A vital companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance Actors need actions. They cannot 'act' adjectives, they need verbs: they need an aim to achieve, an action to perform. 'Actions' are active verbs. 'I tempt you.' 'You taunt me.' In order to perform an action truthfully and therefore convincingly, an actor needs to find exactly the right action to suit that particular situation and that particular line. That is where this book comes in...It is a thesaurus of active verbs, with which the actor can refine the action-word until s/he hits exactly the right one to help make the action come alive. It looks like this: taunt insult, tease, torment, provoke, ridicule, mock, poke, needle tempt influence, attract, entice, cajole, coax, seduce, lure, fascinate It is well known in the acting community that random lists of action-words circulate rehearsal rooms in dog-eared photocopies - as a sort of actor's crib. This book makes them available for the first time in an organised and comprehensive form.

The great French mime performer, Claude Kipnis, reveals the mechanisms and techniques of mime in an easy-to-understand translation. This is not a theoretical "art of" book, but a functional "how to" and "why to" instructional guide. Individual exercises are included, together with detailed coverage of body movements, the illusion and how to create a world. We know of no other book that so comprehensively explains how the functions of mime are achieved. Certainly a basic text for any aspiring mime.

From an actor and director who got his start as a Brat Pack member, an emotionally poignant memoir, perfect for fans of Patti Smith's Just Kids and Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends. The inspiration for the Hulu documentary.

Everyone knows Andrew McCarthy from his iconic movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Weekend at Bernie's, and Less than Zero. A member of the legendary Hollywood Brat Pack (including Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore), his filmography has come to represent both a genre of film and an era of pop culture.

In Brat, McCarthy focuses on that singular moment in time. The result is a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction, and masculinity. 1980s New York City is brought to vivid life in these pages, from scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park to skipping school in favor of the dark revival houses of the Village–where he fell in love with the movies that would change his life.

Filled with personal revelations of innocence lost to heady days in Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters, Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.

Before there was "Glee "or "American Idol, "there was Stagedoor Manor, a theater camp in the Catskills where big-time Hollywood casting directors came to find the next generation of stars. It's where Natalie Portman, Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Braff, Mandy Moore, Lea Michele, and many others got their start as kids. At age thirty-one, Mickey Rapkin, a senior editor at "GQ "and self-proclaimed theater geek, was lucky enough to go, too, when he followed three determined teen actors through the rivalries, heartbreak, and triumphs of a summer at Stagedoor Manor.
Every summer since 1975, a new crop of campers has entered Stagedoor Manor to begin an intense, often wrenching introduction to professional theater. The offspring of Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Nora Ephron, and Bruce Willis work alongside kids on scholarship. Some campers have agents, others are just beginning. The faculty--all seasoned professionals--demand adult-size dedication and performances from the kids. Add in talent scouts from Disney and Paradigm and you have an intense, exciting environment where some thrive and others fail. Eye-opening, funny, and full of drama and heart, "Theater Geek "offers an illuminating romp through the world of serious child actors.

Who would have thought that participating in group improv could be so enlightening and rewarding? Peter Gwinn and his colleagues at the i.O. Theatre in Chicago developed The Group Mind to create a new awareness in the mind and spirit of any group or team. The Group Mind, the Holy Grail of improvisation, is created by a synergy among improv participants. It's like ESP. It's the feeling of being part of a greater entity, a sense of excitement, belonging, importance that takes teamwork to a new level. Over forty improv games are included for developing group chemistry: creation, bonding, dynamics, energy, focus and more. Techniques are discussed for breaking the ice, agreement, listening and support, teawork, quick thinking and having fun! Sample chapters: An Introduction to Mind Reading. The Morale Majority. The Games and Their Explanations, Bonding, Focus, Awareness, Creation, Energy, Dynamics, Party Games and more.

A revised and updated edition of Declan Donnellan's bestselling book, a fresh and radical approach to acting by a world-famous director. 'Cuts open every generalisation about acting and draws out gleamingly fresh specifics' Peter Brook 'Explains Donnellan's highly practical system and sheds unique light on one of the greatest directors of acting in our time' Le Monde 'Hugely practical and never gets lost in theory' El Pais 'A gripping read, as acute about the psychology of lying as it is about the art of acting' Guardian 'Rooted in modern theatre, modern psychology and, above all, modern reality' Izvestia 'Unpretentious, straightforward, and pierced with acute insight' Kommersant

There are hundreds of biographies of filmstars and dozens of scholarly works on acting in general. But what about the ephemeral yet indelible moments when, for a brief scene or even just a single shot, an actor's performance triggers a visceral response in the viewer? Moment of Action delves into the mysteries of screen performance, revealing both the acting techniques and the technical apparatuses that coalesce in an instant of cinematic alchemy to create movie gold. Considering a range of acting styles while examining films as varied as Bringing Up Baby, Psycho, The Red Shoes, Godzilla, and The Bourne Identity, Murray Pomerance traces the common dynamics that work to structure the complex relationship between the act of cinematic performance and its eventual perception. Mining the spaces where subjective and objective analyses merge, Pomerance offers both a deeply personal account of film viewership and a detailed examination of the intuitive gestures, orchestrated movements, and backstage maneuvers that go into creating those phenomenal moments onscreen. Moment of Action takes us on an innovative exploration of the nexus at which the actor's keen skills spark and kindle the audience's receptive energies.

Creativity: the Actor in Performance focuses on what it takes to be a creative performer. Many stage-actors succeed in rehearsals, yet under-perform where it counts-in performance. But, as actors know, performance is a thing unto itself-something is going to have to happen out there beyond anything that happened in rehearsals. This book provides actors, their teachers and directors with insights into the creativity of the actor in performance. An historical account of the emergence and development of one of the most generative concepts of our times - creativity - provides a theoretical backdrop to a critical discussion of the creativity of acting - a discussion that includes analyses of Denis Diderot, George Henry Lewes, William Archer, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis, Zeami and Eugenio Barba. Creativity: the actor in performance concludes by offering a detailed rationale for performance-oriented actor training, offering examples of workshop exercises (CREATICS) which focus on developing four main competencies crucial for successful and creative performances: situation awareness, audience awareness, divided consciousness and presence.

Pursuing an acting career is not easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and the ability to shrug off rejection. It also requires an ability to navigate the pitfalls of an often precarious profession. While there are many books that attempt to teach people how to act, there are few books that show individuals what it takes to succeed as a working professional. The Professional Actor's Handbook: From Casting Call to Curtain Call provides individuals with strategies that will help them successfully negotiate every stage of their careers. From recent college graduates to seasoned professionals looking to transition their careers to the next level, this book is a much needed guide. Among the many topics covered in this book, the authors demonstrate how to: *Create a Captivating Resume *Take a "Perfect" Headshot *Compile a Complete Rep Book *Conquer Audition Nerves *Establish an Online Presence *Finance a Developing Career Other strategies address how to network, how to survive while building a performing arts career, and even how to organize your home office. Featuring sample resumes and business cards, insights from industry experts-including agents and casting directors-and a list of resources, this book offers invaluable guidance-including advice on how to negotiate a contract. Along with audition manuals and repertoire binders, The Professional Actor's Handbook is a vital reference that belongs on every aspiring performer's bookshelf.