A Practical Handbook for the Actor
A Practical Handbook for the Actor

A Practical Handbook for the Actor
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Random House

UPC:
978039474412

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$11.00

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Six working actors describe their methods and philosophies of the theater. All have worked with playwright David Mamet at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.
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A Practical Handbook for the Actor Specs:
Product NameA Practical Handbook for the Actor
ManufacturerRandom House
Product Number MPN0394744128
Retail Price $11.00
EAN-1409780394744124
UPC978039474412
Specifications 
TitleA Practical Handbook for the Actor
ISBN0394744128
Author(s)Melissa Bruder
Release Date12 April, 1986
FormatPaperback
TopicActing & Auditioning
Weight0.5 lbs.
Deal first added on:20-January-2004

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Performing Arts Acting & Auditioning Method (Acting) Acting
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Latest 6 Reviews
Here is what people are saying about the A Practical Handbook for the Actor
5 Star Rating  "An Essential Book for Any Actor to Own"2009-11-16
- Reviewed By User: A2FBT3BI4A8WZM
I can't tell you how many questions I had about acting and technique that this book answered. The writers lay out a simple, sensible technique that helps an actor be consistent in performance and explains away any of the gobbledegook that one tends to run into when people discuss acting and "method." A no-nonsense handbook and an invaluable buy!
 
5 Star Rating  "Best acting book"2009-05-21
- Reviewed By User: A1XHUC4S06E4QT
I have ordered this book many times and given it to many aspiring actors. I never received a complaint. Simple, clear and can be used the rest of your career.
 
5 Star Rating  "I had my doubts about the study of acting..."2008-04-06
- Reviewed By ehallberg
...until a grad-student friend of mine required this textbook for a class he was teaching. I later learned he was going against the grain by doing so; university education in acting frequently concentrates on the emotional state of the actor, and this book punctures that paradigm like a shiny pin. A Practical Handbook for the Actor, written by pupils of acting workshops run by David Mamet and William H. Macy, puts forth the idea that the actor's emotional state is pretty much irrelevant, if it doesn't translate into actions that communicate something to the audience.

This book utterly demystifies the process of how an actor creates a powerful performance. It answers every "yes, but how?" question actors in training -- and interested fans -- should have about how acting really works.

There's nothing pedestrian or insulting about pulling back the curtain and providing specific, detailed instruction. There's nothing limiting or proscriptive about this method -- because it gives the actor two kinds of tools. The Handbook provides a framework for delving into the intellectual side of script analysis, so that the actor can really understand what's going on, boil it down to essentials, and avoid all the traps of poorly-defined emotionalism.

From there, it is completely up to the actor to translate that understanding into specific, personally meaningful, play-able actions. Which are, after all, what a performance is made out of. It's not that imagination or emotion aren't important, it's just that they are the actor's tools just like her voice or posture, and deserve the same kind of forethought and attention.

There will therefore be as many different ways to play a scene as there are different actors. It's just that by paying attention to what's going on, both in the script and on the stage at this exact moment, the actor has a clearer and more direct way to do what they mean -- without having to go through the mental and emotional gymnastics required to try to mean what the script says they have to do. As the authors point out, a system that doesn't work when you're tired, when you have a cold, or when your mom is in the audience is a pretty lousy system. So why do we spend so much time trying to work ourselves up into a particular state?

There's a famous story about Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier, on the set of "Marathon Man" in the mid-1970s. It's one of those stories that isn't actually true, but is so instructive that it should be. They're about to film the scene where Hoffman's character confronts Olivier's, after an intense period of cat-and-mouse. Because his character hasn't slept all night, Hoffman stayed up all night, and jogged around the studio lot so he'd be appropriately sweaty and worn-down for the scene.

The story claims that as the director called "places," Olivier set down his newspaper, got up out of his chair, and was startled to see the dismal state of his co-star. "My dear boy," he said, shaking his head, "you really should try ACTING."

This book is very much more the kind of acting Sir Laurence was talking about, and not the kind that makes an actor exhausted and neurotic. I can't recommend it highly enough, both for those studying acting and those who are just fans of the process.
 
5 Star Rating  "Good advice"2008-01-07
- Reviewed By User: A12XCLTQPEIQXG
Bought this to aid in developing better performances as a magician. Lots of helpful advice in this book. Recommended.
 
5 Star Rating  "Exciting Choices for the Actor"2007-10-18
- Reviewed By zindwillbipkin
I used this book to teach a beginning acting class at our community college. It is an excellent introduction to the craft. The book gives clear examples of selecting an action that create clear and exciting choices for the actor. Rather than focusing on emotional states such as "you're angry or you're happy," the text shows how to allow emotional truth to come from the moment while focusing on what the character is doing. The examples in the book are practical and relate well to the craft. I particularly appreciated that an action should have a test in the other character. So rather that an character delivering a letter with an action "to deliver" that is over without fanfare, a more exciting action would be "to please my boss so I'll get a promotion." The character still delivers a letter, but with a more dynamic action that is interesting to watch. The book is short. I covered the material in our film acting and stage acting units in about eight classes. It's short, sweet & to the point. I recommend it as a great review for experienced actors and as a wonderful introduction to beginning actors. Enjoy!
 
5 Star Rating  "Very Useful"2007-06-13
- Reviewed By jolieroussel
This is a very useful guide to teaching theatre. I will be using it a lot in my classroom.
 
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