Most books related to acting can be found in the following call number range:
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The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods, Volume 1 by
Vol. 1. Acting may be hazardous to your health! -- The Russian Revolution -- Smashing the fourth wall -- The American Revolution -- Lee Strasberg -- Stella Adler -- Sanford Meisner -- Viola Spolin and the theater of games -- Bertold Brecht and the theater of politics -- Jerzy Grotowski and the holy actor -- Tadashi Suzuki and the theater of grandeur -- Training school profiles.
Vol. 2. The French connection. Without one lie ; The mask and the empty space ; The sword and the teacup -- American realists. All people are alike in the belly ; Human beings in action ; Practical aesthetics -- Outside the box. Viewpoints ; Shooting an arrow into the dark.
The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods, Volume 2 by
In this follow-up to his tremendously successful first volume that has become an essential classroom tool, Brestoff examines all new teachers including Andre Antoine, Jacques Copeau and Michel Saint-Denis who represent a virtually unacknowledged yet powerful French influence on acting and actor training in the United States and abroad.
American Realist teachers such as Elia Kazan, Uta Hagen and David Mamet, and two influential "outside-the-box" teachers, Anne Bogart with her Viewpoints work and Keith Johnstone, creator of Theatre Sports, are also featured. While differences among the various acting theories and practices are noted and analyzed, so too are exciting and unexpected connections among them revealed.
Associate Professor of Drama and Associate Head of Acting University of California, Irvine, Richard is the author of four best-selling books for Smith and Kraus including The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods, The Camera Smart Actor, The Actor's Wheel of Connection and Acting Under the Circumstances.
He has acted on Broadway and Off, in Regional Theater and on camera, appearing on the 1991 Emmy Ballot for his Guest-Star performance on the CBS television series, thirtysomething.
Richard holds an MFA in Acting form NYU where his teachers included Olympia Dukakis, Peter Kass, Joe Chaikin and Kristin Linklater.
Actor Training by
Actor Training expands on Alison Hodge's highly-acclaimed and best-selling Twentieth Century Actor Training. This exciting second edition radically updates the original book making it even more valuable for any student of the history and practice of actor training. The bibliography is brought right up to date and many chapters are revised. In addition, eight more practitioners are included - and forty more photographs - to create a stunningly comprehensive study. The practitioners included are: Stella Adler; Eugenio Barba; Augusto Boal; Anne Bogart; Bertolt Brecht; Peter Brook; Michael Chekhov; Joseph Chaikin; Jacques Copeau; Philippe Gaulier; Jerzy Grotowski; Maria Knebel; Jacques Lecoq; Joan Littlewood; Sanford Meisner; Vsevolod Meyerhold; Ariane Mnouchki≠ Monika Pagneux; Michel Saint-Denis; Włodzimierz Staniewski; Konstantin Stanislavsky; Lee Strasberg The historical, cultural and political context of each practitioner's work is clearly set out by leading experts and accompanied by an incisive and enlightening analysis of the main principles of their training, practical exercises and key productions. This book is an invaluable introduction to the principles and practice of actor training and its role in shaping modern theatre.
Theater As Life: practical wisdom drawn from great acting teachers, actors & actresses by
Rather than focus on the well-known truism that great plays and dramatic performances can deeply transform and ennoble us, Marcus draws from a much less known dimension of theatre, namely, acting technique theory, how actors and actresses learn dramatic performance as an art, profession and way of life. They claim the emotional, intellectual and physical insights the actor must internalize and ultimately translate into action to become a great actor are technique[s] of the self that can be enormously helpful to the average person struggling with the problem of living a better life, the good life, as they call it. Drawing from the psychological insights of Constantin Stanislavski and other such master teachers like Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, as well as performers like Lawrence Olivier, Marlon Brando and Meryl Streep, Theater as Life is the first book that makes the actors magical soul craft, her way of transforming herself into a character accessible and applicable to real-life, to living the good life.
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Konstantin Stanislavski (sometimes spelled Stanislavsky) 1863-1983, Russian Known for:
Notable works:
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The Stanislavski System by
This clearly written guide to the Stanislavski method has long been a favorite among students and teachers of acting. Now, in light of books and articles recently published in the Soviet Union, Sonia Moore has made revisions that include a new section on the subtext of a role. She provides detailed explanations of all the methods that actors in training have found indispensable for more than twenty years. Designed to create better actors, this guide will put individuals in touch with themselves and increase personal sensitivity as well.
An Actor Prepares by
Stanislavski's simple exercises fire the imagination, and help readers not only discover their own conception of reality but how to reproduce it as well.
Building a Character by
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.
An Actor's Work on a Role by
An Actor's Work on a Role is Konstantin Stanislavski's exploration of the rehearsal process, applying the techniques of his seminal actor training system to the task of bringing truth to one's chosen role. Originally published over half a century ago as Creating a Role, this book was the third in a planned trilogy - after An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, now combined in An Actor's Work - in which Stanislavski sets out his psychological, physical and practical vision of actor training. This new translation from renowned scholar Jean Benedetti not only includes Stanislavski's original teachings, but is also furnished with invaluable supplementary material in the shape of transcripts and notes from the rehearsals themselves, reconfirming 'The System' as the cornerstone of actor training.
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Lee Strasberg (sometimes Strassberg) 1901-1982, USA Known For:
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Strasberg at the Actors Studio by
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. Second only to being taught by Strasberg himself.
A Dream of Passion by
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Robert DeNiro, Marilyn Monroe, and Joanne Woodward-these are only a few of the many actors trained in "Method" acting by the great and legendary Lee Strasberg. This revolutionary theory of acting-developed by Stanislavsky and continued by Strasberg-has been a major influence on the art of acting in our time. During his last decade, Strasberg devoted himself to a work that would explain once and for all what The Method was and how it worked, as well as telling the story of its development and of the people involved with it. The result is a masterpiece of wisdom and guidance for anyone involved with the theater in any way. .
The Lee Strasberg Notes by
The Lee Strasberg Notes reproduces the original teachings of a unique voice in actor training, for the very first time. It is a stunning document in the history and ongoing practice of Strasberg's Method. Compiled and edited by Lola Cohen, the book is based on unpublished transcripts of Strasberg's own classes on acting, directing and Shakespeare. It recreates his theoretical approach, as well as the practical exercises used by his students, and brilliantly conveys his approach and personality. The book features Strasberg's teachings on: * Training and exercises * Characters and scenes * Directing and the Method * Shakespeare and Stanislavski * The theater, acting and actors. Including a Preface by Anna Strasberg and a Foreword by Martin Sheen, this illuminating book brings the reader closer to Strasberg's own methods than any other, making it a phenomenal resource for students, actors, and directors.
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1901-1992, USA Known For:
Notable Works:
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The Technique of Acting by
Techniques of acting from one of the foremost coaches in America. Foreword by one of her pupils, Marlon Brando.
Beyond Method by
Stella Adler (1901-92) trained many well-known American actors yet throughout much of her career, her influence was overshadowed by Lee Strasberg, director of the Actors Studio. In Beyond Method: Stella Adler and the Male Actor, Scott Balcerzak focuses on Adler's teachings and how she challenged Strasberg's psychological focus on the actor's "self" by promoting an empathetic and socially engaged approach to performance. Employing archived studio transcripts and recordings, Balcerzak examines Adler's lessons in technique, characterization, and script analysis as they reflect the background of the teacher--illustrating her time studying with Constantin Stanislavski, her Yiddish Theatre upbringing, and her encyclopedic knowledge of drama. Through this lens, Beyond Method resituates the performances of some of her famous male students through an expansive understanding of the discourses of acting. The book begins by providing an overview of the gender and racial classifications associated with the male "Method" actor and discussing white maleness in the mid-twentieth century. The first chapter explores the popular press's promotion of "Method" stars during the 1950s as an extension of Strasberg's rise in celebrity. At the same time, Adler's methodology was defining actor performance as a form of social engagement--rather than just personal expression--welcoming an analysis of onscreen masculinity as culturally-fluid. The chapters that follow serve as case studies of some of Adler's most famous students in notable roles--Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and The Missouri Breaks (1976), Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976), Henry Winkler in Happy Days (1974-84), and Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Balcerzak concludes that the presence of Adler altered the trajectory of onscreen maleness through a promotion of a relatively complex view of gender identity not found in other classrooms. Beyond Method considers Stella Adler as not only an effective teacher of acting but also an engaging and original thinker, providing us a new way to consider performances of maleness on the screen. Film and theater scholars, as well as those interested in gender studies, are sure to benefit from this thorough study.
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1919-2004, Germany/USA Known For:
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Uta Hagen [Documentary Film] by
This 1982 episode of Elliot Norton Reviews is a discussion with actress Uta Hagen.
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1891-1955, Russia/USA Known For:
Notable Works:
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On the Technique of Acting by
Description
"Describes the role of the imagination in acting, suggests a variety of acting exercises, and discusses psychological gestures, tempo, rehearsal, and the creative process." -- (Source of summary not specified)
Contents
Preface Michael Chekhov's chart for inspired acting -- Imagination and concentration -- The higher ego -- Objective atmosphere and individual feelings -- The actor's body -- The psychological gesture -- Incorporation and characterization -- From script to rehearsal hall -- Composition of the performance -- Four stages of the creative process -- Afterword With Michael Chekhov in Hollywood: For the motion picture and television actor.
To the Actor by
How does an actor learn to: * Call up emotion? * Develop a character? * Strengthen awareness? These are essential techniques for every actor, and Michael Chekhov's classic work To the Actor explains, clearly and concisely, how to develop them. Chekhov's simple and practical method - successfully used by professional actors all over the world - trains the actor's imagination and body to fulfil its potential. This handbook for actors (and directors) has been revised and expanded by Mala Powers. It includes: a previously unpublished chapter on 'Psychological Gesture', translated into English by the celebrated director Andrei Malaev - Babel; a new biographical overview by Mala Powers; and a foreword by Simon Callow.
To the Actor by
2014 Reprint of 1952 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Chekov has recorded the results of his many years of experimenting, testing and verifying in the professional theater and schools of theater. He brings to the actor far greater insight into himself and the character he is to portray, which enables him to approach any role with new ease and skill. Chekhov was told by Stanislawsky to organize his observations and thoughts and present them to his audience. Preface by Yul Brynner. Illustrated by Nicolai Remisoff.
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1905-1997, United States Known For:
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Windward Community College Library