An essential companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action words to revitalise performance. Actors need actions. They cannot act moods. They need to be doing something with every line. They need verbs. They need an aim to achieve, and an action selected to help achieve that aim. '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.

In Actors Take Action, Brian O'Neil provides the most in-depth guidelines ever published for helping the actor find an agent. This highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Acting As a Business contains new ways to get auditions for productions most likely to attract industry attention, a step-by-step guide to making all-important follow-up telephone calls, the value of paid agent and casting director seminars, more ways to find work on daytime soap operas, tips for "pigeonholed" musical performers on how to change industry perceptions of them, and instruction in the art of effective business correspondence. Actors Take Action demonstrates specific, effective ways to create career-advancing opportunities.

“What is it that we’re doing, when we’re acting well?” This is the question famously posed by Earle Gister, the legendary head of the acting department at Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1999. In Acting Action, actor, director, and teaching artist Hugh O’Gorman invites readers to explore the question in detail. Focusing on playing action—one of the essential components of acting passed on to renowned acting teachers Earle Gister and Lloyd Richards by Paul Mann—Acting Action is divided into two parts: context and practice. The first section provides a thorough examination of the theory behind the core elements of playing action. The second section presents a step-by-step rehearsal guide for actors to integrate playing action into their preparation process. Acting Action offers a foundation for how to get started and build the core of a performance. More precisely, it provides a practical guide for actors, directors, and teachers in the technique of playing action, addressing a void in the world of actor training by illuminating what exactly to do in the moment-to-moment act of acting.

(Applause Books). A master actor who's appeared in an enormous number of films, starring with everyone from Nicholson to Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine is uniquely qualified to provide his view of making movies. This revised and expanded edition features great photos, with chapters on: Preparation, In Front of the Camera Before You Shoot, The Take, Characters, Directors, On Being a Star, and much more. "Remarkable material ... A treasure ... I'm not going to be looking at performances quite the same way ... FASCINATING!" Gene Siskel

Analysis through Action for Actors and Directors is a comprehensive view of an innovative and exciting process for making new theatre. As well as an understanding of how Analysis through Action has developed over time, this book also demonstrates how it can be put into practice in today’s theatre. The first part of this book traces the exciting genealogy from Stanislavsky’s unfinished experiments, through the insights of geniuses Maria Knebel and Georgii Tovstonogov, down to today’s avant-garde auteurs. The second part is a practical manual based on extensive field testing by the author and colleagues. Here, two key components of the process are elucidated: Text Actions – ten interwoven text analysis steps – to be twinned with the thrilling rehearsal process using focused and joyful improvisations called Études. Written for new or experienced theatre students and practitioners, this book will enrich the technique of any theatre artist and anyone else interested in the theatre and its future.

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.

"Everyone involved in the performing arts, from professors to casting directors to actors to students, especially those just starting out, should read this eye-opening work." Library Journal, Starred Review A practical guide that shows BIPOC actors how to break down the audition process rather than being broken down by the entertainment industry and its practices of exclusion and bias. Working in an environment that often stereotypes or attempts to “universalize” experiences, it’s more important than ever that actors consider how culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and ability are inseparable and important parts of their identity that should not be minimized and can instead enhance their work. In Breaking It Down: Audition Techniques for Actors of the Global Majority, Nicole Hodges Persley and Monica White Ndounoushare real-world audition strategies that centers the experiences of actors of color. They combine practical advice, cultural studies, Black feminist perspectives, and lived experiences to offer intersectional approaches to auditioning. The ten steps outlined in this book aid actors across racial lines seeking to develop the necessary skills to break down a character and script while affirming their full selves into the audition to book the role. Building on the momentum of the #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and Time’s Up movements, Breaking It Down emboldens actors of the global majority to embrace every aspect of their identities rather than leaving themselves behind in an effort to gain entry and access to the entertainment industry

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"Acting, by simple definition, means to be in the process of doing. It's not uncommon to meet people who say they want to be actors. My question to them is always the same: What are you currently doing to become an actor? "Doing" they say? Yes - If you wanted to be a musician you'd practice every day. If you were an athlete you'd train every day. Acting is no different. We feel lucky when we get a job. The fact is, we're most lucky when we're prepared when an opportunity knocks. Jasmine Embrechts' insightful book is a toolbox of achievable activities for beginner and working actors. A book filled with great reminders for all of us to do!" Matthew Modine, actor and filmmaker "The Active Actor is a refreshing, down-to-earth and practical guide to help you to stay motivated and proactive between acting jobs. It's clearly laid out and full of inspirational and practical exercises to help you nurture your inner artist. Jasmine's in-depth knowledge and experience shines through and her positivity is infectious!" Bea Grist, Mental Health and Wellbeing Manager, Spotlight What to do with all the downtime between acting jobs? How do we stay motivated? Actors often feel they can really only be considered actors when they are working on their next part. But there is so much that can be done to stay in the right mindset, and that helps careers move forward. The downward spiral of doubt and erosion of confidence is avoidable if we continue to work on our craft and take steps towards our goals. So often actors lose heart in the period between jobs and as a result sabotage their chances at the next audition. This book focuses on all the tasks that actors can and should be doing to keep active as a performer, when they haven't yet got their next job lined up. An actor's life is all-encompassing: a rich life contributes to an actor's next role. Focus on doing the tasks in this book that will help you stay centred, committed and in the right mindset, as divided into four sections: Business and Skillset tasks Creative tasks Ideas for learning Self-care options The inner artist must be nurtured and this book points you in the right direction with actionable steps to take in your journey as an actor - including that time when you are looking for your next role.