Actioning - and How to Do It is the indispensable companion to a vital component in every actor's toolkit. Actioning is one of the most widely used rehearsal techniques for actors. It helps bring clarity to every moment or thought in the text, energising rehearsals and bringing performances to life. Actioning will enable you to discover and unlock newfound energy, range, variety and clarity of body and voice, by: Interrogating the text and making initial action verb choices Playing your chosen actions, both verbally and physically Maintaining an imaginative and emotional connection with each moment Signposting each thought to your scene partner From the publishers of the internationally successful Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus, this is the first in-depth exploration of Actioning for student actors, those who train them, and professionals working in the industry, whether they're brand new to the technique or have been practising it for years. This step-by-step guide draws on concepts from Stanislavsky, using sample scenes from classic plays such as The Seagull and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as contemporary pieces, and is filled with exercises to demonstrate the technique at work.

Emoting is not acting. Reproducing is not acting. Reacting is acting. With this powerful idea, Nick Moseley takes long-held views of actor training and opens them up to a productive new way of thinking about performance. The goal of "Acting and Reacting" is to stimulate thinking and reflection in both acting students and teachers. For too long, argues Nick Moseley, actor training has worked within superimposed concepts: on the one hand, the long tradition of Stanislavski, which has been countered more recently by the strongly anti-Stanislavskian views of David Mamet. Between the two, Moseley writes, is a creative way of thinking about acting that avoids extremes. Training is at the heart of acting, but training must fit the actor, not the other way round.
Working with such concepts as emotional openness, trust and acceptance, setting boundaries, and artistic freedom, "Acting and Reacting "explores in depth techniques and exercises in transactional improvisation and other tools for expanding the actor's skill set. With chapters on such important topics as inhabiting the space, learning to trust the body, and defamiliarization, and with ample techniques and suggestions, Acting and Reacting is a valuable tool for both actors and those who train them.

A step-by-step introduction to the key features of the Meisner Technique, including a full set of practical exercises. The Meisner Technique is at the forefront of actor training today: with its radical simplicity it has the power to reconnect actors with their bodies and emotions. Developed by the teacher and actor Sanford Meisner, the technique places emphasis on truthful interaction between actors. The aim is for the actor 'to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances' - to remain truly 'in the moment'. In Meisner in Practice, Nick Moseley offers actors a step-by-step introduction to the salient features of the technique, and puts these to the test through a succession of increasingly challenging practical exercises. He also addresses certain pitfalls and problems that he has encountered over many years of teaching Meisner in drama schools. This book will be of immense value to students, teachers and practitioners in exploring a technique that is becoming increasingly recognised as a core element of actor training.

An inspiring new approach to acting from a respected drama teacher - concise, succinct and full of practical exercises Nick Moseley is fed up with the way acting is taught in this country: 'In a nation which regards itself as the centre of world theatre, it is disappointing how many actors seem unable to do the job.' He blames the teachers and their underlying philosophy, which tells students: 'This is the training and you must fit yourself to it rather than it to you.' As Head of Acting at a major drama school, he has developed a system that is based on the individual's need to find truth in everything they do, to be 'in the moment' and to react instinctively to the other people on stage. In this book, he takes the best of Stanislavski, David Mamet and Sanford Meisner to fuel his own intensely practical approach. Starting with the technique of Transactional Improvisation, he covers such topics as: The World of the Play Inhabiting the Space Learning to Trust Your Body and Approaches to Text.