Theatre Arts/CAP21: The Search for Resources

First published in 1987.

First Published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Michael Chekhov's classic work To the Actor has been revised and expanded by Mala Powers to explain, clearly and concisely, the essential techniques for every actor from developing a character to strengthen awareness. This book is a vital text for actors and directors including acting and theatre history students.

The performer and teacher guides the actor in overcoming the human and technical problems of his art.

Stella Adler is arguably the most important teacher of acting in American history. Over her long career, both in New York and Hollywood, she offered her vast acting knowledge to generations of actors, including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. The great voice finally ended in the early Nineties, but her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly caught and encapsulated by Howard Kissel in the twenty-two lessons in this book.

Classically Speaking offers an approach for actors who wish to learn Neutral American Speech, and develop the skills necessary to adjust their speech to the particular demands of a wider range of characters and texts. Classical American, Mid-Atlantic and Standard British dialects are also covered.

This book, written in collaboration with Dennis Longwell, follows an acting class of eight men and eight women for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Throughout these pages Meisner is delight--always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges.

How did acting begin? What is its history, and what have the great thinkers on acting said about the art and craft of performance? In this single-volume survey of the history of acting, Jean Benedetti traces the evolution of the theories of the actor's craft drawing extensively on extracts from key texts, many of which are unavailable for the student today. Beginning with the classical conceptions of acting as rhetoric and oratory, as exemplified in the writing of Aristotle, Cicero and others, The Art of the Actor progresses to examine ideas of acting in Shakespeare's time right through to the present day.

Using a clear, systematic, positive approach, this practical guide explains how to analyze a script or libretto, shows how to develop a character building on material in the score, and gives the singing performer the tools to act believably.

The African-American actors and actresses whose names have shone brightly on Broadway marquees earned their place in history not only through hard work, perseverance, and talent, but also because of the legacy left by those who came before them.

This landmark work has influenced generations of stage directors and is considered the most influential treatment of the art of directing. Both theoretical and practical, this book offers content and information on the major technical and visual issues of stage directing that beginning directors will find invaluable

From Arthur Miller to Tony Kushner, this volume chronicles the playwrights and plays that shaped America drama to the present time.

In this book Brenda Murphy analyses this artistic partnership and the plays and theatrical techniques the artists developed collaboratively in their productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Sweet Bird of Youth.

Widely referred to as the "bible of stage makeup."

In Act Like It s Your Business: Branding and Marketing Strategies for Actors, Jonathan Flom helps actors and others in the arts understand the power of branding. Topics include choosing clothing, arranging headshots, and designing resumes to selecting a repertoire, building a website, obtaining business cards, and networking. Flom also offers advice on such real-world issues as goal-setting, finances, contracts, and day jobs and provides insight and guidance on how to approach agents, auditions, and casting directors.

In So You Want to Sing Music Theater: A Guide for Professionals, singer and scholar Karen S. Hall covers a vast array of topics. It includes a brief history of music theater; the basics of vocal science and anatomy; information on vocal and bodily health and maintenance, from diet to exercise to healing techniques; advice on teaching music theater to others, with focuses on breath, posture, registers, range, and tone quality; repertoire recommendations for voice and singing types, from female and male belting to classical and contemporary styles; a survey of music theater styles, such as folk, country, rock, gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and pop; and finally sage advice on working with and without amplification or microphones, auditioning tips, and casting challenges.

Everything an aspiring actor needs to know about the business of finding employment.

Matthew Shaffer discusses everything from how to break into the industry to practical advice from how to audition and book a job to dealing with movie stars on-set.

The Singer's musical theatre anthology : a collection of songs from the musical stage, categorized by voice type : the selections are presented in their authentic settings, excerpted from the original vocal scores. Volumes include Bass/Baritone, Tenor, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano/Belter, and Duets.

Designed with the working actor in mind, the volume lists every song from over 300 Broadway shows. Organized by show, each song is annotated with the name of the character(s) who sing(s) the song, the vocal range, and a style category, such as uptempo, narrative ballad, swing ballad, moderate character piece, etc. Several indexes are supplied, organizing the songs by voice type (soprano, baritone, etc.) and song style, vocal arrangement (duets, trios, chorus, etc.), and composer and lyricist, allowing increased access to the repertoire. All solos, duets, and trios are indexed in this manner, with quartets and larger ensembles listed by voice type. Furthermore, the instant breakdowns (how many lead characters, who sings what song, and the range requirements of each character) will be a valuable resource to directors and producers.

The "Audition Doctor" of Backstage shares the secrets of successful auditioning for the musical theatre.   Fred Silver uses his twenty-five years of experience in the theatre, training thousands of actors, to give vital advice on: ·Choosing the right voice teacher or vocal coach ·Why auditioning for a musical is different from auditioning for a play ·Choosing the right material ·How to act a song ·What to sing at a callback ·How to handle the accompanist ·What to wear to auditions ·How to "sell" a comedy number ·How to handle stage fright   Plus lists of more than 130 excellent yet unusual songs -- including selections suitable for juvenile actors, romantic leads, character actors, comics, and performers who are primarily dancers.   With a foreword by Charles Strouse, composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie.   "When Fred Silver writes, it is worthwhile to read carefully, and practice what he teaches." -- Donald Pippin, music director of Oliver, Mame, A Chorus Line, and La Cage Aux Folles

This is the definitive insider's guide to successfully navigating the complicated maze of auditions and landing that all-important role in movies, TV and theatre. Flinn and Kanner detail the common errors that most inexperienced actors make when auditioning and, and teaches the readers how to avoid them. The book gives details on proper etiquette during auditions and cold readings and includes strategies and techniques that will help any actor nail that part.

We've combed over some of the world's best comic writing to bring you 222 Comic Monologues: Two Minutes and Under. It's all funny stuff here: classic and contemporary works; roles for men and women ages 7 to 100; shades of comedy from light to dark: situational humor, word play, absurdity, and surrealism.