005 - Hardcover

Viagas, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1557836825 ISBN 13: 9781557836823

Publisher: Playbill Books, 2005

Synopsis

Many of the people who work on Broadway keep scrapbooks of their experiences: photos, signed posters, ticket stubs, and, of course the Playbills. Playbill Books, a division of the iconic 111-year-old company that designs the programs for every show on Broadway, has expanded this idea into a new project that it hopes will become a Broadway institution: The Playbill Broadway Yearbook. It takes the form of a high school or college yearbook, packed with photos and memorabilia from the entire 2004-2005 season. This inaugural edition will include chapters on every show that ran during the season – not just the new shows, but the long-running ones from seasons past as well. In addition to all the headshots of all the actors who appeared in Playbill, the book will have photos of producers, writers, designers, stage managers, stagehands and musicians. The goal is to include as many of the faces that worked on Broadway and who made themselves available., , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Correspondents range from dressers and stage doormen to stage managers, dancers, featured players, and, in some cases, the star of the show.

About this title

About the Author:

Your Yearbook editor is Robert Viagas, founder of Playbill On-Line, editor of Louis Botto's At This Theatre (Applause, 1-55783-566-7'), 'host of “Radio Playbill ” and author of books including The Back Stage Guide To Broadway (082308809X) and On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line. He lives in Mamaroneck, New York. The assistant editor is Amy Asch, archivist for the Oscar Hammerstein II and Jonathan Larson estates.

From Publishers Weekly:

Playbill publisher Philip Birsh decided he would create "a yearbook, like a high school yearbook," which would include photos of every person working on a Broadway show in a given year. So Viagas, one of the magazine's editors, reprinted the head shots and text from the official Playbills of each production, from Aida to Wonderful Town, and arranged group shots of performers, directors, box-office staff and ushers. In addition, pictures of the staff for producers' offices, press agents, union leaders and even personnel from nationwide Playbill publications are included in a section called "Faculty." Like high school shots, most photos show people standing in a line and smiling awkwardly for the camera. In an attempt to add some spice to the project, a member of each production answered questions, such as the casts' favorite snack food or the most memorable celebrity visits, which appear in the "Scrapbook" section. None of the answers, however, lend insight or helpful information; mostly, they're of the "you had to be there" variety. As with high school yearbooks, this will be a source of nostalgic reminiscence for the participants, but of minimal use for historians or theater buffs. (Oct.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Playbill Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1557836825
• ISBN 13: 9781557836823
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432