Can 'stage presence' be acquired? Why do some actors appear more dynamic in performance than others? In The Actors Way four experienced actors talk about the secrets and the practical realities of over twenty-five years of theatre training with Odin Teatret. Under the unique direction of Eugenio Barba, director of Odin Teatret, they have explored issues such as the connections between physical and mental work on stage, how to gain and control the spectator's attention, and intercultural performance techniques. The Actor's Way is a fascinating account of personal and professional development in the theatre. It will be vital reading for drama students and actors, but enjoyable and illuminating for anyone interested in the craft of acting.

ATTENTION ACTORS!!!!! If you've ever struggled to remember your lines, the creative memorization techniques taught in LINE? will help you break through your mental blocks and accelerate the line memorization process. Author Jared Kelner has applied his experience as an actor and acting teacher and combined that with his expertise as a memory improvement trainer and created an imagination and sensory based process for actors to use when memorizing lines. It's an innovative approach to line memorization that taps into the actor's imagination and acting training rather than relying on monotonous rote memorization methods like highlighting, recording and repeating lines over and over. By applying the creative memorization methods presented in LINE? you will instantly recall your lines. --- INDUSTRY ENDORSEMENTS "I have been teaching acting for over 50 years and I rarely come across innovations to the craft process that I believe in and support. Without hesitation, I fully endorse and recommend Jared Kelner's book LINE? The Creative Way for Actors to Quickly Memorize Monologues and Dialogues. Every actor must memorize lines and most actors look at the line memorization process as something outside of the craft of acting, but in fact, it is very much an integral part of the craft process and as such, actors need a craft technique to help them. In his book LINE?, Jared Kelner brings something inventive, innovate and important to the craft of acting. The technique of imaging that Jared teaches for line memorization mirrors imaging concepts I share in my book Acting, Imaging and the Unconscious. I am pleased to endorse Jared Kelner and his contribution to our craft. LINE? is a must read for every actor." Eric Morris: Actor, Acting Teacher and Author of "No Acting Please," "Being and Doing," "Irreverent Acting," "Acting From the Ultimate Consciousness," "Acting, Imaging and the Unconscious," "The Diary of a Professional Experiencer" and "Freeing the Actor" --- "I wish I had a dime for every actor who has told me their biggest fear was memorizing lines. So I was delighted when I discovered Jared Kelner and was able to introduce him to my students. The response to LINE? Was so positive. The actors felt they had received valuable tools to overcome their fears and move forward in their work with confidence. Jared's positive enthusiastic style is so encouraging it's a pleasure to be in the classroom with him." Valerie Adami: Owner/Director Weist Barron Acting for Film & TV --- "OK Actors, Quiet your mind and get this book. It will change your life for knowing your lines forever." Tim Phillips: Founder of The Tim Phillips Studio in Los Angeles and author of "Audition for Your Career, Not the Job: Mastering the On-camera Audition" --- "Bottom line, the memory techniques taught in LINE? work. Any actor who's ever struggled to remember their lines needs to buy this book and read it right away. I only wish I learned this memorization method years ago." Javier Molina: Associate Director of the Action Theatre Conservatory and Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio --- "Whether you're a novice cast in a community theatre production or a professional actor whose Teflon brain is causing you to lose jobs, LINE? will save your life. This is the best monologue and dialogue memorization system that I have ever come across. Jared Kelner breaks the process down into simple steps that will help you memorize your lines quickly and creatively. I am highly recommending this book to the students I teach and the actors I direct." Gerry Appel: Director of The Playhouse Acting Academy ---

National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, Nonfiction NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 BY THE NEW YORKER, TIME MAGAZINE, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, VOX, SALON, LIT HUB, AND VANITY FAIR “Entertaining and illuminating.”--The New Yorker * “Compulsively readable.”--New York Times * “Delicious, humane, probing.”--Vulture * “The best and most important book about acting I've ever read.”--Nathan Lane The critically acclaimed cultural history of Method acting-an ebullient account of creative discovery and the birth of classic Hollywood. On stage and screen, we know a great performance when we see it. But how do actors draw from their bodies and minds to turn their selves into art? What is the craft of being an authentic fake? More than a century ago, amid tsarist Russia's crushing repression, one of the most talented actors ever, Konstantin Stanislavski, asked these very questions, reached deep into himself, and emerged with an answer. How his “system” remade itself into the Method and forever transformed American theater and film is an unlikely saga that has never before been fully told. Now, critic and theater director Isaac Butler chronicles the history of the Method in a narrative that transports readers from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles, from The Seagull to A Streetcar Named Desire to Raging Bull. He traces how a cohort of American mavericks--including Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, and the storied Group Theatre--refashioned Stanislavski's ideas for a Depression-plagued nation that had yet to find its place as an artistic powerhouse. The Group's feuds and rivalries would, in turn, shape generations of actors who enabled Hollywood to become the global dream-factory it is today. Some of these performers the Method would uplift; others, it would destroy. Long after its midcentury heyday, the Method lives on as one of the most influential--and misunderstood--ideas in American culture. Studded with marquee names--from Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, and Elia Kazan, to James Baldwin, Ellen Burstyn, and Dustin Hoffman--The Method is a spirited history of ideas and a must-read for any fan of Broadway or American film.

In A Young Actor Prepares, Jeff Alan-Lee masterfully delivers kids' and teens' acting classes presented as plays in script form. The classes are based on actual semesters at the Young Actor's Studio in Los Angeles and provide step-by-step approaches to help children and teenagers portray complex characters and tackle emotionally challenging roles. For over thirty years, Alan-Lee has worked with thousands of young people, teaching the work presented in this book. His work has been the springboard for award-winning artists in acting, directing, playwriting, screenwriting, and music. Inspired by Stanislavski's An Actor Prepares, Alan-Lee has developed engaging and exciting ways to create great acting, using a unique version of the Stanislavski system that he reworked for the young actor. It's a fun and easy method to help children and teens learn to apply Stanislavski-based exercises and use their own their own life experiences, imagination, and emotions to create authentic acting and performances. The book is for kids and teens, as well as teachers and parents. Kids and teens can find relatable characters and gain a deeper ability to make their acting shine. Teachers will get a unique look at how to handle a multitude of personalities while teaching the real work to children as young as eight. Parents will discover an actor's process that can lead their kids to greater self-esteem and creativity in all the arts.

"This book vividly captures vital and imaginative lessons from one of the most influential and joyous traditions of contemporary actor training. Any actor or teacher, who is devoted to the transformational power of the theatre, will want to return to these pages again and again, finding in them not only the work to be done, but also the inspiration to do it." James Bundy - Dean, Yale School of Drama; Artistic Director, Yale Repertory Theatre Movement training techniques allow actors to acquire the physical body language and non-verbal skills to clearly express the ideas and emotions of their characters. The techniques contained in this book help actors to develop awareness of their own natural posture, walk and rhythm, release the physical imagination and transform into the characters they are portraying, on stage, in film or on television. Movement Training for Actors provides a practical workbook approach to the core fundamentals of movement, fusing together the work of the key practitioners: Sigurd Leeder, Kurt Jooss, Rudolf Laban, Trish Arnold, Litz Pisk, F. M. Alexander, Moshé Feldenkrais, Jerzy Growtowski, Jacques Lecoq and Belinda Quirey. Chapters include Games, Pure Movement, Historical Dance, Acrobatics and Animal Study. The book is illustrated with photographs throughout and contains a DVD featuring over an hour of movement exercises further demonstrating the techniques. Movement Training for Actors is a masterclass on movement written by experienced coach, Jackie Snow and a culmination of her many years of teaching and coaching professionals. The highly practical approach will suit actors of all abilities as well as serving as an inspirational teaching guide.

Transcriptions of actual tuition sessions by the originator of Method Acting, tutor to such talents as Paul Newman, Al Pacino, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Dustin Hoffman.

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.