"From New York Times bestselling author and house treasure Francine Prose comes this ingenious, darkly humorous novel that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters affiliated with an off-off-off-off Broadway children's theater production"-- "The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author weaves an ingenious, darkly humorous, and brilliantly observant story that follows the exploits and intrigue of a constellation of characters...

"Lola Levine is given a non-speaking part after getting stage fright during her class play audition. She saves the play after a couple of obstacles with the help of her grandmother"--

Mark does not want to play the turkey in the second grade Thanksgiving play, but then he ends up saving the day.

When off-Broadway performer Golly Gee vanishes into thin air, Esther Diamond is approached by the producers to take Golly's place--even as other female performers start to disappear all over the city.

"The Fairway Players, an amateur theater group, are in the middle of rehearsals for their production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife, Helen. Their young granddaughter is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and faces an experimental treatment that costs a tremendous sum, so their fellow castmates rally to raise the money to give her a chance at survival. But not everybody is convinced...

When a thief takes the box office money at the school play, Cam uses her photographic memory to solve the mystery.

"Very short for her age, Julia grows into her sense of self while playing a munchkin in a summer regional theater production of The Wizard of Oz"--

Gilbert is nervous about portraying George Washington in front of the class, and he feels even worse when he cannot find his main prop.

A former actor is on a journey that explores essential questions about identity, the power of art, the vanity of glory, and the meaning of life--

Between rehearsals for the school play and managing her divided family, seventeen-year-old Megan meets aspiring playwright Owen Okita, who agrees to help her attract the attention of a cute stagehand in exchange for help writing his new script.