In the second edition of this popular guide, actors learn to use their skills to write monologues, performance art pieces, and one-person plays. Updated to include exclusive interviews and tips on marketing, this guide helps actors create their own exciting performance opportunities and follow in the footsteps of Elaine Stritch, Billy Crystal, John Leguizamo, and other stunningly successful writer-performers of one-person shows. The author, an award-winning actor, breaks down the writing process into simple steps, coaching the reader through each stage of the creative journey.

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.

Thirteen original monologues for the black girl living during Generation Z. With a mixture of comedic, dramatic, and reflective pieces, the book explores the growing pains of adulthood, microaggressions, mental health, family dynamics, and social identity through the raw and mature eyes of a young black girl.

THE STORY: In the first section of the play, a Woman enters and embarks on an increasingly frenetic (and funny) recital of the perils and frustrations of daily life in urban America--waiting in line, rude taxi drivers, inane talk shows and the selfi

THIS BOOK IS FOR EVERYONE LOOKING AROUND AND THINKING, "NOW WHAT?” Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed commencement address, "Make Good Art," thoughtfully and aesthetically designed by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd. This keepsake volume is the perfect gift for graduates, aspiring creators, or anyone who needs a reminder to run toward what gives them joy. When Neil Gaiman delivered his "Make Good Art" commencement address at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength. He encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to break rules and think outside the box. Most of all, he encouraged them to make good art. The speech resonated far beyond that art school audience and immediately went viral on YouTube and has now been viewed more than a million times. Acclaimed designer Chip Kidd brings his unique sensibility to this seminal address in this gorgeous edition that commemorates Gaiman's inspiring message.

This is a treatise on what makes art art, told in graphic novel form. What is “Art”? It’s widely accepted that art serves an important function in society. But the concept falls under such an absurdly large umbrella and can manifest in so many different ways. Art can be self indulgent, goofy, serious, altruistic, evil, or expressive, or any number of other things. But how can it truly make lasting, positive change? In Why Art?, acclaimed graphic novelist Eleanor Davis (How To Be Happy) unpacks some of these concepts in ways both critical and positive, in an attempt to illuminate the highest possible potential an artwork might hope to achieve. A work of art unto itself, Davis leavens her exploration with a sense of humor and a thirst for challenging preconceptions of art worth of Magritte, instantly drawing the reader in as a willing accomplice in her quest.

Building a Character is one of the three volumes that make up Stanislavski’s The Acting Trilogy. An Actor Prepares explores the inner preparation an actor must undergo in order to explore a role to the full. In this volume, Sir John Gielgud said, this great director “found time to explain a thousand things that have always troubled actors and fascinated students.” Building a Character discusses the external techniques of acting: the use of the body, movement, diction, singing, expression, and control. Creating a Role describes the preparation that precedes actual performance, with extensive discussions of Gogol’s The Inspector General and Shakespeare’s Othello. Sir Paul Scofield called Creating a Role “immeasurably important” for the actor. These three volumes belong on any actor’s short shelf of essential books.

William Esper, one of the most celebrated acting teachers of our time, takes us through his step-by-step approach to the central challenge of advanced acting work: creating and playing a character. Esper’s first book, The Actor’s Art and Craft, earned praise for describing the basics taught in his famous first-year acting class. The Actor’s Guide to Creating a Character continues the journey. In these pages, co-author Damon DiMarco vividly re-creates Esper’s second-year course, again through the experiences of a fictional class. Esper’s training builds on Sanford Meisner’s legendary exercises, a world-renowned technique that Esper further developed through his long association with Meisner and the decades he has spent training a host of distinguished actors. His approach is flexible enough to apply to any role, helping actors to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.

What should an actor be thinking onstage? This overlooked, important question is the crux of this new book that combines psychological theory, numerous practical exercises, and a thorough and wide-reaching examination of inner monologue in various forms including film, musical theatre, and comedy.

Ira is thrilled to spend the night at Reggie's until his sister raises the question of whether he should take his teddy bear. "An appealing picture book which depicts common childhood qualms with empathy and humor."--"Booklist." Full-color illustrations.