Letters from Backstage: The Adventures of a Touring Stage Actor

by Michael Kostroff, Jason Alexander

Overview

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a real working actor? Wonder no more! Michael Kostroff is here to reveal, in hilarious detail, just what it’s like to travel with the road companies of The Producers and Les Miserables. His firsthand account of the exciting, funny, and sometimes bizarre highlights of his journey includes working at a temp job when his agent calls to say, “You got the part!”; singing on a revolving stage while lugging a dead body; seeing ghosts in haunted theaters; and much more. Along the way, anecdotes about nailing an audition, keeping a performance fresh, and getting along with fellow cast members give useful tips for working actors. Anyone who wants to know what a life in the theater is really like needs this intimate and unforgettable narrative.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781581159578
Publisher:	Allworth
Publication date:	01/31/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Actor and writer Michael Kostroff is a native New Yorker who now lives and works in Los Angeles. He was a member of the original cast of the first national tour of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, understudying the lead role of Max Bialystock, and played Thénardier in the national tour of Les Misérables. Regionally, he’s played Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolous in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Milt in Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Herbie in Gypsy, and a host of other roles. He was nominated for an Ovation Award for his performance in Immortality, produced in Los Angeles by the Indecent Exposure theatre company. Mr. Kostroff’s numerous television appearances have included recurring roles and guest spots on such programs as The West Wing, ER, The Geena Davis Show, King of Queens, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Steven Banks Show, on which he played all of the supporting male roles. He’s best known as the unscrupulous gang lawyer, Maurice Levy, on the HBO series, The Wire. As a freelance writer, Mr. Kostroff has helped create live shows and special events for Disney, Buena Vista, Fox, and a wide variety of other clients. He’s also written music, lyrics, stand-up comedy, cabaret material, and his own popular two-man show, A Little Traveling Music. Letters from Backstage: The Adventures of a Touring Stage Actor is his first book.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xii
	Thank-yous	xiii
	Acknowledgements	xiv
	Prologue (or "How I Got That Job")	1
Chapter 1	Je Suis Arrive! (... Give or Take)	9
Chapter 2	Broadway Boot Camp	11
Chapter 3	First of All, Pittsburgh	20
Chapter 4	The Dark Mysteries of Cleveland	24
Chapter 5	"Honey, They're Showbirds."	33
Chapter 6	Hail, Mary	40
Chapter 7	A Tale of Two Cities (or "A Well-Deserved West")	49
Chapter 8	Through the Desert	60
Chapter 9	Cookie Jars and Nutty Russians	67
Chapter 10	Portland from a Hotel Window	73
Chapter 11	Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley, Pop, Pop, Pop Went the Gastrocnemius	80
Chapter 12	The End of the Road (or "Never Say Never Again")	90
Chapter 13	Revolutions, French and Otherwise	103
Chapter 14	Son of Cleveland	112
Chapter 15	A Flicker of Flint	119
Chapter 16	"Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Did You Like the Play?"	127
Chapter 17	My Broadway Adventure	134
Chapter 18	William Dawes Slept Here	144
Chapter 19	Jiggery-pokery	157
Chapter 20	It's Delovely, It's Delightful, It's ... Des Moines?	175
Chapter 21	Tales of the Haunted South	182
Chapter 22	Hotel/Motel/Theatre/Mall	191
	Epilogue (or "The Curtain Calls")	199
	About the Author	202
	Credits	204
	Index	207

What People are Saying About This

Mark Freed

"Kostroff is the illegitimate child of Jack Kerouac and Dorothy Parker."
—VP Business Development, Showbiz Expo

Gwen Hillier

"Loved it! So well written it made me feel like I was THERE! I hope he books another gig-can't wait for the sequel."
—Casting Director, ABC

Martin Short

"Letters from Backstage is brilliant and captivating. I can't wait to reread it with the TV off."

Kenna Ramsey

"Letters from Backstage is a collection of gems for those who know that the juiciest, most dramatic parts of actors' lives are almost always in their offstage experiences. Michael's perspective is candid, fresh, and laugh-out-loud funny."
—Actress, Tommy, Rent, The Lion King, and Caroline or Change