Reston Community Players, in association with Amazon.com, is pleased to make the following books and videotapes available for online purchase. Part of the purchase price of each book sold from this page is rebated to RCP. You can also go directly to Amazon.com's home page; once you're there, any purchases that you make also benefit Reston Community Players. Disney's Beauty and the Beast is our season opener. A recording of the Broadway cast is available. Find out more about this CD, then buy it. Also available: selections arranged for piano/vocal/guitar. Our next show is The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Find out more about this book, then buy it. Also available: DVD of the film version of the play, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The Stuff of Dreams, by Leah Hager Cohen Why do people participate in community theaters? Where else do we find a huge voluntary outpouring of energy, bridging various separations of class, race, gender, religion and sexuality -- for no practical gain? In this unique volume, author Leah Hager Cohen answers these questions as she takes us behind the scenes of the Arlington Friends of the Drama, the fourth oldest of more than 40 community theaters in the greater Boston area. A long-time community theater participant, the author effectively portrays the life of the theater through the experiences of a small group of individuals working on the controversial play, M. Butterfly. Covering all aspects of production, including auditions, rehearsals, cast parties, board meetings and more, as well as her own personal experiences in theater, Cohen provides an intimate look at the stage rarely seen by the general public. But more than presenting portraits of individuals or of a particular theater, the author delves into the meaning and process of community. She explores the community theater as a grossly overlooked and a uniquely compelling social institution -- one in which people are encouraged to experiment and learn about how societies work, how people relate, how jobs get accomplished, how abilities can be used and how needs can be met within a given community. Whether you've participated in community theater, seen a community theater production or just have an abiding love for the stage, this enthralling title is for you. (Recommended by Sue Pinkman.) Find out more about this book, then buy it. Stage Management, 6th ed., by Lawrence Stern. "When I called my first show, this book helped me get through it. Stern's book covers everything you need to know -- and then some! -- from making up a prompt script, to keeping directors and actors productive during rehearsals, to teching in and giving cues, all the way to strike. Some of Stern's material is more appropriate to the professional SM, and some of the jobs he describes will be handled by other people: it depends on how your theatre runs things. There are many sidebars of advice offered by practicing stage managers in response to earlier editions of the book. An extensive appendix includes a glossary, a production checklist with suggested priorities, and a collection of theatre jokes." (Recommended by David Gorsline.) Find out more about this book, then buy it. Titles from our 2004-05 season are still available. Mame is our season opener. A recording of the 1966 Broadway cast is available. Find out more about this CD, then buy it. Also available: Auntie Mame, the original memoir by Patrick Dennis. Our next show is the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, by David Auburn. Find out more about this book, then buy it. Our season closes with The Two Gentlemen of Verona, which is available in an inexpensive collection with two other Shakespearean comedies. Find out more about this book, then buy it. Send comments about this site to webmaster@restonplayers.org. This page was last updated on Tuesday, 16 May 2006. ©2006 Reston Community Players. All rights reserved.

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