In The Reason to Sing, renowned composer-lyricist and teacher Craig Carnelia provides musical actors with a step-by-step guide to making their singing performances more truthful, vivid, and full of life. Using a technique developed over decades of teaching the professional community of Broadway actors and students alike, The Reason to Sing utilizes detailed descriptions of sessions the author has had with his notable students and lays out a new and proven approach to help you build your skills, your confidence, and your career. This book is intended for musical theater acting students as well as working professionals and teachers of the craft.

Of all the arts, drama -- with its exploration of human characters and relationships -- is closest to everyday life. This textbook emphasises this connection presenting the fundamentals of drama and acting techniques in the context of ordinary experiences and interactions. The material is arranged sequentially especially with the drama teacher in mind. Subjects progress from basic stage and acting terminology, to more advanced lessons on acting theories. Each chapter includes exercises, activities and discussion questions carefully selected to reinforce the text. Excellent for use with both advanced as well as beginning acting students.

The Alexander Technique has revolutionised the physicality, presence and professional lives of generations of actors. By first asking you to identify your own acquired habits, the technique enables you to find new and beneficial ways of moving, thinking, breathing and performing, freely and without unnecessary tension. Written by an experienced teacher of the Alexander Technique, this clear, supportive and highly practical book takes you step by step through a series of eleven guided lessons. Each explores different elements and principles of the technique, including: Training yourself to stay present, and mindful of your environment Thinking (but not overthinking!) in new ways Observing and developing your natural poise Sitting, standing and walking easily and effortlessly Breathing and speaking with release and power Applying all of this work to characterisation and performance With dozens of exercises and assignments to help you immediately put what you've learned into practice, and featuring illustrations throughout, this is the ideal introduction to everything the Alexander Technique has to offer - and its potential to benefit not just your work and career, but your entire life. 'Penny O'Connor's approach to the Alexander Technique is mindful and meaningful. She brings great skill, experience, wit and humanity to her work. I have learnt a great deal from her.' Jeannette Nelson, Head of Voice, National Theatre 'This comprehensive and absorbing book is essential reading for actors - and all other performers too. It moves seamlessly between explanation and experiential learning, and takes the reader on a cumulative and developmental journey of self-awareness and change, whether working alone or in a group. A joy to experience!' Niamh Dowling, Head of School of Performance, Rose Bruford College

This fascinating text offers the first in-depth exploration of acting processes in British television. Focused around 16 new interviews with celebrated British actors, including Rebecca Front, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ken Stott, Penelope Wilton and John Hannah, this rich resource delves behind the scenes of a range of British television programmes in order to find out how actors build their characters for television, how they work on set and location, and how they create their critically acclaimed portrayals. The book looks at actors' work across four diverse but popular genres: soap opera; police and medical drama; comedy; and period drama. Its insightful discussion of hit programmes and its critical and contextual post-interview analysis, makes the text an essential read for students across television and film studies, theatre, performance and acting, and cultural and media studies, as well as academics and anyone interested in acting and British television.

Provides a clear and structured guide to how psychology affects circus performance and how it can be managed effectively. Written for professional circus performers and their trainers, either in professional settings or circus schools. No other book on this topic exists, with Circus Psychology being the first and only to cover the subject comprehensively.

Drama, History, Great Britain, Tudor Era, Elizabethan Era, Stuart Era, acting & auditioning

By popular demand, we offer a follow-up book of theatre games specifically for young acting students. Written especially for those who coach adolescent actors, this delightfully fresh updated workbook tells you how, when, what and why of theatre games for young performers. Starter scenes allow first-time performers to ease onto the stage in baby steps. Spontaneity is encouraged along with etiquette and basic acting principles. The concept of pantomime, improvisation, character development, voice and body control are all presented in game format with exercises. Anyone working with young actors in schools or recreational centres will find the book exceptionally helpful.

Secrets of Screen Acting Fourth Edition is a step-by-step guide to the elements of successful screen acting. When it was first published in 1993, Secrets of Screen Acting broke new ground in explaining how acting for the camera is different from acting on stage. Reaction time is altered, physical timing and placement are reconceived, and the proportions of the digital frame itself become the measure of all things, so the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle and actors must 'fit' into the frame. Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, this book shows what actually works: how an actor, an announcer, or anyone working in front of the cameras can maximise the effectiveness of their performances on screen. This fourth edition is completely updated to cover new techniques, film references, and insights, including: Updated information on vocal work outside acting, such as audio books and voice overs; Guidance on the technique of "whisper acting"; New information about working with video games, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and other non-traditional forms of screen work; Updated guidance on self-taping auditions; Coverage of working with CGI and invisible acting partners in green screen; Information on typecasting and stereotyping; A quick History of Theatre and Film in 10 pictures; A new emphasis on illustrations depicting acting techniques; Information on and best practices for presenting oneself to the industry; Many new illustrations, all specifically drawn for this edition. This book is perfectly suited for Acting for the Screen university courses, actors training on their own, and actors involved in all forms of screen work, including Zoom, Skype, Vox Pops, and more.

"Refreshing and imaginative, this book teaches through enhanced awareness and instructs through clear and specific exercises." Cicely Berry A practical course for actors and other professional voice-users to achieve clarity and expressivity with the voice. Setting out the fundamental principles of voice training, the book provides structured and informed methods for developing vocal power, range and flexibility. At the heart of the book are practical projects with exercises which enable you to: - connect your breath with your voice - meet the demands of your performance - use your voice expressively through fully controlling pitch and range Each chapter consists of an introductory framework; explorations; exercises; follow-up work; suggested texts and further reading altogether offering a unique, student-centred approach not found in other voice books. This revised edition speaks more directly to the actor, rather than the voice teacher, through revised terminology and descriptions, updated references, additional appendices on health and other issues related to trends in contemporary drama and questions of equality, diversity and inclusion with respect to vocabulary and suggested texts. Includes forewords by Cicely Berry and Fiona Shaw.

Somatic Voices in Performance Research and Beyond brings together a community of international practitioner-researchers who explore voice through soma or soma through voice. Somatic methodologies offer research processes within a new area of vocal, somatic and performance praxis. Voice work and theoretical ideas emerge from dance, acting and performance training while they also move beyond commonly recognized somatics and performance processes. From philosophies and pedagogies to ethnic-racial and queer studies, this collection advances embodied aspects of voices, the multidisciplinary potentialities of somatic studies, vocal diversity and inclusion, somatic modes of sounding, listening and writing voice. Methodologies that can be found in this collection draw on: eastern traditions body psychotherapy-somatic psychology Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method Authentic Movement, Body-Mind Centering, Continuum Movement, Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy Fitzmaurice Voicework, Linklater Technique, Roy Hart Method post-Stanislavski and post-Grotowski actor-training traditions somaesthetics The volume also includes contributions by the founders of: Shin Somatics, Body and Earth, Voice Movement Integration SOMart, Somatic Acting Process This book is a polyphonic and multimodal compilation of experiential invitations to each reader's own somatic voice. It culminates with the "voices" of contributing participants to a praxical symposium at East 15 Acting School in London (July 19-20, 2019). It fills a significant gap for scholars in the fields of voice studies, theatre studies, somatic studies, artistic research and pedagogy. It is also a vital read for graduate students, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers.

Understand the business side of your showbiz career We all know acting can be a glittering whirl of glamour--plush red carpets, simply divine outfits, huge sums of money, and oh, the parties! But what a lot of wannabe actors forget is that it takes a lot of practical work to get to the flashbulbs of your first premiere, and that the savviest actors put as much stress on the business side of the profession as they do on the show. Breaking Into Acting For Dummies demystifies the behind-the-curtain side of showbiz to help you understand how it really works, who the decision-makers are, what they're looking for when they're picking talent, and how to get them on your side. If you truly want to be the next Emma Stone or Leonardo DiCaprio, you'll want to have a well-thumbed copy of this book alongside your pile of scripts. Written by two friendly insiders, this guide takes you behind the scenes to help you map out your plan of attack, showing you how to open doors--and keep them open--and use your time wisely, so you're not breaking a leg rushing from one random audition to another. You'll understand how to flesh out your professional persona as thoroughly as a movie part, craft your resume as minutely as a script, and judge the angle of your headshots and webcam appearances as intimately as any director. Once you've mastered these skills, it's time to go to market as your own publicity department, building your media and online presence until everyone who's anyone knows exactly who you are. Understand different acting markets--from theater to commercials Network in-person and online Build your image via resumes, head shots, and webcam Keep a firm grip on the financial side Whether you're studying, a hopeful amateur, or have been treading the boards for a while, this is your breakthrough script for succeeding in the business of acting, and for learning how to play your ultimate role: yourself.

The Art of Knife Fighting for Stage and Screen: An Actor's and Director's Guide to Staged Violence provides detailed information for the safe use of knives and daggers in a theatrical setting and an in-depth understanding of safe theatrical weapons. The book starts with an extensive safety review, then moves on to the basic techniques of dagger fighting, starting with grip and body postures. Readers will then learn about the basic actions of cuts, parries, blocks, and disarms. During this process, they will explore the connection between body and weapon and start learning the elements of storytelling through choreography. Special attention is given to suicides, threats, and murder and how directors, choreographers, performers, teachers, and students can approach these techniques in a way that is physically and mentally safe. The book also covers the use of throwing knives, knife flips, and other tricks to help add a little flair to your fight. The Art of Knife Fighting for Stage and Screen teaches the safe theatrical use of the knife for directors, performers, educators, and students of stage combat.

An impassioned and invaluable guide for actors and students of musical theatre. In Acting Through Song, Paul Harvard takes the techniques of modern actor training - including the theories of Stanislavsky, Brecht, Meisner and Laban, amongst others - and applies them to the fundamental component of musical theatre: singing. With dozens of exercises to put these theories into practice, and numerous examples from a broad range of musicals, the result is a comprehensive and rigorous acting course for those training in musical theatre or already performing, whether amateur or professional, to realise their potential - and act better. 'The most methodical, thorough and practical book on the subject that I've ever read.' Daniel Evans, from his Foreword 'If you want to maximise your potential in this tough profession, this is not just a must-read - it's your bible.' Stuart Barr

The classic voice-training book for actors, teachers of voice and speech and anyone interested in vocal expression - by a pre-eminent voice teacher, actor and director. Fully revised and expanded edition. Linklater's approach is to liberate the voice you have rather than apply vocal techniques from the outside. Her basic assumption is that everyone possesses a voice capable of expressing whatever emotion, mood or thought he/she experiences. This edition incorporates vocal exercises developed over three decades to help the voice connect viscerally with language - a key element in the actors' craft. 'a radical breakaway from the old formal methods... an invaluable new resource... essential' Educational Theatre Journal 'the best and only work of its kind for vocal training' Educational Theatre News

A classic bestseller by one of the most important theatre practitioners of the 20th and early 21st centuries. This handbook has sold over 90,000 copies to students, teachers and theatre makers, giving them a broad range of theatre exercises to use in classrooms, rehearsals and community projects. Makes social and community theatre fun, engaging and easily accessible for a broad audience. No other book sets out all of Boal's methods in one place, not least in such a clear, practical manner.

This book includes a critical analysis of pedagogy in performance training environments. Includes descriptions of teaching interventions, research and exploratory practice to support the needs and abilities of the individual with dis/ability or difference. Outlines support for individuals in a variety of areas, such as: dyslexia, dyspraxia, visual or hearing impairment, learning and physical dis/abilities, wheelchair users, aphantasia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autistic spectrum.

A Step-by-Step Guide for the Actor Pursuing a Career in New York A great deal has changed in the industry in the last decade. In this new, third edition of An Actor's Guide--Making It in New York City, Glenn Alterman provides everything actors need to know. You'll discover the ten things that it takes to make it as a successful actor in the city, how to support yourself, where and how to start your life as a New York actor, understanding and marketing "your brand," the best acting schools and conservatories, effective ways to contact agents and casting directors, and more. The author, a successful working actor, also shares many insider tips on topics such as: how to network effectively headshots, photographers, and how to have a successful photo session creating your actor websites the best Internet resources and casting sites how to give winning auditions and interviews finding and developing great monologues off and off-off Broadway opportunities TV and film opportunities voice-overs commercial print modeling commercials survival jobs appropriate behavior in the business scams and rip-offs to avoid information for actors with disabilities information on diversity and LGBTQ concerns a listing of agents, casting directors and theaters Among the book's many interviews are legendary show business figures, such as actors Henry Winkler, Alison Fraser, Dylan Baker, Lisa Emery, and Charles Busch, as well as casting directors Juliet Taylor, Ellen Lewis, Jay Binder, Donna DeSeta, and Liz Lewis, among many others. With Alterman's essential guide, you'll be prepared to launch and maintain your dream career in the city that never sleeps.

Building 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 Zealand

This 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, Manchester, Liverpool, South Wales (Swansea), West Midlands (Walsall), Cockney, Neutral Standard English, Contemporary 'Street' London (NEW), Cornish.

So you wanna be in Pictures? Where to begin?! Hollywood is a complicated maze of people, politics, ambition and desire. How do you navigate it without succumbing to the dark side?

"Going Hollywood" is a guide to building a career, and a life, in Hollywood. The book details the process of getting an entertainment career started, from making the decision to move to Hollywood, landing the first job, through the various stages of successes and setbacks in pursuit of an ultimately successful career.

You'll find in-depth, detailed, "insiders-only" listings of job sources, temporary employment options, apartment-finder services, and rules of work conduct specific to the industry. The book also features maps, helpful websites, local move-in resources, and recreational opportunities.

How do you survive the tough times? Get first-hand advice from some of Hollywood's most successful young talent. Take a look, and enjoy your journey..."Going Hollywood."