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Create!: How Extraordinary People Live to Create and Create to Live
Curated by U.S. Goodwill Cultural Ambassador Ronald Rand, this extensive collection of his rare interviews captures the essence of artistic life -- actors, artists, dancers, directors, musicians, composers, mime artists, playwrights, and writers share insight on the importance of the arts for humankind. Featuring greats such as Edward Albee, Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Ellen Burstyn, Ruby Dee, Katherine Dunham, Eve Ensler, Al Hirschfeld, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Chaka Khan, Robert Lepage, Christopher Plummer, Tony Randall, Roy Scheider, Elie Wiesel and more, with over 150 full-color photos and iconic illustrations and paintings, -Create!- shines light on the inner world of the creative economy and highlights, with their words and art, these individuals' important contributions to our nation's cultural, societal, and commercial prosperity.
Paperback
Published August 1, 2017
About the author
Ronald Rand
4 booksRONALD RAND is a celebrated Goodwill Cultural Ambassador, renowned Solo Performer, teaching artist, internationally award-winning director, and author of three books. Starring around the world in his second decade as Harold Clurman, the "Elder Statesman of the American Theatre" in his solo play, LET IT BE ART! - Rand has received ovations in twenty-five countries and twenty states at over 75 theaters, festivals, universities, and colleges, at the World Theatre Olympics across India, and in three Off-Broadway critically-acclaimed productions. Best-selling author of "Acting Teachers of America" and "CREATE!" – he has been a Visiting Professor at over forty universities and colleges, and the US State Department chose Rand twice as a Fulbright Specialist. His many films and television credits include roles in A Marriage-O’Keefe & Stieglitz with Christopher Plummer, The Royal Tenenbaums, Family Business, Quiz Show, Homeless opposite Yoko Ono, and Saturday Night Live. Founder & Publisher of "The Soul of the American Actor" Newspaper, Rand is the Librettist of IBSEN, the first opera ever written about Henrik Ibsen, and he wrote the screenplay, GROUP PARADISE, the first film about the 1930’s famed Group Theatre.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 12, 2017
FOREWORD REVIEWS
Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love
“This interview collection is an effective time capsule of some of the best years of the American stage. Ronald Rand’s CREATE! compiles interviews with many of the most important theater artists of the past few decades: actors, composers, directors, writers—and even clowns. A longtime stage and screen actor, and the publisher of “The Soul of the American Actor,” Rand has an impressive Rolodex, and he makes good use of it for this enjoyable volume. The interviews are all short—about a page or two in length—with photos or illustrations of the artists and brief introductions to their work. Rand asked these artists questions specific to their work. So it happens that Kelsey Grammar and Alec Baldwin discuss what keeps them doing live theater, long after they established personas in other media, while Eve Ensler discusses her transition from writing her work to performing it. Elsewhere, Al Hirschfeld argues for the importance of arts education and reminisces about the biggest personalities he caricatured. Rand’s interviews took place as far back as the 1990s, so the work also includes a large number of deceased legends, including writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, monologue master Spalding Gray, actor Ossie Davis, and jack-of-all-trades Marvin Hamlisch. Particularly for such long-departed subjects, it’s nice to see one more interviews about their work. This also helps the book serve as an effective time capsule of some of the best years of the American stage and the artists who made that time possible. With so many interviews packed into one volume, one can’t help but feel like individual attention could be longer, and quite a lot of the anecdotes and answers almost beg for follow-up questions. Still, it’s clear how many years of effort went into CREATE! The oversized layout is beautifully designed, the mix of interviewees is outstanding, and the book is packed with plenty of good stories from major artists, making it a unique and worthwhile collection.”
Black Tie International
On The Town With Aubrey Reuben - May 20, 2017
“I received an advance copy of a book that will be of enormous interest to people who want to increase their creativity. Create!: How Extraordinary People Live To Create and Create To Live, by Ronald Rand, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2017. It is a book of perceptive interviews by the author with actors, actresses, artists, designers, choreographers, dancers, clowns, mime artists, puppeteers, composers, lyricists, directors, educators, musicians, singers, playwrights, poets and writers. It begins with a two page preface,The Creative State of Mind, by Mel Gordon, a retired professor, who taught theatre history and acting for four decades, and a two page introduction by Ronald Rand, who has taught and performed for over two decades on five continents, from which one learns the theme of this fascinating book. Among those interviewed, I can only mention a few, like Joey Grey, Chita Rivera, Al Hirschfeld, Jacques d’Amboise, Tommy Tune, David Shiner, Charles Strouse, Sheldon Harnick, Julie Budd, Christopher Durang, Tisa Chang, Harold Prince and Dick Cavett. Anyone interested in the arts should purchase this book. It will leave a profound impression on your mind, and may change your life.”
Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love
“This interview collection is an effective time capsule of some of the best years of the American stage. Ronald Rand’s CREATE! compiles interviews with many of the most important theater artists of the past few decades: actors, composers, directors, writers—and even clowns. A longtime stage and screen actor, and the publisher of “The Soul of the American Actor,” Rand has an impressive Rolodex, and he makes good use of it for this enjoyable volume. The interviews are all short—about a page or two in length—with photos or illustrations of the artists and brief introductions to their work. Rand asked these artists questions specific to their work. So it happens that Kelsey Grammar and Alec Baldwin discuss what keeps them doing live theater, long after they established personas in other media, while Eve Ensler discusses her transition from writing her work to performing it. Elsewhere, Al Hirschfeld argues for the importance of arts education and reminisces about the biggest personalities he caricatured. Rand’s interviews took place as far back as the 1990s, so the work also includes a large number of deceased legends, including writer and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, monologue master Spalding Gray, actor Ossie Davis, and jack-of-all-trades Marvin Hamlisch. Particularly for such long-departed subjects, it’s nice to see one more interviews about their work. This also helps the book serve as an effective time capsule of some of the best years of the American stage and the artists who made that time possible. With so many interviews packed into one volume, one can’t help but feel like individual attention could be longer, and quite a lot of the anecdotes and answers almost beg for follow-up questions. Still, it’s clear how many years of effort went into CREATE! The oversized layout is beautifully designed, the mix of interviewees is outstanding, and the book is packed with plenty of good stories from major artists, making it a unique and worthwhile collection.”
Black Tie International
On The Town With Aubrey Reuben - May 20, 2017
“I received an advance copy of a book that will be of enormous interest to people who want to increase their creativity. Create!: How Extraordinary People Live To Create and Create To Live, by Ronald Rand, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2017. It is a book of perceptive interviews by the author with actors, actresses, artists, designers, choreographers, dancers, clowns, mime artists, puppeteers, composers, lyricists, directors, educators, musicians, singers, playwrights, poets and writers. It begins with a two page preface,The Creative State of Mind, by Mel Gordon, a retired professor, who taught theatre history and acting for four decades, and a two page introduction by Ronald Rand, who has taught and performed for over two decades on five continents, from which one learns the theme of this fascinating book. Among those interviewed, I can only mention a few, like Joey Grey, Chita Rivera, Al Hirschfeld, Jacques d’Amboise, Tommy Tune, David Shiner, Charles Strouse, Sheldon Harnick, Julie Budd, Christopher Durang, Tisa Chang, Harold Prince and Dick Cavett. Anyone interested in the arts should purchase this book. It will leave a profound impression on your mind, and may change your life.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review