Way of the Actor

Way of the Actor
Author: Brian Bates
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1988-04-12
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780877734413

Interviews with world-famous actors introduce the work of the actor as an exhilarating journey of self-discovery.

The Path Of The Actor

The Path Of The Actor
Author: Michael Chekhov
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2006-06
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1134289146

Full of illuminating anecdotes and witty accounts, this is the first English translation of Chekhov's two-volume autobiography. Two leading Russian scholars present an extensive and authoritative account of this great actor and extraordinary man.

What Method?

What Method?
Author: Jessie Fahay
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 57
Release: 2011-05-17
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1456714627

There are many methods an actor may choose to study. There is Stanislavski, Meisner, Adler, Alexander, Hagen, that random British director you met in college who changed your life, that Spanish actor you watched in that play who has been your entire inspiration, etc. What do all of these methods really do for the actor's instrument? Is there a method that works best for you? Which one speaks to you? Where should you look for instructors who teach these methods? This short and practical guidebook gives you the nuts and bolts of four pinnacle training methods, sample exercises for each method, examples of actors who have used these methods, the places where you can find these methods being taught, and further in-depth literature on each method. Let this be an opening to these fundamental methodologies. The next steps are up to you.

The Power of the Actor

The Power of the Actor
Author: Ivana Chubbuck
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2005-08-18
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9781592401536

In The Power of the Actor, a Los Angeles Times bestseller, premier acting teacher and coach Ivana Chubbuck reveals her cutting-edge technique, which has launched some of the most successful acting careers in Hollywood. The first book from the instructor who has taught Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt, Elisabeth Shue, Djimon Hounsou, and Halle Berry, The Power of the Actor guides you to dynamic and effective results. For many of today’s major talents, the Chubbuck Technique is the leading edge of acting for the twenty-first century. Ivana Chubbuck has developed a curriculum that takes the theories of the acting masters, such as Stanislavski, Meisner, and Hagen, to the next step by utilizing inner pain and emotions, not as an end in itself, but rather as a way to drive and win a goal. In addition to the powerful twelve-step process, the book takes well-known scripts, both classic and contemporary, and demonstrates how to precisely apply Chubbuck’s script-analysis process. The Power of the Actor is filled with fascinating and inspiring behind-the-scenes accounts of how noted actors have mastered their craft and have accomplished success in such a difficult and competitive field.

A Practical Handbook for the Actor

A Practical Handbook for the Actor
Author: Melissa Bruder
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2012-04-25
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0307499138

For anyone who has ever wanted to take an acting class, "this is the best book on acting written in the last twenty years" (David Mamet, from the Introduction). This book describes a technique developed and refined by the authors, all of them young actors, in their work with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, actor W. H. Macy, and director Gregory Mosher. A Practical Handbook for the Actor is written for any actor who has ever experienced the frustrations of acting classes that lacked clarity and objectivity, and that failed to provide a dependable set of tools. An actor's job, the authors state, is to "find a way to live truthfully under the imaginary circumstances of the play." The ways in which an actor can attain that truth form the substance of this eloquent book.

The Invisible Actor

The Invisible Actor
Author: Yoshi Oida
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2020-10-01
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1350148288

The 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.

Actor Training the Laban Way (Second Edition)

Actor Training the Laban Way (Second Edition)
Author: Barbara Adrian
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2024-09-10
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1621538443

The 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 professionals on how they deploy these exercises and techniques in their acting preparation, practice, and performance. New appendices offer readers links to video supplements as well as exercises in IPA. Actor Training the Laban Way will make any performer more impulsive, imaginative, and expressive.

The Authentic Actor

The Authentic Actor
Author: Michael Laskin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2015
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9781615932221

Every year, thousands of actors struggle to navigate today's film and TV business while also wanting to grow as performers, as artists. These actors tend to be risk-takers, mold-breakers, and are interested in defining who they are. They are looking for advice and guidance about art and about commerce. The Authentic Actor is for them. The actor's path today begins with two questions: Who are you? What do you know? Beginning with personal authenticity, The Authentic Actor reveals a holistic approach that fuses discovery of the “actor's fingerprint” with skills for managing performance, career, and life — as artist, businessperson, and citizen. It addresses the toughest subjects, from mastering auditions and ?dealing with representation to bouncing back from rejection and finding your “tribe” — all with the humor, and the no-b.s. voice of an experienced mentor. The goal? To help actors forge a professional career and meaningful life while never forgetting their artistic core.

An Actor's Companion

An Actor's Companion
Author: Seth Barrish
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2015-05-25
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1559367970

"I was totally unprepared for the transformation that Seth's technique created in me. . . . I realized that what I thought I knew about acting up to that point was largely misguided . . . but I now had a great, talented, dedicated teacher who generously wanted to share his tools with everyone. There is muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, and I know that having him as my first guide is one of the luckiest things to have happened to me in my career and life. And when I can't get back to class with him, I am so grateful I have this book to turn to."—Anne Hathaway "This book is truly unlike anything else I know—these pieces are haikus on specific elements of performance and character building."—Philip Himberg, executive director, Sundance Theatre Institute A collection of practical acting tips, tools, and exercises, An Actor's Companion is ideal for both the seasoned professionals and actors-in-training. The tips—all simple, direct, and useful—are easy to understand and even easier to apply, in both rehearsal and in performance. Seth Barrish is an actor, teacher, and the co-artistic director of The Barrow Group in New York City. In his thirty-year career, he has directed the award-winning shows My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Show, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Solo Show), Sleepwalk With Me (Nightlife Award for Outstanding Comedian in a Major Performance), The Tricky Part (Obie Award, Drama Desk nominations for Best Play and Best Solo Show), Pentecost (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and Garland Award for Best Direction), and Good (Straw Hat Award for Best Direction), among dozens of others.

The Actor's Life

The Actor's Life
Author: Jenna Fischer
Publisher: BenBella Books
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2017-11-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1944648232

Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. With a theater degree in hand, she was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong? Uh, basically everything. The path to being a professional actor was so much more vast and competitive than she'd imagined. It would be eight long years before she landed her iconic role on The Office, nearly a decade of frustration, struggle, rejection and doubt. If only she'd had a handbook for the aspiring actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way—an established actor who could educate her about the business, manage her expectations, and reassure her in those moments of despair. Jenna wants to be that person for you. With amusing candor and wit, Fischer spells out the nuts and bolts of getting established in the profession, based on her own memorable and hilarious experiences. She tells you how to get the right headshot, what to look for in representation, and the importance of joining forces with other like-minded artists and creating your own work—invaluable advice personally acquired from her many years of struggle. She provides helpful hints on how to be gutsy and take risks, the tricks to good auditioning and callbacks, and how not to fall for certain scams (auditions in a guy's apartment are probably not legit—or at least not for the kind of part you're looking for!). Her inspiring, helpful guidance feels like a trusted friend who's made the journey, and has now returned to walk beside you, pointing out the pitfalls as you blaze your own path towards the life of a professional actor.