Psychology for Actors is a study of modern psychology, specifically designed for the working actor and actor-in-training, that covers discrete areas of psychological theory that actors can apply to their creative process to form and connect with characters. The book investigates many post-Stanislavsky ideas about human psychology from some of the twentieth century’s most brilliant minds – from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to Abraham Maslow and Ken Wilber – and offers step-by-step exercises to help actors understand their characters and effectively bring them to life on stage or in front of the camera. Psychology for Actors also offers advice on how to cope with the stresses and strains of a highly competitive field, and provides tools for deeper self-awareness and character exploration.
Imagine if you could learn your lines in half the time yet feel confident they will roll off your tongue when needed. Memorization for Actors provides you with a range of practical psychology tools and a bullet-proof memorization process that will put you miles ahead of the competition. Inside you will discover: · How to become a master at learning your lines · Simple tricks to learn more lines in less time · Advanced tools to turbo-charge your memorization process · Proven strategies to remember your lines in high stress situations · When to schedule your memorization sessions for maximum effect Short enough to read in an afternoon, yet jam-packed with practical advice, Memorization for Actors will transform your acting career. This is recommended reading for any actor, from acting students to experienced professionals. Alexa Ispas holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. The books in her Psychology for Actors Series provide actors with proven psychology techniques to thrive and build a successful career.
A pragmatic intervention in the study of how recent discoveries within cognitive science can and should be applied to performance. Drawing on his experience the author interrogates the key cognitive activities involved in performance inc non-verbal communication; thought, speech, and gesture relationships; empathy, imagination, and emotion.
Advanced Consciousness Training for Actors: Meditation Techniques for the Performing Artist explores theories and techniques for deepening the individual actor’s capacity to concentrate and focus attention. Going well beyond the common exercises found in actor training programs, these practices utilize consciousness expanding "technologies" derived from both Eastern and Western traditions of meditation and mindfulness training as well as more recent discoveries from the fields of psychology and neuroscience. This book reviews the scientific literature of consciousness studies and mindfulness research to discover techniques for focusing attention, expanding self-awareness, and increasing levels of mental concentration; all foundational skills of the performing artist in any medium.
What is good acting? How does one create believable characters?. In The Science of Acting, Sam Kogan applies his theories and teaching to answering these questions. It represents a comprehensive and complete technique applying neuroscience and psychology to the role of acting. At its heart lies a unique and groundbreaking understanding of the subconscious, as well as an unparalleled insight into, and expansion of, Stanislavski's original Russian teaching. The book includes chapters on Awareness, Purposes, Events, Actions, Imagination, Free Body, Tempo-Rhythm, and Laws of Thinking, culminating.
First published in 1982. The intent of this book is to build an understanding of the people who create humor and are expert at making people laugh. Who are the comedians and clowns of the world? Where do they come from? Why are they so dedicated to tickling funny bones? In what ways are they unique? It is primarily to studying comedians, clowns, and other funny people. It seeks to provide an understanding of the origins, the motivations, and personalities of those who make humor and in exploring the factors that shape actors and other public entertainers.
In The Power of the Actor, a Los Angeles Times bestseller, premier acting teacher and coach Ivana Chubbuck reveals her cutting-edge technique, which has launched some of the most successful acting careers in Hollywood. The first book from the instructor who has taught Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt, Elisabeth Shue, Djimon Hounsou, and Halle Berry, The Power of the Actor guides you to dynamic and effective results. For many of today’s major talents, the Chubbuck Technique is the leading edge of acting for the twenty-first century. Ivana Chubbuck has developed a curriculum that takes the theories of the acting masters, such as Stanislavski, Meisner, and Hagen, to the next step by utilizing inner pain and emotions, not as an end in itself, but rather as a way to drive and win a goal. In addition to the powerful twelve-step process, the book takes well-known scripts, both classic and contemporary, and demonstrates how to precisely apply Chubbuck’s script-analysis process. The Power of the Actor is filled with fascinating and inspiring behind-the-scenes accounts of how noted actors have mastered their craft and have accomplished success in such a difficult and competitive field.
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.
Games for Actors and Non-Actors is the classic and best selling book by the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal. It sets out the principles and practice of Boal's revolutionary Method, showing how theatre can be used to transform and liberate everyone – actors and non-actors alike! This thoroughly updated and substantially revised second edition includes: two new essays by Boal on major recent projects in Brazil Boal's description of his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company a revised introduction and translator's preface a collection of photographs taken during Boal's workshops, commissioned for this edition new reflections on Forum Theatre.
The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods, Volume 2 features the innovative ideas and theories of: ¿ André Antoine ¿ Jacques Copeau ¿ Michel Saint-Denis ¿ Elia Kazan ¿ Uta Hagen ¿ David Mamet ¿ Anne Bogart ¿ Keith Johnstone BOOK SYNOPSIS In this follow-up to his first volume that has become an essential classroom text, Brestoff examines all new teachers and exposes the origin of today¿s ideas and exercises that acting students are practicing. What is the rationale behind the lesson? Why is it useful? Whether they can be called revolutionary or evolutionary, the conflicting theories of these teachers result from outrage and disgust. Andre Antoine, Jacques Copeau and Michel Saint-Denis represent a virtually unacknowledged yet powerful French influence on acting and actor training in the United States and abroad. American Realist teachers known as the passionate questioners, such as Elia Kazan, who is disgusted with Broadway¿s commercialism, 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. RICHARD BRESTOFF is Associate Professor of Drama and Associate Head of Acting University of California, Irvine. He 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.
