Showing titles in Performing Arts

Before Harry Houdini (1874-1926) became the greatest magician in the world, he was just little Ehrich Weisz, a Hungarian-born immigrant who moved to America with his family and performed stage tricks for a little extra cash. He started off with card tricks and then eventually began performing the escape acts that would make him famous. Known for his daring and death-defying illusions, he would do some of the greatest tricks ever: escaping from a milk can, being buried alive, and being locked inside a crate and thrown into a river.

August Wilson (1945-2005) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who had a particular talent for capturing the authentic everyday voice of black Americans. As a child, he read off soup cans and cereal boxes, and when his mother brought him to the library, his whole world opened up. After facing intense prejudice at school from both students and some teachers, August dropped out. However, he continued reading and educating himself independently.

You probably know Shailene Woodley as the fearless, black-clad heroine Tris from Divergent. But did you know that she was diagnosed with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, as a freshman in high school; cofounded the nonprofit All It Takes, an organization dedicated to giving young people tools to make a difference and change the world; and would someday like to run an organic farm and produce affordable food for low-income families?

You probably know Justin Timberlake as the successful boy-band singer turned solo artist whose voice dominates the airwaves. But did you know that he sang - and lost! - on the competitive TV show Star Search at the age of 11, opened a barbecue restaurant in New York City, and wrote a song for his wife, Jessica Biel, and sang it for her on their wedding day?

You probably know Idina Menzel as the amazing singer of "Let It Go" and the voice of Elsa in the movie Frozen. But did you know that she dreamed of playing the title character in the musical Annie, sang at weddings and bar mitzvahs before making it big on Broadway, and started a summer camp for kids?

This Chelsea House’s Galaxy of Superstars book features the young diva who has taken the country by storm with a dynamic singing voice and notable acting credits.

Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina. Black-and-white illustrations provide...

A ten-audiobook collection dedicated to some of the most famous rock-and-roll artists of all time, from the creators of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series. Learn about the early lives and exciting careers of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Bob...

How does a little boy from the London suburbs named Reginald Kenneth Dwight grow up to become one of the biggest pop stars of all time? A lot of talent and a lot of personality! Elton John, as he would later call himself, started playing piano at the age of three. Although he was trained to play...

Find out how this English singer-songwriter and actor who constantly reinvented his look and sound became one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century in this new book from the #1 New York Times bestselling series. David Bowie, born David Robert Jones, wasn't just an incredible...

The first ever children's book by music legend Willie Nelson and his sister and bandmate Bobbie Nelson! "We had so little money, but so much love." He was a boy with a guitar. She was a girl with a piano. Raised by loving grandparents in Depression-era rural Texas, their humble beginnings...

Learn how this Emmy-winning host, producer, and television personality became the world's most famous drag queen. RuPaul Andre Charles always knew he was meant to be a performer. Even as a young child, he loved to dress up and imitate the glamorous women he saw on television. When he turned...

Learn how Fred Rogers, a minister and musician from Pennsylvania, became one of America's most beloved television personalities and everyone's favorite neighbor. Even though he's best known for his successful PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Fred Rogers never dreamed of working in...

Every kid has heard of Harry Houdini, the famous magician who could escape from handcuffs, jail cells, and locked trunks. But do they know that the ever-ambitious and adventurous Houdini was also a famous movie star and the first pilot to fly a plane in Australia? This well-told biography is...

Annie Edson Taylor went over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Mabel Stark wrestled with tigers. Sonora Webster Carver plummeted forty feet on horseback into a tank of water. These and the eleven other women profiled in this audiobook performed between 1880 and 1929, when females were expected to stay...

Best Children's Books of the Year—Bank Street College of Education CCBC Choices—Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) The inspiring biography of Ira Aldridge, a Black actor who overcame racism to become one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century. Ira Aldridge...

Джеймс Кэмерон–известный режиссёр, автор таких блокбастеров, как «Аватар», «Терминатор», «Титаник» и многих других. Трудно встретить человека, который не видел ни одного его фильма! И мало кого они оставляют равнодушным: работы Кэмерона всегда поражают захватывающим сюжетом и яркими сценами. Кроме того, он настоящий новатор, разработавший новые техники съемки, неутомимый исследователь морских глубин и активный борец за экологию.

You Are Strong: A Book for the Littlest Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Fans features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun! Like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, you have an incredible strength inside you! This inspiring audiobook celebrates his amazing journey, showing even the...

Stephen Sondheim learns to assemble musicals like the pieces of a puzzle on his way to becoming an American theater icon. An inspiring nonfiction book on the creative process that will spark an interest in music for kids ages 7–10. Before he became a greatest lyricist and composer, Stephen...

There once was a boy named Marcel, who was gifted at many things. He could draw anything. He could act. He could dance and move his body to imitate all kinds of animals and people; he could even become the wind! His family clapped and laughed when he performed. But before Marcel could even grow...