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Verburg, Carol

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This book has been replaced by a fuller account of Edward Gorey's theatrical work, Edward Gorey On Stage: Playwright, Director, Designer, Performer: a Multimedia Memoir, available in both print and e-book formats. How to classify the extraordinary Edward Gorey? Artist? Writer? Dark humorist? What about Dramatist? It was in theatre that Gorey’s public career started and finished. As a postwar Harvard University student, he and his friends Frank O'Hara, Alison Lurie, John Ashbery, and others created the legendary Poets’ Theatre. After winning a Tony Award on Broadway for Frank Langella’s Dracula, Gorey left New York for Cape Cod. From Woods Hole to Provincetown, he wrote, designed, and directed a scintillating set of “entertainments” starring local actors and his own troupe of handmade puppets. Chief producer of Gorey’s plays was his friend and neighbor Carol Verburg. Now she tells how he did it. From “The Helpless Doorknob” and “The Gilded Bat” to “Horror at Hamstrung Hall” and “Porptiga,” she chronicles Gorey's adventures in drama, puppetry, opera, and even (briefly) acting.

Edward Gorey Plays Cape Cod: Puppets, People, Places, & Plots

Arts & Photography

Individual Artists

Boom-Books

Renowned as an artist, author, and godfather of Goth, Edward Gorey was first and last a dramatist. This ingenious multimedia memoir is a homage to his famous pop-up books, and a rare backstage tour of his lifelong involvement in theater. From Harvard, where Gorey and roommate Frank O’Hara helped found the Poets' Theatre, to New York, where he designed the Tony-award-winning costumes and sets for Frank Langella's Dracula, to Cape Cod, where he steered his troupe of actors and puppets through twenty-odd original "entertainments," Edward Gorey delighted in uncoiling weird little stories into four-dimensional mini-dramas. Some were his familiar alphabet books and tales such as The Insect God and The Curious Sofa; others, such as Blithering Christmas, he composed specifically for venues from Provincetown to Cotuit to Woods Hole. This affectionate recap by his longtime friend and collaborator CJ Verburg is a great gift to any Edward Gorey fan: full of rare original drawings and notes, color photographs, script and review excerpts, and live links to film clips of Gorey himself performing onstage.

Edward Gorey On Stage: Playwright, Director, Designer, Performer: a Multimedia Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

The definitive, deluxe art book about Edward Gorey's theater work--from the iconic&nbsp;and Tony Award-winning&nbsp;Broadway production of Dracula to the wildly creative productions to which he devoted the last decade of his life.&nbsp; Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was a prodigious and original artist who published more than one hundred beloved works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest, and Amphigorey, and illustrations that appeared regularly in such publications as The New Yorker and The New York Times and books by authors ranging from Charles Dickens and T.S. Eliot to John Updike and Virginia Woolf, among many others. His animated credits for the PBS Mystery! series introduced him to millions of television viewers. In addition to his&nbsp;intricate pen-and-ink drawings and darkly humorous storybooks, Gorey also nurtured a lifelong passion for the performing arts. This volume is the first to showcase his extensive theatrical work, including his transition from designing major productions to crafting original community theater pieces on Cape Cod. Written by&nbsp;his friend and collaborator Carol Verburg, this&nbsp;deluxe hardcover edition is filled with annotated scripts, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and over 200 images, including archival photos and previously unpublished artwork. It unveils Gorey at work and play, drawing back the curtain on&nbsp;his enigmatic genius, which continues to inspire creatives and collectors today. ICONIC ARTIST: Edward Gorey's art is beloved and instantly recognizable. Storytellers such as Tim Burton and Daniel Handler cite him as an inspiration, and his influence is visible in the works of illustrators ranging from Tom Gauld to Stephanie von Reiswitz. With an oeuvre that ranges widely from storybooks&nbsp;to the stage, Gorey is a major artist of the 20th century.&nbsp; RARE AND&nbsp;UNPUBLISHED CONTENT: This is the first book&nbsp;focused on Gorey's theater work and&nbsp;includes previously unpublished and rarely seen archival photos, illustrations, and scripts--some annotated in Gorey's own hand. It is an essential read for collectors and fans. THE INSIDE STORY: Carol Verburg was Gorey's close friend and creative comrade-in-arms all through the last decade of his life, and she writes with insight and a personal touch. She intersperses her own reminiscences with quotes from actors and other collaborators to weave a vivid narrative. EXQUISITE GIFT: With rich visuals, engaging writing, and a deluxe hardcover package featuring a red velvet spine, this is a beautiful volume to display on a coffee table and the perfect gift for Gorey&nbsp;fans&nbsp;and theater buffs.&nbsp; Perfect for: <ul> <li>Fans and collectors of Edward Gorey's books and illustrations</li> <li>Lovers of theater, theater history, and theatrical design and production</li> <li>Art students and collectors</li> <li>Readers of memoirs and biographies</li> </ul>

The Theatrical Adventures of Edward Gorey: Rare Drawings, Scripts, and Stories

Chronicle Books+

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