Documentaries about Theatre
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- DirectorAl PacinoStarsAl PacinoJessica ChastainKevin AndersonA tale of lust, greed, and one woman's scorn.
- DirectorIan DarlingStarsRobyn NevinCate BlanchettHugo WeavingWithin the world of theatre the rehearsal room is a sacred space -- the private domain where boundaries are pushed, risks taken, mistakes made, vulnerabilities exposed and, at its very best, magic created. It's not a place into which the public is often, if ever, invited. Until now; In The Company of Actors features an ensemble of Australia's finest actors, including Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, as they prepare to perform the Sydney Theatre Company's production of Hedda Gabler, at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Opening night is just five weeks away and the pressure is on.
- DirectorJohn W. WalterStarsMeryl StreepKevin KlineTony KushnerA behind-the-scenes look at The Public Theater's production of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage" that examines the playwright's life and ideas.
- DirectorJeremy WhelehanStarsKevin SpaceyMaureen AndermanStephen Lee AndersonKevin Spacey, Sam Mendes and the Bridge Project Company reveal some of the most intimate moments behind the scenes of their staging of Richard III.
- DirectorAl PacinoStarsAl PacinoAlec BaldwinKevin SpaceyAl Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsSam ShepardSean PennNick NolteDirector Michael Almereyda's documentary on the weeks just prior to Sam Shepard's stage production of his play "The Late Henry Moss."
- DirectorD.A. PennebakerStarsBarbara BarrieCharles BraswellSusan BrowningStephen Sondheim's musical "Company" opened on Broadway in the Spring of 1970, and tradition dictates that the cast recording is done on the first Sunday after opening night. D.A. Pennebaker, the now-legendary documentarian, filmed the production of the original cast recording, the back and forth between Sondheim and the performers, and the dynamic of trying to record live performance. The film climaxes with Elaine Stritch's performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch". The show won 6 Tony Awards including "Best Musical" and ran for two years on Broadway.
- DirectorStephanie RiggsStarsRebecca BaxterBen CrawfordBrian d'Arcy JamesA documentary revealing the under-appreciated, highly demanding world of Broadway Understudies and Standbys. Three undiscovered performers at various points in their careers get the chance of a lifetime. Their struggle is put into perspective through never-before-heard stories from celebrities who themselves were once Understudies or Standbys.
- DirectorDoug HamiltonStarsMichael MayerSteven HoggettTom KittA behind-the-scenes look at Green Day's "American Idiot" album becoming a punk rock Broadway musical.
- DirectorGiada ColagrandeStarsMarina AbramovicRobert WilsonWillem Dafoe"Bob Wilson's Life & Death of Marina Abramovic" follows the coming together of director Robert Wilson, performance artist Marina Abramovic, singer and composer Antony Hegarty and performer Willem Dafoe, to create the experimental opera based on Marina Abramovic's biography. Through rehearsal footage and interviews with the artists as they are making the piece, we get an insight into this unique collaboration: an intimate portrait that reveals the dynamics, excitement and insecurities of making such a poetic and visually stunning theatre work.
- DirectorSimon BrookStarsPeter BrookHayley CarmichaelJos HoubenFilmed with five hidden cameras, The Tightrope is a total immersion into the creative process behind legendary theater director Peter Brook's work -- powerful, intimate, and emotionally thrilling. In this unique and deeply personal film, we get a dizzying glimpse from the Tightrope and an inkling of what it takes to make theater real...
- DirectorCatherine VilpouxStarsAriane Mnouchkine
- DirectorMatthew AkersJeff DupreStarsMarina AbramovicUlayKlaus BiesenbachA documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- DirectorDeclan DonnellanStarsAlain BoublilAmanda Courtney-DaviesClaude-Michel SchönbergFollow the development of Cameron Mackintosh's labour of love - the West End hit musical 'Martin Guerre' - from inception to completion.
- DirectorDavid WrightStarsCameron MackintoshNicholas HytnerClaude-Michel SchönbergA behind-the-scenes look at the production of a musical, this feature chronicles the development of "Miss Saigon, " from its early beginnings, through casting, preparations, choreography to its opening night on The West End.
- DirectorAlex RotaruStarsRichard DreyfussVal KilmerKevin SpaceyAn inspiring documentary that follows a diverse group of California high school students as they compete in a Shakespeare Festival unlike any you have ever seen. This unique program counts many of Hollywood's biggest stars among its alumni and alumnae.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsWallace ShawnPhoebe BrandGeorge GaynesNew York actors rehearse Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" in a dilapidated theatre.
- DirectorAdam Del DeoJames D. SternStarsBob AvianJustin BelleroMichael BennettFollows the plight of real-life dancers as they struggle through auditions for the Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line". Also investigates the history of the show and the creative minds behind the original and current incarnations.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsMelina MercouriMikis TheodorakisRénos MandisA recreation of how the Greek military junta that started in 1967 tragically affected university students.
- DirectorSimon BrookStarsIrina BrookPeter BrookSimon BrookAn intimate portrait of director Peter Brook by his son, Simon Brook.
- DirectorTricia ReganStarsHillary AaronJoe AaronLexi AaronFollows five autistic children as they work together to create and perform a live musical production.
- DirectorGil Cates Jr.Julie StevensStarsMartha ByrneJennine BaboWilliam BerloniWomen who have played orphans in "Annie" are brought together in this documentary.
- DirectorCrayton RobeyStarsEdward AlbeeJoe AllenMatt BaneyOn the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement, the film explores the drama, struggle and enduring legacy of the first-ever gay play and subsequent Hollywood movie to successfully reach a mainstream audience. Beloved by some for breaking new ground, and condemned by others for reinforcing gay stereotypes, The Boys in the Band sparked heated controversy that still exists four decades later.
- DirectorRob WhitehairStarsJ.K. SimmonsDavid WeinheimerImagine sixty kids staging a full-scale musical in six days. Witness the emotional highs, lows and in-betweens of more than 250 kids in five communities when Missoula Children's Theatre, via its signature little red truck, comes to town.
- DirectorCassandra NicolaouStarsDiana DonnellyMegan FollowsKelli Fox'Girls on Top' is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the lives of eight women as they reunite to perform in an award-winning production of Caryl Churchill's 'Top Girls'. A funny and insightful examination of what it means to be a 'top girl', 'Girls on Top' features screen and stage icons including Ann-Marie MacDonald and Megan Follows.
- DirectorMark OlshakerStarsKenneth BranaghRichard CliffordRichard EastonA unique, behind-the-scenes look at Shakespeare's great play. In 1988, rising star Kenneth Branagh played the Prince of Denmark for the first time. His guide through four weeks of rehearsals at England's Birmingham Repertory Theatre: famed actor Derek Jacobi, "the best Hamlet of his generation" (New York Times). Watch what happens from the first dress rehearsal to the tension-filled opening night. Narrated by Patrick Stewart.
- DirectorAllie LightIrving SarafStarsWilliam S. JonesWinner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film is a hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of opera.
- DirectorAlex Hyde-WhiteStarsAlex Hyde-WhiteTom BadalRichard ChamberlainA Hamlet-based fantasy documentary about fathers and sons, mothers and uncles, nature and nurture.
- DirectorNigel NobleStarsLeleti KhumaloBaby CelePat Mlaba
- DirectorHoward BrooknerStarsIngrid AndreeGavin BryarsPhilip GlassRobert Wilson and the Civil Wars is an in-depth documentation of Robert Wilson's ambitious attempt to stage an epic, twelve-hour, multinational opera for the 1984 Summer Olympics.
- DirectorEli KabillioStarsF. Murray AbrahamJim CookDavid EdwardsOn the eve of the final Off-Broadway performance of the long-running musical "The Fantasticks," filmmaker Eli Kabillio takes a wistful look back at the show's genesis with composer Harvey Schmidt, author Tom Jones and original cast member Jerry Orbach.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsPhilip BoscoCarol BurnettJane ConnellA chronicle of the ups and downs that occur during the rehearsals and previews process of Ken Ludwig's Broadway comedy "Moon Over Buffalo".
- DirectorPeter WhiteheadStarsEric AllanMary AllenHugh ArmstrongA documentary following US, Peter Brook's experimental play about the moral issues surrounding the Vietnam War, Benefit of the Doubt is the only known film record of the Royal Shakespeare Company production. It was filmed by Peter Whitehead concurrently with his Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (1967), on the surface a very different film, yet both share a central concern with the war, protest and Britain's political and cultural relationship with America.
- DirectorNic ArnzenJames BrandonStarsJeanene AmblerNic ArnzenNicotongia Arnzen-SamoaInspired by Terrence McNally's Passion Play told through the lens of a young gay Jesus, Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption follows a group of actors who began production on the play seven years ago in a small church. Within months they suddenly found themselves thrust in the world spotlight touring to international acclaim. The documentary follows the troupe and the playwright sharing their stories with supporters and protesters as they continue their tour across the world to communities where hate and bigotry are much more prevalent. Mirroring the reflections of dialogue in society today, especially in regards to civil rights, marriage equality, HIV/AIDS, and separation of church and state, this production has become a vehicle of change for a community struggling to find its voice. Meanwhile, the company of actors find themselves on a journey that would forever change their lives.
- DirectorJacob AdamsStarsJacob AdamsHerbert BlauRick ClucheyIs an in depth remembering and re-creation of the famous 1957 production of Waiting For Godot--so famously used by writer Martin Esslin as the introduction to his important work: The Theater of the Absurd. Also covers some little known German performances in which its suggested that former Nazis performed Waiting For Godot at a Jewish Cultural Building in 1956 (new finding). Also covers Beckett's study locale across the street from the Sante prison and the revelation from James Knowlson's Beckett biography Damned To Fame provides the last startling statement on Beckett, the play, and prisoners.
- DirectorDori BerinsteinStarsAlissa AndereggKristen Anderson-LopezRob AshfordGoing behind the curtain to capture the most controversial, passionate, risky and high-profile Broadway season in decades.
- DirectorScott Hamilton KennedyStarsCatherine BorekKaren GreeneEbony Starr Norwood-BrownDominguez High, in the infamous Compton, CA, has not produced a play in over twenty years. With no money and no stage, two teachers and twenty-four students attempt to produce Thornton Wilder's American Classic OUR TOWN.
- DirectorDana RangaStarsMargarita AndrushkovichChris DoerkErich GuskoA look at Communist musicals that strove to be ideologically correct - and entertaining, besides.
- DirectorKeiko IbiStarsGloria BobrofskyAbram CalderonDeborah EhrlichDocumentary about a Jewish senior citizens' acting group on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The film covers both the progress and impediments of a play the group is mounting about senior citizens looking for love and the life/love stories (past, present, and predictions) of the players.
- DirectorAndres VeielStarsKarina PlachetkaConstanze BeckerProdromos AntoniadisDocumentary accompanies four students at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin (Prodromos Antoniadis, Constanze Becker, Karina Plachetka and Stephanie Stremler) throughout their studies.
- DirectorJeffrey BlitzStarsAngela ArenivarUbaldo ArenivarJorge ArenivarSpellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.
- DirectorAlexandra ShivaStarsTaylor RabowRobert WrightNicole DoringStagedoor is a documentary about the Stagedoor Manor summer camp, a theatrical program in the Catskills where all kinds of kids go to participate in productions. The documentary focused on five kids, but didn't delve too deeply or focus too much on just these five kids. The movie spent a lot of time looking at the overall camp culture.
- DirectorWarren SkeelsStarsJessie BoothTiffany GrayKathryn KuhnThespians tells the heart-warming story of four troupes and their journey to the largest high school theatre competition in the world.
- DirectorKirk SimonStarsAdam BlodgettCaleb CarlsonMatthew RichardsYou never know when a single moment can change your life.
- 1999– 50m7.5 (12)TV EpisodeStarsAnastasia BarzeeMatt CavenaughErin DavieThis 50-minute documentary unfolds the creative journey of Albert Maysles' cult classic, GREY GARDENS - from non-fiction film to spectacularly mounted Broadway musical. Captured in the 1975 Maysles film, GREY GARDENS, the indomitable Edith Beale and her daughter Edie, aunt and cousin to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, were revealed to be a most unique and engaging mother daughter act - inhabiting a folie à deux built upon powerful interdependence, quirky eccentricity, courage, devotion and love. Their essence and their story soon catapulted them to cult icon status, an ironic counterpoint to Mrs. Onassis' own such status, and culminating in the ultimate homage: being portrayed on the Broadway stage. The documentary will feature behind-the-scenes footage of the show's rehearsals, performance and insightful interviews with the creators and cast, as well as a revealing interview with Albert Maysles and relevant insights from Beale authorities, devotees, cultural commentators, audience and fans.
- DirectorHank RogersonTwenty male inmates in a Kentucky prison form an unlikely Shakespearean acting troupe.
- DirectorFreida Lee Mock
- DirectorKatharina Otto-BernsteinStarsRobert WilsonArnold AronsonRobin BrentanoFrom director, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, a provocative and moving documentary on the life and work of Robert Wilson, one of the most visionary and controversial theater artists of our time. The film delivers a surprisingly candid look at Robert Wilson, who drops his characteristic reticence and speaks with unprecedented candor about his personal life. Nothing is left in the shadows, as he discusses his troubled and lonely childhood as the son of the Mayor of Waco, Texas, his early learning disabilities, his work with disabled children using therapy as a tool for artistic expression, his departure from Texas at the time of his coming out and his fascination with the downtown New York avant-garde scene of the late 60's. What emerges is a life full of impressions, colors and rhythms, making it all the more poignant how Wilson's early hardships ultimately shaped his ground-breaking aesthetic vision. More than a biography, the film becomes an exhilarating exploration of the transformative power of creativity itself and the inspirational tale of a shy, stuttering boy who grew up to become a fearless artist with a profoundly original perspective to share with the world.
- DirectorBill RoseStarsBruce BouchardPatricia CharbonneauBob CurrierIn 1978 Oakley Hall lll was a promising playwright on the verge of national recognition when a mysterious fall from a bridge took his artistic life away. He suffered horrific head injuries, was hospitalized nearly a year and incapicitated much longer. The Loss of Nameless Things is the haunting tale of Hall's fall from grace and what happens when, twenty five years later, a theater company stages the very play he was writing the night he fell.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsPina BauschRegina AdventoMalou AiraudoA tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.