Acting techniques Books

Book SynopsisSomewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all.

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Book SynopsisCicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is world-famous for her voice teaching. The Actor and the Text is her classic book, distilled from years of working with actors of the highest calibre.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisI wish I had copies like this at Drama School. Essential notes on the language for those who will get up and speak it, not purely for those who will sit and study it. An incredibly useful tool with room on every page to make notes. Next time I'm in rehearsal on a Shakespeare play, I have no doubt that a copy from this series will be in my hand.' ADRIAN LESTER, Actor, Director and Writer Arden Performance Editions are ideal for anyone engaging with a Shakespeare play in performance. With clear facing-page notes giving definitions of words, easily accessible information about key textual variants, lineation, metrical ambiguities and pronunciation, each edition has been developed to open the play's possibilities and meanings to actors and students. Each edition offers: -Facing-page notes -Short, clear definitions of words -Easily accessible information about key textual variants -Notes on pronunciation of difficult names and unfamiliar words -An easy to read layout -SpaTrade ReviewThis edition of the Scottish play includes accessible and informative introductory chapters which serve as helpful cross-references for actors, teachers and students when translating from page to stage. The series editor has taken great care to emphasise creative opportunities actors are afforded via variations in punctuation, lineation and metre. * National Drama *Table of ContentsIntroduction Macbeth Longer Notes

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Book SynopsisPart clown manual, part storytelling and part rant The Clown Manifesto covers the experiences, philosophies and methods of the clown performer/director/teacher Nalleslavski. A book for clowns, physical comedians, actors, musicians, jugglers, puppeteers, magicians, street performers and dancers. Whatever form your clowning takes theatre, street theatre, comedy, burlesque, magic, circus the mischievously named Nalleslavski Method gives you practical tools to create comedy material that works universally, across cultural and language barriers.

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Book SynopsisThe essential handbook for every actorIn every drama school, in every English-speaking country, students from all over the world have to learn a Standard English Accent, and voice and drama tutor shave to teach it. But what exactly is it? How many varieties are there? And which one should they use when? Following on from How To Do Accents, this book provides a long awaited,up-to-date answer to these important questions and offers a complete course in how to do A Neutral Standard English Accent & Upper and Upper-Middle Class VarietiesPart One: contains all the tools you need to learn a current Neutral Standard English Accent; neutral in terms of class, race, age, gender, occupation and social backgroundPart Two: introduces you to the most useful Upper and Upper-Middle Class varieties of Standard English AccentTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction How to use this book Part One: New Standard English Accent Part Two: Upper-Class Varieties And Finally: Get Professional

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Book SynopsisAfter training and studying for years, you've earned a degree: now what? How to get a job and have a career as an actor is the number one question facing emerging artists and one which this book answers for you.While performing arts schools do a great job of teaching how to act, most don't teach you how to launch and sustain a career. This book addresses this fundamental aspect of your creative journey, delivering a precise formula to help you organize the next chapter of your life. It helps you to find work and proactively build a career by providing the tools you'll need to connect with working professionals within the industry.If acting is your business, you must run it as a business. Positioning you as CEO of your own company, this book uses a boardroom table as a visual model. At that table are 7 key positions, each representing an area of action and expertise that you must understand to build a successful career. With worksheets and tools, supplemented tTrade ReviewAspiring actors will benefit tremendously from the real-world practical advice provided by Wendy Kurtzman. As a well-respected casting director with a big picture understanding of both the actor’s creative process and the nuts and bolts of the entertainment industry, she offers a holistic approach to an acting career—supporting creative passion with day-to-day achievable goals. Wendy connects the dots between artistic dreams and pragmatic results with a plan that will no doubt empower actors and hopefully guide them to fulfilment and success. * David Rubin, Emmy and Artios Award-winning Casting Director, Former President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences *Every actor who wants to work at their craft should take the time to read and practice the concepts contained in this book. It will help lead to a very successful and rewarding career. * Sharon Bialy, Artios Award-winning Casting Director, Bialy/Thomas Casting, Barry, The Handmaid’s Tale, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul *Untold numbers of young people dream of becoming actors. Many invest good money in learning their craft. But few, if any, know how to navigate the industry once they complete their studies. Now they have a means to do so. Wendy Kurtzman’s book provides a guide to aspiring actors to take charge of their own careers rather than waiting for others to deem them worthy. * Harry Winer, Film and Television Director/Producer/Screenwriter, and Associate Professor, Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, USA *This book is easy to read, proactive and empowering. A must have for any artist looking to sustain a creative career. * Leslie Litt, Casting Director and Senior Casting Executive, Freevee, Amazon Studios, Friends, The Goldbergs *Acting is a business and you are the principal asset. Yes, you need to develop your craft, but that’s just the beginning. Networking is essential, but understanding the business of entertainment is even more important. You must know the player that can enhance your knowledge of the business, as well as influence the choices you make. Yes, it takes a village! This book will give you a clear picture of the steps you will need to take to have a vibrant and sustainable acting career. * Tim McNeal, Head of Creative Talent Development and Inclusion, Disney ABC Television Group *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley INTRODUCTION PART ONE: THE BOARDROOM Chapter 1. Meet the Boardroom Chapter 2. The CEO Chapter 3. The CFO Chapter 4. Head of Human Resources Chapter 5. Head of Marketing/Branding Chapter 6. Head of Business Development (Biz Dev) Chapter 7. Head of Representation Chapter 8. Head of Creative Development Chapter 9. Head of Outreach Chapter 10. Putting it All Together PART TWO: INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Chapter 11. Casting FAQ Chapter 12. Interviews: Let’s Get Down to Business Casting Professionals Michael Sanford CSA, CCDA Sanford Casting, A Closer Look at Commercial Casting Carol Dudley, CDG (Casting Director Guild of Great Britain and Ireland) Casting Director, Cannon, Dudley & Associates “The British Invasion” and What the Brits Know that we Don’t… Lisa Zambetti, Casting Director: The World of Motion Capture Casting Candido Cornejo Jr. Casting Director: Diversity in Casting and Learning the Language of a Casting Director Cassandra Han, Casting Director, Casting Perspective from Central Europe Nikki Barrett, Casting Director, Barrrett Casting Australia, Meet Nikki Barrett! Marci Liroff, Casting Director/Intimacy Coordinator, An Intimate Conversation About Intimacy on Set Writer/Producer Jonathan Prince, Writer/Producer/President PhilmCo Media, Importance of Creating Original Material Mindset and Study of Craft Ben Whitehair, Actor, Entrepreneur, Coach, Benwhitehair.com. I’m An Actor, Now What? Jordan Ancel, Writer, Director, Producer thrivingactor.com, Leveling Up Your Career Howard Fine, Acting Coach, Howard Fine Acting Studio, Criteria for the Professional Actor Further Reading Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisOffers a unique analysis of globally iconic and cult favourite television show, Columbo.

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Book SynopsisThe Groundbreaking Actor Training Guide, Enhanced with New Videos and Expert Advice from Acting Professionals Actors, teachers, and students of performing arts: sharpen your skills and release your potential with Actor Training the Laban Way, a groundbreaking approach to physical and vocal movement. Utilizing theories of preeminent movement theorist Rudolf Laban, acting teacher and performer Barbara Adrian integrates voice, speech, and movement training with illustrated individual and group exercises that include: Breath Support Building Dynamic Alignment Expanding Vocal Tone and Range Articulation and Rhythmic Exploration Enhancing Strength and Stamina Improving Balance and Flexibility Developing a Relationship to the Environs Revealing Your Emotional State through Physical and Vocal Action This second edition also includes an all-new chapter of advice from acting pr

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Book SynopsisThe Art of Raising an Artist guides parents in helping their children explore the world of acting and ultimately invest in their child’s future. Actor and director, Lilia Sixtos has seen thousands of auditions and taught hundreds of artists. By raising her two creative children, she has learned every possible way a creative person’s journey can be helped or hindered by their parents. In The Art of Raising an Artist, she shows parents how to: Identify the best training they can provide for their child within their means Develop a safe and loving space for the challenges of their child’s journey Create the support team their child needs Find their child’s niche Fit the needs of their child’s career with the needs of the whole family

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Book SynopsisA 'how to' book for actors who want to develop a 'can do' attitude to their profession in the face of rejection and intense competition. Feeling despondent about the acting profession? Been out of work for longer than you care to remember? Starting to resent the injustices of the job and the success of other actors? If so, An Attitude for Acting will inspire you to break out of the cycle of despondency and start to view yourself as a creative and autonomous individual who is valuable and employable. The book focuses on: • Maintaining a healthy attitude • Dealing with negative emotions • Keeping productive and motivated • Developing self-belief and getting the support you need • Turning discouragement into activity and opportunity • Coping with nerves • Preparing for auditions • Being included and not feeling left out • Building a value system that includes trust, responsibility, flexibility, creativity, adaptability and courage The book, by theatre director/teacher Andrew Tidmarsh and executive coach/neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, contains a series of intensely 'hands-on' exercises – some for practising alone, others for doing with friends or colleagues. These techniques will enable you to free yourself from potential states of inertia and hopelessness, and prevent any feelings of worthlessness becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, you will develop a self-confident, 'can-do' mentality that will help you shape the career you want. Whether you've just completed your training and want to start your career with confidence or you’ve been acting a while and are having difficulty planning the next stage, this book will help you on your path to surviving – and thriving – as an actor. Trade Review'Sensible practical advice... anyone embarking on an acting career or currently in the doldrums would do well to invest in this book' * British Theatre Guide *Table of ContentsThe book focuses on: Maintaining a healthy attitude Dealing with negative emotions Keeping productive and motivated Developing self-belief and getting the support you need Turning discouragement into activity and opportunity Coping with nerves Preparing for auditions Being included and not feeling left out Building a value system that includes trust, responsibility, flexibility, creativity, adaptability and courage

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Book SynopsisA treasure trove of advice, support and encouragement that no performer should be without. Honest, witty and direct, The Golden Rules of Acting is every actor's best friend – in handy paperback form. ‘When auditioning, rehearsing or in a performance, take a risk – the worst that can happen is that you get embarrassed. You won’t die.’ Easy to dip into, fully illustrated throughout, and designed to be both instructive and empowering, The Golden Rules of Acting won't tell you how to act – but it will tell you how to be an actor. ‘Always remember, the people auditioning you want you to be brilliant. They want you to solve their casting problem.' If you're a working actor, drama-school student, someone who wants to become an actor, or simply someone who has a dream and wants to make it a reality, this book is for you. ‘NEVER harmonise when singing ‘Happy Birthday’ – this has nothing to do with work, it’s just all actors do it & it’s bloody annoying.’ Andy Nyman learnt the golden rules of acting the hard way, through twenty-five years of working in theatre, film and television. On stage, he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the West End hit Ghost Stories, and won an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for co-writing and directing Something Wicked This Way Comes with his regular collaborator Derren Brown. His many film appearances include Severance and Frank Oz's Death at a Funeral. 'I absolutely devoured this book. Yes, it's witty but it's also sincere, informative, practical and humble in its truths' Toni Collette 'This little book is a must-read for every aspiring actor and actress, including all established performers – and I have recommended it to many since reading it. It confirms and reaffirms why we are in this profession. Not only does it impart hard-earned knowledge, it does so with a sense of fun, a little mischief, and always with dignity, which (let's face it) can take a daily beating. It's probably the most important book on acting and actors I've ever read; period! Keep it by your bedside at all times!' Liam Neeson OBE 'Christians have the Bible, now actors have this book. At last, everyone is happy' Simon Pegg 'Andy's distilled guidebook is smart, hilarious, and just might get you work!' Neil Patrick Harris 'Like having a friend in your pocket! Supremely practical, wise, reassuring, inspiring and funny – chockful of good humour and good sense' Keeley Hawes 'Honest, uplifting, expert advice from a genius of the craft' Riz Ahmed 'Like its author, this little book is packed full of wit, wisdom and good things' Matthew Macfadyen 'When I was starting out, wanting to read about how to unlock the mysteries of working in the theatre, I could only turn to Stanislavski. But now, you lucky young people (and indeed people of all ages), there is Nyman. One-tenth the length, a hundred times funnier and crammed with practical wisdom… read it and in every sense, you'll have a head start' Trevor Nunn 'A wonderful insight into the secrets of success that will help anyone achieve their dreams' Richard Wiseman (author, 59 Seconds: Think a little, change a lot)Trade Review'A complete joy, unique, a book for all seasons' * ReviewsGate.com *'Sage advice and wisdom for actors, and non-actors alike... truthful, eye-opening and insightful, reading it feels like getting tips and advice from a friend down the pub; it is a goldmine of information' * Huffington Post *'It's a little book and it's fun. If you get only one useful nugget it will have paid for itself... Worth the cover price for the quotations alone' * The Stage *

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Book Synopsis'The Feldenkrais Method is unique... I haven't found any other movement study that opens up such a rich and continuing area of enquiry' John Wright, from his Foreword Spontaneity, sensitivity, simplicity and flexibility in any situation are just some of the qualities that the Feldenkrais Method has inspired in performers around the world. It uses movement to enable you to feel, adapt and respond in new ways – not just in limited, habitual patterns – thereby increasing your physical, emotional and mental potential. Written by an experienced actor, theatre-maker and Feldenkrais practitioner, Feldenkrais for Actors leads you through a range of topics where using the Method can help, such as: Presence and Posture The Role of Tension Emotion, Character and Creativity Voice and Breath Injury and Anxiety Also included are dozens of exercises and lessons so that you can experience how the Method will help you in practice. Feldenkrais for Actors is the result of thirty years of study and experience of the Method, and the benefits it can bring. It is invaluable for actors at any stage of their career, as well as for singers, dancers, musicians, martial artists, athletes and more.Trade Review'A very readable, very practical book... makes a very passionate, detailed and accessible argument for how and why the Feldenkrais Method can be useful to an actor's continuing creative development' * Theatre, Dance and Performance Training *'An essential read… a useful guide to Feldenkrais and his work' * Word Matters - Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama *

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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 As an actor at any level – whether you are doing theatre studies at school, taking part in youth theatre, preparing for drama-school showcases, or attending professional acting workshops – you will often be required to prepare a duologue with a fellow performer. Your success is often based on locating and selecting a fresh, dynamic scene suited to your specific performing skills, as well as your interplay as a duo. Which is where this book comes in. This collection features twenty-five fantastic duologues for two men, almost all written since the year 2000 by some of our most exciting dramatic voices, offering a wide variety of character types and styles of writing. Playwrights featured include Mike Bartlett, Howard Brenton, Jez Butterworth, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Ella Hickson, Sam Holcroft, Anna Jordan, Rona Munro, Jack Thorne and Tom Wells, and the plays themselves were premiered at the very best theatres across the UK including the Manchester Royal Exchange, Watford Palace, the Almeida, Bush, Hampstead, Royal Court and Soho Theatres, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James equips each duologue with a thorough introduction including the vital information you need to place the piece in context (the who, what, when, where and why) and suggestions about how to perform the scene to its maximum effect (including the characters' objectives). The collection also features an introduction on the whole process of selecting and preparing a duologue, and how to present it to the greatest effect. The result is the most comprehensive and useful contemporary duologue book of its kind now available. 'Sound practical advice... a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides

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Book SynopsisFall in love with your voice. Get to know how it works. You will soon feel how good it is to sound like you. In The Voice Exercise Book, Jeannette Nelson - Head of Voice at the National Theatre - shares the voice exercises she uses with many of Britain's leading actors to help to keep their voices in shape. Her belief is that all of us, not just actors, can learn to use our voices well. Whether you perform professionally or you just want to be understood clearly and easily, you can improve your voice by knowing how it works and by practising simple exercises. The aim is not to 'fake it' – to try to sound like someone else. It is to find your authentic voice: to be honestly and clearly you in any situation. 'Jeannette’s warm-up sessions are tremendous and this book extends those exercises.' Zoë Wanamaker CBE 'Jeannette’s knowledge is astonishing, and her approach so gentle and effective.' Derren Brown 'She makes voice production endlessly fascinating and fun. There is no one better.' Rory Kinnear 'A must for anyone who is serious about producing a strong, clean noise from their voice box.' Sir Lenny HenryTrade Review'Clear and engaging… packed full of wise do-able guidance and sensible exercises… the author's buckets of experience, knowledge and understanding inform every sentence and illustration' * Drama Magazine *'Jeannette Nelson's approach is very clear... if you don't already have a book of voice exercise, I would recommend this one' * Teaching Drama *'An attractive, unfussy book with very clear instructions... Nelson's own voice is friendly but authoritative... definitely a book which could help teachers to manage both their own voices and voice development work with young people' * Ink Pellet *'An excellent manual [which] will be indispensable to acting students and voice teachers alike' * Word Matters - Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama *

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Book SynopsisWe are all a complex mixture of the elemental energies identified by many different cultures throughout history: Earth, Air, Fire, Water – and a fifth element called Quintessence or Spirit. As an actor, you need to be able to access each of them, so that you can draw on whichever element you need to bring your role fully into life. In The Elemental Actor, Mel Churcher explores these deep, primal drives, and gives you practical tools to harness them to make your work more powerful and alive. Her unique approach combines elements of actor training, voice work and movement to increase your range and help you bring depth, specificity and intensity to your performance. The book includes over one hundred games and exercises to help you explore each of the elements, incorporate this work into your practice, and apply it to the world of your role. There are also tips for preparing for auditions and dealing with performance anxiety, as well as advice on how to stay healthy in body, voice and mind. Offering an everlasting palette that will enrich any performance, whether on stage or screen, The Elemental Actor will help you release the wellspring of your imagination, and put elemental power into your work. Mel Churcher is an international acting, dialogue and voice coach who has worked with companies including the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre and Graeae Theatre Company. She is one of the top acting and dialogue coaches in TV and movies, and has worked with some of the biggest stars of stage and screen.

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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 In this volume of the Good Audition Guides, you'll find fifty fantastic speeches for men, all written since the year 2000, by some of our most exciting dramatic voices. Playwrights featured in Contemporary Monologues for Men include Howard Brenton, Jez Butterworth, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Caryl Churchill, Ariel Dorfman, Ella Hickson, Lucy Kirkwood, Bruce Norris, Jack Thorne and Enda Walsh, and the plays themselves were premiered at the very best theatres across the UK including the National Theatre, the Donmar Warehouse, the Bush and the Young Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange, Birmingham Rep, the Traverse in Edinburgh, and many on the stages of the Royal Court. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James prefaces each speech with a thorough introduction including the vital information you need to place the piece in context (the who, what, when, where and why) and suggestions about how to perform the scene to its maximum effect (including the character’s objectives and keywords). Contemporary Monologues for Men also features an introduction on the whole process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself. The result is the most comprehensive and useful contemporary monologue book now available. ‘Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition… a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike’ Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition GuidesTrade Review'Thorough and easy-to-use... The guidance is perhaps the most thorough I have seen in a monologue book' * Teaching Drama magazine *'A good addition to any student's/teacher's bookshelf' * Drama Magazine (published by National Drama) *'Trilby James rides to the rescue... a very useful something for everyone' * ReviewsGate.com *

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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 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 Synopsis101 great drama games for use in any classroom or workshop setting. Part of the Nick Hern Books Drama Games series. A dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, packed with 101 lively drama games suitable for players of all ages, with many appropriate for children from age 6 upwards. Whilst aimed primarily at school, youth theatre and community groups, they are equally fun - and instructional - for adults to play in workshop or rehearsal settings. 'An extraordinarily helpful compendium... a valuable help to directors, teachers and workshop leaders' Max Stafford-Clark, from his ForewordTrade Review'Small but perfectly formed, this is an essential purchase for classroom teachers and workshop leaders alike' * Total Theatre Magazine *'A truly amazing little book. Don't let its size fool you; it's packed full of good things. Whether you work with adults, tinies or those in between, buy this book and banish those awful moments when you know you know a game to use but just can't think of it. It'll be in here, or one very like it' * ReviewsGate.com *

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Book SynopsisA comprehensive training course in screen acting by an internationally renowned teacher and acting coach who has worked with actors of all backgrounds and experience – from drama school students at the start of their careers to Hollywood stars, including Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie and Keira Knightley. Mel Churcher has developed a series of five workshops which take actors step by step through the process of creating, developing and delivering assured performances on screen. Accompanied by ninety minutes of online film clips, showing all of the work in action, this book builds on these workshops and lets you progress through them at your own pace: Workshop 1: Keeping the Life encourages you to find what is unique about yourself and how you can preserve this vitality when acting on screen Workshop 2: Inhabiting the Role focuses on the emotional and psychological steps required in preparing your performance Workshop 3: The Physical Life introduces a series of practical exercises to develop the physicality and imagination of the actor Workshop 4: Through the Eye of the Camera explains the technical skills you must master to act in front of a lens Workshop 5: Off to Work We Go covers how to prepare for auditions and then how to handle specific challenges when you get the job Each exercise, technique and tip is vividly illustrated in online film clips taken from the author's actual workshops. The result is a vital masterclass in every aspect of acting on screen. Foreword by Jeremy Irons. 'When the whole business seems to have gone loopy, dip into Mel Churcher's book; somehow she always makes sense' Bob HoskinsTrade Review'Mel Churcher's new book is one of those rare things... The whole package is eminently approachable, direct, entertaining and perceptive; the [film clips are] smoothly edited, explicit and professional. The written text is substantial, with lots of extra information and exercises plainly laid out and easy to find... a joy' * Communicating Voice, British Voice Association *'This book is not just exclusively for those who would be screen actors, but for all those, both teachers and actors, who wish to find 'truth' within the role they have been given. The plus is the [film clips], which are a joy to watch and a 'gift' for all those teachers of drama' * Word Matters, The Journal of The Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama *

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Book Synopsis‘Masks are empowering… They enable you to take risks. They provoke you into working with the reckless logic of a six-year-old or the enigmatic stillness of someone wiser than you’ll ever be. But above all, masks let you be you without your habitual limitations.’ In Playing the Mask, award-winning theatre-maker and teacher John Wright explores and demystifies mask-work: what masks do, how they do it, and, above all, what they can teach us about acting. This book is a wonderfully accessible introduction to a fresh and innovative acting technique for actors, theatre-makers and teachers to use in training and rehearsal. A mask releases the actor to be playful, and playfulness generates ideas, finds meaning, develops characterisation – and is infinitely more fun than traditional training. Rather than a dry guide to making masked theatre, it is about, for instance, playing Lady Macbeth in Red Nose, or Hamlet in the mask of The Victim, The Ogre or The Fool, or even Romeo and Juliet in grotesque half-masks… All in the name of liberating your creativity and, ultimately, improving your performance. Extensively illustrated with a rich variety of masks, this inventive and pragmatic book is full of invaluable games and exercises drawn from the author’s own workshops, his experience as co-founder of both Trestle and Told by an Idiot, and his pioneering mask and clown work in many professional productions. ‘Brilliant, entertaining and accessible’ Paul Hunter, from his ForewordTrade Review'Wright brings his teaching alive through an anarchic sense of humour and colourful storytelling, highlighting his wide experience and understanding of theatre… highly enjoyable as well as instructive' * Drama Resource *'Provocative and playful… the example exercises are invaluable references… [Wright's insights] feel fresh and welcome in both the rehearsal room and drama school training' * Drama Magazine *'For a teacher wishing to find inventive new levels for teaching the craft of acting, this could be the answer... offers an innovative set of techniques for rehearsal and generates many useful ideas' * Word Matters (Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama) *

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Book SynopsisA practical, hands-on guide - for actors, directors, teachers and students - to Brecht's theory and practice of theatre, with a full set of exercises to help put theory into practice. The Complete Brecht Toolkit examines, one by one, Brecht's many, sometimes contradictory ideas about theatre - and how he put them into practice. Here are explanations of all the famous key terms, such as Alienation Effect, Epic Theatre and Gestus, as well as many others which go to make up what we think of as 'Brechtian theatre'. The book also explores the practical application of these theories in Acting, Language, Music, Design and Direction. Also included are fifty exercises contributed by Julian Jones, to help student actors investigate Brecht's ideas for themselves, becoming thoroughly familiar with the tools in the Brecht toolkit.Trade Review'a useful, refreshing, no-nonsense introduction to a practitioner who can be contradictory and is often misunderstood' * The Stage *'[a] major and brilliant achievement... exemplary clarity and concision... honour[s] the complexity of Brecht while providing a valuable addition to the literature aimed at exploring and explaining this key figure. I highly recommend this book to you' * Drama magazine *'a thorough yet crystal clear explanation of Brecht's more complicated techniques and ideas' * Teaching Drama Magazine *'one of the best introductory books on Brecht currently in circulation... Unwin [presents] the theoretical and practical ideas of Bertolt Brecht in a clear, concise and connected way so that students and practitioners may consider the importance of his work in the twenty-first century.' * A Younger Theatre *

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Book SynopsisIn (toward) a phenomenology of acting, Phillip Zarrilli considers acting as a question' to be explored in the studio and then reflected upon.This book is a vital response to Jerzy Grotowski's essential question: How does the actor touch that which is untouchable?' Phenomenology invites us to listen to the things themselves, to be attentive to how we sensorially, kinesthetically, and affectively engage with acting as a phenomenon and process. Using detailed first-person accounts of acting across a variety of dramaturgies and performances from Beckett to newly co-created performances to realism, it provides an account of how we do' or practice phenomenology when training, performing, directing, or teaching. Zarrilli brings a wealth of international and intercultural experience as a director, performer, and teacher to this major new contribution both to the practices of acting and to how we can reflect in depth on those practices.Trade Review"Zarrilli’s book is a major contribution to the effort to create a circulation between science, art, and human experience."Evan Thompson, Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia & Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada"Written with great poetic style and evocativeness, this impressive tome takes Zarrilli’s already impactful contribution to contemporary acting many steps further. It’s destined to become a twenty-first-century classic."Bella Merlin, Actor, Professor of Acting (University of California at Riverside), Author"…takes the reader on a journey between disciplines, repositioning both processes of acting and the languages we use to reflect on and lead actor training…a far reaching and thrilling journey into the embodied processes of acting which will liberate the actor."Ian Morgan, Performer and Course Leader MA Theatre LAB (RADA)"Zarrilli’s book is a major contribution to the effort to create a circulation between science, art, and human experience."Evan Thompson, Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada"Written with great poetic style and evocativeness, this impressive tome takes Zarrilli’s already impactful contribution to contemporary acting many steps further. It’s destined to become a twenty-first-century classic."Bella Merlin, Actor, Professor of Acting (University of California at Riverside), Author"…takes the reader on a journey between disciplines, repositioning both processes of acting and the languages we use to reflect on and lead actor training…a far reaching and thrilling journey into the embodied processes of acting which will liberate the actor."Ian Morgan, Performer and Course Leader MA Theatre LAB (RADA)Table of ContentsList of Figures; Foreword by Evan Thompson; Acknowledgements; Introduction: Acting as a process of phenomenological enquiry in the studio; 1. First person accounts of embodied practice: sensing as "living communication"; 2. The actor's 'lived/living' bodymind; 3. Attention and perception in action; 4. Subjectivity, self, and character/figure in performance; 5. The voicing body and sonorous speech; 6. Imagining; 7. Toward an intersubjective ethics of acting; Afterword; Appendix; References; Index

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, the world-renowned Arden Shakespeare is producing Performance Editions, aimed specifically for use in the rehearsal room. Published in association with the Shakespeare Institute, the text features easily accessible facing page notes including short definitions of words, key textual variants, and guidance on metre and pronunciation; a larger font size for easier reading; space for writing notes and reduced punctuation aimed at the actor rather than the reader. With editorial expertise from the worlds of theatre and academia, the series has been developed in association with actors and drama students. The Series Editors are distinguished scholars Professor Michael Dobson and Dr Abigail Rokison and leading Shakespearean actor, Simon Russell Beale.Trade ReviewA series that reboots the way Shakespeare’s plays are printed … I quickly came to love having notes at the same eye level as the text to which they relate. It’s significantly quicker and easier to glance to the right to get a meaning, than to constantly look up and down between text and a dense pile of notes on the bottom of the page. With these books, even note-dependent reading can continue virtually uninterrupted, making them ideal for following a recorded performance or reading aloud … Although the books in this series were created for actors and directors, their sheer vivacity and user-friendliness makes them ideal for students and teachers too. They add just enough information to bring the language to life without getting bogged down in details. * MidLifeLit *These editions are likely to help not only actors and drama students but also all amateur Shakespeareans including schools and colleges which stage the plays … What genius to have Simon Russell Beale as a series editor along with two Shakespeare Institute academics, Michael Dobson and Abigail Rokison-Woodall. * Ink Pellet *The Arden Performance Editions so far represent a much-needed and important contribution. In such a crowded market, it is remarkable to see editions that feel so fresh, relevant, and necessary. * Studies in Theatre and Performance *Table of ContentsIntroduction; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Longer Notes

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Book SynopsisMany theatre practitioners think of physical theatre as one thing and text-based theatre as another. In this book, Dymphna Callery, author of Through the Body: A Practical Guide to Physical Theatre, shows how exercises and rehearsal techniques associated with physical and devised theatre can be applied to scripted plays. Working ‘through the body’ enables performers to discover what really makes a play work. Drawing on key practitioners, including Jacques Lecoq, Joan Littlewood, Peter Brook and Simon McBurney, The Active Text offers a complete approach to working with a scripted play, leading the reader through a process of active exploration and experimentation that includes: Uncovering a play’s internal dynamics Using improvisation and theatre games Exploiting the languages of the body Getting inside the words that are spoken (as well as those that aren’t!) Discovering image structures Understanding the impact on the audience Throughout the book, the author draws on a core selection of well-known texts (from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Brecht, Arthur Miller, Steven Berkoff and Sarah Kane), showing how an active approach to text can challenge assumptions about even the most familiar of plays. Packed with theatre games, improvisation exercises and rehearsal techniques, The Active Text is an inspirational guide for performers, directors, students and teachers. It will revitalise work in the rehearsal room, workshop or classroom – anywhere that dramatic text needs to be brought to life.Trade Review'A wealth of ideas... clear and concise... an inspirational and a welcome resource for drama teachers. ... A final word of warning: reading this book can make you itch to start working on directing a play.' * Drama Magazine *'This book will have you dipping into it time and time again for its no-nonsense practical perspective' * DramaResource.com *'Fascinating stuff… thought-provoking… I am very taken with [it]' * The Stage *

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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. Shakespeare Monologues for Young Women contains forty monologues drawn from across the whole of Shakespeare's canon. Each speech comes with a neat summary of the vital information (the who, where and when of the speech), plus descriptions of what is happening, what to think about when preparing it, and a glossary. There is also a user-friendly introduction to selecting your speech, tackling Shakespeare's language and approaching the audition itself. 'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides

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Book SynopsisPracticed by such actors of stature as Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman, and Ellen Burstyn (not to mention the late James Dean) the Method offers a practical application of the renowned Stanislavsky technique.On Method Acting demystifies the 'mysteries' of Method acting -- breaking down the various steps into clear and simple terms, including chapters on:Sense Memory -- the most vital component of Method actingImprovisation -- without it, the most integral part of the Method is lostAnimal Exercises -- just one way to combat the mental blocks that prevent actors from grasping a characterCreating The Outer Character -- so actors can give the freshness of originality to a role while at the same time living the life of the characterOn Method Acting is also an indispensable volume for directors, designers, lighting technicians, and anyone in the dramatic arts interested in creating a believable and realistic effect i

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Book SynopsisA dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book in the Nick Hern Books Drama Games series, this title is for teachers and workshop leaders working with difficult or reluctant students, youth groups, young offenders, and all those who seem intent on saying 'no' to whatever is offered them. 'This book offers invaluable ways for artists, teachers, workshop leaders and activists to better use the arts to empower young people' Ken Livingstone, from his Foreword. For these groups, drama games and activities need to be robust and engaging, and the dozens that appear in this book have been devised with this in mind - and then tested by their target players. Each page features clear instructions on How to Play, notes on the Benefits of the Game, and advice on age range, number of players and timing. Following the ninety games and exercises aimed at developing core skills, the book offers scenarios for a series of improvisational challenges that test participants' abilities in mediation, communication, negotiation, assertiveness and managing emotions. Also included is a collection of games aimed at preparing teachers and workshop leaders for facilitating challenging sessions. The ultimate aim is to encourage reluctant participants to engage, collaborate and develop not just skills for drama but skills for life.Trade Review'Packed to the brim with bright and breezy ideas - a bargain!' * Total Theatre Magazine *'Each section of the book is well laid out and the games are clearly explained... contains some very interesting exercises' * Youth Drama Ireland *

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Book SynopsisOver the past decades there has been a resurgence of interest in Chekhov's acting technique. The original publishers of his fundamental text, To the Actor, removed most of the author's references to Rudolf Steiner, but recent studies acknowledge Chekhov's personal interest in anthroposophy as the source of his artistic inspiration. Dawn Langman explores the fundamentals of Chekhov's psycho-physical technique and the metaphysical principles on which it is based. She examines this technique in relation to the specific challenges and gifts provided by the actor's constitution of body, soul and spirit, and in the context of the canon of great poetic and dramatic texts - illuminated by Steiner's insights into humanity's evolving consciousness. The Art of Acting lays the foundation for the second and third books in her series, in which Langman explores Rudolf Steiner's art of speech and its integration with Michael Chekhov's methodology. Together, these books offer a contemporary, spiritually-enlivened path of development for the actor, in which the combined insights of Steiner and Chekhov lead to new possibilities for the performing arts.Trade Review'This book will be invaluable to teachers, acting students and practitioners alike. Langman's inspired methods, fed by some 45 years of teaching and practice, ensure the highest outcomes for the integration of voice, speech and language as a central ingredient of the actor's craft. She is the most unique and brilliant master teacher in this area I have ever encountered.' - Rosalba Clemente, Head of Acting, Drama Centre, Flinders University 'A rite de passage - working with Langman's book is an initiation into the practice of "Future Theatre".' - Dr Jane Gilmer, Assistant Professor of Drama, VPA, National Institute of Education, Singapore 'A remarkable achievement that communicates a lifetime of teaching artistry with grace and depth, and, most significantly, reveals the profound spiritual impulses at the heart of Michael Chekhov's original impulse. A gift for the generations.' - Dr Diane Caracciolo, Associate Professor of Educational Theatre, Adelphi University

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Book SynopsisA handbook for aspiring actors by two of the best-known names in British theatre and television. So You Want To Be An Actor? by Timothy West and Prunella Scales offers practical advice and do's and don'ts to anyone thinking of taking up acting. The authors are passionate about actor training, know the profession inside out and have more than a hundred years' experience between them... Writing alternately throughout the book - and sometimes offering radically different opinions - they cover over sixty topics including: * Drama school * Auditions and interviews * Agents * Financial Security * Learning the lines * Working in television/radio * Touring * Media attention Charmingly informal but full of sound advice, So You Want To Be An Actor? is essential reading for anyone with their eye on a career in acting.Trade Review'One of the most valuable books for young and aspiring actors that I have read in recent years... a book to keep with you from debut to death' * Rogues and Vagabonds Theatre Website *

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Book SynopsisA practical guide to the skills, characters and history of Commedia Dell'Arte through graded games and illustrated exercises - a useful tool in any actor's training and a discipline for all forms of physical theatre. Chapters include: * Warm-Up Games * Mime and Movement Games * Word Games * Using Face Masks * The Legacy of Commedia dell'Arte, a chapter looking at the individual Masks or characters in the traditional Commedia dell'Arte.

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Book SynopsisIn this seminal work on a new art of speech, Rudolf and Marie Steiner demonstrate how the Word can truly be brought to life. From the authors' perspective, the audible sound of speech is only the end result of a much greater process that begins inwardly. In contrast to the belief that speaking is entirely a matter of correct placement in the mouth, Rudolf Steiner advises speakers to concentrate on what takes place before the mechanical production of sound is made in the physical organism. Relevant to actors, teachers, therapists and anybody seeking to reinvigorate the art of the Word, this book will be an invaluable friend and guide to improving clarity and restoring beauty to communication.

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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. Shakespeare Monologues for Young Men contains forty monologues drawn from across the whole of Shakespeare's canon. Each speech comes with a neat summary of the vital information (the who, where and when of the speech), plus descriptions of what is happening, what to think about when preparing it, and a glossary. There is also a user-friendly introduction to selecting your speech, tackling Shakespeare's language and approaching the audition itself. 'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition' Teaching Drama Magazine on the Good Audition Guides

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Book SynopsisIn this candid and empowering A to Z of being an actor, Julie Hesmondhalgh draws on her decades of experience on stage and screen – including in massively popular television shows such as Broadchurch, Happy Valley and Coronation Street – to lift the lid on the realities of life in today's industry, and show you how to navigate it. She shares practical advice on preparing for roles (don't be afraid of looking like a dick), managing the ups and downs of your career (and how to be out of work without losing your mind), dealing with failure (and success), not constantly comparing yourself to others (bloody hard, but try), looking after your mental health, and the power of knowing when to say 'no'. Passionate about the arts, she makes a compelling case for their importance to society, but also calls out the industry on where it continues to fall short – including a clear-eyed assessment of what needs to change to make it safer and healthier, more accessible and inclusive. Written with refreshing honesty and self-deprecating humour, An Actor's Alphabet is a book for anyone who dreams of becoming an actor, wants to be a better one, or just wants to learn what being one is really like. 'Endearingly honest, funny and eye-opening. I loved it!' Francesca Martinez 'Like its author, this book is brimming with wisdom, intelligence, empathy and humanity... An absolute must!' Maxine Peake 'This is the best book on acting and being an actor I've read… Julie Hesmondhalgh is the mentor/best friend/guide we all need in these troubled times' Paul Chahidi 'Wonderful… not just a book about acting, but also about life. Us. The world. Humanity. Battling through this shit and finding time for a hug. I adore it.' Russell T Davies 'A must-read, whether you've been on the artist's journey for years or are just starting out' Shobna Gulati 'This book is bold, brash, sincere and angry. It regrets nothing and questions everything… Treasure it like we should treasure Julie' Jack Thorne 'A generous gift to actors, full of honesty, hope and wit. There is loads of tangible advice, not just for acting but for life' Anna Jordan 'Julie's book is honest, challenging and helpful. A great read' Andy NymanTrade Review'Brilliantly conversational and no-nonsense... very personal, focused on the things that mean something to her. She writes with passion; wise words that cover subjects from class to parenting, sex to tax... shows a huge generosity' * Reviews Hub *'Very interesting… has a warmth and humanity that isn't often found in training manuals or self-help books... will be extremely useful for anyone taking their first steps into this unstable industry and will raise plenty of smiles of recognition from more experienced members of the profession, but it will also give the general reader insight into the struggles of forging a long-term career in the performing arts' * British Theatre Guide *'Honest and revealing... Hesmondhalgh has risen imaginatively to the challenge of the A-Z format, and the result is interesting, informative and unusual... the sound advice she gives and the different topics she covers are very relevant to students considering a career in acting or other branches of the profession... She writes with honesty, humour and sincerity... a comprehensive and up-to-date toolkit for all those involved in and teaching within the profession' * Word Matters (Journal of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama) *

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Book SynopsisNeed to learn an accent for an audition? Got the part but can't quite grasp the sounds? Want to expand your repertoire? The Accent Handbook is a novel approach to accent-learning, providing a practical, digestible and customisable way of learning any accent of your choosing. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience coaching students and leading stage and screen actors, the book offers more than 200 empowering exercises to actively explore and hone accent features. You can dip in and out or go from cover to cover, depending on your aims, what you're learning or how much time you have.The book is accompanied by a wide-ranging and diverse library of contemporary accent recordings from across the globe. Uniquely, it also offers a guide to finding accent samples and getting more out of your listening. A section devoted to accent and acting delves into the powerful interplay between dialect, character and performance. Approachable and encouraging, this book is an

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Book SynopsisThis unique book offers a complete course in how to do any accent and also gives you the tools to navigate your way through a specific accent. Using solid technical know-how, clear practical steps, real-life examples, and the occasional dose of humour, the Haydn/Sharpe System brings to the surface the underlying structure of accents. The authors share the processes that they, as specialist dialect coaches, have developed, to give you the insight, tools and confidence to work with accents.This second edition includes examples and exercises for six new accents.Includes a free online code to access detailed exercises and sample sentences giving you the sounds you need to get your accent skills going! Also includes ready-to-use resource recordings of the following accents:Norfolk (NEW), Yorkshire (NEW), Standard Canadian (NEW), Standard Australian (NEW), Standard American, Northern Irish (Belfast), Southern Irish (Cork), Scottish (Glasgow), Newcastle, ManchesterTable of Contents1. Acknowledgements and Thanks 2. Introduction 3. Get Started 4. The Foundations 5. The Two Planets 6. The Bite 7. The Shapes 8. The Groove 9. Get Professional 10. Useful Stuff 11. Appendix

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Book SynopsisThe Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook''s theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer''s need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor''s method and becomes too conscious of the actor''s artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida''s work and methods. In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.Trade ReviewYoshi Oida shows how the mysteries and secrets of performance are inseparable from a precise, concrete and detailed science learned in the heat of experience. The vital lessons he passes on to us are told with such lightness and grace that typically the difficulties become invisible. -- Peter BrookTable of ContentsPreface to the 2020 Edition Foreword by Peter Brook Preface Introduction 1 Beginning 2 Moving 3 Performing 4 Speaking 5 Learning

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Book SynopsisWilliam Esper, one of the most celebrated acting teachers of our time, takes us through his step-by-step approach to the central challenge of advanced acting work: creating and playing a character. Esper’s first book, The Actor’s Art and Craft, earned praise for describing the basics taught in his famous first-year acting class. The Actor’s Guide to Creating a Character continues the journey. In these pages, co-author Damon DiMarco vividly re-creates Esper’s second-year course, again through the experiences of a fictional class. Esper’s training builds on Sanford Meisner’s legendary exercises, a world-renowned technique that Esper further developed through his long association with Meisner and the decades he has spent training a host of distinguished actors. His approach is flexible enough to apply to any role, helping actors to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.

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Book SynopsisExperiencing Speech: A Skills-Based, Panlingual Approach to Actor Training is a beginner's guide to Knight-Thompson Speechwork, a method that focuses on universal and inclusive speech training for actors from all language, racial, cultural, and gender backgrounds and identities. This book provides a progression of playful, practical exercises designed to build a truly universal set of speech skills that any actor can use, such as the ability to identify, discern, and execute every sound found in every language on the planet. By observing different types of flow through the vocal tract, vocal tract anatomy, articulator actions, and how these components can be combined, readers will understand and recreate the process by which language is learned. They will then be introduced to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and will practice using the IPA for narrow transcription of speech sounds. The book also offers both an intellectual and physical understanding Table of ContentsPart 1: The Physical Actions of Speech 1. Experiencing Flow 2. Experiencing Articulators 3. Experiencing Shaped Flow 4. Experiencing Obstructed Flow Part 2: The Possibilities in Language 5. Experiencing Obstruents in Language 6. Experiencing the Empty Charts – Consonants 7. Experiencing Language 8. Experiencing the Empty Chart – Vowels Part 3: The Transcription of Speech 9. Experiencing Phones, Phonemes, and Phonetic Symbols (oh my!) 10. Experiencing the Consonant Symbols 11. Experiencing the Vowel Symbols 12. Experiencing Narrow Phonetic Transcription Part 4: Speechwork is Acting Work 13. Experiencing Oral Posture 14. Experiencing Linguistic Detail 15. Experiencing Strategy 16. Experiencing Your Acting Choices

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Book SynopsisCreating Improvised Theatre: Tools, Techniques, and Theories for Short Form and Narrative Improvisation is a complete guide to improvised theatre for performers and instructors.This book provides a modern view of improvised theatre based on the rapid evolution of this art form, shedding new light on classic theories as well as developing lesser known and emerging techniques, such as the Trance Mask. Instead of simply referencing classic theories, the book revisits them and places them in the context of contemporary improvisation techniques. Designed as a practical support, this guide contains over 130 exercises that allow its theories to come alive in workshops, rehearsals, and performance. The book is divided into four sections: Nuts and bolts: The fundamental tools of improvisation to explore how to be spontaneously creative, build with your partner, and learn from masks to discover your scene instant by instant. Short Table of Contents1. Introduction Part 1: Nuts and Bolts 2. The basics 3. Spontaneous creativity 4. Creating with others 5. Masks and the art of being in the present Part 2: Short Form 6. Introducing short form 7. What’s the story? 8. Playing the platform and detecting tilts 9. Riding the rollercoaster to the end 10. The three change tools and Status 11. Physical change 12. Emotional change 13. Mischief and provoking change Part 3: Narrative Improvisation 14. What is narrative improvisation? 15. Narrative theories 16. The Initial world – locations and relations 17. The Initial world – calls and protagonists 18. Making choices to Get in trouble 19. The Crisis – ordeal and understanding 20. The Climax and the End world 21. Transitions 22. Narrative archetypes 23. Final tips for narrative improvisation Part 4: The Bits Box 24. Useful "bits" 25. Warm-ups 26. Over to you

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Book SynopsisAt the time of his death, Stanislavsky considered Nikolai Demidov to be âhis only student, who understands the Systemâ. Demidovâs incredibly forward-thinking processes not only continued his teacherâs pioneering work, but also solved the problems of an actorâs creativity that Stanislavsky never conquered.Despite being one of the original teachers of the Stanislavski system, Demidovâs name was little known either in his native Russia or the wider world until the turn of the 21st Century. Since then, his extensive works have been published in Russian but are yet to find their way to the English-speaking world. His sophisticated psychological techniques, stimulation of creativity, and methods of developing the actors themselves are now gaining increasing recognition.This book brings together Demidovâs five volumes on actor training. Supplementary materials, including transcriptions of Demidovâs classes, and notes and correspondence from the author make this the definitive collection on one of Russian theatreâs most important figures. Trade Review"Deserves to become the backbone of every actor’s library."- Stanislavsky Studies"Andrei Malaev-Babel and Margarita Laskina have taken on the formidable but necessary task of introducing Nikolai Demidov to the English-speaking world; and it is a major achievement. These pages are fresh, conversational, and, at times, provocatively categorical. Stimulating reading, they are illuminated by Malaev-Babel’s impeccable research."- Professor Maria Shevtsova, Goldsmith, University of London"Long repressed, Demidov’s radical ideas about acting are now being re-discovered and implemented in Russia. Now, through this extraordinary volume, we who read English over Russian can begin the exploration of these critical insights and lessons, and add a new name to the roster of Stanislavsky’s rebellious sons: Nikolai Demidov. I believe this book may ultimately alter the course of actor training in the west."- Professor David Chambers, Harvard University and Yale School of Drama"Demidov, and in turn Malaev-Babel, invite us to enter into a larger system, one that purports to articulate a pathway to creative psychology that complements and enlarges Stanislavski’s System. Given the years Demidov spent challenging and expanding Stanislavski’s System, the subsequent decades of suppression by the Soviet regime, and the increasing globalization of Stanislavski as the actor’s foundation, such an invitation is more than welcome."- Dr. Bryan Brown, University of ExeterTable of ContentsNIKOLAI DEMIDOV - A CREATIVE BIOGRAPHY (From the Editors) BOOK ONE: THE ART OF THE ACTOR - ITS PRESENT AND FUTURE, BOOK TWO: ACTOR TYPES, BOOK THREE: THE ART OF LIVING ONSTAGE, Part One: The Significance Of The Actor's Creative Experiencing. Part Two: The Path Of Spontaneous Reaction, Part Three: Some Basic Principles And Techniques, Part Four: Guiding Freedom And Involuntariness, Part Five: Conclusion, BOOK FOUR: THE ARTIST'S CREATIVE PROCESS ONSTAGE, BOOK FIVE: PSYCHO-TECHNIQUE OF THE AFFECTIVE ACTOR

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Book SynopsisA collection of both serious and comic monologues from the last three decades of contemporary playwriting, this title features pieces from Caryl Churchill, Michael Frayn, Martin McDonagh and Sarah Kane. It should be a useful resource for auditions, acting class and rehearsal

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