Books

Directing for the Stage: A Workshop Guide of 42 Creative Training Exercises and Projects

Average customer rating:

Excellent book for Directing and Acting
works best as a textbook
A user-friendly directing book
Exposes you to a series of exercises that help
Too technical, no feeling...

Directing for the Stage: A Workshop Guide of 42 Creative Training Exercises and Projects
Terry John Converse
Manufacturer: Meriwether Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Director's Eye: A Comprehensive Textbook for Directors and Actors
Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing
Thinking Like a Director: A Practical Handbook
Notes on Directing
Play Director's Survival Kit: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Producing Theater in Any School or Community Setting (J-B Ed:Survival Guides)

ASIN: 1566080142

Amazon.com

The forty-two exercises detailed in this comprehensive guide provide both the instructor and the student a "user-friendly" workshop structure. It may be used for both beginning and advanced courses of Directing for Theatre. The basic concepts of directing are learned progressively. The approach is totally experiential.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book for Directing and Acting.......2004-07-29

The book should appeal to teachers of both directing and acting in its systematic, comprehensive approach. I had the good fortune to work with Terry Converse in WSU's Theatre Program for several years, and we pioneered a combined directing and acting course where directing students and acting students worked and learned together. Now that I am teaching at another university I had the opportunity to teach a combined Directing and Acting course, using his book. At first, I thought the directing students might benefit the most, but I discovered the exercises he developed benefitted the actors as well. The actors developed their craft through many of the silent scenes and justifying movement exercises that led them to examine the fine points of their characterizations. The directing students learned how to work with actors and develop a comprehensive approach to directing a scene, and our work culminated in an inspiring Ten-Minute Play Festival at the end of the semester. This book is well written with numerous examples, practical exercises, and assessment guidelines at the end of each chapter--a good, hands-on approach.

works best as a textbook.......2003-02-05

Mr. Converse has written with this helpful introductory course, a fine textbook for introducing one to the craft of directing. When viewed in that context, this book serves its purpose well. Having used this text in conjunction with William Ball's superb book "A Sense Of Direction", in the directing class I teach, I have found Converse's excercises to be helpful and precise (if rather dry) in building craft. Especially helpful is Converse's chapters on blocking and creating pictures. His suggestions and activities designed to teach one how to communicate and direct traffic are most helpful. If one is looking for a great read, this is not the book to use. For that I again suggest Ball or Clurman's fine "On Directing". But for some "hands on" activities in the dramatic classroom or for the director just starting out on their own, this will work just fine- as long as you have someone else to bounce your ideas off of.

A user-friendly directing book.......2003-02-04

In 10 years of teaching high school drama, this is the first book where the theory of directing is embodied in a series of lessons which can be taught sequentially or mixed and matched. I have used the open scripts in acting class with junior students and amended the lessons to my own ends in picturization, focus, tempo, pathway, subtext and a myriad of other directing skills which need to be built upon.

Exposes you to a series of exercises that help.......2000-02-22

This book is simple, concrete, and to the point. It will help you develop various directing techniques, and it will leave the rest up to you. Its purpose is not to try and train you into some special type of director, but to give you the basic technical skills that will allow you to find your own artistic style. It is most certainly a great book to start with, and its exercises would likely help more advanced directing students hone their skills.

Too technical, no feeling..........1998-10-16

I worry this book may cause new directors to develop bad habits. It is absolutely director cenetered and ignores actors and how to work with them. For seasoned directors it contains nothing new if you already know how to mount an intellectually consistent, well-staged production. The approach to directing in this book takes away all actor creativity, advocating the director as monarch rather than teacher. Several year ago I saw a production of Mr. Converse's THE TEMPEST. It was 4 hours long, featured added material which was introduced to enforce a strained concept. The actors did not seem to understand what they were doing or why. They were like square pegs forced into round holes. And the actor playing Prospero was simply painful to watch. The visual imagery was very nice but the show was terribly over-produced and over-directed...EXACTLY what I would expect to see from the person who wrote this text. He obviously practices what he preaches. If this is the style of directing you advocate, and some do, this is the book for you. But to compare it to Viola Spolin is simply outrageous. Better to just buy her "A REHEARSAL GUIDE FOR DIRECTORS" if you like her "IMPROVISATION FOR THE THEATRE." This book can not touch her sensitivity to directing the performer as opposed to directing the play.

Film Directing, Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes

Average customer rating:

A Workshop in a Book!
Including interactive online 3D storyboards
Very clear and useful...
Clears Away the Cobwebs!
A practical how-to guide with plenty of examples

Film Directing, Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes
Steven D. Katz
Manufacturer: Michael Wiese Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Film Directing: Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen (Michael Wiese Productions)
Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television
The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques
Film Directing Fundamentals, Second Edition: See Your Film Before Shooting
The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques

ASIN: 0941188140

Amazon.com

A sequel to Steven Katz's Film Directing Shot by Shot, this book tackles specific problems of staging cinematic scenes. How should directors shoot scenes in confined spaces, such as small rooms or the interior of a car, in large open spaces, or with a number of characters involved in busy dialogue? As in his previous book, Katz addresses these problems by storyboarding hypothetical scenes for the camera, laying out a drawing of each shot in the sequence for readers to study. As a bonus, the book is peppered with interviews about creating shot sequences that Katz conducted with a number of professional filmmakers, including Allen Daviau, Ralph Singleton, and John Sayles.

Book Description

Practical guide addresses problems encountered when staging and blocking scenes.

Customer Reviews:

A Workshop in a Book!.......2004-07-13

Cinematic Motion, by Steven Katz, published by Michael Wiese Productions, is another one of those absolutely must-have books for serious filmmakers. The subtitle, A Workshop for Staging Scenes, is just what this valuable resource and reference manual is...a workshop in a book! It's unique in that it is written from the film director's viewpoint. The focus of the book is on creative visual staging of each scene, and the storyboards and diagrams are clear, consistent and workable. Katz shows you how to choreograph scenes and create illusions, as needed, through blocking, camera movement, moving an actor or actors in a scene, and staging, in scenes with confined spaces up to large spaces, interiors and exteriors. The interviews with director John Sayles (The Secret of Roan Inish; Passion Fish; City of Hope) and production manager Ralph Singleton (Pet Sematary II; Clear and Present Danger; Last Man Standing) are very informative and helpful for the beginning filmmaker and the experienced filmmaker alike.

Including interactive online 3D storyboards.......2004-06-06

Now in an updated second edition, Film Directing Cinematic Motion is an extensive how-to manual especially for aspiring and practicing directors to fine-tuning the art of creating a personal camera style, piecing together extended sequence shots, make the most of digital technology for visualization and script breakdown, and much more. Including interactive online 3D storyboards for hands-on practice, Film Directing Cinematic Motion is extremely down-to-earth in its presentation, offering direct Q & A with an expert, extremely detailed situational examples, frame-by-frame diagrams to illustrate complex points, and much more. Highly recommended for anyone involved in the field, whether amateur or professional.

Very clear and useful..........2002-10-10

...as well as "shot by shot" from same writer. Very nice explained, b&w illustrated and easy to understand. Perfect guidebook for beginners and also indy filmmakers.

Clears Away the Cobwebs!.......2002-05-17

This fine, detailed & user-friendly book opens up a director's view of the world of cinematic movement & how it relates to good story-telling through film. Staging scenes, blocking, camera movement, choreography of scene movent, reverse shots, camera angles, tracking, exterior & interior shooting, staging multiple characters in a scene...it's all here, with drawings that clearly illustrate the informative text.

A practical how-to guide with plenty of examples.......2001-04-03

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning to compose better pictures of any kind. This unusual book takes a "through-the-lens" approach to presenting ideas about how to compose pictures. This is a refreshing break from abstract "art-babble" discussions that offer the reader little practical guidance about where to point the camera. In addition to video and film, still photographers will find this book especially interesting.

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Book for the Aspiring Playwright

Playwriting: The First Workshop
Kathleen George
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Playwright's Handbook: Revised Edition
The Elements of Playwriting
The Crafty Art of Playmaking
Writing Your First Play, Second Edition
Naked Playwriting: The Art, The Craft, And The Life Laid Bare

ASIN: 0240801903

Book Description

This is a practical introduction to the basic principles, structures and processes of writing plays. Beginning with simple concepts and exercises, this book gradually builds in complexity, until the reader is writing his or her one act play.

Writing plays is unique because feedback, alternative approaches and discussion spur creativity. This book encourages this and thereby encourages the reader to write. The reader will discover how stage plays differ from screenplays, novels and television. The book also describes how autobiographical materials are transformed into playable parts, and how characters are moved by action. `Playwriting: The first workshop' gives readers the necessary background to begin working on their first play.

Captures the workshop experience through writing, analyzing and testing plays.
Contains synopsis and analysis of several well-known plays, such as `The Dining Room'.
Each chapter provides study questions and exercises that reinforce important concepts.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Book for the Aspiring Playwright.......2004-10-09

This book is amazing. Anyone who is interested in writing plays must read this book. The author walks you through the steps of playwriting and gives you critiqued examples to help illustrate her lesson. A top notch guide to playwriting.

Starting Your Television Writing Career: The Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop Guide

Average customer rating:

Very helpful book
Lame! Nothing Like I Had Hoped...Save Your Money!!
Disappointed
rip off!
Short and Sweet

Starting Your Television Writing Career: The Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop Guide
Abby Finer , and Deborah Pearlman
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Successful Television Writing
Television Writing from the Inside Out: Your Channel to Success
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Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series)
Writing TV Sitcoms

ASIN: 0815608314

Book Description

A reference designed by the directors of this prestigious workshop to guide aspiring writers of TV sitcoms and dramas.

Deborah Pearlman and Abby Finer of the Warner Bros.Television Writers Workshop reveal in this essential guide insider tips and tricks aimed at paving the way to better scripts by new writers.

The book focuses on all aspects of writing for television, from the definition and importance of sample material to what it takes to be a successful TV writer. The authors offer invaluable insider information on the keys to writing a good script and how to choose the right show for sample material. In particular, they provide instruction on troubleshooting scripts - with a do and don't list. For the novice scriptwriter, they include advice on how to research, brainstorm ideas, and write a beat sheet and outline through to a polished draft. Filled with practical advice and up-to-date industry information, each chapter provides strategies and insights that will jumpstart a fledgling writing career toward success.

Customer Reviews:

Very helpful book.......2006-11-01

I found Starting Your Television Writing Career a very helpful book.

If you want to get into television writing, then Abby Finer is the person to learn from.

It is to the point, and it is obvious this is written by a pro with first-hand knowledge of the industry.

This book is a great start and I certainly hope the author decides to come out with a volume 2.

[...]

Lame! Nothing Like I Had Hoped...Save Your Money!!.......2006-09-24

I bought this book because I was interested in finding out some tips on getting my script accepted by the decision makers of the Warner Bros. Writer's Workshop. After all, those of us considering such a workshop already know how to write a script.

Yet this book was a weak attempt at showing someone how to write a television script. And it didn't do a good job at that! There are MUCH BETTER books on television script structure for both comedy sitcoms and drama series. Anyone reading any information on television writing for the first time would be SEVERELY MISGUIDED by taking the information from this book and attempting to apply it successfully to a television script.

But again, why is this book even about the structure of a television script? It SHOULD be about how to break into the Warner Bros. Writer's Workshop. It should have addressed what kind of writing the workshop accepts and which they turn down. It would help to know what those who are getting turned down all the time are doing wrong! That's what they should be talking about...How to GET IN!

PASS ON THIS BOOK! IT'S A TOTAL RIP OFF!

Disappointed.......2006-07-05

The book consists of: 51 pages of overview of how you write a good spec script and what you do with it; 49 pages of a comedy outline and script; 90 pages of a drama outline and script; and 27 pages of interviews with established TV writers.

I found the overview frustrating. Granted I'm not the best audience for this book, because it's written for nonprofessionals who want to get into the business, and I've written for TV. But I have read TV writing books that taught me stuff, particularly the brief but superb pamphlet the WGA has on its site, Writing for Episodic TV. I agree with the things the overview says. The problem is it says them generally instead of specifically. It gave me the impression that it was written by someone who sat in on meetings with experienced writers and then wrote down -- quickly -- what they said. In fact, the authors each have one television credit on the IMDb, are TV pro's, and run the Warner Bros TV Workshop (though their author bios don't actually say they are TV writers). But who can say in 57 pages all you need to know to write TV? You can say more or less what you need to do, but not how.

The interviews were fine, but they were similarly more directed at end results than processes. Not, "How do you come up with...?" and "How do you deal with...?" but "What was your first sample script and how did you get someone to read it?" I found them less compelling than the yards of interviews the WGA has up on its site.

I would also have found it more interesting if each interviewee was answering different questions.

The bulk of the book, though, is the scripts. And I gotta ask: what's the point of putting one comedy script and one drama script into a book? You need to read dozens of TV scripts, not one each of drama and comedy. And there are dozens to read on the Net -- see my right sidebar, "Links to downloadable scripts."

So, in all, I was disappointed. I really wanted to like this book.

One interesting point though: I did notice that this book uses different terminology than I've heard. For example, it says a typical scene will have three or four "story beats." That's a different use of the word "beat" than I've run across. In my experience it's rare to have more than two beats in a scene; usually it's one per scene or even per sequence. The book defines "act break" as "the place in the script where the action reaches its highest point." I've only heard "act break" used as a synonym for "act out," a term the book leaves undefined. And I'd never heard of a "clam," which apparently is an overused trendy phrase (e.g. "Talk to the hand"). It may be helpful to know these usages, so it might be worth checking out the glossary.

rip off!.......2006-06-06

I learned nothing from this book. Nothing. I could have written a better guide to TV writing myself. There's nothing about how to actually write a script; it's all just script samples, one a drama, one a sitcom. If this is what you're interested in, head on over to EBay for a script of a show you actually like. Otherwise, save your money!

Short and Sweet.......2005-10-02

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's thinking about getting into television writing. It's a brisk read and the authors really know what they are talking about. The only disappointment is that sample scripts account for approximately half of the book's length. Still, one manages to remain grateful that the authors didn't attempt to strech the content to create yet another of the condescending tomes that have saturated the market. The interviews with working writers at the end of the book are especially valuable.

Improvisations in Creative Drama: Workshops and Dramatic Sketches for Students

Average customer rating:

Magnificant

Improvisations in Creative Drama: Workshops and Dramatic Sketches for Students
Betty Keller
Manufacturer: Meriwether Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Theatre Games for Young Performers: Improvisations and Exercises for Developing Acting Skills (Contemporary Drama)
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Improvisation Starters: A Collection of 900 Improvisation Situations for the Theater

ASIN: 0916260518

Customer Reviews:

Magnificant.......2000-08-27

This book was wonderful for perfecting improv comedy. Any young actor learning or any intermedaite actor improving will want this book. I brought it to a class of mine for Drama and it is applicable, fun, and helps so much.

Mime Spoken Here : The Performer's Portable Workshop

Average customer rating:

Inspiration Spoken Here
An exciting and valuable book...

Mime Spoken Here : The Performer's Portable Workshop
Tony Montanaro , and Karen Hurll Montanaro
Manufacturer: Tony & Karen Montanaro
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0884481778

Customer Reviews:

Inspiration Spoken Here.......2005-03-30

Mime Spoken Here is an absolutely wonderful book! It gave me a whole new appreciation and understanding of what mime is and can be-showing a wondrous performing art that is masked by the cliched stereotypes one is constantly inundated with

I am actually a magician and about a year ago I had an idea for a magic pantomime using a mime illusion. A magician/mime recommended Kipnis' "The Mime Book." This is a really good book, and even though it really didn't directly address what I was looking for, I threw myself into the isolation exercises. However, even though it had lots of good work on the mechanics of the illusions, they never really interested me to work on them; except those that I could see applications to magic routines-basically the elevator and the cradle-to-grave.

I did however notice almost immediately an increased body awareness and sense of balance that I'd never had before. Even though I kind of drifted away as I got involved in doing shows, etc, I realized I'd learned more and made more progress in a couple of weeks than I had in several semesters of body movement classes in drama school. This new physical awareness and control generated a hunger for something... I don't know exactly what I was looking for, but I got other mime books... and "The Physical Comedy Handbook"... and Lecoq's "The Moving Body"... and Aubert's "The Art of Pantomime"... All these are good books, but still I was looking... and then I found "Mime Spoken Here," and now I realize what I was looking for all along --physical eloquence.

"Physical eloquence" is Tony's conception of mime-greatly expanding it beyond the common no-talk, no-props view most people have of it. It is the perfect complement to "The Mime Book" because while Kipnis is much more exhaustive in the techniques of mime, Mime Spoken Here teaches you how to breathe life and meaning into them, and any other performing art. (Karen gives a very telling, and touching, post-script as to how Tony's mime approach basically saved her ballet career.) In a sense I was familiar with much of what he talked about with premise, character work, and improvisations from acting classes and working on my theatrical form of magic, but in another sense Tony opened up new doors of perception about them, particularly regarding mime. But more than anything, THE BOOK, TONY, AND KAREN ARE JUST DOWN RIGHT INSPIRING!

In the few days since I got the book-I practically devoured it-I have come up with three new sketches: Though one was a magical pantomime I'd created for a female friend years ago (She rejected it, and I never thought I could use it, but under Tony's spell I suddenly re-visualized it in a way that would work for me), the other two were brand new mime pieces with no magic (gasp!). One started out just as an esoteric dance routine I came up with while playing around with a juggler's top hat, but I let it "get to me" (a Tonyism) and has now become basically a sketch of "Jeckyl & Hyde" meets "The Red Shoes." The third was one that came out of the cradle-to-grave exercise I'd worked on from Kipnis's book, which had a variation of a weight lifter being bent backwards from the weight on his chest. Well in playing with that, from time to time I'd end up on my back with the weight pinning me down to the floor, and I couldn't get up. Well then I'd always just get up and stop there, because there was no where to go with it since I obviously could not lift the weight up from that position. Then mid-way through reading the book, I was playing around and it happened again, but this time I "bought it" (another Tonyism,) and just lay there until I could figure a way out of my predicament. And I did and then the rest of the sketch just fell together, as if my magic. :O)

I'm also sure I'll get more and more out of the book with subsequent study, and in turn will get more out of the other books now with Tony's thinking running in the background, especially "The Mime Book." Because while the illusions in it didn't inspire me to work on them, the day I read about "the eagle" illusion in "Mime Spoken Here" I was outside that night working on it--showing the power of premise applied to technique.

Furthermore, "Mime Spoken Here" also serves as an inspiring autobiography of a truly special performer, teacher, and man. (A friend of mine once said that Einstein's autobiography would be a physics book.)

An exciting and valuable book..........2000-05-31

...that probes deeper than the average "How To..." guide.

Tony and his wife Karen have crafted a book that is chock full of practical methods for the performing artist, but it also (and more crucially) explores the art of communication, with sharp insights and anecdotes that are not only applicable but nourishing for the soul.

Tony Montanaro (a brilliant and renowned mine) also pays respectful homage to the masters who have preceded him, including his teachers Marcel Marceau and Etienne Decroux, as well as the more obscure and virtually forgotten teachings of Francois Delsarte.

This book is a must-read for the performing artist who wishes to sharpen their "physical eloquence", as well as anyone with a serious interest in communication and artistic expression of any sort.

Oh What A Lovely War (Methuen Modern Play)

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Deliciously Scandalous In The Sixties!
Information required

Oh What A Lovely War (Methuen Modern Play)
Theatre Workshop
Manufacturer: Methuen Publishing, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Oh What a Lovely War (Original 1963 London Cast)
Oh! What a Lovely War
Joan Littlewood (Routledge Performance Practitioners)
Marat/Sade
Mother Courage and Her Children

ASIN: 0413302105

Book Description

The reissue of the Methuen Modern Play with a fresh new livery.

Customer Reviews:

Deliciously Scandalous In The Sixties!.......2005-06-06

"Oh, What A Lovely War!" is one of the most memorable and critically-acclaimed war plays of all time. It was written by Joan Littlewood in 1963, and has endured to this day because of the impact it had upon audience when it opened at the Theatre Royal in Stratford East. The play is notorious for being ruthless in exposing the horror of the trenches and the callous incompetence of the ruling classes that plunged Europe into war in 1914.

Back in the Sixties, the play was also described as "deliciously scandalous" because of its aggressive, anti-war stance. Audiences associated the no-holds-barred assault on all the old clichés about king and country because of the dramatic social changes accompanying the youth rebellion of the Sixties. The play was one of the few instances up until this point where its content reflected the tumultuous climate of society.

A generation was beginning to feel the threat of the war in Vietnam, and this play had an immediate, personal resonance. Some people felt that the play voiced their own thoughts and feelings about war and conflict, whilst many of the older generation were shocked by the show's attitude toward the generals and civilians who sent a generation of young men off to the slaughterhouse of Ypres and the Somme. These were people who remembered the original songs that were being sung, so to see them performed in a completely different way was a sensuous and violent shock.

The play was ground-breaking in a number of ways, because it had no immediate human focus, or any continuing character that the audience could come to care about, or even any story to speak of, or a real resolution. In spite of all this, it was still very powerful and also immensely successful simply because of the overwhelming static charge between its subject and the society around it.

In terms of content, what makes the play so successful is the combination of songs and imagery, mixed to create a shock in the minds of the audience watching. War songs are sung to express patriotic ideas about fighting, against a backdrop of imagery that reflects the play's real attitude to war. Large images such as soldiers dying after being wounded in gunfire, or decaying corpses left rotting in the mud are accompanied by captions, such as death tolls and `updates' on the current war situation. The material Littlewood chose came from popular songs from the start of the century which were very patriotic and idyllic. However, in her hands, they become bitingly subversive rather than sterile pieces of heritage.

"Goodbyeee," sung through clenched teeth, expresses bitterness at the bloodshed of war rather than a stiff upper lip attitude. "Forward Joe Soap's Army" sung to the tune of 'Onward Christian Soldiers' captures the gallows humour of the trenches. Even a group of women factory workers singing an innocuous sing along number contrasts with the lifeless formality of a British army dance.

A few slapstick sketches show the pressures leading to the outbreak of war. Their absurd humour is the ideal vehicle for conveying the madness of August 1914. From then on, musical and comedy sketches are interspersed with moving scenes of war and its impact. The arrival of the first casualties at Waterloo Station stands out. Transport to hospital is arranged for the officers. The rest have to make do.

All this takes place as a screen above the stage flashes out casualty figures as the killing intensifies. "Total dead in the Battle of the Somme: 1,332,000" whizzes above the stage as you watch the actors play a group of demented British army officers. You watch a troupe of war profiteers on the stage as the message board informs you how "21,000 American businessmen become millionaires from the war." "Average life of a machine gunner: four minutes."

The play is still performed on stage throughout the country to this very day, yet some critics have labelled it stale and boring. This is because the cultural shock of the Sixties is no longer present in the 21st Century: what was deemed scandalous some 40 years ago is no longer exciting in modern times, in an era where a vast majority of people have grown up with the firm belief that war is wrong. This fact makes Joan Littlewood's original version all the more timeless, because it successfully captured a moment in time where society was in the midst of a revolution. The memories of the original performances are almost set in stone amongst the audiences who first watched it.

Information required.......2001-11-04

Unable to find any other way of tracking down a copy of either the film or the soundtrack of the film /play, Oh! What A Lovely War. Could someone please put me out of my misery and e-mail me with any information that might help me to obtain a copy of the film or the soundtrack. Failing this could someone please tell me how to get in touch with Richard Attenborough so that I can check with him to see if he has a copy that I could obtain a copy of.

Play-Acting: A Guide to Theatre Workshops

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Play-Acting: A Guide to Theatre Workshops
Luke Dixon
Manufacturer: Theatre Arts Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0878301895

Book Description

Play-Acting is an inspired book of theatrical beginnings-jumping-off points for actors, teachers, and directors. Drawing upon his thirty years of designing and leading theater workshops, Luke Dixon goes to the heart of contemporary theater practice.

Whether drawing upon Japanese butoh, Shakespearean verse, or African rhythms, these thirty-two workshops cover a wide range of activities-voice warm-ups, body work, the exploration of theatrical space, life games, dreamtime, sense and chakras, working with the spine, and much, much more.

More than a collection of exercises, Play-Acting is constructed to take the user on a journey from learning about the anatomy of the individual actor's body to the performance of narrative by a group of actors. With tips on what you might expect to experience as an actor, teacher, or director, along with ideas on how to exploit the unexpected in performance, Play-Acting is a book to be read again and again.

The Monologue Workshop: from Search to Discovery in Audition and Performance (Applause Acting Series)

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The Monologue Workshop by Jack Poggi

The Monologue Workshop: from Search to Discovery in Audition and Performance (Applause Acting Series)
Jack Poggi
Manufacturer: Applause Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1557830312

Book Description

To those for whom the monologue has always been synonymous with terror, The Monologue Workshop will prove an indispensable ally. Jack Poggi's new book answers the long-felt need among actors for top-notch guidance in finding, rehearsing, and performing monologues. For those who find themselves groping for a speech just hours before their "big break," this book is their guide to salvation. The Monologue Workshop supplies the tools to discover new pieces before they become over-familiar, excavate older material that has been neglected, and adapt material from non-dramatic sources (novels, short stories, letters, diaries, autobiographies, even newspaper columns). There are also chapters on writing original monologues and creating solo performances in the style of Lily Tomlin and Eric Bogosian. Step by step, Poggi works with the actor in the rehearsal process, combining improvisation and textual analysis in the acclaimed technique that he has developed over thirty years of teaching. Besides the wealth of practical advice he offers, Poggi transforms the monologue experience from a terrifying ordeal into an exhilarating solo opportunity. Jack Poggi, as many working actors will attest, is the actor's partner in a process they had always thought was without one.

Customer Reviews:

The Monologue Workshop by Jack Poggi.......2006-04-01

Monologues and just simple acting require some coaching and mentoring. Jack Poggi is one of the best in the world. He shares academic, professional and practical insights into the craft of acting. Do you want to bring more confidence and emotional credibility to your monologues and your acting in general? Purchase this book, read it and keep it as a source of reference. It works and it will improve your acting game.
JC ... New York City

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Nicely illustrated and useful

The Dance Workshop
Robert Cohan
Manufacturer: Princeton Book Company Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 185273051X

Customer Reviews:

Nicely illustrated and useful.......2001-05-27

This book is an introduction to basic patterns and exercises in modern and jazz dance. It serves its purpose well, and the illustrations are effective in conveying to the reader the sequence of steps needed to do the exercises. The photographs also serve to inspire the beginning student of dance into what is possible in this art form. The author also gives the rthythmic timing in all the exercises, making it easier to pick music to accompany. Teachers will find it useful in lesson planning and as a reference.

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