Customer Reviews (1)

Simply Amazing
This book explores the wonderful techniques of Tadashi Suzuki, who often works hand in hand with Anne Bogart.The book is a spiritual and magical take on acting, concentrating on the actor's body and mind rather thanhis/her lines and blocking.It is a refreshing and challenging techniquethat is beautifully and simply explained in this book.Complete withpictures of the artist himself, the book is a wonderful way to get yourfeet wet in the Suzuki/Bogart technique. ... Read more

Book Description
In this richly detailed study, James Naremore focuses on the work of film acting, showing what players contribute to movies. Ranging from the earliest short subjects of Charles Chaplin to the contemporary features of Robert DeNiro, he develops a useful means of analyzing performance in the age of mechanical reproduction; at the same time, he reveals the ideological implications behind various approaches to acting, and suggests ways that behavior on the screen can be linked to the presentation of self in society.
Naremore's discussion of such figures as Lillian Gish, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney, and Cary Grant will interest the specialist and the general reader alike, helping to establish standards and methods for future writing about performers and their craft. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fine analysis
Terrific book illuminates superior acting in film using various techniques.Naremore's choices are astute: he recognizes, for instance, Cary Grant's star turn in "North by Northwest" as the superb performance that it is; and I'll always be pleased that he wrote of Robert DeNiro as Rupert Pupkin in "King of Comedy" (rather than what at first seems the obvious choice -- his perfomance in "Raging Bull") for his study.The Pupkin role is certainly more clearly "about" performance, but it cheers me to see that underrated masterpiece lauded.

This is an academic book, but a very readable one.Naremore is an engaging and observant writer whose passion for the subject is evident.Fine stuff.

interesting
interesting book with info about the cinema and acting.well-written. ... Read more

Book Description
This book isn't a critical examination of high comedy. Rather, it's a collection of suggestions for the middlemen: the actors who have to catch the comic spark from the playwright and pass it on to the audience. The effort involved must be imperceptible: one has to acquire the cleverness, the articulacy, the febrility of the characters - and then make the whole laborious exercise seem like swimming through silk...The characters in high comedies don't find verbal sophistication difficult or unfamiliar; they enjoy it as you might enjoy slang. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Keys to Comedy!
If anyone is wondering about Maria Aiken's comedic genius, just watch A Fish Called Wanda again (she plays the wife). Her acting career on stage is legendary, and she has directed in the style of High Comedy all over the place, and to great renown. Read this book and you will know why. Based on her teaching experience (which includes The Juilliard School among many illustrious others), this book is a useful guide to the skills that will put a High degree of polish on your verbal stage comedy pyrotechnics, from Shakespeare to Coward. It should be on every working stage actor's shelf. It is on the reading list for the course that I teach in Shakespearean acting at Princeton. I have been known to hand copies to cast members here in NYC as well! Read it and weep... with laughter! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential little text on editing
This volume is actually two books. I won't comment on Film Acting as I'm not familiar with it but I do have a copy of Film Technique. A good little tome on the art of editing that is much easier to get into thanEisenstein's indigestable texts. It has been unfairly neglected by filmschools over the year and I am surprised that no one has done are-print.

BTW - Stanley Kubrick reccomends this book to anyone who hasany interest in the cinema. ... Read more

Book Description
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 film frame itself become the measure of all things.In this updated edition, Patrick Tucker explains how digital video introduces yet another secret (and solution): the proportions of the digital frame are different from that of traditional film stock, so that the director must conceptualize each image in terms of this new rectangle. Actors now fit into the frame in a slightly different way. Based on a revolutionary non-Method approach to acting, Secrets of Screen Acting shows what actually works:how an actor, an announcer--anyone working in front of the cameras--gives excellent performances on screen.

In this new edition, Patrick Tucker retains the engaging style and useful structure of the first edition while addressing significant changes in current technology, ensuring that this volume will remain an indispensable resource for contemporary students of screen acting.
Updated for a new decade of screen performance possibilities, Secrets of Screen Acting is a magician's box of acting tricks for today's performer. thought, there still exists no single method for screen work. In this book, Patrick Tucker makes the distinction between acting for the stage and for the screen. He explains that the actor, instead of starting with what is real and trying to portray that on screen, should work with the realities of the shoot itself, and then work out how to make it all appear realistic.

Tucker has created and developed several screen acting of a courses, and this book is an extension and explanation of a lifetime of work in the field. Containing over 50 acting exercises, this book leads the reader step-by-step through the elements of effective screen acting.

Refreshing in its informal approach and full of instructive anecdotes, Secrets of Screen Acting will be an invaluable guide for those who wish to master the art of acting on-screen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very Informative
This was a very informative book for my Acting for the Camera students. Promoted interesting questions and good discussion.

One incredible gem of knowledge after another!
During my first read through my jaw kept dropping as I came to understandhow little I know about screen acting, even at my low level of experience.

This book did more to open my eyes to the virtually hidden peculiaritiesand demands of acting for the screen than anything I've ever read. Thepages of review sheets at the back are worth the price of the book.

Thestyle is readable and the author speaks with the authority of experience.I'm sure that this will turn out to be the best investment I've made in myfledgling career as a film actor. I'm going to give this book to my closestactor-friends. I can't think of a better way to show how much I value them.

Excellent; detailed techniques on screen acting
Includes numerous detailed techniques for film acting, such as adjusting your performance for various camera distances (master shot vs. close-up, etc. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Highly Recommended
The first part of this book defines concepts important to the art of acting. It also teaches the reader the fundamentals of Method Acting. Colyer outlines, in the second section of the book, the tried and true fail-safe technique of creating a multidimensional, believably human character. The next section of the book gives advice about playing your character's role within the dramatic action. The reader learns how to put a director's blocking to creative use, how to score actor's work to each beat of the playwright's text and how to allow the character to express themselves emotionally. And the final chapter is a list of plays within which to find the most interesting and challenging characters for the reader to create.This book is in its 3rd edition and it is easy to see why it has become a classic.

Intro to Strasbergian acting
This is a good book to present to a young actor who seems to be serious when he or she says, "I want to be an actor."Carlton Colyer, who worked at the Actors Studio and has taught for decades, presents some hard facts about the discipline and preparation involved, the need for complete frankness and honesty with oneself as you market yourself and select material, and the necessity of access to your personal emotional process.He outlines his method in beautiful detail, like a workbook.

Wonderful, as far as it goes.Colyer's teaching is squarely in the tradition of Lee Strasberg, and his workbook emphasizes emotional work over other important aspects.There is an approach that rejects what may be called "artificial" (but could still be theatrical!).It remains to a large extent dualistic about an actor and emotions, as if an actor may at a given moment be having a "wrong" emotion or none at all.Also, with its frankness about marketing (which divides people into either/or categories such as "lead" versus "character"), one should not heed too well the advice to accept the divisions and define oneself by the gaze of the casting director.

Great book!
Great book get it! You won't be sorry!

Great book for actors!
I'm a young actress! I found this book, no one had reviewed it, so I decided to so: This is a great book for actors that want to practice acting using exercises. I love this book. It's a must have for any actor. ... Read more

Book Description
Culled from Tony Barr's 40 years' experience as a performer, director and acting teacher in Hollywood, this highly praised handbook provides readers with the practical knowledge they need when performing in front of the camera. This updated edition includes plenty of new exercises for honing on-camera skills; additional chapters on imagination and movement; and fresh material on character development, monologues, visual focus, playing comedy and working with directors. Inside tips on the studio system and acting guilds make it particularly helpful for people new to the business, and numerous anecdotes from actors such as Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins and examples from current movies illustrate its many lessons. It is perfect for acting classes, workshops, all actors who work in front of the camera -- and all those who want to.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

THE book on camera acting... IF you put work into it.
I was fortunate enough to have known a personal friend of Tony Barr, and attended on 3 separate occasions a small private training workshop done by Tony himself. I have to say that what you learn in this will mean nothing unless you put the exercises into practice. He was one of the rare teachers that never really told you what to do but knew how to pose questions that got you thinking in his method. The techniques put into practice can have you prepared for a character by the second reading, which is an invaluable asset in the hasty Hollywood environment. The techniques are based upon how real life works. The simple concept of listening, motivation, and crossing the bridge are invaluable to writers, animators, filmmakers & any profession of understanding interaction.Even though I am giving this book 5 stars, after being there with the author it is light years ahead to put this into practice, or even attend the Film Actors Workshop.

No. 1 hand book for Actors
I recom'nd this book for all young actors & actresses to read. This is really good hand book for these people

Great general book on acting, with emphasis on TV/Film
I obtained this book to read while taking an "Audition For Camera" class at my acting school. I'm a relative novice, but had read some books on general acting before, such as Uta Hagen's "A Challenge For The Actor," and really wanted a book that talked about specific aspects of acting in front of a camera.

This book, Tony Barr's "Acting For The Camera," is a little different from what I was initially hoping it would be, in that it basically is a book about general acting, with more than the entire first half of the book devoted to that. I remember often thinking "when are we going to get to the part about camera work?"

Mr. Barr's general thoughts on acting are actually quite good, though, which encouraged me to read through the whole of the first section, and I would say that there are many excellent insights there. It's also a relatively quick read, as opposed to Uta Hagen's book, for example, and many things are presented in ways I hadn't read in other books before.

When I finally got to the "camera" section of the book, I sort of realized that the reason he probably spent so much time with the "general acting" stuff is because ... well, the most important part of "acting for the camera" is the ACTING, not the CAMERA! Of course there are many specifics that he addresses, but all the specifics and terminology etc. aren't going to help you if you can't act.

Plus, the section on "exercises" at the end of the book was helpful to read, even though I haven't tried any of them myself yet ... they seem like well-thought out exercises to improve ones' camera work.

The groundwork and advice on acting that he gives, though, is excellent all-around and seems appropriate to apply to ANY type of acting, not just camera acting.

So, all in all, I'd say that the book would more accurately be titled "ACTING, with a special section on Acting For The Camera!" That isn't quite as marketable though, I suppose!!

Very good introductory text
I very much agree with philosophy of this text. I think it did a good job of gathering the most important points of acting for film.

It's a short, easy, read, but I think it teaches all the right things.

A good reference
Overall, this is a good purchase.I got this a while ago because of my interest in branching out in my acting.I will admit that the first few chapters were slow, and I stopped reading for a while.However, after the first 1/4 I really got into it.There are excellent tips in there on how to go from theatre acting to film acting.There were also some good ideas on acting in general--from reacting to stimuli during a scene or dealing with unruly directors.It also had a few addresses for unions, which is always nice to have.There were also definitions of jobs related to film and the equipment used in film.The last chapter of the book is a compilation of exercises to practice in front of a camera.These are exercises that you will need about 2 or 3 other people for, and you will either have to improvise a scene, write a scene, or find a scene to perform while doing the exercises.
This is a very good book that gives you the basics.It can be used as an introduction or as a refresher, and it is generally an enjoyable read--Tony Barr writes with humor but also gets the point across.After the first few chapters, I devoured this book.This is definitely a good book to have for reference, one that I will have around for a while... ... Read more

Book Description
From basic acting techniques and exercises for keeping the voice in top condition, to marketing and promotion of the actor, this book covers it all. The Art of Voice Acting is an excellent introduction to the business and art of voice acting. This new edition also features coverage of specialist areas of voice over: animation/video gaming and film/ movie trailer.Updated to reflect the latest changes in performance techniques and products in the industry, it is essential reading for all voice over actors. Packed with expert advice on job opportunities and career management tips, it is the ideal resource for anyone involved in the industry.The voice over demos and exercises on the expanded CD ROM complete this perfect modern manual to getting established in the voice acting industry.

*Learn insider tips on finding work, making audition tapes and establishing yourself as a professional voice over actor
*Gain expert advice on how to keep your voice in top condition
*Perfect your performing skills using easy-to-follow voice exercises and demos on CD Rom ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

The Best Bible of Voice-Acting Out There
James Alburger wrote this book some years ago.In fact, he's on his 3rd edition!And this book is still so in style.Having worked in voice-over for a number of years here in Los Angeles I can honestly say that Mr. Alburger hits the nail on the head with his advice. He covers the basics like proper breath control, how to create believable characters and subtext, breaking down copy, recording a demo and how to succeed at your first session.You can follow the samples that he has included in the book and on the CD to practice your craft and get it down.How great is that!

Recently I heard that Mr. Alburger and his colleague Penny are putting on a major voice-over event here in L.A. sometime in the spring 2008.I don't think aspiring voice-over artists will want to miss that, but should read his book first.

By the way, Mr. Alburger is correct that on-going training and "classes" are essential to voiceover success....unless you are lucky enough to be working every day in the industry....which is very rare.

A must-read for anyone interested in entering this potentially lucrative industry.Break a leg!

Sloppy, inattentive to detial, repetative, some good info, though
Has some good information in it. It's written in simple, accessible prose. But, honestly, there were so many typos within the first few pages, that I started getting distracted and looking for them. It's also quite repetitive, reiterating, rather than adding to a point or topic. (i.e. "take as many VO and acting classes as you can!")

This is the BIBLE for aspiring voice-over talent.
Only thing I have a problem with in this excellent book is the rather constant "suggestions" that you stay in classes forever.As in stage and film acting, a lot of good, natural actors have been ruined by "teachers" who insist on "shaping" them to their own personal style.Works for some workshop junkies I suppose.

Thorough primer
This book provides all the necessary information one needs to find his or her way into the voice acting profession.

Alburger brims with enthusiasm and an earnest desire to share his experience to the benefit of others.

It could probably be a little more concise, but the positive tone of the book more than makes up for any wordiness or repetition.

Thanks, James!

Worthy Investment
The author, James Alburger, has taken his passion and years of knowledge, experience, and wisdom to assist others who are interested in the art of voice acting.I have not attended any workshops yet, but after reading this book that also comes with a demo cd... I feel that I have gained a wealth of information that will be very valuable as I develop my voice acting career.

This book covers tips, techniques, the business side, auditions, demos, characters, promotions, agents, and getting paid.I enjoyed this book and will read it over and over again on my acting journey. ... Read more

Book Description
Blumenfeld convincingly argues that the basic techniques of acting apply whether the actor is performing onstage or in a sound studio. Numerous practice exercises help the actor to speak the words of a text that can be illustrated and enhanced by the varying sounds of the human voice. ... Read more

Book Description
A four-section book of acting games and improvisations to assist students in developing their creative abilities.Section one includes games for relaxing and focusing.Section two helps students discover new ways of seeing themselves, others and the world around them.The third section demonstrates with improvisations how to use space to build scenes and create characters from imagination.Section four features acting games to analyze and play characters from existing plays.All of the essential elements of acting and character development are explored.A working textbook for acting students of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Acting Games: Improvisations & Exercises
Acting Games: improvisations and Exercises: A textbook of Theatre games and improvisation help me with my stage fright. ... Read more

Book Description
In Living on Stage, actors are invited to take a private master class with one of America's most beloved and respected coaches. Through vivid, highly descriptive language, Witcover lets readers watch as he coaches a twentysomething student who is stepping on stage for the first time and learning to focus his attention, accomplish simple stage tasks, and eventually, tackle his first monologue. Next, readers watch as this student attempts increasingly difficult tasks: cultivating imagination, dabbling with improvisation, and working with a partner. Finally, readers witness the student learning to combine the emotional life of his character with his own memories and imagination, and experiment with a variety of character exercises. Whether the student is failing miserably or experiencing moments of glory, aspiring actors are acquiring invaluable tools that they can use to launch, or strengthen, their own acting careers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

judge your acting teacher by this book's standards
In teaching the arts it's best to separate craft from aesthetics. The best sculpture schools separate the craft projects from projects attempting to create "art." The results of, for example, a clay-materials project are judged according to CRAFT-goal; For example,
"Using clay coils, did the student create a series of objects exploiting the plasticity of the coil method?"
Not, "did the student create something aesthetically satisfying?"

What does this have to do with acting?

In the teaching of acting, "aesthetics," (that is, "performance") and craft are so muddled as to be maddening. No one expects a beginning flute player to create satisfying music in the first
few tries. The flute player needs to learn basic breath control, she needs to learn how hard to press on the finger holes, yet still be able to move her fingers swiftly. When the craft is solid, then one can start asking for performance. Why then, is performance expected by acting teachers of beginning actors? The actor makes herself vulnerable to the very core of her being before an acting teacher. The result is the acting
teacher's opinions are elevated to an all-knowing, almost godlike status. Unless (and sometimes even) when the teacher is outright abusive, acting students will still idolize their teachers---not because they actually taught them how
to create a convincing performance, but because of the nature of the performing experience itself. I remember talking to one of Walt's students who had attended Uta Hagen's school. He said he loved Uta and that she was very insightful, but he could see how the other students could've used Walt's training. So, what does that SAY about his training?


It's little wonder the actors wind up falling back on the three "P"'s of bad acting: Posing, Prancing and Pronouncing.
Or the two "B"'s: Bleating and Bellowing.

In summary,
there appear to be 3 general kinds of acting teachers:

1) Directors. These are the most damaging kind of teacher. Avoid these like the plague. They attack the teaching process as would a bad director. They expect a performance, or they
give external directions which are useless, like "can you give me more brown in that perfomance", or "make it stronger." (As opposed to using material useful for an actor, such as: change the imaginary relationship with your partner, imagine them to be someone close to you that you hate.)

2) Psychoanalysts. These provide a rich environment of self-exploration. This is satisfying, given the intense, self-focused personality of many actors. But it's useless when one is handed a text and asked to create a performance that is "authentic" or "convincing."

3) Coaches. The least damaging, these can diagnose problems
in a performance; they can coach a student into a better perfomance. But without the coach, the student flounders.


Like any craft, books are very limited in their ability to teach. This book will probably not teach anyone to be an actor. But it will give you some idea of how to judge the worth of an acting teacher. And that may save the aspiring actor
a lot of time.

... Read more

Book Description
This is a complete guide to the business of beginning an acting career in theatre, film, or television, on both coasts and in the heartland. The book offers counsel to acting majors on actor training approaches, career positioning, finding an agent, auditioning, interviewing, and making long-range career decisions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

It's has some useful info
I personally didn't find it too useful because I think any average person already knows half of the information in that book. He didn't list any names of agents or photograghers, etc. in his book, but I guess there were good points. He was very honest and up front, telling the readers what to expect and what agents and producers are looking for in an actor/actress. He talked about the different types of actors, like screen actors, stage actors, and extras, but didn't go into a great detail about anything in particular. Overall, I'd say it's an okay beginning book, but I would actually recommmend Acting is Everything, 9th edition over Acting Professionally because it is much more thorough, helpful and informative.

The Bible of the acting business
Mr. Cohen has in no uncertain terms assembled a tome of infinite wisdom concerning the professional acting world.He does not jump up and down like a cheerleader yelling "you can DO it!" nor does he tell youto give up on the whole nasty business.What he does do is tell you thehard truth about the nasty business, how nasty it is, what's real, and whatthere is to give hope.The advice is clear and unambiguous, such that noone will have a problem knowing what is the right direction for them afterreading.Every actor, aspiring and seasoned, should keep this book by hisor her side and read it often.

Itinspiredmetogofurther myacting career.
Itwastrulyinspiringandtaughtmealotaboutthewonderfulworldofacting.Theauthertrulycapturedmyheart. ... Read more

Book Description
Provides the expert advice you need to get your big break!

Jump-start your career and land that paying part

From preparing for auditions to finding an agent, the acting business is a challenging and competitive field. This indispensable guide is what every aspiring actor needs to get a foot in the door. Discover how to market yourself, choose a dynamic head shot, create a stellar acting resume, join unions, and pay the bills while you pursue your acting dreams.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Customer Reviews (11)

COVERS THE BASICS
THIS IS A GOOD STARTED FOR THE INEXPERIECED. BUT AN EXPERIENCED ACTOR LIKE MYSELF WILL ALREADY BE MUCH BEYOND THIS, WHICH IS WHY I AM WRITING MY OWN BOOK ON MARKETING FOR ACTORS.
JAY MADHAV

Gotta start somewhere....
This book opened my eyes to a lot of valuable info, and I began reading it right before my first acting class started. It put me that much further ahead of my classmates. I recommend this to anyone who has a list of unanswered questions and no clue where to begin.

Excellent Resource!
This book, as most "Dummies" series books has been a very useful, step-by-step guide to getting started in an industry that I was otherwise not very knowledgeable. Although I am a novice in the acting field, this book explains how to take my desire for acting to the next level in a complete and comprehensive fashion.Definitely a good source for beginners who like things worded in layman's terms!

Great start- here's more
This book is a great start, of course the best way to learn is by throwing yourself in there.Other things I recommend as a working actor in LA:
Backstage West- for all the audtion listings

"Voice Lessons To Go" by Vaccarino, hey you know we all need to sing as some audition at one time or another-these are great.

"The Artist Way" by, Cameron- it has helped me and so many of my friends gain confidence and clarity- love this.
craigslist.org for more audition listings- free!

Great for Beginners
For anyone who has always wanted to be an actor, but has no idea where to begin - this is a great book. It covers all the basic like getting an agent, your headshot and resume, the unions. And even deals with more intermediate stuff like marketing yourself as an actor, auditioning and managing your money. I found the chapters on acting in Film and Television, Commercials and Theatre to be very helpful, since each is so different from eachother. The book also covers getting Voice-over work, and working as an Extra. There is even a chapter on getting your kids into acting.
This books touches on alot of different topics and is a very good starting book for the beginning actor. ... Read more

Book Description
This brief beginning acting text is a practical handbook that uses humor and clear, well-grounded exercises to make the complexities of acting simple and straightforward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great tool!
This book is really wonderful. I am teaching a beginning acting class, and I like it much better than the university assigned text! Many exercises and a no nonsense approach to acting. Easy to assimilate. Highly recommend.

Yeah
THIS BOOK IS GREAT! IT IS BY MY DADDY AND YOU CAN LEARN MANY VALUABLE ACTING LESSONS AND RESOURCES. I HAVE READ IT AND IT IS VERY GOOD. READ IT. THISBOOKISGREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Book Description
This is the classic lexicon of Stanislavski's most important concepts, all in the master's own words. Upon its publication in 1963, An Actor's Handbook quickly established itself as an essential guide for actors and directors. Culling key passages from Stanislavski's vast output, this book covers more than one hundred and fifty key concepts, among them "Improvisation," "External Technique," "Magic If," "Imaginary Objects," "Discipline," "What Is My System?" and "Stage Fright."

This new, attractively packaged edition will be an essential book for any performer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A remarkable triumph of the human intellect!
This admirable summary of Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood is a very treasured effort for the previous actual and future generations of actor 's aspirants and even for those who love this craft.

The method of Constantin Stanislawski is the sum of a supported and dedicated labor through years and years, are an authentic proof about the passion of a man who consecrated his time to art acting and the human representation. He eviscerates all the emotion 's mysteries and the tense link between the actor and his audience as the theater is.

Definitions, categorical statements and smart annotations that constitute not only a treasure contribution to the actor ion progress but it constitutes a remarkable guide to all of us, because along the life with its peaks and lows, we have to exert this role in determined situations.
... Read more

Book Description
Telling Stories: The Grand Unified Theory of Acting Techniques is a guidebook that clearly describes the origins of actor training and takes readers inside the techniques that allow an actor to fully inhabit a character. It is an essential resource for students, professionals, and teachers of acting as well as a primer for those looking to understand the evolution of modern acting theory. It reveals the influence and importance of some of theater's seminal figures by placing acting techniques into an overall perspective. In addition to detailing the history and the context of acting theories, the book provides numerous exercises that illustrate and supply a physical understanding of each method and approaches to texts from Shakespeare to developing scripts. It is an essential addition to any theatrical library and can serve as the basis for acting and theater courses across a wide range of levels. ... Read more

Book Description
Brushing up on your Shakespeare isn't enough. Shakespeare's plays require particular skills, but they are skills every actor can learn. Patrick Tucker - founder of London's Original Shakespeare Company, stage and TV director, and author of Secrets of Screen Acting - finds the keys in a revolutionary (really four-hundred-year-old) method that he has used with great success in workshops and performances around the world.
Secrets of Acting Shakespeare isn't a book that gently instructs. It's a passionate, yes-you-can designed to prove that anybody can act Shakespeare. Beyond that, it argues for care and attention to the First Folio text of Shakespeare's plays in which Patrick Tucker uncovers verbal clues that help actors, amateur and professional, to better understand what lines mean and how to say them.
By explaining how Elizabethan actors had only their own lines and not entire playscripts, Patrick Tucker shows how much these plays work by ear. Secrets of Acting Shakespeare isa book for actors trained and amateur, as well as for anyone curious about how the Elizabethan theater worked. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Strong handbook on how Shakespeare was and aught to be done.
The most significant aspect of this book is Tucker's imperative respect for the First Folios. These earliest of Shakespearean texts, which feature spelling errors and a messier type set, offer and the book tries and proves over and over, the best acting/performance texts.

The distinction between acting/performance texts and scholastic/reading ones is essential, as Tucker again and again subverts the modern editions of Shakespeare, and the editors, who continually add and make scholastic/academic assumption as to the intent of the texts. These editors reduce the active nature of the texts and "regularize" over and over what the original actors had to work with.

Through the Original Shakespeare Company, which he co-founded, Tucker and his actors approach the texts as the actors who originated them did. This was by using no rehearsal time, and giving each actor only the texts they speak and the appropriate cue lines, allowing for a spontaneous and urgent playmaking which heightens the already heightened Shakespeare.

Through this approach, which originally was one of practicality, the actors tasks are enhanced. Listening becomes that much more important, as do the choices each actor must make based soley on the texts which are devoid of modern directions and edits; such as to who to speak to, whether or not a speech is an aside, particular capitalization and punctuation and stage business.

For anyone who performs Shakespeare this is a terrific book. As well for directors this may even be better. Tucker breaks down the "original approach" in the early part of the book. Then spends the largest chunk detailing the experiments he and his company made with this approach, beginning with scenes through full text performances. There is then a terrific section devoted to particular ways of finding the secrets in the text, and the associated choices one can make on stage.

While the section about the details of the company's performances is too long and sometimes repetative, the book is a revelation. Anyone willing to try this style would surely feel the difference, as an audience would too.By scrapping the modern trappings of what theatre is, to reduce it to it's leanest and most energetic, magnetic form in the use of the phenomenal texts of Shakespeare can realize the power of theatre and clarify it's immortal importance and necessity.

Makes reading Shakespeare like a John Grisham Novel
This book explains how to "read" Shakespeare easily. (Actually, it's about how to act his plays, but the ideas can equally well be used to simply read the plays with greater appreciation.) The method presented is quite easy and it makes the plays come to life. I wish I had this book 25 years ago when I studied Shakespeare in school.

I have just started this book, but already I want to read Shakespeare's plays again to see what I missed - and I missed plenty. You also begin to understand why Shakespeare was a great play-writer, why his works have stood the test of time while the other writers of his age have withered away.

Some of the interesting observerations: Thee vs. You has real significance (the former is intimitate while the latter is formal), why he writes in prose sometimes, the significance of the iambic pentameter (di-dum, etc.).

The author also dispels a myth that English spoken in Shakespeare's time was hard compared to today. Rather Shakespeare's words were always harder than the common speak of the day, yet his plays were able to be well understood because of the "clues" presented in the writing, which made the actors act the part correctly, thus making the language easier to understand. Don't worry if you did not fully this last paragraph. The book will explain all.

And, soon you'll be able to turn the pages of a Shakespeare play faster than that of a John Grisham novel.

Where was this book all my life!
I really wish my teachers had this book when I was in school. It would have made Shakespeare so much more fun to study. Going back to Shakespeare after reading Secrets of Acting Shakespeare, you can actualy see the stage directions with every word Shakespeare writes. When you know the stage directions Shakespeare wrote into his texts, Shakespeare's works become so much more fun to read. Patrick takes you through the way Shakespeare's plays were performed when Shakespeare was still alive, and leads you through the discoveries Patrick's actors made when he and his theater company started performing Shakespeare's plays the way Shakespearewanted it done. Needless to say, this book is the best book on Shakespearian Acting I've ever read, and would recommend it to anyone who's even slightly interested in the Bard's works. I would also recommend Patrick Tucker's First Folio Monologue books for men and women. They're a crash course in the work Patrick covered in Secrets of Acting Shakespeare, and a great way to sink your teeth into Patrick's ideas.

-Christian, Improvactor.com

Shakespeare, how it was in the beginning
This is an exciting book about how Shakespeare's plays actually got on to the stage. The actors then were hardworking, often doing a different play each night, and there was no time for rehearsal as we know it today.
The actors learnt their parts from cue scripts, long scrolls showing the last few words of the previous speech and then their own. They had to be extra attentive or they might miss their entry. The Book-holder, or prompt, was the only person to have the entire text (a valuable document you didn't want anybody else to steal, no copyright in those days) was prominently on stage to see that things went right and, if a prompt was needed, it was given openly. The audience accepted this as part of the performance though anybody needing too many prompts would doubtless get some barracking.
The author, who clearly has a science background and knows how to present a logical case, shows that all the information needed is in the First Folio which is an actors' tool, not a dead piece of Eng Lit. 'you', 'thou' and 'thee' are not interchangeable but actually tell the actor where to stand in relation to others on the stage. Modern editions of Shakespeare have tidied the text up to be read by students; the First Folio had lines, half lines, capital letters in odd places, strange commas; but all actually telling the actor what to do.
The author has been working as a director for the last forty years or so and has refined his theories on the job. He has run The Original Shakespeare Company with many successful productions using his methods. He is wildly popular with his actors and the few productions he was allowed to do at The Globe, London, were sold out and enthusiastically received.
The academic world and theatre establishment are not so happy to see their entrenched theories challenged; and it must be extra annoying that he writes so well and is such a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Book Description
Harrop deals with the intellectual, practical and spiritual issues of what acting is about. Covering the range of actor training and practice from Stanislavski to the Post-Modern, he examines the spiritual and moral purposes of acting in society. ... Read more