The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them. Like the doors of many professions, those of the theater world were shut to minorities for decades. While the Civil War may have freed the slaves, it was not until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s that the playing field began to level. In this remarkable book, theater producer and historian Stewart F. Lane uses words and pictures to capture this tumultuous century and to highlight the rocky road that black actors have travelled to reach recognition on the Great White Way. After the Civil War, the popularity of the minstrel shows grew by leaps and bounds throughout the country. African Americans were portrayed by whites, who would entertain audiences in black face. While the depiction of blacks was highly demeaning, it opened the door to African-American performers, and by the late 1800s, a number of them were playing to full houses. By the 1920s, the Jazz Age was in full swing, allowing black musicians and composers to reach wider audiences. And in the thirties, musicals such as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess andEubie Blake’s Swing It opened the door a little wider. As the years passed, black performers continued to gain ground. In the 1940s, Broadway productions of Cabin in the Sky, Carmen Jones, and St. Louis Woman enabled African Americans to demonstrate a fuller range of talents, and Paul Robeson reached national prominence in his awarding-winning portrayal of Othello. By the 1950s and ’60s, more black actors―including Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Sidney Poitier―had found their voices on stage, and black playwrights and directors had begun to make their marks. Black Broadway provides an entertaining, poignant history of a Broadway of which few are aware. By focusing a spotlight on both performers long forgotten and on those whom we still hold dear, this unique book offers a story well worth telling.

Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way

Lane, Stewart F.

Humor & Entertainment

Square One Publishers

From Fanny Brice, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern to Barbra Streisand, Alan Menken and Tony Kushner, Jewish performers, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers and producers have made an indelible mark on Broadway for more than a century. This historical volume captures the story of the Jewish emergence from immigrants in ghettos staging Yiddish productions on New York's Lower East Side to their significant social and cultural impact on the stages of Broadway. Includes insights and anecdotes from a life spent working with many of the Jewish legends of American theater.

Jews on Broadway: An Historical Survey of Performers, Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists and Producers

History

Americas

McFarland

Fanny Brice, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Barbra Streisand, Alan Menken, Stephen Sondheim--Jewish performers, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers and producers have made an indelible mark on Broadway for more than a century. Award-winning producer Stewart F. Lane chronicles the emergence of Jewish American theater, from immigrants producing Yiddish plays in the ghettos of New York's Lower East Side to legendary performers staging massive shows on Broadway.
 In its expanded second edition, this historical survey includes new information and photographs, along with insights and anecdotes from a life in the theater.

Jews on Broadway: An Historical Survey of Performers, Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists and Producers, 2d ed.

Television

McFarland Company

(Applause Books). The script of the acclaimed Off-Broadway comedy. Two aspiring young actors in love with each other and the theatre get their big break when they are cast in a new musical written by their Svengali-like acting teacher, Bernardo. But when the show moves to Broadway, only Melinda is asked to move with it. Can love stay alive on the Great White Way? "Most people know me as a producer," says Stewart F. Lane, "but once upon a time, I struggled to make a living on the other side of the footlights which formed an ideal real-life foundation for this romantic New York comedy."

In the Wings: The New Romantic Comedy About Show Business

Applause Theatre & Cinema Books

(Applause Books). Here is a one-stop, reader friendly handbook with DVD for anyone producing a play or musical. Renowned Broadway producer and three-time Tony Award-winner Stewart Lane guides you through the entire process from idea to ovation, with ways to keep everyone involved working together and solutions to those little and not so little problems that occur in every show. Fundamentals covered include selecting a show, finding a theatre space, putting together your creative team, holding auditions and making casting decisions, scheduling rehearsals, promoting the show, and handling all the basic elements of bringing a production from page to stage.

Let's Put on a Show! (Applause Books)

APPLAUSE BOOKS

Here is a one-stop, reader friendly handbook for anyone producing a play or musical. Renowned Broadway producer and three-time Tony Award-winner Stewart Lane guides you through the entire process from idea to ovation, with ways to keep everyone involved working together and solutions to those little – and not so little – problems that occur in every show. Fundamentals covered include selecting a show, finding a theatre space, putting together your creative team, holding auditions and making casting decisions, scheduling rehearsals, promoting the show, and handling all the basic elements of bringing a production from page to stage.

Let's Put on a Show!: Theatre Production for Novices (Applause Books)

Glenn Young Books

It Happened at the Palace: A History of New York’s Iconic Broadway Theater

Literature & Fiction

Broad Book Press

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Books by Lane, Stewart F.