New Releases by James Devita

Before the myth, there was a girl. Two dramatizations on stage at the same time: the trials and tribulations of the historic young woman, Joan of Arc, and that of the very modern-day young woman, Beth. Drama Full-length. 75-90 minutes 7-20 actors

At the turn of the century, a remarkable teacher works each holiday season to bring the joy and magic of the holidays alive for her students and their families. But with World War I raging, a Scrooge-like principal, and an unruly band of students, the prospects of a joyous Noel this year seems very slim...until Miss Brown shares a new song she has just discovered in a London store - the song we''ve come to know and love as The 12 Days of Christmas. Drama Full-length. 60-70 minutes 10-20 actors

A collection of three one-person plays: a comedy, and two figures from history.

London. Early 1600''s. The plague. Theaters are closed. Six Shakespearean characters, out of sorts (and work), meet at The Boar''s Head Tavern to ruminate about life, love, the pandemic -- their Author -- and the state of the world.

Offering a fresh approach to ancient Greek architecture, Shaping Ceremony focuses on the overlooked subject of monumental steps. Written in a clear and readable style, the book presents three complementary ways of studying steps: examining how the human body works on steps; theoretical perspectives on the relationship between architecture and human behavior; and the socio-political effects of steps'' presence. Although broad steps are usually associated with emperors and political dominance, Mary B. Hollinshead argues that earlier, in Greek sanctuaries, they expressed and reinforced communal authority. From this alternate perspective, she expands the traditional intellectual framework for studying Greek architecture. The heart of the study is a close reading of thirty-eight sites with monumental steps from the sixth through second centuries B.C. Organized by century, the book tracks the development of built pathways and grandstands for crowds of worshippers as evidence of the Greeks'' increasing awareness of the power of architecture to shape behavior and concentrate social energy. With photographs and illustrations of plans, Shaping Ceremony offers a clear account of how Greeks'' adaptation of terrain for human use promoted social cohesion and integrated architectural compositions. "

In a world filled with sanctions and restrictions, Marena struggles to remember the past: a time before the Zero Tolerance Party murdered her mother and put her father under house arrest. A time before they installed listening devices in every home and forbade citizens to read or write. A time when she was free. In the spirit of her revolutionary mother, Marena forms her own resistance group—the White Rose. This is a chilling dystopian novel that leads readers to question the very essence of their identities. Who do you think you are?

When Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, sees poor Tom Canty mistreated by one of his guards, he invites the pauper into the palace for a bite to eat.

Playbook

Morgan is bored with his life. Nothing exciting ever happens in his house. He can calculate his parents'' daily routine to the exact minute. He feels old before his time, with nothing to look forward to but more boredom. Then one dreary Sunday, Morgan has a vision of a magnificent fish, a leaping marlin wild in the sea, a creature so free that it would rather die than be tamed. The dream (if dream it is) is so vivid, Morgan feels a shocking rush of strength and speed racing through his veins, smells the salt air, and tastes the electricity of an impending ocean storm. For one brief exhilarating moment, sitting in a cramped apartment on a city block where every building looks exactly like the next, Morgan is that marlin, and from that moment on, he begins to change. A comic Metamorphosis for kids, this poignant, gently humorous, and highly original tale by actor, playwright, and first-time novelist James DeVita is a tender testament to following one''s heart. Through a series of miraculous and sometimes ridiculous events, Morgan comes to understand that he has the power to be whatever he wants to be -- even a fish -- as long as he believes in himself.

This wild adaptation highlights and improvises on the pure, unadulterated fun of Carroll''s original story. The play still retains some of Carroll''s deeper meanings, but what it possesses most of all is a huge helping of unabashed silliness.