{"product_id":"9781350524347","title":"Andy Blankenbuehler A Critical Companion","description":"\u003ch3\u003eMusical Theatre Critical Companions\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eAndy Blankenbuehler\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Critical Companion\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAmanda Jane Olmstead\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerforming Arts \/ Theater \/ Broadway \u0026amp; Musicals\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"There are very few times when I really want the audience to look at dance…Dance is just meant to be a framing device that matches emotionally what I want the audience to feel.\" - \u003c\/i\u003eAndy Blankenbuehler \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree-time Tony Award-winner Andy Blankenbuehler is one of the most recognizable choreographers working on Broadway today. Known particularly for his work on the hit musical \u003ci\u003eHamilton\u003c\/i\u003e, collaborating once again with Lin-Manuel Miranda following their work on \u003ci\u003eIn The Heights\u003c\/i\u003e, his distinct style and method of working is unique and distinguishable. This first critical study of both his style and extraordinary body of work explores everything from his background and training through to his rehearsal process and collaborative style. Told chronologically through his major shows, alongside interludes and reflections, this critical companion includes analysis alongside interviews with collaborators and Blankenbuehler himself. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs well as guiding readers through specific shows, this book unpacks and explores Blankenbuehler's philosophies with regards to storytelling through the body. It argues how his prioritization of the ensemble as crucial to understanding the action within a show consequently positions the ensemble body as an indispensable element through which the audience gains vital (sub)text. As a result of this decision his choreography has become distinctly different from his predecessors and peers. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublished in Methuen Drama's Musical Theatre Critical Companions series this offers an accessible yet thorough study of a contemporary practitioner that is perfect for students, dancers and musical theatre fans alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAmanda Jane Olmstead\u003c\/b\u003e (she\/her) is a faculty member in the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Pittsburgh and in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA. She received her PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, her MA in Performance Studies from New York University, and her BA in Theatre with a minor in Dance from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Olmstead is also a choreographer for local Pittsburgh schools and the Pitt Stages Theatre Arts Department. Her publications include an article titled “Développé: Katherine Dunham's Diasporic Dance” in the Studies in Musical Theatre Journal and a chapter titled “Dance as Narrative: Storytelling Through the Ensemble Body” for the collection titled \u003ci\u003eDance \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ein Musical Theatre: A History of the Body in Movement\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e06 August 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781350524347\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e232\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.64\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51333853315212,"sku":"9781350524347","price":26.96,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_96525ead-c435-4fef-8497-52fd80446316.jpg?v=1783616931","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781350524347","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}