Book Description
For the first time--insights from 50 of the most distinguished acting teachers in America
* Priceless gathering of wisdom and experience
* The biggest names in acting:
Michael Howard, Lloyd Richards, Olympia Dukakis, dozens more
* Stunning, revealing photographs of acting teachers and their finest students
* A must-have for every acting student or working actor
Acting Teachers of America presents detailed, revealing interviews with 50 of the most influential contemporary American acting teachers, as well as actors and directors who teach acting.
Michael Howard, Lloyd Richards, Olympia Dukakis, John Strasberg, Larry Moss, Anne Bogard, Zelda Fichandler, William Esper, Eric Morris, Terry Schreiber, Anne Jackson, Milton Katselas, Andre De Shields, Michael Kahn, and
Marian Seldes are just a few of the contributors who offer a rare glimpse into the world of actor training in the United States. Through these illuminating interviews--including rare conversations with well-known former students plus unforgettable photos--readers gain insight into how the craft is taught and how these distinguished teachers continue to have a profound impact on our culture.
With a foreword by
J. Michael Miller, president of
The Actors Center in New York City,
Acting Teachers of America is a must-read for anyone training for a life in the theater, in film, or in television, and for everyone interested in the performing arts and our nation's rich cultural life.
Customer Reviews:
Repetitive questioning undermines interest.......2007-09-25
The acting coaches featured in the book are certainly among the best known and for many actors the most inspirational they were priviledged to study with.
The problem I had with the book was that asking ONLY the same questions in the same sequence of them all got boring
and predictable. I would have found the interviewing alot more interesting, even intriguing if there was some variation in the format. This could have included perhaps
some personal anecdotes from these coaches about their own experiences when acting. But this wouldn't be so possible when the interviewer is sticking only to those
predetermined set of questions.
A top study.......2007-06-17
Libraries strong in performing arts representations will find ACTING TEACHERS OF AMERICA a top study representing the teachings and ideas of a professional group of American acting teachers. Interviews ask questions about acting in this country, from approaches to teaching acting, voice and body work to changing methods of teaching and acting. What differentiates ACTING TEACHERS OF AMERICA from the usual 'how to act' title is that the insights come from practicing, long-time drama teachers who lend additional insights into the evolution of modern drama.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Customer Reviews:
A Book For Serious Actors.......2004-06-27
Firstly, if you are not truly devoted to acting, you will not find this book all that interesting. But if you are a Method devotee, then you will find much info & interesting anecdotes here.
strasbeg's system.......2000-09-13
Probably the most famous acting teacher in modern times. I think this book is a necessary read for any actor, teacher, director. I've read and heard so much controversy over this man. It's fascinating to read about his journey. Some of the stereotypes of his method are crushed in this book. I have to respect these teachers who devoted their lives to finding some kind of answer for their students and actors everywhere. Strasberg, Adler, Meisner, Lewis, Hagen. Even if you don't agree with his ideas or techniques it is an extremely interesting read on the evolution of theater in this country.
strasbeg's system.......2000-09-13
Probably the most famous acting teacher in modern times. I think this book is a necessary read for any actor, teacher, director. I've read and heard so much controversy over this man. It's fascinating to read about his journey. Some of the stereotypes of his method are crushed in this book. I have to respect these teachers who devoted their lives to finding some kind of answer for their students and actors everywhere. Strasberg, Adler, Meisner, Lewis, Hagen. Even if you don't agree with his ideas or techniques it is an extremely interesting read on the evolution of theater in this country.
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!.......2000-05-02
This book is absoulutly grreat! If you want to get into acting, you must read this book. I gauruntee it :)
Customer Reviews:
The gold standard ..........2007-05-15
A good student must always seek a master, and Viola Spolin is a master of improvisational theatre. The book is filled with powerful games and information to support not only improvisational theatre, but truthful acting and being "in the moment", a hallmark not only of improvisational theatre, but acting.
Very dry, like a boring textbook ... odd, stilted language........2006-06-13
There's something strange about the way this book is written ... I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's MEANT to be a TEXTBOOK, but ... it's just strange. It's like, you would think that the subject matter (improvisation) would be associated with a lot of excitement and energy, lots of enthusiasm ... instead, it's just a dry, boring textbook. Very cold and impersonal. The other books I've been reading, including Keith Johnstone's IMPRO, Chalma Halpern's TRUTH IN COMEDY, and Mick Napier's IMPROVISE, are written with enthusiasm and what seems like genuine joy ... the way you'd think a book on improv should be.
Another thing that was odd - one of the co-authors is Paul Sills, who is apparently Viola Spolin's son ... yet in his "Foreward" (or maybe it's the introduction), he refers to her only as "Viola Spolin" this and "Viola Spolin" that ... again it just seemed so impersonal, like he was giving an academic speech before a bunch of old professors. No warmth at all.
And all through the book, Viola Spolin uses the same cold, impersonal language to talk about what should be fun, amusing memories - like, instead of saying "Once in one of my classes there was etc. etc." she'll say "In a class taught by this author, an incident occured at which etc etc" ...
These are minor things, I guess ... maybe I'm asking too much but I guess the bottom line is that, for me, this book (unlike the other books I've mentioned) failed to convey any sense of the thrill and delight that improv is.
Spolin Is Better Than NyQuil !.......2005-01-29
After reading the first page of Spolin's first chapter I was intrigued. Several pages later, I was sound asleep. I attribute this to the fact that Viola Solin, when she's theorizing, writes like Immanuel Kant tripping on acid. This was especially discouraging, since I had just finished reading Audition by Michael Shurtleff, which is the most clearly written and insightful book on acting anyone could ever ask for.
Skimming the exercise descriptions, I found some of them tedious ("Play a salesman with only your calves!") and some of them risible ("Scream with your elbow!"). Also, her chapter on Emotion seems to contradict the entire Method acting tradition, which, thankfully, she is in no danger of overthrowing.
I'm sure that there are some useful points that this book makes, or might make through its exercises, if I cared to try them. But thanks to Spolin's soporific word-salad, her points are a pleasure to miss.
If you can only buy one book........2003-03-26
In fact any other book you may buy will have most of spolins ideas.
If you are guiding any one in an improvisational education. this is the best. It is very important for improvisers to learn about comedic improv through spolins techniques. all other forms of improv is about the joke which lets face it is only funny because you know the performers. but spolin allows you to discover the scene not the joke. and if you are naturally a funny person chances are your scene will be funny. this is not to say that the funniest guy wont have a serious scene .some times when an improv is a true improv you have to let it be what it is whatever it is.
great book. great book .fun book. gauranteed to give you guru status if you follow her instruction. after all you will be giving the most wonderful gift to all your students. your students will develope as improvisers the correct way and will be able to work with anyone.
The Bible of Improv.......2002-10-23
Or, thanks to the new and brilliant approaches of Halpern and Johnstone, The Old Testament of Improv.
At any rate Viola Spolin influenced improv more than any other human being. She was the first, the pioneer. Her son, Paul Sills, founded both The Compass and Second City. He carries on her work.
Easily 90+% of all improv exercises taught in American universities are derived from her. And most mediocre books on ipmrov are small samplings of re-cycled Spolin exercises, without her focus.
Which is a nice way to segway into telling the reader that even 'The Bible' is bound to disappoint if one misses the theme of Spolin's thought.
Without it one simply gets a collection of 'games' that are ponderously cross referenced. (And a big so what.) It'll gather dust on the bookshelf as a 'reference work'
Here's a secret: Spolin was far less concerned with the comedy audience suggestion improv theater ( Second City notwithstanding.) Her main concern was training actors.
(Her influence has been vastly underestimated, e.g; Meisner trained actors should check out her "Preocupation A" exercise. You'll get deja vu. And Spolin came first.)
She took one of Stanislavsky's best idea, "Concentration of Attention" and ran with it. She created the credo of POC (point of concentration) and 'sidecoached' the players into weaving magic . . .
Average customer rating:
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The Anthropology of Performance (PAJ Books)
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Book Description
Edited by Nathan Stucky and Cynthia Wimmer, Teaching Performance Studies is the first organized treatment of performance studies theory, practice, and pedagogy. This collection of eighteen essays by leading scholars and educators reflects the emergent and contested nature of performance studies, a field that looks at the broad range of human performance from everyday conversation to formal theatre and cultural ritual. The cross-disciplinary freedom enacted by the writers suggests a new vision of performance studies—a deliberate commerce between field and classroom.
Book Description
• Written and illustrated by industry insiders
• Definitive book on capturing hip-hop style in art
Hip-hop is more than baggy jeans and explicit song lyrics. It's a cultural force that influences everything we see and everything we hear. Now two masters of hip-hop have joined forces to create one remarkable book: How to Draw Hip-Hop. Damion Scott, a noted hip-hop artist, and Kris Ex, an internationally recognized music journalist, explain drawing basics and construction of the hip-hop look; ways to capture the style and spirit of the B-boy and B-girl; and how to draw hip-hop gear, environments, characters, and grafitti. Every artist and aspiring artist, every fan of hip-hop and pop culture in general needs a copy of How to Draw Hip-Hop.
Customer Reviews:
Very Cool.......2007-08-12
this book was a very good find on my part not that i didnt know how to draw urban characters but it's always good to see how someone else does it,this book is a great tool to actually growing in a style of comics thats transcending just hip hop but comics all together,check out work by humberto ramos,skottie young,chris buchelo and many others use very similar styles so it's not just about hip hop...more about urban culture slipping it's way into the mainstream
Great Book!.......2007-05-16
The instructions were easy to follow, and the illustrations are awesome. I'm having alot of fun with this book. The dialogue between the two characters keeps readers entertained.
Interesting.......2006-06-29
I got this mainly for the Daimon Scott artwork,and its loaded with it. Some of the subject matter left me me a little distant. But over all a interesting read.
Book Description
Actor training is arguably the most unique phenomenon of twentieth century theatre making. Here, for the first time, the theories, training exercises, and productions of fourteen directors are analyzed in one single volume. Twentieth Century Actor Training provides a unique account of specific training exercises and an analysis of their relationship to the practitioners' theoretical and esthetic concerns.
Looking at many of the landmark productions of the past 100 years, Alison Hodge also examines the relationship between actor training and production and considers how directly the actor training relates to performance. The practitioners included are: Stella Adler, Bertolt Brecht, Joseph Chaikin, Jacques Copeau, Joan Littlewood, Vsevelod Meyerhold, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Eugenio Barba, Peter Brook, Michael Chekhov, Jerzy Grotowski, Sanford Meisner, Wlodimierz Staniewski and Lee Strasberg.
Download Description
Here for the first time, the theories, training exercises and productions of fourteen directors ae analysed in one volume; with each analysis by a leading expert. This book is invaluable for students, academics, practitioners and teachers.
Customer Reviews:
Stanislavski was basically an amateur..........2000-06-04
David Mamet in his "Truth and Heresy" accuses the Stanislavski as being an amateur.. and essentially he was correct... despite that he set in motion a wide range of thinking about the "art" of acting.
This book maps what has taken place since Konstantin Stanislavski set in place the quest for "truth". A very useful and informative text covering 14 of the major movements in actor training from the twentieth century. This is a great distillation of the major elements of each aproach. Includes significant discussion of the practitioners and their contexts.
A great choice for anyone interested in the development of contemporary theatre. As a Drama teacher I find this a great resource for students.
This one graces my bookshelf it should also be on yours.
Book Description
Dance About Anything helps K-12 teachers learn the creative process for developing movement and dance around a theme—and how to integrate dance with other subjects. The book follows a logical progression of movement activities, increasing in complexity from inspiration and dance design to exhibition of the integrated project. It provides all the materials for teachers to facilitate the creative and critical-thinking skills related to planning integrated projects:
- Students explore the dance-making process through seven easy-to-follow tasks that take them from inspiration and choosing a theme to solving movement problems and making movement phrases, culminating with work that involves dance design, revisions, and performance.
- Students integrate dance with other subject areas such as science, math, social studies, visual arts, theater, language arts, and music.
- Students work through integrated projects involving multiple subjects around a common theme. They learn how to transfer the work habits and strategies they learn through dance making to their work in other subjects, and then they showcase their work.
Dance About Anything is organized into four parts. Part I outlines the creative process of choosing a theme for a dance and explains how movement phrases can be developed from almost any inspiration. Part II lays out the remaining tasks and steps on the path to exhibition.
Part III shows how to develop and implement integrated projects. It discusses practical concerns about who, what, how, when, and where and provides a step-by-step guide for project completion. Part IV details three ready-to-use integrated projects with themes (weather, community, and prejudice and human rights). These are semester-length projects and can be used in advocating for awareness of the value of dance, connecting with other subjects, and getting students to work together on a unifying theme.
The included CD-ROM provides more than 65 reproducible forms that fuel students' creativity and aid teachers in assessment. Among the forms are 8 Inspiration Activity Cards and 8 Dance Designing Activity Cards that cover a variety of themes, including those of the three complete projects provided in the book. The book includes ideas for written and oral assessment of students' progress, and the CD-ROM provides teachers with assessment forms for doing so. In addition, a template of integrated projects is included that gives readers an opportunity to create their own integrated projects, such as those found in part IV of the book.
Dance About Anything provides the information and guidance that teachers and students need in order to become dance architects, designing and building dances and integrated projects from start to finish.
Book Description
• Foreword by Paul Newman
• Completely revised and updated version of a beloved theater classic
• Clear, practical guide to helping kids ages 8 to 18 get a show up and running
The classic Kids Take the Stage is one of the best-selling Back Stage Books of all time. Now Back Stage is proud to present the completely revised and updated second edition of this indispensable guide to getting young people on stage and helping them create their own shows. For teachers, for parents, for budding actors, emerging crew, and incipient directors—this is the book that shows how to get a production up and running...and have fun in the process. Clear and accessible, Kids Take the Stage outlines a systematic approach to staging, complete with basic lessons in acting, relaxation and trust-building exercises, and improvisations. From first read-through to opening night, from butterflies to bravos, this is the perfect book to help young people realize their creative potential.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding Resource!.......2005-07-20
Though I've been a middle school coach for the past 12 years, I still am interested in getting new ideas to get my young actors/ actresses more involved with the drama process. I also taught a 3 week long Creative Drama class this summer with 3rd-5th graders and the many sound ideas in this book gave me a wealth of activities to choose from.
Whether you're a first time Drama Coach or a long in the tooth coach like me, this book is a MUST BUY! I particularly like how the authors used "famous actor" quotes to help back up the many acting activities in this book. I love the chapter entitled "Rehearsals with Heart" because this idea of treating young actors as people with talents to share comes shining through in EACH chapter! The "Leader's Guide" (near the end of the book) lays out a 10 session "suggested" guide for the novice or the veteran drama person to follow (wonderful idea!)
In a nutshell, THIS BOOK ROCKS and I've now got even MORE ideas to use with my kids when the spring production rolls around this year!
Well Done!
Ralph :)
Lenka puts actions into words.......2001-10-03
I read this book after receiving it at a conference that Lenka Peterson spoke at. In reading the book, I realized that she had put most of the information covered in an 8-hour session plus enough to fill another week of 8-hour sessions. The book truly takes actions and in-person teaching lessons and makes them readily available to anyone anywhere.
Helping Young People Discover Theater.......1999-08-19
In this wonderful new book, Lenka Peterson and Dan O'Connor draw on more that 30 years of experience to reveal how to teach and direct plays with children. Their sophisticated yet accessible guide covers everything form the basics of acting to mounting and staging a production. It includes plenty of child-friendly sample scenes and relaxation techniques for kids. Perfect for established children's theater groups as well as churches, schools and camps, Kids Take the Stage shows how we can help kids realize their creative potential...and, in the process, create a new generation of theater lovers.
- Stage and Screen, bookclub of the performing arts
Helping Young People Discover Theater.......1999-08-19
In this wonderful new book, Lenka Peterson and Dan O'Connor draw on more that 30 years of experience to reveal how to teach and direct plays with children. Their sophisticated yet accessible guide covers everything form the basics of acting to mounting and staging a production. It includes plenty of child-friendly sample scenes and relaxation techniques for kids. Perfect for established children's theater groups as well as churches, schools and camps, Kids Take the Stage shows how we can help kids realize their creative potential...and, in the process, create a new generation of theater lovers.
Bravo!.......1999-08-15
This is a magical book, full of exercises and anecdotes that teach children to celebrate what they have to offer as potential artists, but mainly as human beings. I recommend it to anyone who wants to introduce children to acting and the theater. It is joyful, rewarding, wise and a lot of fun to read. Bravo/Brava!
Book Description
In The Moving Body, translated into English for the first time, Lecoq shares his unique philosophy of performance, improvisation, masks, movement, and gesture. Neutral mask, character masks and counter-masks, bouffons, acrobatics, commedia, clowns: all the famous Lecoq techniques are include here. The Moving Body is the written legacy of a great theatrical imagination.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful book!.......2007-07-21
A very good book for any person who loves theatre, the real one.
Many exercises to learn how to control and then express yourself through your body.
Great for Teachers and Students.......2007-01-13
Superb text. Worked out of this book, page by page with 10 college theatre students. Highly recommend it for academic use and for personal reading. Very solid text helpful in gaining a strong foundation in movement theatre that is rapidly overtaking the mainstream. Many of LeCoq's ideas are visible everywhere in the NY theatre. Pig Iron Theatre Company is a great example of a group of LeCoq trained performers, and is also a resource for learning more, if you are in the Philly/New York area.
Book Description
The more than 70 dance activities included in this handbook give educators the tools to use dance in their classrooms, gyms, and playgrounds. Combining theory with practice, this introduction to dance history and terminology provides a foundation for the lesson plans tailored for physical education, kinesthetic learning, and arts education contexts. Although complete on their own, each lesson plan can be customized to fit into any curriculum. Appendices on equipment and dance-education networking resources are included, along with a specialized index categorized into age-appropriate dance activities, sample lesson plans, and group dances.
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