Holiday Gifts for Theatre Lovers

If you’re looking to buy gifts for theatre lovers, then you can’t go wrong with a great theatre book. Whether they’re behind-the-scenes photo collections or collections of beloved scripts, theatre books can be permanent mementos of the performing arts.

Here are ten books about theatre and dance that could make an excellent gift this year.

(1) Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors’ Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theater by Robert Simonson
It’s impossible to understand the American theatre without understanding the history of Actors’ Equity. With gorgeous photos and scores of interviews with professional actors, this book delivers a fascinating look at how performers work and thrive in this country. [BUY HERE]

(4) Two plays by Quiara Alegria Hudes Second Stage has just begun performances of Hudes’ play Water By the Spoonful, which won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s the second play in a trilogy that began with 2007’s Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, and both follow a  family that explores the impact of military service on American soldiers. [BUY ELLIOT HERE.] [BUY SPOONFUL HERE.]

(10) Outrageous Fortune: The Life And Times of the New American Play by Todd London with Ben Pesner and Zannie Giraud Voss If you know a playwright, then this book about the economics of American playwriting could be invaluable. Published by TDF, it combines years of research with hundreds of interviews to explore how playwrights can (and can’t) survive in the modern American theatre. [BUY HERE]