Background
Hischak, Thomas Stephen was born on November 17, 1951 in Rochester, New York, United States. Son of Thomas M. and Helen (Lomaglio) Hischak.
(Volume Four of the distinguished American Theatre: A Chro...)
Volume Four of the distinguished American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama series offers a thorough, candid, and fascinating look at the theater in New York during the last decades of the twentieth century.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195123476/?tag=2022091-20
(As the popularity of film grew and audiences demanded lon...)
As the popularity of film grew and audiences demanded longer stories, Hollywood began borrowing plots as well as actors and directors from Broadway - some of these play-to-films were triumphs and others were inexplicable duds. This reference work is an annotated guide to American stage productions remade for film and television, with works ranging from late 19th-century American plays and musicals, through silent and sound films, to made-for-video productions by PBS, A&E, HBO, and others. Each alphabetically listed entry provides complete credits for the play or musical: date, theatre, playwright, cast (with characters) and crew, length of run, along with choreographer, song titles, and authors of the score where available. The screen versions follow, listing alternate titles, date, studio, screenwriter, cast (with characters), director, and producer. Each entry concludes with detailed commentary on the productions; it describes what changes occurred between the formats, determines the strengths and weaknesses of each, judges the success of the transition, and describes how the end product was received. A bibliography and name and title indexes complete this cross-referenced work.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786420030/?tag=2022091-20
(In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a...)
In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a close look at what happens when a Broadway musical goes to Hollywood, and less often when Hollywood comes to Broadway. The musicals discussed range from The Desert Song (1927), the first sound film of a Broadway musical, to Chicago, the 2002 film made from the 1975 Broadway hit. Film musicals that became Broadway shows range from Lili (1953) to Never Gonna Dance (2003). The book assumes a basic familiarity with famous musicals (for example the plot of My Fair Lady is summed up in a sentence or two) but lesser known works are fully explained. One chapter looks at British musicals that were popular in New York and were later filmed with Hollywood connections. Also included is a Directory that gives credits, names, and songs for both the stage and screen version for all the musicals discussed. Appendices offer statistical data on musicals, and there is an extensive Bibliography.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ML6X6S/?tag=2022091-20
(Through the use of four model plays Macbeth, Our Town, A ...)
Through the use of four model plays Macbeth, Our Town, A Raisin in the Sun, and Rent this textbook informs the student about theatre arts, stimulates interest in the art form, leads to critical thinking about theatre, and prepares the student to be a more informed and critical theatregoer. Structured into seven chapters, each looking at a major area or artist and concluding with the audience and t
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( This encyclopedic reference to the American movie music...)
This encyclopedic reference to the American movie musical identifies and describes the musicals and the artists who made them. Film entries range from the legendary The Jazz Singer in 1927 to Fantasia 2000. Artists ranging from Gene Kelly to Elvis Presley, Busby Berkeley, and John Travolta are included, as are musicians as varied as Irving Berlin, Paul Williams, and the Beatles. Entries also detail animated musicals, studios, perettas, rock documentaries, sequels and remakes, and dance movies. As a reference work or as a book for browsing, this encyclopedia serves as a valuable companion to Stage It with Music: An Encyclopedic Guide to the American Musical Theatre (Greenwood, 1993) and will appeal to film scholars and fans alike. Information is cross referenced throughout. A chronological list of musicals and an appendix of Academy Award-winning musicals are included.
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( This volume surveys the development of the American mus...)
This volume surveys the development of the American musical during the 20th century by focusing on one of the most important yet least recognized members of the creative team: the lyricist. From George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin through Oscar Hammerstein II, Alan Jay Lerner, Ira Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, and others, Word Crazy examines both well-known and obscure writers who have shaped one of America's most beloved theatrical forms. The author offers an overview of each lyricist's career and works and evaluates his or her strengths, weaknesses, patterns, temperament, and personal vision. The result is an unusual critical history of the Broadway musical that will be of significant interest to students of the theatre as well as to anyone who wishes to learn more about the unique craft of the theatre lyricist. Beginning with George M. Cohan, the American theatre's first important lyricist, and continuing up into the 1980s, the book presents an overall history of the musical theatre during this century. Hischak explores the various trends and movements, from the early operettas through the arrival of jazz, and up through the conceptual musicals of the last 30 years. The treatment is chronological with most chapters focusing on a single lyricist. A bibliography and index complete the volume. By reviewing the careers and works of America's most influential theatre lyricists, Hischak offers a fresh new perspective on the evolution of musical theatre in America.
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( The first encyclopedia of theatre songs from Broadway s...)
The first encyclopedia of theatre songs from Broadway shows ranging from The Black Crook (1866) to the 1994 Tony Award-winning Passion, this handy guide features over 1,800 songs from over 500 musicals. It gives such information as the songs' authors, original performers, and dates and history of recordings. Each song is described and briefly analyzed, explaining how the song fit in the original production and what is notable about its music, lyrics, and presentation. Thoroughly indexed by song title, show, authors, and performers. Of interest to scholars, students, and fans alike. The musical theatre song is conceived, written, and produced as part of a whole. While it may eventually stand on its own and join the ranks of popular hits, its immediate purpose is clear: it must work in the show. This book is about how hundreds of famous and not-so-famous songs have functioned in the American musical. In addition to identifying the authors and the source of the song, it hopes to explain the song: what kind of song it is, what it is about, what purpose it has in the show, as well as who originally sang it, what the song's history is, and what may be unique about this particular number. It is a book about songs as little pieces of playwriting for the musical theatre. The song entries are presented alphabetically, but the Musicals Listing at the end of the work includes all the songs discussed from a particular show.
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(Enter the Players is the first book to look closely at th...)
Enter the Players is the first book to look closely at the careers of hundreds of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway stage actors in New York. Over 900 actors, singers, dancers, and comics from the twentieth-century theater are covered, from Maude Adams and Al Jolson at the turn of the century, to recent talents such as Matthew Broderick, Audra McDonald, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. All the famous names are here, but also included are dozens of not-so-well-known actors, many of them familiar favorites in their day or character actors who appeared in many shows but never became name stars. Each entry includes a brief biography, followed by a complete list of plays and characters performed in New York by the actor. Even plays and musicals that were heading to New York but closed before opening are included. Cast replacements are indicated as well as Tony nominations and awards. With this book each actor comes alive as his or her career is revealed step-by-step and role-by-role. This is not only an invaluable reference work but it also provides hours of fascinating browsing for anyone who loves the theater.
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( Following the successful, The American Musical Theatre ...)
Following the successful, The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia (Greenwood, 1995), this new encyclopedia reviews in-depth individual songs written for the American musical film over the past seventy years. Over 1,800 songs from over 500 musical films are identified and described. In addition to detailing the songs' authors, original singers, and initial film appearances, the encyclopedia also explains how the songs were used in the film, lists subsequent film and stage appearances of the songs, and notes memorable recordings. From Jolson to Elvis, operetta to rock musicals, and Irving Berlin to the Beatles, the comprehensive scope of this work gathers a wealth of information about film musical songs not readily available elsewhere. The combination of accurate, thoroughly researched information, commentary, and anecdotal background will appeal to both film scholars and fans. Numerous indexes for easy reference include a list of alternate song titles, famous movie songs from other sources, best song Oscars, Oscar-winning film musicals, and a list of film musicals from 1927 through 1998. A bibliography completes this important reference tool and provides helpful sources for further research.
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( A one-stop, up-to-date source for information on the hi...)
A one-stop, up-to-date source for information on the history of the American musical theatre, Stage It with Music packs an astonishing quantity and variety of facts as well as insights and anecdotes into a convenient dictionary format. Coverage extends from the genre's nineteenth century beginnings to the present day, from The Black Crook (1866) to Jelly's Last Jam (1992). Included are entries on over 300 individual shows, musical series, performers, composers, lyricists, librettists, directors, designers, music directors, orchestrators, choreographers, producers, producing companies and other theatrical institutions, and on other subjects and genres relating to musical theatre. Among the latter are entries on British Imports, Dance in Musicals, Flop Musicals, Locations of Musicals, Operetta, Pastiche Musicals, and Tony Awards. As fascinating as its subject, Stage It with Music will serve the researcher seeking a specific fact, but he or she may find it hard to stop there. Extensive cross-referencing will lead to masses of related material, and most researchers will not be able to resist browsing well beyond the original quest. Thoroughly indexed, the volume also includes a chronology of the musicals covered as separate entries and a bibliography of general works on musical theatre.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0313287082/?tag=2022091-20
(Unlike other introductory theatre textbooks that are ofte...)
Unlike other introductory theatre textbooks that are often written for theatre majors and assume a considerable amount of previous knowledge, this text is designed for the general education student in college - one who may not be familiar with very many plays and has only seen a limited number of theatre productions. Because it can be difficult to make references to works that students are already familiar with, this text focuses on just four plays: the tragedy Macbeth, the American classic Our Town, the landmark African American drama A Raisin in the Sun, and the contemporary rock musical Rent. At the beginning of the text, each play is described with plot synopses (and suggested video versions), and then these four representative works are referred to throughout the book. By using these four model plays, this textbook aims to inform the student about theatre arts, stimulate interest in the art form, lead to critical thinking about theatre, and prepare the student to be a more informed and critical theatregoer. The textbook looks at both the theoretical and practical aspects of theatre arts, from the nature of theatre and drama to how it reflects society to explaining the processes that playwrights, actors, designers, directors, producers, and critics go through. Finally, the textbook addresses students as contemporary theatregoers and offers ways in which to better view a theatre production, to discuss it critically, and to do a written evaluation of a theatre event. Structured into seven chapters, each looking at a major area or artist - and concluding with the audience and the students themselves - this unique approach to theatre thoroughly addresses all of the major topics to be found in an introduction to theatre text.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810856867/?tag=2022091-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CPF91Y/?tag=2022091-20
(In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a...)
In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a close look at what happens when a Broadway musical goes to Hollywood, and less often when Hollywood comes to Broadway. The musicals discussed range from The Desert Song (1927), the first sound film of a Broadway musical, to Chicago, the 2002 film made from the 1975 Broadway hit. Film musicals that became Broadway shows range from Lili (1953) to Never Gonna Dance (2003). The book assumes a basic familiarity with famous musicals (for example the plot of My Fair Lady is summed up in a sentence or two) but lesser known works are fully explained. One chapter looks at British musicals that were popular in New York and were later filmed with Hollywood connections. Also included is a Directory that gives credits, names, and songs for both the stage and screen version for all the musicals discussed. Appendices offer statistical data on musicals, and there is an extensive Bibliography.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810850184/?tag=2022091-20
( Many books have been written about Tin Pan Alley—the co...)
Many books have been written about Tin Pan Alley—the colloquial name assigned to popular music before the advent of rock 'n' roll—yet little is available about the individual songs defining this enormously significant style of American music. This encyclopedia of over 1,200 songs written from the middle of the 19th century through the 1950s provides information and commentary on the music embraced by the American public. No other single volume contains as much information on the subject. Author Thomas Hischak provides an exhaustive yet highly readable guide to the songs, their periods, their styles, and their performers. His study explains in layman's language how this music survived over time, and how it came to play such an influential role in American popular culture. Ideal for researchers and browsers alike, this encyclopedia is a long overdue examination of an American musical institution. These songs were not written for stage or screen, but for saloons, singalongs, dance orchestras, sheet music, piano player rolls, recordings, nightclubs, concerts, and radio broadcasts. They colored the fabric of American popular culture for centuries, from early American folk songs to Civil War melodies, 19th-century sentimental ballads, minstrel songs, ragtime, and jazz.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0313319928/?tag=2022091-20
Hischak, Thomas Stephen was born on November 17, 1951 in Rochester, New York, United States. Son of Thomas M. and Helen (Lomaglio) Hischak.
Bachelor in English and Theater, St. Louis University, 1973. Master of Fine Arts in Theater, Southern Illinois University, 1978.
Instructor theater, Point Park College, Pittsburgh, 1978-1982; audience development director, Delaware Theater Company, Wilmington, 1982-1983; professor theater, State University of New York, Cortland, since 1983. Consultant New York Council on the Arts, New York City, since 1985.
(Unlike other introductory theatre textbooks that are ofte...)
(Through the use of four model plays Macbeth, Our Town, A ...)
( Many books have been written about Tin Pan Alley—the co...)
( A one-stop, up-to-date source for information on the hi...)
(As the popularity of film grew and audiences demanded lon...)
(Volume Four of the distinguished American Theatre: A Chro...)
( Following the successful, The American Musical Theatre ...)
( The first encyclopedia of theatre songs from Broadway s...)
( This volume surveys the development of the American mus...)
(In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a...)
(In this personal and opinionated book Tom Hischak takes a...)
(Enter the Players is the first book to look closely at th...)
( This encyclopedic reference to the American movie music...)
(Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include compa...)
(First Edition)
(New copy. Fast shipping. Will be shipped from US.)
Member Dramatist's Guild (associate).
Married Catherine M. Nieland, May 22, 1976. Children: Mark, Karen.