This practical and entertaining guide readies the uninitiated actor to navigate the ridiculous, impossible, and often heartbreaking world of the acting industry. This book will expose actors to the ins and outs of the world's (second) oldest profession. Topics include how to be "discovered," what to expect from training programs, the grunt work of starting a career, how to persevere in the face of rejection, the new digital world for actors, and much more. Experienced actor and screenwriter Jason Pugatch offers a fresh, hip, and invaluable industry perspective, with sidebar quotations, charts, and timelines, and a quick-reference appendix of the acting trade. Packed with myth-shattering anecdotes and told in a personal tone, Starting Your Career as an Actor is the backstage guide that every aspiring actor must read.
"I held onto this book for dear life throughout my twenties, and still thumb through it when I need a tune up. If I lose my car keys and I’m frantically turning my house upside down trying to find them I look up at the heavens and hope she’s having a good laugh." - Amanda Peet "I was extraordinarily privileged to work with Uta Hagen in Circle in the Square’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s play, You Never Can Tell. She was committed to revealing the truth and we are the beneficiaries of her brilliant observations." - Victor Garber "CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR, written by one of the most important actors of the 20th Century, is a remarkable source of practical principles on how to be a human being in your work and to not just “act." Uta's purpose for this book is to clarify and update the articulation of her technique as stated in RESPECT FOR ACTING. In "Chapter 8" of this book particularly, she provides a self-empowering approach to acting that is an invaluable resource for achieving the art of acting for stage, film, and television at its highest level." - Ted Brunetti "Uta Hagen changed my life. She changed the lives of thousands and thousands of other people as well. To have Uta’s books and to be able to look through them at the drop of a hat keeps me going and keeps me inspired to keep going." - Austin Pendleton "Uta Hagen’s A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR is simply the bible for any acting student serious about their craft. Even as a professional I refer to it time and again for the basics. It is a touchstone." - Laila Robins “'Cynicism leads to mental illness and insanity.' Words of warning Uta Hagen spoke often to her students. Here in lies the difference between Ms. Hagen’s classic RESPECT FOR ACTING and its companion A CHALLENGE FOR THE ACTOR. She meets head on the soul killing demon that threatens the art and craft of all actors, cynicism. The challenge is to remain curious, caring, innocent, disciplined, educated, and life-loving amid dark times. To have the courage to fight the forces of apathy and disbelief in order to serve with all one’s heart the profession that one loves.” - Victor Slezak Uta Hagen, one of the world's most renowned stage actresses, also taught acting for more than 40 years at the HB Studio in New York. Her first book, Respect for Acting, published in 1973, remains a best seller in print. In this edition of her second classic book, A Challenge for the Actor, she greatly expands her thinking about acting in a work that brings the full flowering of her artistry, both as an actor and as a teacher. She raises the issue of the actor's goals and examines the specifics of the actor's techniques. She goes on to consider the actor's relationship to the physical and psychological senses. There is a brilliantly conceived section on the animation of the body and mind, of listening and talking, and the concept of expectation. But perhaps the most useful are the exercises that Uta Hagen has created and elaborated to help the actor learn his craft. The exercises deal with developing the actor's physical destination in a role; making changes in the self serviceable in the creation of a character; recreating physical sensations; bringing the outdoors on stage; finding occupation while waiting; talking to oneself and the audience; and employing historical imagination. The scope and range of Uta Hagen here is extraordinary. Her years of acting and teaching have made her as finely seasoned an artist as the theatre has produced.
The Actor's Business Plan is a self-directed practical guide for actors graduating from formal training programs, as well as for those already in the business whose careers need to move ahead more successfully. Using the familiar language of acting training, the book offers a method for the achievement of dreams through a five-year life and career plan giving positive steps to develop a happy life as an actor and as a person. It assists performers to flourish using the same kind of business/career planning that is a necessary part of life for entrepreneurs and business people. This introduction to the acting industry provides essential knowledge not only for how the business actually works, but also describes what casting directors, agents, and managers do, demystifies the role of unions, discusses how much things cost, and offers advice on branding and marketing strategies. It differs from other such handbooks in that it addresses the everyday issues of life, money, and jobs that so frequently destroy an actor's career before it is even begun. While addressing NYC and LA, the guide also gives a regional breakdown for those actors who may wish to begin careers or to settle in other cities. It is loaded with personal stories, and interviews with actors, casting directors, and agents from throughout the US. The Actor's Business Plan is the answer to the common complaint by students that they were not taught how to negotiate the show business world while at school. It is the perfect antidote for this problem and can easily fit into a ten or a thirteen-week class syllabus. Offering support as a personal career coach, empowering the actor to take concrete steps towards their life and career dreams, The Actor's Business Plan: A Career Guide for the Acting Life is a must-have book for actors who are determined to be a part of the professional world .
The best actor never gets the role. But the right actor always gets hired and if you want to be the right actor, you need to create a well-paved pathway through the traffic jam that can slow you down, divert your attention and create stress behind the wheel of the career you're committed to driving forward. It's your journey and it's time for a career tune up, even if you're just starting out In this revised and expanded Next Edition to his popular book for actors, talent manager, educator and author Brad Lemack tackles the tough challenges actors face in seeking, building and maintaining rewarding careers in the new landscape. From the role of personal ethics and integrity to landing the role of a lifetime, Lemack teaches readers how to navigate through and thrive in a continually changing landscape in an industry challenged to redefine itself and how it does business. Whether you're new to the business or in need of a professional career rebranding, The New Business of Acting: The Next Edition will empower you with a critical perspective on how to create, map out and embark on a life-long journey that will earn you the career-building opportunities you seek.
Amy Lyndon is Hollywood's Premiere Booking Coach and creator of the revolutionary Lyndon Technique: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking Handbook. Besides being a Coach and Mentor, she is also an Actress, Award Winning Director, Producer, Casting Director, and was a CEO of a successful Personal Management Company for 9 years. Her clients are Series Regulars, Guest Leads and Starring in Feature Films around the globe. Some of her Clients include: Nadine Velazquez (My Name is Earl), Adam Brody (The OC), Christel Khalil (The Young and the Restless), Hosea Chanchez (The Game), Sterling Knight (Sonny with a Chance), Kenton Duty (Shake It Up), Matthew J. Evans (Bad Teacher) and Raini Rodriquez (Austin and Ally). Lyndon won one of the Best Cold Reading Teachers in Los Angeles Backstage Magazine 2010, 2011 and 2012! The Lyndon Technique proves to be a practical approach to auditioning and booking the job on the first take. Each chapter provides detailed insight into each of Lyndon's 15 Guideline Map to Booking Technique. Lyndon travels Internationally to teach the principles of Booking, Marketing and running a successful business as an Actor. The information is applicable no matter where you live or where you are in your career.
Want to be a voice actor that the whole world loves? Discover Press is here to help you make that happen! This definitive guide for how to become a voice over actor was written for people just like you, and we want you to be our next success story! "Voice Over Acting" will teach you everything you need to know, from what equipment you need, how much it costs, and what your first steps should be. It has all of the information needed for anyone who wants to start their own career in this industry! Not only that - even if you're an experienced voice over actor, "Voice Over Acting" will show you how to take your career to the next level!
(Applause Books). A master actor who's appeared in an enormous number of films, starring with everyone from Nicholson to Kermit the Frog, Michael Caine is uniquely qualified to provide his view of making movies. This revised and expanded edition features great photos, with chapters on: Preparation, In Front of the Camera Before You Shoot, The Take, Characters, Directors, On Being a Star, and much more. "Remarkable material ... A treasure ... I'm not going to be looking at performances quite the same way ... FASCINATING!" Gene Siskel
The Actor's Career Bible is a practical guide to building an acting career. Based on a huge range of interviews with actors of all backgrounds at every level of the profession, industry experts, key organisations, casting directors, agents, producers, directors and many others, this guide covers all the essentials as well as sharing exclusive inside knowledge. Whether you're a recent graduate, a young actor or an experienced professional, The Actor's Career Bible will help you kick-start or reinvigorate your career in an industry famous for its high levels of competition. This in-depth guide will show you how to cope with the pressures and strains of being an actor and offers easy-to-follow advice on how to improve your chances of success.
The Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook's theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer's need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor's method and becomes too conscious of the actor's artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida's work and methods. In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.
