I met Peter in the mid-1990s while he was a teenager and discovering much about himself as a person and a performer. He appeared in one of the cabaret nights I produced in New York at "Don't Tell Mama's" and went on to script and appear in his own autographical productions and off-Broadway work as well. He's not yet thirty (will be next year!) and Peter has accomplished quite a bit. He's a good friend to have and a very talented, giving individual; a wicked mimic to boot.
I'm especially thrilled for Peter who has recently completed the manuscript for his first publication on a subject that has fascinated him for almost two decades - The Salem Witch Trials. Read the press release below. I promise you - you will not be disappointed reading his book. This man knows how to write!
For Immediate Release (September 26, 2007):
"CINEMA SALEM: A FILM GUIDE TO THE WITCH CITY"
ANNOUNCED FOR OCTOBER 13, 2007 PUBLICATION
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PETER MAC'S NEW BOOK CELEBRATES
THE COALESCENCE OF MOVIE HISTORY AND THE LEGENDARY WITCH TRIALS
(New York, NY) Just in time for the witching season, acclaimed playwright/entertainer Peter Mac channels his talent to amuse -- and inform -- into an exciting new book, Cinema Salem: A Film Guide to The Witch City. This lavishly detailed and illustrated volume serves as both introduction and companion to the manner in which film, television, and stage productions have portrayed the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in some 97 years of large and small screen treatments. They're all here: from Arthur Miller's controversial The Crucible to TV's "Bewitched," "Dark Shadows," and "Passions," and Disney's Hocus Pocus.
Cinema Salem will be available through E-Book Time beginning on (naturally!) October 13th and retails for $23.95. The 350-page trade paperback is highlighted by fifty black-and-white photographs, many of them never-before-published.
Although it's more than 300 years since the infamous trials, those events in Salem have never failed to fascinate movie makers and moviegoers. Cinema Salem includes a detailed synopsis of scores of films and television programs that offer widely-different approaches to both the actual history and myriad legends of that era. In addition to behind- the-scenes tidbits, fun facts, and trivia, the book features:
* a special chapter entitled "Bewitched" in Salem (harking back to the seven days that the classic 1960s sitcom filmed on location in Massachusetts);
* an in-depth conversation with writer/producer Victor Pisano attendant to his landmark PBS mini-series, Three Sovereigns for Sarah (starring Vanessa Redgrave);
* a section dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his The House of the Seven Gables on film; and
* both an interview with and foreword by "Dark Shadows" actress Lara Parker. Parker addresses the history of the original trials and their influence on the scripting of the TV series -- as well as their impact on her new novel, Dark Shadows: The Salem Branch.
From serious drama to television sitcom to multi-media camp, Cinema Salem leaves no stone unturned!
Appropriately, the book will be launched at the Salem Chamber of Commerce Biz Bazaar on Saturday, October 13 (from 10 AM to 8 PM) and Sunday, October 14 (10 AM TO 5 PM). The book makes its New York debut on Sunday, October 28 at 6:30PM at The Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 208 West 13th Street. At each venue, author Mac will offer a discussion, a question & answer session, a video presentation, and sign copies of his book. (Those attending these events will be able to purchase Cinema Salem at the discounted price of $20.)
It is also available through E-Book Time at http://www.e-booktime.com/ and online from both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Peter Mac is a native New Yorker. He made his debut as a playwright in 2002 with the autobiographical dramedy, Judy and Me, and continues to perform in the TriState area and around the United States as an actor/singer and Judy Garland tribute artist. Cinema Salem: A Film Guide to the Witch City is his first book.
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For more information, please contact Peter Mac at:
cinemasalem@aol.com
You can also visit http://www.cinemasalem.net/
Or call (718)290-0660.
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