Thomas S. Hischak is an internationally recognized writer and teacher in the performing arts. He is the author of twenty-six nonfiction books about theatre, film, and popular music, including Theatre as Human Action: An Introduction to Theatre Arts, The Oxford Companion to the American Musical, The Encyclopedia of Film Composers, The 100 Greatest American Plays, 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, 100 Greatest American and British Animated Films, and The Disney Song Encyclopedia (with Mark A. Robinson).