Community Theater

Saving the town’s musical was never part of her plan. Falling for the leading man definitely was not. Sydney Greyson likes her life neat, counted, and predictable. By day, she runs the register at the Lighthouse Diner. By night, she keeps her werewolf instincts tucked safely behind routine. Chrysanthemum Cove works because nothing changes. She does not take risks. She does not chase spotlights. Agreeing to understudy in the town’s production of Anastasia was supposed to be harmless. Understudies stay backstage. Understudies do not go on. And they definitely do not fall for charming, too...

As a response to the increasing violence in our culture, the widening ideological divides, and the growing gap in economic well-being, there is greater awareness that a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. But even as we acknowledge the need to build community, the dominant on-the-ground practices about how to engage people, civically and organizationally, remain essentially unchanged. We still believe community is built with better messaging, more persuasion, and social events for people to get to know each other better. All of which is naïve.

Modern society is plagued by fragmentation. The various sectors of our communities - businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government - do not work together. They exist in their own worlds. As do so many individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost.

From bestselling author Lisa Graff, this important coming-of-age story follows a thirteen-year-old with a mysterious scar on her face—and a big secret she feels pressured to keep. Fallon Little has a secret—and it’s not how she got the enormous scar that divides her face in two...

299 Days: The Community, the third book in the 299 Days series, reunites Grant Matson with his family after his wife, children, and in-laws accept that the only way to survive the Collapse is to flee the comfort of their suburban lives and join him at his isolated cabin in the woods. With riots becoming more violent, power outages more widespread, and the military crumbling, Grant and others throughout Washington State realize they must organize if they want to endure.

Shep Carson got his last warning from Renke Stoltz but Master Carson isn't one to back down. His home, family and friends are being targeted and his patience is wearing thin. When Cody and Johnny are hurt, Shep's cop instincts kick in and he goes after Stoltz.

Bread and Puppet Theater: A Complete Guide to the History, Art, and Legacy of America’s Radical Puppet Troupe explores one of the most important and enduring voices in political performance art. Founded by Peter Schumann in 1963, Bread and Puppet combined giant puppets, ritual, music, and fresh-baked bread to create a theater of resistance. This book traces the troupe’s journey from its origins in New York City’s countercultural ferment to its long-standing home in Vermont, where it hosted the legendary Domestic Resurrection Circus and inspired audiences from around the world. ...

Step back into the eerie, flickering world of Horror Movies of the 1920s and Earlier, a passionate tour through the earliest years of screen horror, when nightmares first began to move. This book explores the ghostly trick films, silent-era terrors, expressionist shadows, haunted imagery, eerie folklore, strange monsters, and dreamlike nightmare worlds that laid the foundation for everything horror would become. Inside, you’ll find lively commentary, engaging synopses, and sharp reflections on both famous early landmarks and lesser-known curiosities, all written with the enthusiasm of ...

Essie Cobb, senior sleuth, and her three gal pals Opal, Marjorie, and Fay are playing cards (and causing trouble) in the all-purpose room at the Happy Haven Retirement Home. Not even having to use walkers to get around will stop these ladies from getting into trouble! A one-act play based on the Essie Cobb Senior Sleuth mysteries by Patricia Rockwell. This play may be produced by amateur groups without a royalty payment.

Was murder part of the game? Seventeen-year-old Kat McDonough grew up with theater in her blood - and a penchant for make-believe. More than a decade older, Seth Mazzaglia was well-known in the community theater circle of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He, too, had a rich inner life - and he soon had Kat convinced that they were soul mates. To intensify their bond, Seth lured Kat into a world of violent sex and role-playing, where she was his slave. Enter Lizzi Marriott, the new girl in town. And when she accepts an invitation to Kat and Seth's apartment....

A Glamorous Theater Opening Turns Deadly… Event planner Ivy Schaeffer is no stranger to lively celebrations, but when she’s hired to organize the after-show party for a local theater’s grand debut, she expects entertainment, drama, and a little backstage gossip—not murder. Tensions run high among the cast and crew, but no one is prepared when Seth Jenkins—the understudy thrust into the lead role—drops dead behind the velvet curtains. While the old detective urges Ivy to stay in the shadows, the new detective enlists her to help sniff out the truth. With sharp-witted Phyllis and ...

Out in the Spotlight: Broadway Musicals and the LGBTQ+ Community Broadway has always been a stage for transformation—but for the LGBTQ+ community, it’s also been a sanctuary for self-expression, a site of resistance, and a platform for voices too often silenced. Out in the Spotlight traces the evolution of queer representation in musical theater, from subtle subtext and coded characters to the bold, unapologetic storytelling we see today. Written by a lifelong theater lover and accomplished musician, this book offers a passionate, insider’s look at how Broadway has reflected—and ...

Welcome back to Elmwood Hollow—where the costumes sparkle, the drama is bigger offstage than on, and murder always steals the spotlight. Maddie Belle thought joining the town’s community theater production of Mamma Mia! would be a fun way to sing a little, dance a little, and maybe avoid tripping over her platform heels. But when sabotage, scandal, and a dead body upstage the cast, Maddie finds herself in the middle of a real-life mystery. With a diva co-star who could weaponize a side-eye, a sheriff whose smolder should be illegal in at least three states, and a best friend running “...

The President’s Mars advisor, quantum physicist Dr. Kendo Tanaka, is found dead in a Northern California motel room. The administration knows it is the work of The Community, a clandestine organization determined to end Mars exploration. Reporter Rudy Ventana, with the help of Linda Rainwater, a White House aide, is asked to investigate Tanaka’s death. Within hours of meeting, they find themselves in mortal danger, pursued by Community assassins. What dark secret is The Community hiding on Mars?

When 12-year-old Jax Ember signs up to help at the run-down Trillberry Community Theater, he expects bad lighting and old costumes... not flickering ghosts, creepy whispers, and warnings scrawled in dust. But something — or someone — is haunting the stage. An actress vanished decades ago during rehearsal. Now her story is clawing its way back into the spotlight. Alongside his best friends Maya and Leo, Jax will have to outsmart spooky shadows, decode forgotten clues, and face down a phantom with unfinished business... all before opening night.

In 1978, when Jamiyla was two years old, her mother, Ummi, quit her job, converted to Islam with her husband, and moved into an exclusive Muslim society in Brooklyn. Once inside the Community, the family was separated by its powerful and charismatic leader, Dwight York, who was hiding behind the name Imam Isa. Instead of the devotional refuge they’d imagined, the Community was a nightmare of controlled abuse and unspeakable secrets. Forty years later, Jamiyla was ready to excavate and understand a past buried in bad dreams, disturbing memories, and inexplicable rage.

Inspired by a true event, the tale of a duck family waiting in the wings for their moment in the spotlight—from the #1 bestselling mother-daughter team of musical icon Julie Andrews and author Emma Walton Hamilton! Mr. and Mrs. Puddleduck have found the perfect place to nest: a cozy planter by...

Feel the rhythm of your local community with "Unveiling the Local Artscape," the ultimate guide to the hidden cultural jewels in your neighborhood. Do your local galleries, theaters, and music performances pique your curiosity? Then you're moments away from diving into this immersive guide that takes the reader through each sector of the local art world with comprehensive, engaging, and enlightening content. This guide begins with helpful tips for discovering local arts and culture, providing an intimate view of your community's cultural wealth. Experience it, don't just read about it. Our ...

Andrew Clark and his family moved to a new community in Knoxville, Tennessee with the hopes of being in a more secured area. He picked what seemed to be the perfect gated community where no one had access to get in or out without using a gate key card. The moment he and his family moved in, a cute little girl from the neighborhood would come knocking on his door every day asking for dog food. Being who he was, he would give it to her, but something wasn't adding up as his mind wondered.