''Show Business'' is a

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

. Its mission is to help guide aspiring

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

s toward a successful career in the performing arts. ''Show Business'' content includes casting calls and audition notices as well as theater-related news and information. In addition, the print publication and website publishes contact information for talent agents, managers, and casting directors.

History

''Show Business'' was first published in 1941 when it was launched by Leo Shull as a broadsheet newspaper featuring auditions and casting calls for Broadway shows and other theatrical productions in New York City. Young actors, singers and dancers looking for work on stage and screen would seek out the newspaper for its exclusive content of jobs and casting information, which was difficult to come by at the time. The advent of a casting publication as a means of bringing job information directly to actors was a boon to performers trying to break into the business. In the early years of ''Show Business'', actors such as Lauren Bacall and Kirk Douglas would help distribute copies of the publication by selling them at

Sardi's Sardi's is a continental restaurant located at 234 West 44th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, in the Theater District of Manhattan, New York City. Sardi's opened at its current location on March 5, 1927. It is known for the carica ...

and other establishments in the theater district. The operation grew to include several other publications, including resource directories for theaters, agents, managers, and producers. In 1960, Mayor

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor of stage, screen, and television. He is known for starring in the television shows '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch'' (1975–1978), and '' Hart to Hart'' (1979� ...

issued an official proclamation that declared April 25 - May 2 "''Show Business'' Week" in New York City: :"Through this theatrical publication, untold thousands of aspiring artists, young men and women who have adopted the theater as a profession, have been aided and guided in a realistic approach to this media." In 1960, ''Show Business'' employees

Allen Zwerdling Allen Zwerdling (October 12, 1922 – January 12, 2009) was an American journalist who was co-founder of '' Backstage'', the "casting bible" for theater performers. Biography Zwerdling was born on October 12, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, an ...

and

Ira Eaker General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form and ...

left the publication to start a rival casting newspaper ''Backstage''. Show Business ceased publication in 1991. Eight years later, New York City entrepreneur and publisher David Pearlstein restarted the newspaper. He rebranded it and segmented the publication to reach a younger and more contemporary audience. Pearlstein expanded Show Business by adding new sections to the paper, creating live events and producing its first website: www.showbusinessweekly.com

In pop culture

Alan Parker's 1980 film '' Fame'', which follows students of New York's High School of Performing Arts, features characters reading ''Show Business''. In her autobiography ''By Myself'', Lauren Bacall credits ''Show Business'' with helping her early career. As an aspiring actress, she also sold copies in front of

Walgreens Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, a ...

drug store on 7th Avenue and 44th St. in Times Square. Gossip columnist

Cindy Adams Cynthia "Cindy" Adams (née Heller) is an American gossip columnist and writer. She is the widow of comedian/humorist Joey Adams. Early life and education Adams was an only child raised by her mother after her parents divorced. Marriage to J ...

worked for ''Show Business'' early in her career.

References

External links

''Show Business Weekly''{{'s website
Entertainment trade magazines Magazines established in 1941 Magazines published in New York City Monthly magazines published in the United States Visual arts magazines published in the United States