Performing Arts
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Contemporary Monologues for Teenagers: Male (NHB Good Audition Guides) (The Guide Audition Guides) (The Good Audition Guides)
Extremely useful and thorough… A collection of great value to students –Teaching Drama MagazineForty fantastic male speeches for teenagers, all written since the year 2000, by some of the most exciting and acclaimed writers working today.
Whether you’re applying for drama school, taking an exam, or auditioning for a professional role, it’s likely you’ll be required to perform one or more monologues, including a piece from a contemporary play. It’s vital to come up with something fresh that’s suited both to you in order to allow you to express who you are as a performer and to the specific purposes of the audition.
In this invaluable collection you’ll find forty speeches by leading contemporary playwrights including Annie Baker, Jez Butterworth, Nadia Fall, Ella Hickson, Arinzé Kene, Dawn King, Jessica Swale, Jack Thorne, Enda Walsh and Tom Wells, from plays that were premiered at many of the UK’s most famous and respected venues, including the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre, Traverse Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James introduces each speech with a user-friendly, bullet-point list of ten things you need to know about the character, and then five ideas to help you perform the monologue.
This book also features a step-by-step guide to the process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself.
‘Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike’ Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides
A NOTE ON THE TITLE
The use of the word ‘Male’ in the title of this monologue collection refers to the characters as originally written, and is not intended to suggest any restriction in terms of usage.
We encourage performers of all gender identities to explore and choose any monologue that they connect with as an individual, and not feel constrained by who it was originally written to be performed by.
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My Autobiography (Penguin Modern Classics)
A silent comedy star whose legendary slapstick routines are recognisable to this day, Charles ‘Charlie’ Chaplin’s My Autobiography is an incomparably vivid account of the life of one of the greatest filmmakers and comedians, with an introduction by David Robinson
As a child, Charlie Chaplin was awed and inspired by the sight of glamorous vaudeville stars passing his home, and from then on he never lost his ambition to become an actor. Chaplin’s film career as the Little Tramp adored by the whole world is the stuff of legend, but this frank autobiography shows another side. Born into a theatrical family, Chaplin’s father died of drink while his mother, unable to bear the poverty, suffered from bouts of insanity. From a childhood of grinding poverty in the south London slums, Chaplin found an escape in his early debut on the music hall stage, followed by his lucky break in America, the founding of United Artists with D.W. Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks, the struggle to maintain artistic control over his work, the string of failed marriages, and his eventual exile from Hollywood after personal scandals and persecution for his left-wing politics during the McCarthy Era.
Sir Charles ‘Charlie’ Chaplin (1895-1976) was born in Walworth, London. Best known for his work in silent film, his most famous role was The Little Tramp, a universally recognisable and iconic character who appeared in films such as The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925) and City Lights (1931). His other films include Modern Times (1936), a commentary on the Great Depression, and The Great Dictator (1940), a satirical attack on Hitler and the Nazis.
If you enjoyed My Autobiography, you might like Andy Warhol’s The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.
‘Tells so much about this curious, difficult man … a wonderfully vivid imagination’
The New York Times‘The only genius to come out of the movie industry’
George Bernard ShawRead more
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Fantasy Monologues for Young Actors: 52 High-Quality Monologues for Kids & Teens
By the author of the best-selling Contemporary Monologues for Young Actors!
Following the smash success of Contemporary Monologues for Young Actors, award-winning NYC playwright Douglas M. Parker has created a new volume of unique monologues that allows young actors to explore a broad range of characters, emotions and situations.
Fantasy Monologues for Young Actors offers 52 fun, accessible and inventive monologues that will tap into every inch of an actor’s creativity. Featuring appealing, instantly involving pieces ranging from the comedic to the heartfelt, every monologue is written in contemporary and accessible language. Created specifically for actors and acting students ages 7-14 and for the teachers, directors and acting coaches who work with them..
These monologues feature:
- A broad range of unique circumstances and emotions: comedic, inspirational, heartfelt, lonely, curious, etc.
- Gender-neutral, so every monologue could be performed by a boy or a girl
- Emotional arcs and strong outcomes to challenge your actors and keep audiences engaged
- Modern day topics with contemporary language that really relate to kids today
- Perfect for auditions, as short performance pieces and for use in the classroom
Here are two sample monologues from the book:
FLYING
There’s a scene in Peter Pan where Peter teaches the kids to fly. And the way he does it is, he tells them to think their happiest thoughts. And they do it, and they just start flying. I mean, it tells you right in the book how to do it! So I thought – if they can fly, I bet I can too. So I just started thinking about all the things that made me the happiest. Like the day we picked up my new dog, Rex, from the kennel. And the day I beat my dad at chess – which is also known in my house as the day my dad let me beat him at chess. Or the time my sister gave me a birthday present, when it wasn’t even my birthday. Or when my mom says she loves me. And by the time I was finished, even though I was still lying in my bed, I was flying so high I thought I’d never touch the ground again. And I could look down and see everyone and everything in my life and they were all looking up and smiling and waving back at me . . . I don’t know if there really is a Peter Pan or an island filled with lost boys and pirates and Indians, but it doesn’t matter. Because I know one thing for sure . . . I know how to fly.
PAIL OF WATER
(Your character is either Jack or Jill from the well-known nursery rhyme.)
You make one mistake and people never forget it. Seriously. I mean, yeah, Jack [or Jill] and me went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. And, yes, one of us fell down and broke his crown and yeah, yeah, the other one came tumbling after. And no – we did not bring back any water. We did not succeed in our mission. And, if I was to be totally honest, we also lost the bucket. But come on. It wasn’t like we went up the hill to save the planet from an alien invasion. There wasn’t a baby up there about to be eaten by a bear. It was water. We fell down. We didn’t come back with a pail of water. Someone else got up out of their chair, got a bucket, climbed up the hill and fetched a pail of water. Big deal. Life will go on. And just to set the record straight, I am perfectly capable of fetching water. I personally have fetched hundreds of pails of water, both before that incident and after. So has Jack [or Jill]. It was one time. Sheesh. Maybe it’s time we all moved on.
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Joe Wilkinson: My (Illustrated) Autobiography
‘Joyfully absurd and hilarious.’ ADAM KAY
Here before you is Joe Wilkinson’s brilliantly absurd account of his time on – and briefly off – planet Earth.
Through cartoon stories (illustrated by Henry Paker) Joe recounts the defining moments and bizarre encounters of his life – from his schoolboy misfortunes to his formative years on the dating scene, to his money-making schemes and globetrotting adventures.
With tall stories including…
-Winning ‘most nits’ at school
-That time I threw a turd into a tornado
-Becoming the bad boy of fly tipping
-The disastrous double date
-My car airbag addiction
-The time I tunnelled too far out of prison and ended up in the prison next door
-The real reason Bigfoot went into hiding…this book is a delightfully absurd journey into the mind of a comic maverick.
Hilarious, heart-warming and utterly unique, Joe Wilkinson: My Autobiography is the off-the-wall life story of one of our most beloved and unorthodox comedians.
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£10.00£18.99Joe Wilkinson: My (Illustrated) Autobiography
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Dance Nation (Modern Classics)
“”Barron paints a wholly plausible picture of teenage insecurity and ambition… a play that wittily shows how dance can be a source of liberation without ever quelling the tremulous terrors of adolescence.”” – GuardianSomewhere in America, a revolution is coming. An army of competitive dancers is ready to take over the world, one routine at a time. With a pre-teen battle for power and perfection raging on and off stage, Dance Nation is a ferocious exploration of youth, ambition and self-discovery. Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and The Relentless Award, Dance Nation is Clare Barrons explosive play about the challenges of being young, and competitive dancing. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama’s Modern Classics series, this edition features a brand new introduction by Eboni Booth and Purva Bedi.Read more
£9.90£10.40Dance Nation (Modern Classics)
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A Practical Guide to Health and Safety in the Entertainment Industry (Safety series)
This book is designed to provide a practical approach to Health and Safety within the Live Entertainment and Event industry. It seeks to clarify the relationships between promoters, production managers, contractors and sub-contractors, freelancers, venues and the public. It gives industry-pertinent examples, and seeks to break down the myths surrounding Health and Safety into easily manageable morsels.
Chapters include The Perception of Safety, Responsibilities, Safety Policy, Risk Assessments, Writing the Risk Assessment, Safe Working Practices, Method Statements, Training, Records, What To Do When Challenged and When You Turn Up at a Venue. These are followed by an appendix of Applicable Regulations and over 50 pages of Examples and Samples.
It is important for readers to note that the content is based on current UK legislation, and whilst it will serve as a useful guide, with regular up-dates posted on this dedicated area of the etnow.com website (to which purchasers of the book will have free access), the author encourages people to read the regulations themselves.
Internationally, there are too many variations to enable an all-embracing book to be written on the subject. However, a safe working practice should be safe anywhere – if it was safe in the first place. Serious and sensible documentation, whether it conforms to a local standard or not, proves that your intentions are honourable.Read more
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Breaking and Entering: A Manual for the Working Actor: From Auditions to Agents to a Career
Philip Carlson was the first agent to sign Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Liev Schreiber, Claire Danes, Idris Elba, Kyra Sedgwick, Adrien Grenier and Paul Giamatti. He has represented Viola Davis, Kathy Bates, Brian Dennehy, and W.H. Macy among many and gifted others. He shares his practical trade secrets in this extraordinarily comprehensive guide on how to get into show business. Topics include: The Schools • The Business • Showcases • Casting Directors • Agents • Auditions • Which Coast? • Producers • Staying Real • Negotiating 101 • Where Do I Fit? • Movies • TV: Where the Real Money Is (These Days) • and more!His clients rave:
“He saw more in me than I saw in myself.” – Kyra Sedgwick
“A great and resonant canyon of thanks to Philip Carlson for his invaluable work with a generation of young talent – including me.” – Billy Crudup
“Philip Carlson is one of the wisest people on the subject of building a career that will last. Luck didn’t have him representing New York’s top character actors; wisdom, intelligence, patience and loyalty did. He was, and is, as good as it gets.” – Tim Blake Nelson
“Philip Carlson was my ‘Guide in shining armor!’ Smart, honest and hardworking, this book is his thinking and experience on a shelf.” – Idris Elba
“I was so fortunate to have found Philip when I did. I can’t imagine a better introduction to the world of acting and the business of getting there.” – Liev Schreiber
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Love, Dance and Ecstasy
Dionysos is the Greek god of the grape-harvest and winemaking, of the growth and fertility of vegetation – especially orchards and vineyards – and, lastly, of insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity and theatre. Because of his links to plant growth, he also became associated with death, resurrection and regeneration. He was also known as Bákkhos to the Greeks, a name adopted by the Romans as Bacchus. The focus here is on the links between Dionysos’ cult and the perennial human preoccupations of drugs, sex and ecstasy.
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£9.70£12.30Love, Dance and Ecstasy
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The Royal Ballet Wall Calendar 2024 (Art Calendar)
An exquisite calendar featuring incredible photography of some of the most vibrant and visually stunning performances from The Royal Ballet to grace London’s Royal Opera House. It showcases the elegant poise of dancers in recent productions such as Cesar Corrales as Lescaut in Manon and Fumi Kaneko in The Weathering. Informative text accompanies each work and the datepad features previous and next month’s views. Printed on FSC-certified paper, with plastic-free packaging.
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Leave Taking: GCSE Student Guide
An essential resource for anyone studying Leave Taking for GCSE English Literature – featuring a complete guide to the text, plus activities and advice to help you prepare for assessment.Get to grips with Leave Taking with expert, easy-to-follow breakdowns and analyses of key aspects of the play – including the characters, plot, structure, themes, setting and language – along with a clear explanation of the historical context.
This guide is also packed with exercises and activities for use at home or in the classroom, to support your study and revision, track your progress and help you get great results in your exam.
Featuring insights from playwright Winsome Pinnock and extensive quotes and extracts from the play, this GCSE Student Guide will strengthen your understanding, build your confidence and boost your chances of success.
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£9.60£10.40Leave Taking: GCSE Student Guide
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Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs
His fans have spoken, but despite their requests, Peter Davison has gone ahead and written his autobiography anyway. It wasn’t the book they tried to stop – it was more like the book they didn’t want him to start.
Despite displaying unspectacular scientific aptitude at school – he even managed to fail CSE woodwork, eliciting a lament from his astonished teacher (‘All you have to do is recognise wood!’) – Peter has secured his place in science fiction history, becoming the fifth Doctor Who, although he nearly turned down the role. The Time Lord connection continued with the marriage of his daughter Georgia to Dr Who number ten, David Tennant.
The artist formerly known as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett has also starred in a number of television series including Love for Lydia, A Very Peculiar Practice, At Home with the Braithwaites and The Last Detective and became a national treasure for having his arm up a cow in his role as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. He was also in a Michael Winner movie…
He made his first tentative steps on stage in true am-dram style, but the Byfleet Players’ loss was the West End’s gain, after appearing in Legally Blonde, Chicago, Spamalot and the record-breaking Gypsy, where he rubbed shoulders backstage with Dames Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench – all asking for directions to Imelda Staunton’s dressing room. One thing is for sure: of all the British screen and stage actors of the last fifty years, Peter Davison is certainly one of them and, within these pages, intrepid readers will at last have the dubious honour of sharing in his life and times – as he despairs over whether there truly ever can be life outside the box.
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£9.50£10.40Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs
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The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actors: Classical and Contemporary Speeches for Women: Classical and Contemporary Speeches from Black British … for Women Volume 1…
How many Black British plays can you name? Inspired by both classical and contemporary plays, The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actresses gives readers an insight into some of the best cutting-edge plays written by black British playwrights, over the last sixty years. This collection features over twenty speeches by Britain’s most prominent black dramatists The monologues represent a wide-range of themes, characters, dialects and styles. Suitable for young people and adults, each selection includes production information, a synopsis of the play, a biography of the playwright and a scene summary. The aim of this collection is that actors will enjoy working on these speeches, using them to help strengthen their craft, and by doing so, help to ensure these plays are always remembered.Read more
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Tricks Of The Mind
Derren Brown’s television and stage performances have entranced and dumbfounded millions. His baffling illusions and stunning set pieces – such as The Seance, Russian Roulette and The Heist – have set new standards of what’s possible, as well as causing more than their fair share of controversy. Now, for the first time, he reveals the secrets behind his craft, what makes him tick and just why he grew that beard.
Tricks of the Mind takes you on a journey into the structure and pyschology of magic. Derren teaches you how to read clues in people’s behaviour and spot liars. He discusses the whys and wherefores of hypnosis and shows how to do it. And he investigates the power of suggestion and how you can massively improve your memory. He also takes a long hard look at the paranormal industry and why some of us feel the need to believe in it in the first place. Alternately hilarious, controversial and challenging, Tricks of the Mind is essential reading for Derren’s legions of fans, and pretty bloody irresistible even if you don’t like him that much…
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£9.50Tricks Of The Mind
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Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World, 3D illusions: Volume 1
Family and friends will enjoy hours of entertainment while viewing the amazing 3D illustrations found in this #1 New York Times bestseller.Embedded within each image of Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World is an enchanting 3D object or scene that materializes before the viewer’s eyes. Simple viewing instructions and a solution key are included.
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Bernard Manning: A Biography
The first biography of one of Britain s most controversial and contradictory comedians.Read more
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Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, ballroom & the messy inbetween
‘We come for the glitter, but instead we get the grit, in stories told with insight, tenderness and joy.’ – Russell T Davies
With a foreword by Steph McGovern
‘I never thought I’d write a memoir. I never thought I’d do a lot of the things I have done in my thirty-four years, but life has a wonderful way of surprising us.’
Well-known as the winner of the third series of The Great British Bake Off and runner up of Strictly Come Dancing with his same-sex dance partner Johannes Radebe, John Whaite’s personal story is a complicated narrative of contradictions, highs and lows, told with tenderness, joy, insight and wit, but also unflinching honesty.
A shy little boy from rural Lancashire, who was sacred to sleep alone and danced a little ‘too gay’ at family weddings, he was also an unruly teen who shaved a checkerboard pattern into his hair and refused to conform.
From childhood his life has revolved around food – his parents owned a fish and chip shop where John worked in the back peeling potatoes – but for long periods he has been haunted by bulimia and body dysmorphia and not a day goes by when he doesn’t worry about what or how much he eats.
He achieved TV fame but then seemingly wilfully chose to self-destruct, before finding the strength to pull back when he woke up in a car with half a kebab at his feet and chilli sauce on his shoes.
Through it all, his essential optimism has meant that he has chosen to take every step back as a chance to reassess and begin again, finally arriving at the realisation that external validation and fulfilment is transient – a distraction from the sometimes painful pilgrimage we make as we gain wisdom from our experiences.
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The Actor and the Camera
Drawing on his lifetime career in front of the camera (and sometimes behind it), Denis Lawson offers a wonderfully accessible introduction to acting for film and TV. For the young actor hoping to break into the industry – whether in a drama series, soap or sitcom – this book is the ultimate insider’s guide.The author takes us on a guided tour of the film or TV set from day one. We meet the various members of the crew, from the director of photography to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ADs, and learn what each of them does – and how to get the most from them in your work as an actor. Then comes the actual business of shooting the scenes, beginning with readthroughs and rehearsals (if there are any), on to hitting your mark and getting your eye-line right, finishing with the actor’s involvement in post-production.
Throughout, Lawson takes the actor’s point of view, offering encouragement and enlightenment, as well as being refreshingly candid about some of the more inane procedures. Above all, he offers a magnificent array of tips and inside knowledge for coping with what can be a daunting experience for a hopeful young actor.
Denis Lawson has been running film workshops for drama students and working actors for over twenty years. His work as an actor includes the BBC’s Bleak House, Holby City, Sensitive Skin, Marchlands and Inside No. 9 on television, and Local Hero, Broken and The Machine on film. In 2012 he joined the cast of BBC TV’s New Tricks, now in its eleventh series with an audience of almost nine million.
With a foreword by Ewan McGregor.
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£9.40£10.40The Actor and the Camera
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Dance: Training Handbook
This easy-to-use handbook helps you remember dance terminology and steps. With helpful photos to guide you through each move, never forget how to do the basics.Read more
£9.30Dance: Training Handbook
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Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2023
A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2022: ENTERTAINMENT
A MAIL ON SUNDAYS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard’s villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today.
But Rickman’s artistry wasn’t confined to just his performances. Rickman’s writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. He takes us behind the scenes on films and plays ranging from Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Private Lives, My Name Is Rachel Corrie and many more.
The diaries run from 1993 to his death in 2016 and offer insight into both a public and private life. Here is Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveller, the fan, the director, the enthusiast: in short, the real Alan Rickman. Here is a life fully lived, all detailed in intimate and characteristically plain-spoken prose. Reading the diaries is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend.
Madly, Deeply also includes a foreword by Emma Thompson and a selection of Rickman’s early diaries, dating from 1974 to 1982, when his acting life first began.
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£9.30£12.30Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries
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So You Want to be an Actor? (Nick Hern Books) (So You Want To Be…? career guides)
A handbook for aspiring actors, written by two of the best-known actors in the country. This informative and entertaining book offers practical advice and do’s and don’ts to anyone thinking of taking up acting. Both authors are passionate about actor training, know the profession inside out and, as they say in their intro, have more than a hundred years’ experience between them!Writing alternate paragraphs throughout the book – and frequently contradicting each other! – they cover the whole gamut from * Applying to drama school * Auditioning * Training * Working in unpaid productions * Doing ‘bits’ on telly etc etc and on up to * Getting an agent and * Enduring a West End run – should you be so lucky.
This handy but pleasantly unstuffy manual is essential reading – or an essential gift! – for any aspiring actor.
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Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus
A vital companion for actors in rehearsal – a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson.Finding the right action is an essential part of the process of preparation for the actor. Using this thesaurus of active verbs, the actor can refine the action-word until s/he hits exactly the right one to help make the action come alive. The method of ‘actioning’ is widely used in rehearsal rooms, but has never before been set down in a systematic and comprehensive way.
NHB also publishes ,Actioning – and How to Do It, the first in-depth exploration of Actioning for student actors, those who train them, and professionals working in the industry, whether they’re brand new to the technique or have been practising it for years.
‘If you want to act, or act better, Actions will take you a long way on the journey to excellence’ Terry Johnson
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£9.20£10.40Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus
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My Dance Competition Keepsake Journal
“My Dance Competition Keepsake Journal” is a perfect way to keep track of your dancer’s competition success!
Complete with places for competition information, adjudication, specialty awards and a photograph, the journal will serve as a special keepsake for many years to come!
8″x10″
100 pagesRead more
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Good Material: THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, FROM THE AUTHOR OF EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE
‘Made me laugh while punching me in the gut. Loved this book’ AISLING BEA
‘This is the greatest. You’ll cry and laugh. I read it though the night. And I never, ever avoid sleep’ CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN
‘I award it 13/10 on my QWJ scale (stands for Queasy With Jealousy that I didn’t write it)’ MARIAN KEYES
—
Every relationship has one beginning.
This one has two endings.Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy.
And he can’t work out why she stopped.Now he is. . .
1. Without a home
2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off
3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn’t lookingSet adrift on the sea of heartbreak at a time when everything he thought he knew about women, and flat-sharing, and his friendships has transformed beyond recognition, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of their broken relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him.
Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend’s side of the story.
From the bestselling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a sharply funny, beautifully observed and exquisitely relatable story of heartbreak and friendship, and how to survive both.
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Breaking Down Your Script: The Compact Guide: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Actor (The Compact Guides)
This clear, concise and practical guide provides actors with a structured and effective method for breaking down and understanding a performance script. It offers a flexible approach that works with plays from any period or genre, with television and film scripts, and even when preparing for your audition.Inside, you’ll find the tools you need for every step of the process, from making sense of the whole script, to breaking it down scene by scene, through to detailed line-by-line analysis. There are strategies for exploring character arcs, objectives, beat shifts and subtext, as well as practical exercises and sample scenes from leading playwrights to help you put the concepts into action. Also included are worksheets you can use and reuse on all your future projects.
Wherever you are in your acting career, this book is your essential working companion – giving you a method for tackling any script, and providing the foundation to take your performances to the next level.
The Compact Guides are pocket-sized introductions for actors and theatremakers, each tackling a key topic in a clear and comprehensive way. Written by industry professionals with extensive hands-on experience of their subject, they provide you with maximum information in minimum time.
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Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood’s Darkest and Best Kept Secrets
Originally published in Paris, this is a collection of Hollywood’s darkest and best kept secrets from the pen of Kenneth Anger, a former child movie actor who grew up to become one of America’s leading underground film-makers.Read more
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Hollywood or Home
Kathryn Gray’s long-awaited second collection Hollywood or Home, has as much ruthless glamour as any old Hollywood movie. These worldly-wise poems are seriously playful and playfully serious as they explore celebrity culture. Spectres of Hollywood – moguls, politicians, starlets, and monsters – leap from screen to page. Common tropes are observed, and industry secrets revealed.
In decadent celebrity culture, where a star is born every minute and becomes a flop even more quickly, these fierce and funny poems open space for the writer to reassess failures and successes, to overcome writer’s block, and to remember that we never stop longing for our old dreams to come true. Writing at the top of her game, Gray manages to find spectacle – and survival – out of Hollywood’s brutal disdain for failure.
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£8.70£9.50Hollywood or Home
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An Actor’s Life in 12 Productions
The director Peter Dews prophesied: “You’ll be alright when you’re forty, and even better when you’re fifty.” It turns out that Peter Dews was right, almost to the month.
In a study of British theatre through a varied acting career spanning over sixty years, Oliver Ford Davies explores the many changes within the performing arts scene through his experiences on various stages, in a variety of productions, across the country.
Davies charts the ups and downs of British theatre in the last sixty years, while offering a unique perspective on life behind the curtain and the daring journey from leaving behind an academic career and into acting.
From Shakespeare to Shaw, Chekhov to Pirandello, this is the story of an actor initially struggling to make a mark before making his breakthrough at fifty, winning the Olivier Best Actor award and being propelled into thirty years of leading roles.
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£8.60£9.50An Actor’s Life in 12 Productions
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Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown
In a career that spanned over seven decades, Roger Moore was at the very heart of the show-business scene.
We all knew him as an actor who starred in films that made him famous the world over, but he was also a tremendous prankster, joker and raconteur – in fact, he was well known as one of the nicest guys in the business, and someone who was always up for some fun.
In this fabulous collection of true stories from his stellar career, Roger lifts the lid on the movie business, from Hollywood to Pinewood. It features outrageous tales from his own life and career as well as those told to him by a host of stars and filmmakers, including Tony Curtis, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, David Niven, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck, John Mills, Peter Sellers, Michael Winner, Cubby Broccoli and many more.
Wonderfully entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny and told with his characteristic wit and good humour, Last Man Standing is vintage Moore at his very best.
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£8.60£9.50Last Man Standing: Tales from Tinseltown
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Viz Annual 2024: The Barber’s Pole: A Heap of Clippings Swept Up from Issues 302-311
Back in 1922, when Howard Carter first smashed his way into the tomb of long-dead Egyptian King Tutankhamun, the guttering candle in his hand illuminated a scene of unimaginable splendour. “Can you see anything?” asked Lord Carnarvon.“Yes! Wonderful things!” responded a breathless Carter.Fast forward just over a century, and any adventurer opening a copy of Viz – The Barber’s Pole will be similarly astounded by the comedy gold they will find haphazardly piled up within its covers. Because just like the tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, the 226 pages within its stout and glossy covers are packed with priceless treasures.
It’s the sort of 24-carrot comedy gold that has made Viz the country’s fourth* or fifth** favourite humorous magazine (* ** possibly sixth) for well over four decades…
* Edge-of-seat Adventures: Jack Black and His Dog Silver, Who’s Who in a Medieval Plague Village, Motorhead’s Christmas Adventure, and Bad Bob the Randy Wonderdog.
* Shocking scandals about your favourite showbiz stars, Scotch eggs, Deepfake Porn, Tony Blair, and your chance to become a Crypto-Billionaire.
* Cartoons: The Fat Slags, Sid the Sexist, Biffa Bacon, Mrs Brady Old Lady, Johnny Fartpants, The Real Ale Twats, Roger Mellie, and Raffles the Gentleman Thug
* Readers’ letters and Top Tips, spoof ads, quizzes, games, things to cut out and make, and much more.
Obviously, at this point we would like to point out that, unlike King Tut’s burial place, there is no real evidence that Viz has ever been the subject of a deadly curse, placed upon it three thousand years ago by a sinister, hooded priest of the God Thoth. And we consider it very unlikely indeed that anyone who dares to break open the cover of Viz – The Barber’s Pole will simply drop dead from unexplained causes – as Lord Carnarvon did a year to the day after breaking the seal on Tutunkhamun’s tomb.
Sorry, no refunds.
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£8.60£13.30 -
Planner 2024 Weekly | Monthly: Ballroom & Latin Dancing Themed 12 Month Diary/Journal | Ideal Gift For Dance Fans
Thoughtfully Designed By Dancing Feet Journals & Notebooks This 2024 Personal Planner/Diary Is Perfect For Any Ballroom And Latin Dance Fan Wanting To Efficiently Organize Their Year.Features:
⇢ 12 MONTH DATED PLANNER: Daily planner begins in January 2024 and ends December 2024 for 12 months of coverage. Provides at-a-glance calendars for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and a dedicated space to write down all your notable dates for 2024.
⇢ WEEKLY AND MONTHLY VIEWS: The diary features dated weekly spreads with clearly divided sections for daily planning. At the start of each month a mini calendar has been included as well as a lined “to do” column with check-boxes to set goals and write lists, and an area to jot down important notes for the week ahead.
⇢ COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT: The journal measures 6 inches wide by 9 inches long making it ideal for carrying in backpacks, purses, or dance bags. Complete with 120 crisp, white pages to record all your appointments, events and important dates.
⇢ BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCE DETAILS: The planner features Ballroom and Latin Dance themed illustrations throughout and a vibrant image of a dancing couple on the front cover that any dance fan will love.
⇢ EXTRAS: The Personal Organizer includes space on each monthly spread to list any events or socials you may be attending that month as well as any special dates you need to remember e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, dance examinations, competitions or dance lessons. There are also blank, lined pages provided at the back of the journal for jotting down all your important notes.Dance To Express. Not To Impress!
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£8.50 -
Dance to Express. Not to Impress. 2024 Planner: Ballroom & Latin Dance Themed 12 Month Diary/Journal | Perfect Gift For Dancing Fans
Thoughtfully Designed By Dancing Feet Journals & Notebooks This 2024 Personal Planner/Diary Is Perfect For Any Ballroom And Latin Dance Fan Wanting To Efficiently Organize Their Year.Features:
⇢ 12 MONTH DATED PLANNER: Daily planner begins in January 2024 and ends December 2024 for 12 months of coverage. Provides at-a-glance calendars for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and a dedicated space to write down all your notable dates for 2024.
⇢ WEEKLY AND MONTHLY VIEWS: The diary features dated weekly spreads with clearly divided sections for daily planning. At the start of each month a mini calendar has been included as well as a lined “to do” column with check-boxes to set goals and write lists, and an area to jot down important notes for the week ahead.
⇢ COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT: The journal measures 6 inches wide by 9 inches long making it ideal for carrying in backpacks, purses, or dance bags. Complete with 120 crisp, white pages to record all your appointments, events and important dates.
⇢ BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCE DETAILS: The planner features Ballroom and Latin Dance themed illustrations throughout that any dance fan will love.
⇢ EXTRAS: The Personal Organizer includes space on each monthly spread to list any events or socials you may be attending that month as well as any special dates you need to remember e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, dance examinations, competitions or dance lessons. There are also blank, lined pages provided at the back of the journal for jotting down all your important notes.
Dance To Express. Not To Impress!
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£8.50 -
The Ecstasy of Being: Mythology and Dance (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
Joseph Campbell’s collected writings on dance and art, edited and introduced by Nancy Allison, CMA, the founder of Jean Erdman Dance, and including Campbell’s unpublished manuscript “Mythology and Form in the Performing and Visual Arts,” the book he was working on when he died.Dance was one of mythologist Joseph Campbell’s wide-ranging passions. His wife, Jean Erdman, was a leading figure in modern dance who worked with Martha Graham and had Merce Cunningham in her first company. When Campbell retired from teaching in 1972, he and Erdman formed the Theater of the Open Eye, where for nearly fifteen years they presented a wide array of dance and theater productions, lectures, and performance pieces.
The Ecstasy of Being brings together seven of Campbell’s previously uncollected articles on dance, along with “Mythology and Form in the Performing and Visual Arts,” the treatise that he was working on when he died, published here for the first time.
In this new collection Campbell explores the rise of modern art and dance in the twentieth century; delves into the work and philosophy of Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and others; and, as always, probes the idea of art as “the funnel through which spirit is poured into life.” This book offers the reader an accessible, yet profound and provocative, insight into Campbell’s lifelong fascination with the relationship of myth to aesthetic form and human psychology.
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2024 Dance Diary: CUTE GIFT FOR DANCERS to log competition dates, daily habits, expenses and TO DO lists
2024 Dance Diary
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR DANCERS AND DANCE LOVERS that want to get organized in 2024. Keep track of important dates, ideas, habits, expenses and much more!
Includes:
- Personalisation page – with space to write contact details
- Year to a page view for 2024
- Annual Planner page for keeping track of important dates and to log your goals for the year.
- Monthly Diary – 4 pages to each month: Calendar, Personal Expenses Tracker, Monthly TO DO sheets, Habit tracker.
- Week To A Page Planner with space for ideas and a To Do list.
PAPERBACK perfect bound cover – 6″ x 9″ size.
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Actor’s Journal: Journal Log book for Actors and Actresses, Audition Notebook, acting diary.
Are you an actor and looking for the perfect actor’s journal ?
Here you are this is the largest and best actors log book, the interior includes space to record Production, Role, Casting director, Date, Time, location, Pieces performed, outfit, Behind the table, notes and more.
Perfect actors gift idea.
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£8.50 -
Breaking into Acting For Dummies
Understand the business side of your showbiz career
We all know acting can be a glittering whirl of glamour—plush red carpets, simply divine outfits, huge sums of money, and oh, the parties! But what a lot of wannabe actors forget is that it takes a lot of practical work to get to the flashbulbs of your first premiere, and that the savviest actors put as much stress on the business side of the profession as they do on the show. Breaking Into Acting For Dummies demystifies the behind-the-curtain side of showbiz to help you understand how it really works, who the decision-makers are, what they’re looking for when they’re picking talent, and how to get them on your side. If you truly want to be the next Emma Stone or Leonardo DiCaprio, you’ll want to have a well-thumbed copy of this book alongside your pile of scripts.
Written by two friendly insiders, this guide takes you behind the scenes to help you map out your plan of attack, showing you how to open doors—and keep them open—and use your time wisely, so you’re not breaking a leg rushing from one random audition to another. You’ll understand how to flesh out your professional persona as thoroughly as a movie part, craft your resume as minutely as a script, and judge the angle of your headshots and webcam appearances as intimately as any director. Once you’ve mastered these skills, it’s time to go to market as your own publicity department, building your media and online presence until everyone who’s anyone knows exactly who you are.
- Understand different acting markets—from theater to commercials
- Network in-person and online
- Build your image via resumes, head shots, and webcam
- Keep a firm grip on the financial side
Whether you’re studying, a hopeful amateur, or have been treading the boards for a while, this is your breakthrough script for succeeding in the business of acting, and for learning how to play your ultimate role: yourself.
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£8.40 -
The Actors’ Crucible: Port Talbot and the Making of Burton, Hopkins, Sheen and All the Others
The town of Port Talbot has long been seen (quite literally) as synonymous with the steel industry. Yet it also has another claim to fame as the actorsx27 capital of Wales. It has produced a remarkable number of actors since the inter-war years. Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen head the glittering cast but there are many others including early stars such as Ronald Lewis and Ivor Emmanuel, more recent figures like Rob Brydon and Di Botcher as well as a cluster of exciting young actorsstarting to make their names in the West End and on the big and small screen.This book suggests explanations for this phenomenon. Its author is a historical biographer who hails from Port Talbot and has done extensive research including numerous interviews. It explores the provision of educational and cultural facilities for young people over the years and demonstrates a commitment to drama that is deeply embedded in the townx27s history. It tells in some depth the stories of the super-stars but in a novel way, focusing on how they emerged and on those who nurtured their talent, presenting the actors as part of a tradition that was set in motion even before Richard Burton began to make his mark. It surveys the careers of fifty actors from Port Talbot and it considers what its most famous stars have put back into their community, culminating in the spectacular three-day event of Easter 2011 when Michael Sheen resurrected Port Talbotx27s pride and hopes through the immersive theatrical experience of The Passion.Written at a time of mixed fortunes for actors when funding for training is threatened yet opportunities for theatre and film work are expanding within Wales, this book puts centre-stage a town, its actors and those who guide them and so offers a new kind of cultural history. Such an approach also raises wider questions about the importance of the arts and of drama in particular to the wellbeing of communities.Read more
£8.30£9.50 -
Official Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2024
Dust off your dancing shoes, Strictly is back!
Featuring exclusive interviews with the celebs, judges, presenters and pro dancers, fun quizzes to test your ballroom knowledge and behind-the-scenes features to give you a glimpse into the glitz and glamour, this is your perfect partner for all things Strictly.
Experience a day in the life of a Strictly dance expert with choreographer Jason Gilkison, get the lowdown on the record-breaking feats performed by the Strictly pro dancers over the years, and find out how Strictly has been going green behind the scenes. This fun and glamour-packed annual is not to be missed by Strictly fans!
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£8.20£14.20Official Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2024
£8.20£14.20 -
History Of Morris Dancing: Tales Of A Band Of Brothers And The Ancient Morris Dancing Custom: The Morris Tradition
Morris dancing is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers, usually wearing bell pads on their shins. Implements such as sticks, swords, and handkerchiefs may also be wielded by the dancers.
This book brought to you in these tales of an anarchic band of brothers who challenged the received wisdom and almost accidentally stumbled upon the essential core of this ancient custom. They brought it out of the museum and set it on fire. Treating it more like street theatre or flash mob, these iconoclasts sexed it up and breathed new life into it.
In your hands is a story of friendship, fun, and the bonds that unite people in a common cause. It is about comradeship, humor, trust, and mutual respect, and about how visions can be brought to life. It also happens to be set against a backdrop of folk culture and morris dancing.Read more
£8.00 -
Irish Dance Feis Record Book: Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner Dancer Competition Results
• This Feis Record Book provides a convenient place to keep track of an Irish dancer’s competition results.
• Each book has enough pages to record results for 45 feiseanna, along with pages for apparel purchases, travel notes and an Ireland map.
• The handy 6 x 9 inch size fits in purses and dance bags.
• There are two versions available: Grades Level (Beginner/Novice/Prizewinner) & Champion Level (Preliminary/Open).
• Whether it is for a first feis dancer, or seasoned champion, these are a great accessory and gift for the Irish dancer in your life.
• FeisBooks have been sold worldwide since 2001. Cover and interior were updated in 2023.Read more
£7.90 -
Irish Dance Feis Record Book: Beginner, Novice, Prizewinner Dancer Competition Results
• This Feis Record Book provides a convenient place to keep track of an Irish dancer’s competition results.
• Each book has enough pages to record results for 45 feiseanna, along with pages for apparel purchases, travel notes and an Ireland map.
• The handy 6 x 9 inch size fits in purses and dance bags.
• There are two versions available: Grades Level (Beginner/Novice/Prizewinner) & Champion Level (Preliminary/Open).
• Whether it is for a first feis dancer, or seasoned champion, these are a great accessory and gift for the Irish dancer in your life.
• FeisBooks have been sold worldwide since 2001. Cover and interior were updated in 2023.Read more
£7.90
