Acting techniques Books

Book SynopsisWritten by an experienced teacher, and illustrated by line drawings and photographs, this book takes the actor step by step through the crucial process of choosing and performing an audition piece.

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Book SynopsisA guide to Psycho-Physical Acting, complete with games and exercises. When Stanislavsky died, he was working on a new system, Psycho-Physical Acting. Previously he had taught that truthful performance can only spring from the actor's imagination (the Method). Late in life, Stanislavsky realised that physical actions can induce emotions just as much as the other way round. Though well-known - and much taught - in Russia, Psycho-Physical Acting is in its infancy in the West. Bella Merlin has studied under three of the best teachers in Russia; this book is the fruit of her time there. 'This is a book which is vital both to practitioners and to all serious students of the theatre' Max Stafford-Clark 'A seminal book for today... an outstandingly lucid account... essential reading' Simon Callow Table of ContentsChapter 1: Putting You in the Picture. A resume of Stanislavsky's various work methods, with glances at Michael Chekhov and Grotowski. Chapter 2: Working on Your Self. Fine-tuning both body and psychology to yield vitality and spontaneity on stage. Chapter 3: Working in the Ensemble. Building a powerful and trusting environment within an ensemble. Chapter 4: Working on Your Role. The Method of Physical Actions and Active Analysis in the rehearsal room - with application to texts from Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Pinter and Dostoyevsky. Chapter 5: Putting it into Practice. Implementing the new techniques as (a) a professional actor; (b) a workshop leader; and (c) a director.

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Book SynopsisA Complete Voice Training Manual For Actors A simple, step-by-step manual, written by an RSC voice coach, which offers everything that an actor needs to work on their voice. Suitable for actors at all levels, from students and young professionals to established and experienced actors. Drama teachers in schools and committed amateur actors who want to increase their vocal skills and understanding will also find it invaluable. Includes sections on: * Preparation * Body Work * Breathing and Support * Breathing Into Sound: Supporting the Voice * Releasing the Sound * Filling out the Sound: Resonance * Extending the Sound: Range * Shaping the Sound: Articulation * Trouble-Shooting. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction, then clearly and succinctly sets out a sequence of relevant exercises - accompanied by simple diagrams - ending with a summary of what we have learned. 'Brilliantly guides the actor using exercises and tools that can revolutionise the voice. It's a boon!' Joseph Fiennes 'Barbara's work is simple and practical, encouraging each actor to be free and fluid with their own voice... Very inspiring' Emily Watson 'Barbara has a great understanding of the way that actors' anxieties can affect their voice. Her tone is calm, reassuring and good humoured' Niamh CusackTrade Review'It is hard to find a thorough, practical book on voice work that is not too technical for the average actor. Barbara Houseman has written one. Finding Your Voice is a sensible DIY voice book that is also sensitive and understanding of the actor's needs... a clear, no-nonsense approach... It is very hard to work on the voice from a book but Barbara Houseman has found a way to make it approachable and wholly possible' * British Voice Association *Table of ContentsBefore You Start; Body Work; Breathing and Support Breathing into Sound: Supporting the Voice; Releasing the Sound Filling Out the Sound: Resonance; Extending the Sound: Range Shaping the Sound: Articulation; Appendix: Warm-Up and Trouble-Shooter Section

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Book SynopsisA fascinating investigation into the wellsprings of improvisation in theatre, dance and music, from the author of the influential House of Games. Packed with exercises and practical techniques, The Improvisation Game explores how improvisation can be used both to create performance and as an end in itself. It reveals the techniques, structures and methods used by key practitioners in the field of improvised drama, music and dance – amongst them Keith Johnstone (author of Impro), Max Stafford-Clark (Out of Joint), Phelim McDermott (Improbable Theatre), Tim Etchells (Forced Entertainment), John Wright (Trestle, Told by an Idiot) and Robert Lepage. The book also looks at many famous traditions, events and performances with improvisation at their core, ranging from the Living Theatre to the Scratch Orchestra, from John Cage to Lenny Bruce, and seeks to draw out their significance in the always evolving world of improvisation.Trade Review'essential reading... a source of inspiration and a great toolbook for budding devised theatre makers' * Total Theatre Magazine *'a vital book for everyone who wishes to engage seriously with drama improvisation – it's changed my way of thinking' * ReviewsGate.com *'offers a wealth of possibilities and pieces of good advice... valuable for beginners and experienced improvisers, as well as for teachers' * Contemporary Theatre Review *

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Book SynopsisThe text of a talk given by renowned theatre director Peter Brook in Berlin in 1998, addressing essential questions about performing Shakespeare today. Brook invites us to consider the actual conditions of the Elizabethan theatre and the actual qualities of Shakespeare's language. Published as part of the Dramatic Contexts series: important statements on the theatre by major figures in the theatre.

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Book SynopsisHarriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting. 'Acting is what I do with who I am', writes Harriet Walter. And in this book she takes us step by step through the processes involved in performance. Each step of the way is illuminated with brilliantly precise examples from her own career. So we are introduced to the Workshop, the Rehearsal, and the Roots and Pathways into a role. Then follows the main meat of the book: six Keys to the Development and Exploration of character. The closing section deals with Performance on stage and screen. Every insight, every suggestion is firmly rooted in the author's own experience. Harriet Walter's book is full of unparalleled insights into the everyday working life of an actor, and into quite how much hard work is needed before they can convincingly put themselves in other people's shoes. 'My advice to a young actor: read this book' Richard EyreTrade Review'Buy it, and be delightfully and unhectoringly informed about exactly what it is that actors get up to and why... Harriet Walter is sharp, clear, elegant, sturdily sensitive' * Observer *'A fascinating insight into the working life of an actor... very enjoyable' * The Times *

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Book SynopsisOther early 'stand-out' roles came in the premieres of Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine (1979) and Mike Leigh's Goose Pimples (1981). He was Malcolm Bradbury's History Man on TV (1981) before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1982, where he has played a huge variety of leading role in modern plays such as David Edgar's Maydays (1983) and Peter Flannery's Singer (1989) but chiefly in Shakespeare. He was the Fool to Michael Gambon's Lear, a famous Richard III, Shylock, Malvolio, Leontes, Macbeth with Harriet Walter, and, currently, Iago. For the RSC he was also Cyrano and Tamburlaine and the Malcontent. Interspersed with these were appearances at the National Theatre - as Astrov to Ian McKellen's Uncle Vanya, as Stanley Spencer in Pam Gems's play and as Titus Andronicus, which he originated at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. In October 2004 he will appear at the National again in his own play based on Primo Levi's This was a Man. Following his debut as a writer with Year of the King, he has written four novels - Middlepost, Indoor Boy, Cheap Lives and The Feast - as well as an autobiography, Beside Myself (2001), and a play, I.D. (premiered at the Almeida, 2003).Trade Review"'One of the finest books I have ever read on the process of acting' Time Out; 'This is a most wonderfully authentic account of the experience of creating a performance' Sunday Times; 'A brilliant compulsive account' Michael Billington, Guardian; 'It is very funny... The drawings are miraculous too. Is there no end to the man's talent, damn him?' Evening Standard"

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Book SynopsisAn authoritative, hands-on guide through the practical challenges involved in performing Shakespeare. Drawing on a lifetime's experience of playing Shakespearean roles, Oliver Ford Davies offers practical advice to actors, directors and drama students on a wide variety of scenes, characters, speeches and individual lines from almost every one of the plays. The three core sections of Performing Shakespeare take us through the whole process of Preparation, Rehearsal and Performance, preceded by discussions of the Elizabethan actor and Shakespeare's language. Also included are revealing interviews with other notable Shakespearean actors including Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Harriet Walter, Simon Russell Beale and Juliet Stevenson. 'An invaluable guide to those who act and to all those who wish to gain deeper insights into the performance of Shakespeare's plays' Stanley Wells from his ForewordTrade Review'Terrific... should be read by anyone who wants to understand more about the Bard, his players, his times and today's interpretations of his stupendous creations... a great book for anyone who loves the theatre' * Observer *'It is hard to offer enough praise to this book... a tremendous knowledge of the canon... the writing is always practical and never dry or dull... might become definitive guidance for many who wish to follow in the author's footsteps' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisAn intensely practical handbook for actors on how to cope with text, subtext, character and situation. With a preface by Kenneth Branagh. Having helped the actor with basic vocal technique in her enormously successful book, Finding Your Voice, Barbara Houseman here shows the actor how to cope with the demands posed by the text [and the subtext] of the play itself. Full of practical exercises developed over many years of working with actors of all ages and experiences, Tackling Text [and subtext] is an indispensable handbook for any actor working with text - from acting students and young professionals, to experienced actors wanting to tackle specific problems and acting coaches wanting to discover new ways of enabling their students. 'If you want to improve as an actor, read this book... it helps restore the hard work of the actor as fresh, playful and fun' Kenneth Branagh, from his Preface 'An inspiring teacher... a hugely motivating force in my work' Daniel Radcliffe 'Barbara's work starts with the voice, passes through the physical - and results in a character. Her teaching helps total performance' Jude LawTrade Review'Detailed, down-to-earth, useful... with one of the clearest explanations I've read of iambic pentameter' * The Stage *'As useful to the experienced actor looking for a lifeline as the beginner wanting tips about the trade' * British Theatre Guide *

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring new approach to acting from a respected drama teacher - concise, succinct and full of practical exercises. Nick Moseley's Acting and Reacting: Tools for the Modern Actor establishes a new, intensely practical actor-training system incorporating the best of Stanislavsky, David Mamet and Sanford Meisner. Starting with the technique of Transactional Improvisation, it covers topics such as: The World of the Play Inhabiting the Space Learning to Trust Your Body Approaches to Text The result is a punchy and empowering book intended to shake up ideas about acting. Each theory is tested and reinforced with games and exercises that stretch and challenge the student actor at each stage. Acting and Reacting is a must for drama teachers and drama students alike.Trade Review'An inspirational approach to acting – a combination of ideological discourse, shrewd analysis and practical exercises' * Times Higher Education Supplement *

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Book SynopsisTHE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills Each Good Audition Guide contains a range of fresh monologues, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way. Each volume also carries a user-friendly introduction on the whole process of auditioning. Classical Monologues for Men contains 50 monologues drawn from classical plays throughout the ages and ranging across all of Western Theatre: * Classical Greek and Roman * Elizabethan and Jacobean * French and Spanish Golden Age * Restoration and Eighteenth Century * Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Also available: Classical Monologues for WomenTrade Review'sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition... so many of these extracts simply cry out to be performed... a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike... these two volumes are a must' * Teaching Drama Magazine *

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Book SynopsisTHE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills Each Good Audition Guide contains a range of fresh monologues, all prefaced with a summary of the vital information you need to place the piece in context and to perform it to maximum effect in your own unique way. Each volume also carries a user-friendly introduction on the whole process of auditioning. Classical Monologues for Women contains 50 monologues drawn from classical plays throughout the ages and ranging across all of Western Theatre: * Classical Greek and Roman * Elizabethan and Jacobean * French and Spanish Golden Age * Restoration and Eighteenth Century * Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries Also available: Classical Monologues for MenTrade Review'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition... so many of these extracts simply cry out to be performed... a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike... these two volumes are a must' * Teaching Drama Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction Ancient Greece and Rome (Sophocles, Euripides, Plautus etc) Elizabethan and Jacobean (Shakespeare, Jonson, Marlowe, Webster etc) French and Spanish Golden Age (Moliere, Racine, Lope de Vega etc) Restoration and 18th Century (Aphra Behn, Sheridan, Farquhar etc) 19th and early 20th-centuries (Ibsen, Chekhov, Wilde, Shaw etc)

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Book SynopsisA unique collection of performance pieces and improvisation exercises in the Commedia style, a companion volume to the author's best-selling Playing Commedia. Commedia Plays offers eight original short plays from across the different periods and styles of Commedia dell'Arte - suitable for performance on stage as well as classroom and workshop study. Also included is a collection of Lazzi, the pieces of 'business' that form the basis of Commedia's comic action, ranging from the 'Double Takes' to 'The Unwanted Proposal'. These can be inserted into the written text or explored and improvised in the drama studio.Trade Review'Exceptionally funny... a useful working manual for the practitioner or teacher, and great fun for the more general reader' * British Theatre Guide *'A good solid addition to the commedia canon... particularly useful for initiating teenagers into the essence of commedia play. In an era in which political theatre and satire are re-emerging, the commedia templates offer a unique opportunity for the exploration of current events in the social and political landscapes' * Total Theatre Magazine *

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Book SynopsisA top-ranking director sets out his rehearsal techniques in this invaluable handbook for actors and directors. Mike Alfreds' Different Every Night is the culmination of a lifetime of work in the theatre, the most complete rehearsal methodology in print since Stanislavsky. It offers a vital masterclass for actors and directors, full of sound practical advice and guidance, and is packed with techniques for bringing the text to life and keeping it alive - both in rehearsal and performance. 'Most of what I am as an actress I owe to Mike Alfreds. He gave me the language and the tools I needed for my craft' Pam Ferris, from her Foreword 'If I was allowed to train again to be an actor, but I was only allowed one teacher, it would have to be Mike Alfreds. To me he is a genius when it comes to acting and storytelling' Mark RylanceTrade Review'An illuminating and inspiring book... based in rich experience and acute observation of actors at work (and play)... essential reading for actors and directors' * Rogues & Vagabonds *

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Book SynopsisThe philosopher and educationalist Rudolf Steiner was also a radical dramatist who wrote four lengthy and complex plays. The first of these, The Portal of Initiation, is rich in content and artistically presented, but leaves us with questions: Why is the first scene so long and many speeches so lengthy? Why are our usual expectations of drama not met? Was Steiner really a competent dramatist? In this essential guide, Trevor Dance suggests that the first step to appreciating The Portal of Initiation is to understand Steiner's methods. The play belongs to the tradition of Mystery Dramas from ancient times - artistic works intended as vehicles for inner development. Steiner thus combines aspects of Goethe's alchemical fable The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily with the spiritual growth of contemporary individuals - all in the broader context of reincarnation and karma. With accessibility in mind, the author provides a clear synopsis of each scene and introduces us to the characters - a collection of rustics, sophisticates, hierophants and spiritual entities. Their dilemmas and challenges take place on many layers of reality: from a room in Sophia's house to the exalted Sun Temple. Revealing the enigmas behind the creation and content of The Portal of Initiation, Dance enables us not only to enjoy the play, but also to love it. His lucid guide - the first of its kind - is an ideal introduction for both individual readers and study groups.

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Book SynopsisThe study of theatre is of great value to psychologists because it is a vital part of life. This thoroughly revised and updated second edition provides a unique and up-to-date analysis of what psychology has to offer for actors, musicians, singers and dancers. It makes suggestions about how the particular stresses that performers are under can be managed. Newly provided examples, or Spotlights, give focused explanations of interesting topics that are self-contained within the text. Drawing on numerous practical examples from the arts as well as scientific and clinical research, this book has proven to be an invaluable resource for student, professional and amateur alike.Modern psychology has much to offer performing artists in terms of understanding themselves and optimizing their art: it examines the unique two-way relationship between audience and performer, describes the way in which emotions are communicated to an audience by non-verbal processes such as posture and facial expression, and explains the instinctual origins of the impulse to perform. Dr Glenn Wilson PhD, FBPS, CPsychol is Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, and has previously held visiting professorships at Stanford University, San Francisco State and the University of Nevada, Reno. He trained as a baritone at the Guildhall School of Music, and now is an established stage director and opera singer who makes frequent appearances on British TV. He has published several papers on psychology as applied to the performing arts, and in London in 1990 and 1993 organized the first and second international conferences on Psychology and the Performing Arts.Table of ContentsTheatre and Human Expression. Origins of Performance. Social processes and Theatre. Actor Training and Role Preparation. Emotional expression. Motivation. Movement and use of Space. Comedy and Comedians. The power of Music. Musical Expertise. Personality and Stress in Performers. Stage fright and Optimal Performance. Therapeutic use of Performing Arts.

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Book SynopsisStephen Book is a top Hollywood acting coach and teacher and a theatre director. His students have won Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Obies, and Grammys. Thirteen of his present or former students are featured in either starring roles or as cast regulars in the current primetime television schedule. This book contains film and television scenes in which Book-coached actors, used his Improvisation Technique to create their performances. These scenes, showing the actors'' performance choices, demonstrate the use of Improvisation Technique in different genres of acting. Well-known theatre and film scenes are included, as well as scenes from such TV shows as ''Frasier'', ''Melrose Place'', ''Star Trek: Voyager'', ''LA Law'' and ''The Practice''.

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Book SynopsisThe audition is the most vital part of what you do as an actor. Brendan McNamara's successful career as both an actor and casting director gives him a special insight into the audition process, which he shares in this fresh and insightful book. Developed from Brendan's popular workshops for actors, this practical and up-to-date guide gives you all the inspiration and advice you need to give a great audition. Includes: - How to approach agents and casting directors. - The types of auditions you are likely to face. - The pitfalls of the waiting room. - The dangers of under- and overpreparing. - What to wear and not to wear. - How to deal with recalls. - The seven deadly sins of auditions.Table of ContentsForeword by Jamie Thraves Why I wrote this book My first audition 12 Part One: Before the Audition What you're letting yourself in for Drama schools Starting out Contacting agents Contacting casting directors Kinds of auditions Part Two: The Audition The call Audition prep The waiting room Next please Just improvise it The recall What a casting director does A few acting tips Your audition is an advertisement for you What do you want from this? Part Three: Ask Brendan Part Four: Resources Useful websites CV and cover letter The seven deadly sins of auditions Acknowledgments About the author

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Book SynopsisThe Alexander Technique is a long-established, accessible and highly effective way of learning to change and retrain postural and behavioural habits that cause unnecessary tension, stress and illness.Developed over a century ago by F.M. Alexander (who taught the technique to George Bernard Shaw, Henry Irving, Aldous Huxley and many others), the Alexander Technique is a form of conscious awareness and mindfulness avant la lettre. It has always been used principally by actors – though it has wide applications in other professions and in daily life. Kate Kelly has a lifetime’s experience as an actor and Alexander teacher. In Before the Curtain Opens, she invites performers of all sorts to examine the everyday habits of standing, sitting, breathing, speaking and reacting that spill over, unseen, into their professional lives.?Using her own experience, miniature case studies, humour and unfailingly gentle kindness, she shines a spotlight on our deepest-rooted habits. On every page she offers advice, tips, techniques and guidance to help actors and performers retrain themselves in everything they do in daily life – before the curtain opens.Reviews:“Kate Kelly-Tanguay’s Before the Curtain Opens distils a lifetime’s lived experience of the Alexander Technique into an engaging and vivid introduction to what becomes a holistic philosophy of performance. A must-read for actors, drama students, and anyone who wants to feel more at easy within their own skin. Kate writes with a reassuring immediacy that makes your feel she is in the room with you”.David Grant, Senior Lecturer in Drama, School of Creative Arts, Queen's University, Belfast“I find Kate Kelly's capacity to cover a great deal of ground wittily and succinctly very engaging. The writing was itself a kind of Alexander lesson and I felt better for it.”Stephen Dillane, Actor'The Alexander Technique is a way of learning to change and retrain postural and behavioural habits that cause unnecessary tension, stress and illness. More than this, it is a form of conscious awareness and mindfulness avant la lettre.  In this new book the Blake enthusiast and Alexander teacher Kate Kelly  explores why Energy is Eternal Delight.'The Blake Society Newsletter, June 2018

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Book SynopsisBuilding on her fundamental texts The Art of Acting and The Art of Speech, Dawn Langman shows how the great dramas of Western heritage illuminate the evolution of human consciousness – from the past and into the future – thus providing a context in which actors can consciously evolve their art. Having laid her foundation by exploring the Eleusis Mysteries – the seed point of Western drama – she moves to the end of the nineteenth century, when drama and performance practice prepared for its next great evolutionary leap. She explores the connection of this leap to the evolutionary threshold facing human beings at the end of what occult history calls Kali Yuga. Weaving back and forth between future, past and present – guided by the great cyclic themes of human soul and spiritual development – Langman shows how the inspiration of our greatest artists springs from a source of knowing that encompasses the high calling of the human being to mature beyond its biological inheritance, and to become a conscious co-creator with the macrocosmic powers that serve the evolution of the universe. In doing so, she clarifies the specific function drama has in our contemporary development within the spectrum of the arts.Trade Review`Building on the first two books of this extraordinary series, Langman’s meta-historical analysis of drama lays the foundation for her ongoing explorations into an art of acting that fully takes into account the multidimensional nature of the human being. Here, she masterfully contextualizes the 20th century contributions of Rudolf Steiner and Michael Chekhov within the broad trajectory of the Western dramatic and theatrical tradition’. Dr Diane Caracciolo, Associate Professor of Educational Theatre, Adelphi University, USATable of ContentsTable of Illustrations – Acknowledgements – Preface – Introduction – The true names of things: reading the script, poetic and literal consciousness – Chapter 1, The key to the Mysteries: The founding myth – Chapter 2, 'It takes so many thousand years to wake': drama at the threshold – Chapter 3, When will the lost word be found? – Chapter 4, 'The fabulous wings unused': towards a drama of the future – Chapter 5, 'We shall not cease from exploration' – Epilogue, The crucible of art – Appendices: Appendix A, Additional volumes in this series – Appendix B, Therapeutic applications of Speech Formation – Appendix C, DVD recordings of Dawn Langman's lecture series: 'A Dramatic Journey through the evolution of human consciousness' – List of plays quoted or cited – Bibliography – List of illustrations – Notes

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Book SynopsisBuilding on the metahistorical exploration of drama that was the subject of Tongues of Flame, Dawn Langman explores the practical pathways through which the art of acting can evolve beyond the ‘body and soul’ paradigm still broadly accepted in contemporary culture. Through the integration of Rudolf Steiner’s research in the arts of speech and eurythmy, and together with Michael Chekhov’s acting techniques, Langman raises the spiritual dimension of the human being from that vague sensing which many actors intuit – but which has, however, little bearing on their practice – into a precise methodology. In this second volume in her series on ‘The Actor of the Future’, she offers performance artists a clear pathway ahead, enabling them to develop their work out of spiritual insight and consciousness. ‘Dawn Langman’s research into character creation invites the future into the present: suggesting the intriguing connection between the evolving universe, human consciousness and the mysteries at work in relationships and destiny.’ – Penelope Snowdon-Lait, Co-director, Spirit of the Word training, New ZealandTable of ContentsAcknowledgements – Prologue – Introduction – Rudolf Steiner's Speech and Drama Lectures – Chapter 1, Building the bridge between gesture, voice and speech – Chapter 2, Sound Experience (1): Expanding the horizon of the Vowels – Ensouling the vowel – Vowel moods from Shakespeare – Mapping a character's soul journey – Chapter 3, Sound Experience (2): Vowels as key to Laughing and Weeping – Chapter 4, Sound Experience (3) – Character-types and vowels – Blood/nerve-sense polarities – From soul type to individual soul – Approaching the planetary beings – vowels as a bridge to higher worlds – Chapter 5 Our High Work Masters (1): Vowels and the Planetary Beings – Chapter 6, Our High Work Masters (2): Vowels and the Planetary Beings in Shakespeare's King Lear – Chapter 7, Our High Work Masters (3): Consonants and the Starry Beings of the Zodiac – Chapter 8, Our High Work Masters (4): Consonants and the Starry Beings of the Zodiac in Shakespeare's King Lear – Appendix A: Additional texts for blood/nerve-sense characters – Appendix B: Table of phonetic symbols – Appendix C: Additional volumes in this series – Appendix D: DVD series: A Dramatic Journey through the Evolution of Human Consciousness, Dawn Langman – Bibliography – Notes

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Book SynopsisIn this third volume in The Actor of the Future series, Dawn Langman continues to explore the integration of Steiner's research into speech, drama and eurythmy with Michael Chekhov's acting methodology. Her advanced applications of all the basic processes allow the art of the actor and speaker to evolve beyond the 'soul and body' paradigm - still broadly accepted in contemporary culture - to include dimensions of the spirit. The book contains a seminal analysis of comedy and tragedy, showing how an understanding of their esoteric roots - sprung from the Eleusis mysteries of ancient Greece - deepen our appreciation and our ability to implement the practical suggestions made by Steiner and Chekhov to differentiate the fundamental styles. A comprehensive exploration of the vowels in relation to planetary beings lays the foundation for many layers of artistic deepening and application.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements - Introduction - Chapter 1 Advanced layering of Steiner/Chekhov processes - Chapter 2 Advanced applications of the three centres and their speech placements - Chapter 3 Style and genre - Chapter 4 Other states of being - Chapter 5 The planetary spheres: Dante's Paradiso-Our High Work - Chapter 6 The stages of life - Chapter 7 Archetypes of the artistic process-the creative tension between opposites - Chapter 8 New planets, new sensibilities and the actor of the future - Appendices A. A phenomenological approach. - B. Table of Phonetic Symbols - C. Extra texts for chapter 6 - D. Additional volumes in this series - E. DVD series-A Dramatic Journey through the Evolution of Human Consciousness - F. Website details and information about courses and trainings - Bibliography - List of Illustrations - Notes

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Book SynopsisHow to Sell Yourself as an Actor is the only guide to the ins and outs of the acting business thats actually written by a working actor. This popular book, now in its seventh edition, addresses the age-old question of how to merchandise your craft after you have learned it, and has become required reading for beginning actors as well as trained veterans, whether they live in big cities or small towns. Here youll find vital, down-to-earth info on how to make yourself more salable to casting people, agents, producers, and directors; how to take control of your own career with courage and vision; and how to maintain your humor and your sanity in a business that seems to lack both; as well as thoughts about showbiz internships, having a manager, internet job resources, auditioning, unions, and much, much more.

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Book SynopsisCutting-edge, comprehensive, and effective, Seven Pillars Acting empowers the actor to transform into character with ease and authenticity. Inspired by the great acting teachers of the last century, Seven Pillars Acting is a modern method that provides a structured set of tools and a dependable process to access and cultivate talent. With many students of the technique now working in the entertainment industry, Seven Pillars Acting is changing the way actors approach the craft. Each pillar focuses in on a different aspect of acting; added together, they give the actor the complete skills necessary to book a callback, land the part, and deliver a performance that is both effortless and true. Young actors and seasoned performers alike not only gain a clear concept of acting, they also begin or reenergize their professional acting careers in film, television, and theater. It is the goal of Seven Pillars Acting to instill in actors a technique that they can practice for a lifetime, without needing a teacher or guru to handhold the artist. The first comprehensive technique in the past thirty years, Seven Pillars Acting is for the serious actor who seeks a personal, dependable, and thrilling approach to crafting character. Trade Review"This is a practical handbook for solving acting problems. It's not just for entry level actors; it's helpful no matter what your experience is. Seven Pillars Acting was helpful to me."Mike Starr, over 200 film/tv credits, including Goodfellas"Seven Pillars Acting is comprehensive outline to the craft of acting. Its progression of exercises integrate many different approaches to acting, creating a step-by-step guide from listening and simple presence to camera-ready performance. Sonya Cooke‘s writing is very clear as she describes in detail the many elements an actor can use to make his work both truthful and dependable." —Stephen Wangh, author of An Acrobat of the Heart and The Heart of Teaching

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Book SynopsisAuthors not only create artworks. In the process of creating, they simultaneously bring to life their author personae. Approaching this phenomenon from an interdisciplinary point of view, Sonja Longolius develops a concept of "performative authorship" by examining different strategies of becoming an author. In regard to the notion of her concept, this work offers a critical and comparative analysis of the works of Paul Auster, Candice Breitz, Sophie Calle, and Jonathan Safran Foer. Specifically, Auster/Calle and Breitz/Foer form a generational pair of opposites, enabling a discussion of postmodern and post-postmodern artistic strategies of "performative authorship".

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Book SynopsisProvides greater insight into the dramatic art of antiquity by analysing three major groups of iconographical material in context with the written sources. As a theatre historian, the author''s object was to discuss some fundamental scenic questions, from the viewpoint of theatre history, in an attempt to shed fresh light on performance tradition in ancient drama.

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Book SynopsisThe life and work of the Italian cinematic legend Gina Lollobrigida A symbol of Mediterranean beauty, the incarnation of the diva par excellence of Italian cinema, the witness of Italy’s rebirth, but also the photojournalist, the sculptor, the painter: this was Gina Lollobrigida (1927–2023), best known for her roles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) and Carol Reed's Trapeze (1956), among others. This volume presents the life of this great all-around artist through her extraordinary photographs; the affectionate accounts of Christian De Sica, Carlo Verdone, Gérard Depardieu and Alex Marshall; the critical texts of the curators and editors; and an essay by Fabio Melelli. Lollobrigida possessed an uncommon artistic sensitivity and a great love of life—a vitality that she never lost, an unshakable determination—in addition to her all-consuming passion for art: all important elements in the shaping of her career. Through photos and accounts, this book retraces the life of Lollobrigida and her human and artistic versatility as actor, photographer, sculptor and philanthropist: myriad facets of an amazing existence.

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