Mamk Author Has 3 Books Out This Fall: All on Theatre

by Erica Rubin

(October 19, 2006) Robert Viagas, one of the editors at Playbill Inc. in New York and a resident of Mamaroneck, has published two books over the course of the last six weeks and will publish a third on October 24.

As befits an editor of Playbill Inc., the official publisher of Broadway programs since 1884, Mr. Viagas' books are all about the theatre and largely about collaboration.

He worked with theatre luminaries, such as Tony and Pulitzer winners Harold Prince, Edward Albee, Susan Stroman and Wendy Wasserstein, on The Alchemy of Theatre, a book of essays on the art of collaboration.

Mr. Prince and Mr. Albee are among the essayists who will appear with Mr. Viagas at the 92nd Street YW-YMHA on October 29 to discuss the issues raised in the book. The book is a co-production of Playbill Books and Applause Books. (See: Alchemy at 92 St. Y.)

Mr. Viagas also collaborated with the original cast of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical A Chorus Line on their book On the Line: The Creation of 'A Chorus Line, released to coincide with the Broadway revival of the long-running musical. On the Line tells the story of how the show was forged in unprecedented workshops at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre and includes exclusive insights from those whose personal life stories were used as the basis for the show. The book was released in early October by Limelight Books.

In addition, Mr. Viagas served as editor of The Playbill Broadway Yearbook from Playbill Books, a 512-page backstage look at life at all 71 shows that played on Broadway during the 2005-2006 season. It is the second in an annual series, and Mr. Viagas is currently at work on the 2007 edition.

He is also the founder of Playbill.com and author of five other books. He hosts the annual webcast of the Tony Awards.

Mr. Viagas lives in the Harbor Heights section of Mamaroneck with his wife Catherine, a skating coach at Hommocks Ice Rink, and their sons Ben (a sophomore at Mamaroneck High School) and Nick (a sixth grader at the Hommocks).

His local theatre involvement includes operating the follow-spotlight for seven consecutive Mamaroneck Avenue School musical theatre productions. He also was a reporter for the old Mamaroneck Daily Times, a precursor to the Journal News.