21 Must-Read Theater Books for Summer 2026

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Broadway authors this season include David Lindsay-Abaire, Duncan Macmillan, Bret Shuford, and more.

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Summer is here and there is no better time of year to soak up the sun and dive into a new book. You're in luck, because Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 21 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's Summer 2026 reading list. Don't forget to listen to our Broadway Summer Jams playlist will you read!

Check out recent releases and view upcoming books for later this year!

By David Leopold Available Now

When it comes to icons, Al Hirschfeld captured just about all from his era: Marilyn Monroe , Charlie Chaplin , Elvis Presley , Liza Minnelli , Julie Andrews , Sammy Davis Jr., Chita Rivera , Richard Pryor , Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers. Hirschfeld’s drawings over an unprecedented 80-year career have often become the definitive representations of these performers. Hirschfeld’s Icons contains the master's portraits of these icons, some of the greatest actors, actresses, musicians, movie, and TV stars of the past century. No other artist has had a front-row seat to pop culture the way Hirschfeld did.

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By David Auburn Available Now

"The strength of David Auburn ’s plays lies in part in the fact that his characters are ambiguous, their fates not assured, not least because they are unclear about themselves. They are frequently capable of denial, unsure of who they are or how they relate to those around them." Chris Bigsby Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author David Auburn is an American dramatist who never fails to write astute and compelling dramas that grapple with large questions. In this collection of his work spanning 23 years his celebrated plays are anthologised together for the first time, showing him to be one of the most important contemporary dramatists of his generation. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof (2000) to his latest Broadway smash-hit Summer 1976, published for the first time, this collected works offers a comprehensive overview to Auburn's work for Broadway and beyond. Proof:

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By Lindsay Champion Available Now

The full story of a junior high musical production, told exclusively from the POV of the kids backstage. It's High School Musical, from behind the scenes. . .without the high school. Every cast depends on its stage crew. But what happens when they hate each other? Setting the Stage is the first act in a trilogy that tells the whole story! Eighth grader Ella Amani has been waiting her whole life to be the stage manager of the middle school musical, and this is her year! Somehow she'll have to find jobs for Willow, who's doing stage crew instead of detention, and Sebastian, a shy sixth grader whose sister is the star of the show. She'll have to wrangle Kevin, the clumsy new kid who was homeschooled on a boat, and Levi, her best friend, who used to tell her everything. Still, Ella's pretty sure she can handle the crew. The cast? That's a different story. They're ungrateful, they treat the crew like servants, and when Ella finally pushes back, they start playing pranks! Setting the Stage is a behind-the-scenes look at the drama of drama club from the crew's point of view.

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By Drew Campbell and Joel Brandwine Available Now

Not everyone who wants to make theater is a natural engineer, visual artist, or technician. For more than two decades, Technical Theater for Nontechnical People has been the go-to resource for theater artists who need to understand the technical aspects of their craft without becoming lost in them. In this thoroughly revised fourth edition, the popular guide adds a new chapter on video production and enhances its coverage of digital audio, LED lighting, and show control systems, all explained in the same approachable style that has kept this book in the pockets of industry professionals and amateurs alike for many years.

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By David Friedman Available Now

For decades, David Friedman has made people laugh, cry, and believe in kindness-through his songs of hope, healing and humor; from Broadway stages and beloved Disney films; in recording studios with artists like Diana Ross , Barry Manilow , and Nancy LaMott ; and through the metaphysical teachings he shares with audiences across the nation. Now, in this irresistible collection, he reveals the stories behind nearly a thousand moments that shaped his remarkable life: tales of family, friends and fame; joy and heartbreak; absurdity and grace... with a generous amount of gossip and laughter along the way.

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By Duncan MacMillan , with Jonny Donahoe Available Now

If you live a long life and get to the end of it without ever once feeling crushingly depressed, then you probably haven't been paying attention. You're seven years old. Mum's in hospital. Dad says she's 'done something stupid'. She finds it hard to be happy. You start a list of everything that's brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. You leave it on her pillow. You know she's read it because she's corrected your spelling. A child attempts to ease their mother's depression by creating a list of all the best things in the world. Through adulthood, as the list grows, they learn the deep significance it has on their own life. From Olivier Award-nominated writer Duncan MacMillan (People, Places and Things), Every Brilliant Thing is a comedy about the lengths we will go for those we love.

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By Casey Connors Available Now

Develop confidence, emotional range, and performance skills with this collection of 30 original dramatic monologues for teen actors ages 13–18. Awesome Actors Series: Dramatic Monologues for Teens features contemporary and performance-ready scripts designed for auditions, drama festivals, speech competitions, acting classes, examinations, and theatre training. Each monologue provides an opportunity for actors to explore character, emotion, storytelling, and Stage Presence while building valuable performance skills. Inside you'll find: 30 original dramatic monologues, Contemporary and relatable themes, Audition-ready performance material, Scripts suitable for festivals, schools, and showcases, Opportunities to develop emotional authenticity and character work, Practical resources for teachers, coaches, and performers, A valuable addition to every drama classroom, theatre library, and aspiring actor's collection.

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By Phillip Sprayberry Available Now

At the heart of the conversation, there’s always a story. People who love theatre love stories—after all, isn’t theatre itself rooted in storytelling? In 80 essays by 40 authors who share a deep love of theatre, Marquee Moments – Essays by Theatre Lovers captures their stories: the moments they find worthy of remembering and sharing. The authors of Marquee Moments are not Broadway headliners, trending director/choreographers, or social media celebrities. They are theatre people—actors, creatives, technicians, and theatregoers who love and sustain the art form. Some have had careers in theatre, but most are the unsung heroes who pull ropes backstage, chase props, sew hems. They are the 16-year-olds with sequined fingernails negotiating a power tool for the first time. They are the girl dads trading corporate suits for paint-splattered jeans on a Friday night. They are the adults finally answering the call to audition after years of wondering “what if?” They are the people in the audience, buying tickets and keeping theatre alive.

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By Lindsay Champion Available June 30, 2026

In this sequel to Setting the Stage, there's one week left until opening night of Curie: The Musical, and nothing is going right backstage. The set has collapsed, the crew's headsets don't work, and Ella, the stage manager, just quit in a fury. The cast and crew are playing pranks on each other, and Willow, the soundboard operator, is working on a scheme that will turn the feud into all-out war! Levi, the tech lead, and Rosa, the star of the show, are caught in the middle. Can they unite the cast and crew in time to actually rehearse? Or will the chaos force them to take sides and destroy their showmance? The teachers call it "tech week." The kids call it "hell week." Whatever you call it, this is the week that the drama of drama club gets real.

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By Joshua Rosenblum Available July 1, 2026

Maury Yeston , the celebrated composer and lyricist of the Tony Award–winning musicals Nine, Titanic, and Grand Hotel, has not, until now, been the subject of a full-length study of his career and work. Now, through this comprehensive text, readers can appreciate the full scope of Yeston's output and his place in musical theater history. A Very Unusual Way is a career chronicle combined with close examinations of some of Yeston's most noteworthy compositions, including songs from his famous musicals as well as his lesser-known works. Joshua Rosenblum gives behind-the-scenes accounts of Yeston's Broadway shows and appraises his songs with revelatory analyses that can be appreciated by musicians and lay readers alike. In addition to having full access to the composer's archive, the author conducted over a dozen interviews with Yeston, an unusually articulate, charming, and enlightening subject who offers priceless insights into his work and his process. The book also highlights the numerous well-known artistic figures and collaborators who have featured prominently in Yeston's life, including Stephen Sondheim , Placido Domingo , Federico Fellini , Jane Krakowski , Alan Jay Lerner , Yo-Yo Ma, Alan Menken , Mike Nichols , Barbra Streisand , Tommy Tune , and Jonathan Tunick. As a bonus, "Advice to Young Composers," Yeston's legendary discourse, is included in full as an appendix.

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By Hannah Robbins Available July 1, 2026

When Kiss Me, Kate premiered in its first try-out performance, its future was anything but certain. Conceived and staged in just nine months of intense, sometimes chaotic collaboration, the show was a bold experiment: a backstage musical built around a Shakespearean comedy. But once the reviews rolled in, all doubts vanished. The production was a triumph, becoming the most successful stage work of both Cole Porter and the writing duo Sam and Bella Spewack . Yet Kiss Me, Kate has never been without controversy. At its heart, the show is a backstage comedy built around a play-within-a-play adaptation of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. That choice has long invited scrutiny. From its earliest performances to its most recent revivals, Kiss Me, Kate has sparked discussion about adaptation, gender politics, and the evolving tastes of audiences. From its 1948 debut to its 75th anniversary revival, the musical has been both celebrated and critiqued, reflecting shifting cultural attitudes and artistic sensibilities.

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By La Donna L. Forsgren Available July 3, 2026

Black Queer Girlhood on the Musical Theatre Stage offers a new perspective on the creativity of contemporary Black women musical theatre artists, their representations of Black girlhood, and the Black queer feminist spectators who engage with their work. Creating a new model for Black queer feminist praxis, La Donna L. Forsgren engages with musical theatre scholarship, Black queer feminist criticism, reception studies, Black girlhood studies, and film and television studies, critiquing the gaps and silences within these fields. Each chapter uses Bl

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/21-Theater-Books-for-Your-Summer-2026-Reading-List-20260620)._