Entertainment & Performing Arts

The gifted filmmaker, corduroy activist and amateur dentist, Richard Ayoade, first chanced upon a copy of The Two-Hander Trilogy by Harauld Hughes in a second-hand bookshop. At first startled by his uncanny resemblance to the author's photo, he opened the volume and was electrified. Terse, aggressive, and elliptical, what was true of Ayoade was also true of Hughes's writing, which encompassed stage, screen, and some of the shortest poems ever published.

Growing up in Liverpool as the entertainer of the family, impersonating neighbours to the delight of her friends and playing pranks on her unwitting mother (from which the poor carpet never recovered), the young Alison Steadman could never have imagined what the future had in store. But when she snuck off to London to audition for drama school in secret, Alison set in motion a series of events that would see her become one of the greatest character-actors of the age, and a national treasure to boot.

On March 17, 2005, Spamalot debuted on Broadway to rapturous reviews for its star-studded creative team, including creators Eric Idle and John Du Prez, director Mike Nichols, and stars Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce, Sara Ramirez, Tim Curry, and more. But long before the show was the toast of Broadway and the winner of three Tony Awards, it was an idea threatening to fizzle before it could find its way into existence. Now, Eric Idle shares original journal entries and raw email exchanges, revealing the sometimes bumpy, always entertaining, path to the show’s unforgettable run.

Fresh off the success of her groundbreaking first play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window tells the tragicomic story of a young bohemian couple in New York's Greenwich Village, struggling to do what's right in a world that rewards everything that's wrong. Sidney is a dreamer who wants his own Walden Pond; Iris is a budding actress whose own backstory is a performance. They're caught in a moment where, "the world is about to crack right down the middle," as the play tackles racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, liberal complacency, and more.

It’s never as simple as just speaking; there’s a real trick to it. We’ll talk through cadence and tone, how to form concise sentence structure on the fly, and how to keep people interested in what you have to say.

In this brutally candid memoir, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts pulls no punches about the ups and downs of his career and his sometimes stormy relationship with his famous sister, Julia.

This book is a one-of-a-kind collection showcasing the wise, witty, and deeply personal speeches Sidney Poitier gave at awards ceremonies, family events, memorials, and more. His salutes to artists such as Dorothy Dandridge, Spencer Tracy, Stanley Kramer, and Denzel Washington offer fresh insight on icons of our time. Poitier's unforgettable cadence and voice are clear as day. Compiled by his wife, Joanna Poitier, this collection captures all that was remarkable about the man through his own words.

In this brilliant work of political satire, Henry Morris presents fourteen years of Conservative (mis)rule in the only form in which such misfortunes could be portrayed: as a Shakespearean play. In five acts that take in five prime ministers, The Tories: A Tragedy is a captivatingly realised Jacobean tragedy, replete with Machiavellian manoeuvrings, hilarious mechanicals and poignant verse.

For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.

In this second edition, Murch reconsiders and completely revises his popular first edition's lengthy meditation on digital editing (which accounts for a third of the book's runtime) in light of the technological changes that have taken place in the six years since its publication.

An icon. A household name. One of our best-loved actors. Noni Hazlehurst is finally telling a story of her own. A fourth-generation performer, Noni Hazlehurst has storytelling in her blood. She has graced our screens, stages and airwaves for fifty years—and won our hearts and respect in the process.

This eclectic volume traces Rigg’s career as a renowned star of television, film, and the stage. The author includes insights from rare, archived interviews, encompassing both video dialogues conducted by the University of Kent and Oxford Union.

Written by film critic Odie Henderson, Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras is a spirited history of a genre and the movies that he grew up watching, which he loves without irony (but with plenty of self-awareness and humor). Blaxploitation was a major trend, but it was never simple. The films mixed self-empowerment with exploitation, base stereotypes with essential representation that spoke to the lives and fantasies of Black viewers. The time is right for a reappraisal, understanding these films in the context of the time, and exploring their lasting influence.

In 2021, Texas Country Reporter celebrates its fiftieth season on the air. Broadcast every week on stations across Texas, it focuses on "ordinary people doing extraordinary things." In this memoir, Phillips tells his own story, from his early days as a reporter and his initial pitch for the show while a student at SMU to his ongoing work at the longest-running independently produced television show in American television history.

The rise in UFO sightings and Alien encounters is unprecedented. With thousands of everyday people claiming to be in contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. What is happening on planet Earth? Why are the Aliens here and what do they want with the human race? Explore the theories and the astounding accounts that defy comprehension. Maybe the film 4th of July is closer to reality than we could have ever imagined.

In their third and final screen teaming, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly starred together in the MGM musical Summer Stock. In C'mon, Get Happy, authors David Fantle and Tom Johnson present a comprehensive study of this 1950 motion picture. The production coincided at a critical point in the careers of Kelly and an emotionally spent Garland. Kelly, who starred in An American in Paris just one year later, was at the peak of his abilities.

Everyday people have been encountering UFOs (now UAPs) for decades and now with congressional hearings demanding information from the military and government, the mysterious phenomenon is getting worldwide media attention. Explore the greatest cover-up in our history in depth from Project Blue Book to the clandestine group "Majestic 12" and beyond.

Who runs the world? Is there a shadow world of powerful and elite men pulling the strings of our global society? If so, when did it originate and why? Discover the Secret Origins of the Knights Templar, Freemasonry, The Bilderbergers, Serpent Cults, the Illuminati and delve into a formidable world hidden from our eyes, an all too real conspiracy that has been ongoing for centuries.

Explore pyramids around the world even more mysterious than those in Egypt as well as bizarre "Alien" archaeological artifacts that defy comprehension.

Pennyland Amusement Park was once one of the most popular parks in Canadian history. However, after an accident involving the Ferris Wheel/Sky Wheel that injured many people, they were forced to close down. After repairs, they reopened, but nobody showed up because of the incident. Because of that, they shut down for good. They removed all of the carnival rides, but kept the roller coaster building. Due to its' history it is currently in an undisclosed location.

Strong evidence is mounting of previously unknown races and cultures that were highly advanced. Explore this fascinating enigma of our hidden past.

What makes a murderer tick? Some of the most renown serial killers have tragic and violent back stories that you never hear about on the news. Explore some of the most deranged killers of all time and what made them into monsters.

Advances in science and technology are now enabling us to see dozens of highly advanced civilizations that defy the historical timeline as we know it.

In the last half century an amazing amount of history has occurred. Jim Vann was responsible for none of it but he had a great perch from which to watch. From behind the microphone, Jim has seen, shared and made fun of it. You may or may not have heard of Jim, but you are invited to share some good radio stories and reminisce about your own experiences. It is sure that you will flash back to the times, the tunes and the events that were shared on the radio, if not with Jim, with some other “disembodied voice.”

Explore the powerful, secret underworld of a shocking coalition of the human elite and advanced of beings not of this world dating back hundred of years.