These teach how to be ‘in the moment’;
to gain access to the inexhaustible storehouse of the imagination;
to access, integrate and properly use the emotions of the character;
to overcome difficulties with learning lines;
to recreate performance without conscious thought.

“An idiosyncratic, challenging and practical guide to the craft of acting, crammed with anecdotes and humorous insights”
Richard E. Grant Actor/director/writer (Withnail and I, The Player, Wah-Wah and many others)

“A truly inspirational teacher”
Julie Hesmondhalgh Actor (Hayley, Coronation Street)

“A unique figure in British theatre. Provocative, controversial, doggedly inspiring. He has been the pivotal teacher, enabler and mentor for me and countless others.
Rufus Norris Director (Festen, Cabaret, Market Boy, Tintin, Vernon God Little, Blood Wedding)

“I cannot recommend it highly enough”
Stephen Moyer Actor (True Blood, NY-LON, Prince Valiant, the RSC)

“A conversational (almost chatty) love story, a tale of a theatre company’s struggle against Apartheid, an irreverent look at life”
Alexander Siddig Actor/director (Deep Space Nine, Syriana, Un Homme Perdu, 24, Primeval, Hannibal)

“Brian Astbury was, without a doubt, the biggest influence on me. His teachings are still what I go to in trouble”
Jason Flemyng Actor (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Quatermass Experiment, Drum, the RSC)

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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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A Korean Approach to Actor Training develops a vital, intercultural method of performer training, introducing Korean and more broadly East Asian discourses into contemporary training and acting practice.

This volume examines the psychophysical nature of a performer’s creative process, applying Dahnhak, a form of Korean meditation, and its central principle of ki-energy, to the processes and dramaturgies of acting. A practitioner as well as a scholar, Jeungsook Yoo draws upon her own experiences of training and performing, addressing productions including Bald Soprano (2004), Water Station (2004) and Playing ‘The Maids’ (2013–2015).

A significant contribution to contemporary acting theory, A Korean Approach to Actor Training provides a fresh outlook on performer training which will be invaluable to scholars and practitioners alike.

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