Below are some Theatre, Business, and Personal Improvement products and informational blogs, podcasts, services, books, and software that I have enjoyed or found incredibly useful. If you’re looking for some recommendations, do check them out!
*This list is ever-changing and ever-growing - so check back regularly!
BLOGS
Producer Ken Davenport’s blog about Broadway and beyond. Many of his posts are highly informational with statistics and infographics concerning different aspects of Broadway.
Maggie Bera’s blog contains some great information about the specifics of being a performer in this business.
PODCASTS
Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien’s brilliant bi-weekly podcast about creativity - including interviews with fantastic makers both in and out of the business.
The Dramatists Guild’s new podcast featuring interviews and roundtables with dramatists about difficult topics facing our industry.
The Producer’s Perspective Podcast
One of the best and most comprehensive interview podcasts of people across the industry, from niches rarely discussed to the Broadway A-List of directors, choreographers, performers, and producers.
Surprisingly relatable to our industry and artistic work, always informative, and often entertaining.
BOOKS
(Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through a title link for a book below to that website and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are the images below. Thank you in advance if you choose to buy through my page.)
Ever wonder why we get into habits, how to break them, and how to start new ones? An excellent resource.
A must-have for any writer, director, or performer. Storytelling is complex, and this book does an excellent job of pulling back the curtain in digestable and actionable ways.
A classic book about writing, structure, and pacing. Originally meant for screen writers, though it applies wonderfully to theatre as well.
The principles of marketing seem daunting, but this book does an excellent job of breaking them down and making them understandable.
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Originality is key in any field, but the arts world in particular. Though the book is not geared toward artists, there is much to be gained in these pages.
All about the creation of Pixar and how it became both the storytelling giant and hub for creators that it remains to this day.
Short, clear, to-the-point, brutally honest, and a must-read.
Amanda Palmer’s book is eye-opening, inspirational, and filled with fascinating anecdotes. Anyone who hates asking for anything must read this book.
Finishing The Hat & Look I Made A Hat
Stephen Sondheim’s annotated compilations of lyrics are both a joy and a masterclass, filled with stories, advice, and brilliant craft.
Sondheim On Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions
This transcribed set of interviews with Stephen Sondheim is filled with insights on musical theatre composition that changed the way I think about the art form.
This meditation book on the Ziva Technique from Emily Fletcher is an absolute game changer, especially for artists.
SOFTWARE
(Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I am an affiliate of Circle through PartnerStack and I will earn a commission if you click through the Circle link below, go to that website, and make a purchase. Thank you in advance if you choose to buy through my page.)
Circle is - in my opinion - the best of the online membership platforms, with new capabilities and features being released every month. The user interface is intuitive, the flexibility is invaluable, and the responsiveness from the team is excellent!
Although Finale has been claimed as the industry standard for sheet music creation software, I am firmly planted in the Sibelius camp. In my opinion, the interface is far more user-friendly, the sounds are great quality, and the keyboard shortcuts won me over.
Scrivener is one of the lesser-known programs, but I have found it to be a wonderful tool. It’s perfect for people who like to have options for organized creative workflow, as well as those who like to tweak or alter their formatting from one project to the next!
SERVICES
(Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. I am an affiliate of both Kajabi and Video Ranking Academy, and I will earn a commission if you click through the service links below, go to the website, and make a purchase. Thank you in advance if you choose to buy through my page.)
Running a business has so many facets - email lists, landing pages, products, purchases, etc. - and Kajabi makes every simpler. With their ever-expanding options, Kajabi is an excellent and easily-integrated platform for making your online business run smoothly.
If you are a YouTube content creator, you know the struggles of learning how to get your content to be picked up by the recommendation system. Video Ranking Academy takes all the guesswork out of it by putting together everything you need to know in a step-by-step process through videos, downloadables, and live content.
