This first volume in the new series is different from other audition books in that it addresses the needs of both actors who are auditioning and directors who are conducting the auditions. The STAGE DIRECTIONS Guide to Auditions covers such topics as steps to a successful audition, preparing for auditions, audition procedures, auditions and attitude, audition warning signs, tips for holding auditions, clues for callbacks, making monologues memorable, tips for sight readings, publicizing auditions, and much more!
Drawing from the columns and archives of Stage Directions magazine and adding new material and introductions that put the information into perspective, the editors focus on five main areas of responsibility in musical theater.
The Stage Directions Guide to Shakespeare offers sane, sensible advice on reasons to do (or not to do) Shakespeare, assessing your theatre group abilities, selecting a play, casting, making costume and set decisions, the special demands of directing and playing Shakespeare and publicity.
Now in its third edition, this useful guide outlines the techniques needed to achieve success in the challenging process of getting work. It covers all aspects of casting, including gaining a place on a drama course, landing a part in film, TV, commercials or theatre, and becoming a radio or TV presenter. Updated and revised throughout, the book contains sections on choosing and preparing an audition speech, staging and performing the piece, sight-reading, interview techniques, coping with nerves and even suggestions on how to use those inevitable periods when you are resting. It also includes advice from notable experienced producers, agents, directors and casting directors.
Casting is an essential component of any film or video project, but the core skill-set needed to cast effectively is little understood. Casting Revealed: A Guide for Film Directors is a straightforward manual on the art and craft of casting. Here, director Hester Schell offers her insider perspective on casting workflows, industry standards, finding actors, running auditions, what to look for in a performance, contracts, and making offers. This new edition has been updated with fresh interviews with casting directors, full color head shots, new information about online video submissions, and a companion website featuring forms, contracts, and sample scenes for auditions. Gain a fuller understanding of the misunderstood art and craft of casting actors for film and video production. Learn to find the right actors for any production, run auditions, interview actors, effectively judge performances and video submissions, evaluate suitability for a role, discover what it is you need from an actor, view headshots, draft contracts, make offers, and navigate current industry standards, unions, and procedures. This new edition has been updated to include full color sample head shots, new content on online video submissions, listings of casting wesbites, film resources, and film commissions and a companion website featuring interviews with celebrated casting directors from New York, Portland, Boston and Austin, necessary forms, sign-in sheets, contracts, and sample scenes for auditions.
Teens interested in preparing for a career in the arts will find this introductory resource invaluable as it is the first book to guide them long before they apply to college or seek a position in their field. Whether they would like to become actors or filmmakers, artists, architects, dancers, musicians or singers, photographers, or writers, this book will show them how to do so. For each of the arts, an overview of the career, training, and a discussion of related careers is provided, along with lists of books, web sites, and organizations for further information. Sections directed to parents and teachers of the teens, with advice on how to support and encourage teens in their careers, are also included. Teens wanting to gain an edge in their craft by practicing and preparing early will find a wealth of information: advice from experts in each field provide an inside look on what skills are necessary for the twenty-first century. Suggestions for building discipline are provided, such as keeping a writing or sketching journal, and finding the proper trainers in music, dance, and acting. Contests and other opportunities that teens can submit work to or apply for auditions are provided, along with an extensive list of books, trade journals, Web sites, and professional and non-professional organizations. Using the resources in this book will ensure teens are experienced and well-prepared in their art form when they apply to college or other professional training and seek positions in their field.
Here is a practical, accessible introduction to one of the most complex jobs in theatre. Linda Apperson clearly and concisely leads the reader through the procedures and responsibilities of stage management, from auditions to closing night. What is “blocking”? How do you “call” a show? Who is the technical director, and why do you want him or her as your best friend? How can you tame (or endure) a prima donna? When is the best time to offer advice to the actors? Ms. Apperson answers these and countless other questions in a resource book that will become a constant companion for both the novice and the experienced theatre person. Especially useful is her attention to personal relationships among actors and crew. She insists that working to create an atmosphere of respect backstage will improve the show onstage, and she shows precisely how this is done, based upon her years of experience in managing the stage. Stage Managing and Theatre Etiquette includes samples of prompt scripts and other essential stage manager’s tools.
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.
Theater veteran and acting teacher Joanna Merlin has written the definitive guide to auditioning for stage and screen, bringing to it a valuable dual perspective. She has spent her career on both sides of the auditioning process, both as an award-winning casting director who has worked with Harold Prince, Bernard Bertolucci, and James Ivory, and as an accomplished actor herself. In this highly informative and accessible book, Merlin provides everything the actor needs to achieve self-confidence and artistic honesty–from the most basic practical tips to an in-depth framework for preparing a part. Filled with advice from the most esteemed people in the business, such as James Lapine, Nora Ephron, and Stephen Sondheim, and charged with tremendous wisdom and compassion, this indispensable resource will arm the reader to face an actor's greatest challenge: getting the part.
