Entertainment & Performing Arts

A five-time Moth GrandSLAM winner and bestselling novelist shows how to tell a great story - and why doing so matters....

How do master storytellers compel us? There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story, but few have used a scientific approach....

The book explores various storytelling elements, including plot, conflict, and dialogue. Egri's insights into conflict are particularly noteworthy, emphasizing its role as the driving force in a narrative. He guides writers on building and escalating tension to captivate and engage audiences....

The great poet Ghalib, part of a long tradition of eclectic liberalism, found Benaras so compelling that he wrote his longest poem on the holy city....

Louise Erdrich ( The Plague of Doves) talks about her latest collection of stories....

Stephen Fry and John Bird star as masters of spin Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe in all 22 episodes of the BBC Radio 4 series....

Honest, heart-warming and insightful, An Unsuitable Boy is both the story of the life of an exceptional filmmaker at the peak of his powers and of an equally extraordinary human being who shows you how to survive and succeed in life....

Beneath the streets of London there is another London. A subterranean labyrinth of sewers and abandoned tube stations. A somewhere that is Neverwhere....

In Pure Evil, Balaji Vittal examines, in delicious detail, the misdeeds of the gangster, the sly relative, the corrupt policeman, the psychopathic killer... A roller-coaster ride looking at the changing face of the Hindi film villain. 

Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), arguably the most influential director in the history of the theater, was the founder of the renowned Moscow Art Theater....

Professional magician Joshua Jay's brief and fascinating essays offer an inside look at how the very best magicians think about magic, how they practice and put together a show, what inspires them, and the psychology behind creating wonder and being tricked when we expect both....

The key principles of stand-up comedy can be applied to your speaking engagements and presentations to make you funnier, more interesting, and better looking (or at least two of the three)....

In the perfect companion piece to his first book, Blake Snyder delivers even more insider information gleaned from a 20-year track record as one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters....

Stella Adler was one of the 20th Century's greatest figures. She is arguably the most important teacher of acting in American history. Her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly captured and encapsulated by Howard Kissel, in the 22 lessons you'll hear in this audiobook....

A full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman’s celebrated apocalyptic comic novel, with bonus length episodes and outtakes....

With laugh-out-loud funny parenting observations, the New York Times best-selling author and award-winning comedian delivers a book that is perfect for anyone who has ever raised a child, been a child, or refuses to stop acting like one....

Stories for Work walks you through the science of storytelling, revealing the secrets behind great storytellers and showing you how to master the art of storytelling in business....

Steve Jobs electrified audiences with his incomparable style and showmanship. Now you can do it too, by learning the specific techniques that made Jobs the most captivating communicator on the world stage....

For more than fifteen years Moe Moskowitz and the Punsters were the court jesters of National Public Radio, performing the funniest songs and nonsense that NPR has to offer....

The exercises in this book will get you off the couch and onto the stage, helping you develop the skills necessary to envision, and achieve, a successful career in comedy....

Exactly 50 years ago, in 1955, the release of Pather Panchali heralded the arrival of a master in the world of cinema. Over the next 40 years, Satyajit Ray came to be regarded as one of the world’s finest filmmakers ever....

Whether you want to write your own scripts or simply gain a deeper appreciation for the great stories you see unfold on the screen, Professor Angus Fletcher is here to show you the way....

"I've experienced a whole lot the last few years and I have a lot to share....

Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. She was determined, confident, and ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong? Uh, basically everything....

The Ricky Gervais Show on Xfm is where Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant first met Karl Pilkington. The trio have been talking drivel ever since....

Once again, the legendary comedy duo unearth six vitally important subjects... and then tit about about them. From surviving on a desert island to being eaten by a cardboard crocodile, Dawn and Jennifer will entertain, inform and thoroughly tit about for your pleasure. (Batteries not included.)

Recorded live at the Friar's Club in New York City, this collection of stand-up routines features some of the greatest American comedians at the height of their comic skills. Presented by Joey Adams—and with introductions by television legends Milton Berle and Phyllis Diller—this recording captures performances by Norm Crosby, Freddie Roman, Soupy Sales, and Henny Youngman. In this nostalgic, hysterical collection, you'll laugh all the way through hundreds of hilarious jokes, gags, and putdowns.

Debuting at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in 1991, Catskills of Broadway was a critically acclaimed show that played to sold-out houses for more than a year, followed by a national tour. This audio recording captures the hilarity provided by comedians Dick Capri, Louise Duart, Mal Z. Lawrence, and Freddie Roman.

The Journey to Ineffectiveness: A Beginner’s Guide” by Dr JC, presents the novel argument that Ineffectiveness is a good thing and we should embrace it. It lays out a plan whereby we can increase our ineffectiveness. The book introduces our other IQ (Ineffectiveness Quotient), which is measured by our behavior, rather than our mental ability. It introduces a number of areas that present us opportunities to increase our IQ in a humorous, and some might say an outrageous, style.

Since its original publication in 1973, Uta Hagen's Respect for Acting has remained a durable classic for all students of acting. As an acting instructor at the Herbert Berghof Studio, Hagen helped to develop the talents of world-class actors like Robert DeNiro, Matthew Broderick, Gene Wilder, Amanda Peet, Austin Pendleton, Whoopi Goldberg, and more. This updated edition illuminates Hagen's original text with a new foreword written by Katie Finneran, retaining the David Hyde Pierce foreword, along with added background on HB Studio.

In The Time of My Life, celebrated music journalist Andrea Warner excavates the layers of Dirty Dancing, from its anachronistic, chart-topping soundtrack, to Baby and Johnny’s chemistry, to Bergstein’s political intentions, to the abortion subplot that is more relevant today than ever. The film’s remarkable longevity would never have been possible if it was just a throwaway summer fling story. It is precisely because of its themes—deeply feminist, sensitively written—that we, over 30 years later, are still holding our breath during that last, exhilarating lift.

Peter Cowie's book chronicles the life and the sixty-year film and stage career of Ingmar Bergman as he wrestles of themes of love, sex, and betrayal with the figure of Death hovering overhead. Blending biographical information with critical comment, Cowie presents a man whose life and work were intimately fused.

Apocalypse Television features a dramatic insider's account of the making of and backlash against The Day After. No other book has told this story in similar fashion, venturing behind-the-scenes of the programming and news divisions at ABC, the backlash from the conservative movement and Religious Right, the challenges encountered by the film's production team, and the experiences of the citizens of Lawrence, Kansas, where the film was set and shot.

Das stetige Erstarken der Familien der flugfähigen Drachen ist der abtrünnigen menschengestaltigen Linie der Wolkenfelser seit langem ein Dorn im Auge. Weil alle direkten Versuche, den großen Drachen zu schaden, durch Lady Tessa erstickt werden, versuchen Sie, die beiden Königreiche des Clans gegeneinander auszuspielen und Tessas Reich von innen zu zersetzen. Als sie die menschliche Gefolgschaft, die Familie des Herrn des Weihergutes, überfallen, ahnen sie nicht, dass sie ihr eigenes Ende einläuten, erst recht nicht, wer es ihnen bereiten wird.

This step is crucial; in the third session we explore personal branding and how it can land you work. If you’ve been struggling to figure out what your personal brand is, then this is for you!

El crítico más seguido y temido del cine español nos cuenta su vida sin tapujos. Carlos Boyero es una de las figuras más seguidas y temidas del cine español. La polémica le persigue desde que hace más de cincuenta años publicara su primer artículo y, desde entonces, nunca ha dejado de estar en el ojo del huracán. Boyero ha sido siempre ácido en sus críticas, irreverente e inconformista en todos los aspectos de su vida.

DESPRE AUDIOBOOK. Mintea omenească se poate lăsa păcălită de aparențe în situațiile cele mai banale. Nu este grav: trebuie doar să înveți să faci diferențele care contează. În Trucuri ale minții, Derren Brown dezvăluie o parte dintre tehnicile pe care le utilizează în spectacolele sale de iluzionism și magie, precum și unele tehnici de hipnoză. Fascinantă și spirituală, cartea este un melanj de sfaturi și anecdote despre cât de ușor de păcălit sunt oamenii, dar și un ghid care îți arată cum să faci pasul decisiv de la a te lăsa înșelat până la a deveni un stăpân al iluziei.

Drawing from over three decades as an assistant director, McGiffert charts a revealing and informative journey through the making of many major films working with noted directors such as Robert Zemeckis, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, Sydney Pollack, Milos Forman, Peter Weir, Steve Zaillian, Jon Avnet, and Terry Gilliam. This behind-the-scenes book is a must-listen for casual moviegoers and committed film lovers alike.

A new edition of the first book in the acclaimed Pop Classics series The Worst. Movie. Ever. is a masterpiece. Seriously. Enough time has passed since Showgirls flopped spectacularly that it’s time for a good hard look back at the sequined spectacle. A salvage operation on a very public, very expensive train wreck, It Doesn’t Suck argues that Showgirls is much smarter and deeper than it is given credit for.

Damn good coffee, cherry pie, and the “big bang of auteur television”―why Twin Peaks deserves to be a pop culture classic In 1990, avant garde filmmaker David Lynch (Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet) and acclaimed television writer Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) teamed up to create a television show that would redefine what the medium could achieve in a one-hour drama.