The Young Actor's Handbook


Book Description

The way some introductory acting books are written, it seems that a literal leg break is your best option. In The Young Actor's Handbook, Jeremy Kruse, an actor, writer, producer, and director who teaches method acting, acting for camera, improvisation, and sketch comedy at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, mends this mangled genre, distilling invaluable lessons and years of experience down to a lean, mean, intuitive hundred page primer. Rather than bludgeoning the uninitiated with dense paragraphs, vague concepts, and opaque examples, The Young Actor's Handbook ignites the beginning actor's creative soul with inspirational acting exercises, acting theory, writing exercises, and insight into what it means to be an actor. This concise and pragmatic manual will guide and inform the young actor, beginning actor, novice acting teacher, or anyone who wants to understand acting through a broad and diverse survey of essential knowledge. The teachings of Richard Boleslavsky, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Michael Shurtleff, Lee Strasberg, and Constantin Stanislavsky are eloquently and accessible rendered, as are basics of script analysis, camera technique, the audition mindset, agent acquisition, and the actor's life. Whether you're a curious novice, veteran acting teacher, or even an interested observer, The Young Actor's Handbook will enhance your understanding of this vast and rewarding craft.




A Practical Handbook for the Actor


Book Description

For anyone who has ever wanted to take an acting class, "this is the best book on acting written in the last twenty years" (David Mamet, from the Introduction). This book describes a technique developed and refined by the authors, all of them young actors, in their work with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, actor W. H. Macy, and director Gregory Mosher. A Practical Handbook for the Actor is written for any actor who has ever experienced the frustrations of acting classes that lacked clarity and objectivity, and that failed to provide a dependable set of tools. An actor's job, the authors state, is to "find a way to live truthfully under the imaginary circumstances of the play." The ways in which an actor can attain that truth form the substance of this eloquent book.




Voice and the Young Actor


Book Description

"Many high school theatre teachers do not have access to intensive voice instruction. Rena's book will fill that void. It is instructive, concise, easy to understand, and most importantly for the high school student, fun. High school teachers will find the book an invaluable voice and acting resource. It would be beneficial to all high school theatre programs to have Voice and the Young Actor as a textbook." Kim Moore, High School Teacher, Colorado There are thousands of students enrolled in school drama classes in yet very often young actors cannot be heard, are culturally encouraged to trail off at the ends of sentences, and habitually use only the lowest pitches of the voice. Drama teachers, frequently ask, "How can I get my students to speak up, to be clear, to articulate?" Voice and the Young Actor is written for the school actor, is inviting in format, language and illustration and offers clear and inspiring instructions. A DVD features 85 mins and 28 filmed voice workshop exercises with the author and two students. These students log their reflections in the book on what they have learned throughout their training and there is space for the reader to do the same. A workbook in format, Voice and the Young Actor provides simple, interactive vocal exercises and shows young performers how to take voice work into acting.




The Stage Actor's Handbook


Book Description

An invaluable guide to the traditions and best practices of the professional stage actor, from first rehearsal to final curtain. Professional stage actors are expected to have ready knowledge of a multitude of unwritten yet well-established protocols. Traditionally, this knowledge was passed along from one generation of stage actors to the next via word of mouth, or were learned by having one’s missteps corrected—until now. In The Stage Actor’s Handbook, these protocols have finally been assembled into one volume, allowing theatre artists to know in advance what is expected of them. A definitive guide for professionals and aspiring professionals alike, this book details best practices on everything from rehearsal demeanor to backstage etiquette. It also shares the theatre’s unique vernacular and revered superstitions, as well as field-tested guidelines on touring, interactions with the public, and more. Written by established theatre pros Michael Kostroff (The Producers, Les Misérables)and Julie Garnyé (Cats, Come From Away), The Stage Actor’s Handbook features bits of wisdom contributed by legendary stage actors, including Bebe Neuwirth, John Lithgow, Chita Rivera, Alfred Molina, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Harvey Fierstein, Sam Waterston, Jason Alexander, Cynthia Nixon, and Sir Patrick Stewart.




The Young Actors Notebook


Book Description

The Young Actor's Notebook is a guide for those entering the industry. It offers easily absorbed information and quick tips on how to approach auditions, rehearsals and performance. Quotes about acting are interspersed with insights into common challenges encountered when transitioning from student to professional. A number of acting-focused mantras are provided to help center the mind. Not meant to be read all in one siting, you can read a sentence one day, a mantra the next. Space is provided to take notes. Easily portable, you can keep it nearby to refer to before any performance or use as a space to record creative insights. This book is about how to be a professional in an emotional and demanding creative field. Consult it when you need. It is about you, for you.




A Young Actor Prepares


Book Description

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.




The Complete Audition Book for Young Actors


Book Description

A step-by-step guide for training young actors to audition well by developing acting skills. No other book puts auditioning in the context of acting training-an all-encompassing audition text.




Acting for Young Actors


Book Description

Do you know a teen that's been bitten by the acting bug? Here's just the book they need! Acting for Young Actors, aimed at teens and tweens, lets kids hone their skills and develop their craft. It begins with the five W's: WHO am I? WHAT do I want? WHY do I want it? WHERE am I? WHEN does this event take place? Sounds basic - but many young child actors are told simply to "get up there and act." This book explores each of these questions, using helpful exercises to allow young actors to work through problems of character identity and motivation. With comprehensive chapters on auditioning, rehearsal, and improvisation, plus a primer on how young actors can break into film, theater, and television, Acting for Young Actors is every kid's ticket to the big time.




The Ultimate Commercial Book for Kids and Teens


Book Description

The Ultimate Commercial Book For Kids and Teens: The Young Actors? Commercial Study-guide! provides 6-18 year-olds with true-to-life comedic and dramatic commercials, all 100% tested by working young actors. It is packed with detailed descriptions of how to increase your presentation's impact, whether preparing for a class assignment or professional commercial audition. This includes training, preparation, and materials such as resumes, photos and classes. +150 original commercials are included for practice. Interviews with six Hollywood 101 insiders, all currently working industry experts provide tips on making your presentation stellar. Also includes Stevens? list of Presentation Do's and Dont?s, example agent query letter, a glossary of industry terms, and info. on where to get work permits. This book is meant to be read by the young performer who is searching to improve is presentation/commercial audition skills.




Young Hollywood Actors


Book Description

How did your favorite young actors get started? What kind of training did they get, and how did they find their agent or manger? How did they manage challenges, and what advice do they have on auditions, haters, school, and more? What was it like to work on the Disney Channel, and what is really important for success? Young Hollywood Actors reveals all this and more in intimate, honest words from 12 of your favorite young stars: Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Thomas Doherty, Sarah Jeffery, Jessica Marie Garcia, Booboo Stewart, Brenna D'Amico, Garrett Clayton, Joey Bragg, Victoria Moroles, Dylan Playfair, and Luke Benward. Interviewed by Bonnie Wallace, author of the acclaimed Hollywood Parents Guide, producer of the Hometown to Hollywood podcast, and mother of Dove Cameron, this book is perfect for aspiring actors as well as fans.Based on interviews from the popular Hometown to Hollywood podcast, the authentic and raw stories shared in this book will both shed light on what it really takes to become a successful young actor, and inspire readers to follow their own dreams, whatever they may be.