A great choice for both professional actors and performing arts students who have been assigned a monologue in an acting class. You will learn how to select a monologue that is right for you and get valuable tips for presentation and how to present your choice within an acting class. Contains 80 original short monologues for presentation and practice.

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Working with Actors provides the key to unlocking the honest, dynamic performance every actor has within them. It offers a well-articulated formulation of the Meisner Technique easy for directors and actors to use within a working context. Through setting out an accessible training programme for practitioners working across stage and screen, this book establishes a clear-cut route to building a three-dimensional character in an organic, non-intellectual fashion, based squarely on the character’s objectives. Few books in this field venture out of the training studio, while in this book – alongside offering an intense and concentrated Meisner training programme – the focus is more on the ‘pay-off’: the collaborative act of developing the role and how that plays out in rehearsal and performance. Beyond that, the books uniquely offers: > a new modality for script reading, analysis and rehearsal through which the character is born in relation to other characters; > a prioritisation of the key skills for coming alive in the moment – listening and putting one’s attention wholly on the other character/actor; > a historical perspective on how Meisner’s methods have evolved and why they provide the basis of truthful acting; > for directors, a format for analysis of the complete work based on Stanislavskian principles; > for actors, complementary methods, such as Uta Hagen’s ‘endowment’, to enhance the ‘reality of doing’

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Contemporary Monologues for Young Actors features 54 original monologues created specifically for actors and acting students ages 7-14 and for the teachers, directors and acting coaches who work with them.

These refreshing monologues encompass a broad range of circumstances and emotions perfect for young actors seeking new material to explore – some of which will appeal to slightly younger actors and others of which will excite slightly older actors.

Here are some of the features of this book:

• A broad range of circumstances and emotions, from comedic to heartfelt to quirky
• Emotional arcs and strong endings to challenge actors and keep audiences engaged
• Modern day topics with contemporary language
• Convenient organization from “younger” to “older” as the book progresses
• Ideal for auditions, as short performance pieces or for use in the classroom

This resource was created by Beat by Beat Press, the same award-winning publisher of Teaching Drama: The Essential Handbook, a #1 best-seller on Amazon which has sold over 35,000 copies and has been translated into 5 languages.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the only official volume of this title that has been tested and proven in thousands of classrooms around the world. Please check for the Beat by Beat logo before purchasing any similar products online to assure you’re receiving the highest quality of material for young actors.

Below are sample monologues from the book:

SHARING

Some people think I don’t like sharing, but that isn’t true at all. I love sharing. I mean, what’s not to love about being able to go up to someone and say, “Hey, can I have some of that candy?” And then they give you some! Or, “Can I ride your bike for a while?” And then you get to ride their bike! Sharing is awesome. Sometimes you have to be careful, though. Like if someone comes up to me and says, “Can I have one of your cookies?” Well, if I gave them a cookie, then I might not have any cookies left to share with other people and that would be, like, the opposite of sharing. So I have to say no. Because sharing is really important.

SCOUT

Before we moved here, we had this big dog named Scout. Mom always said he was a total mutt, but I think he was also part collie. And maybe part golden retriever. But he was definitely at least half mutt. Scout was supposed to be the whole family’s dog, but he was really mine. I mean, after school, it was me he would be waiting for. And when anyone threw his ball, I’m the one he always brought it back to. And at night, it was always my bed he slept in. But before we moved here, my Mom found out we weren’t allowed to have any pets, so we had to give him away to my cousins. I don’t really talk about it, but sometimes I dream about Scout. He’s got his ball in his mouth and he’s looking for me. And I’m saying, “Here, Scout. I’m right here.” But he doesn’t hear me, and he can’t see me, and I’m saying, “I’m right here. Scout. I’m right here.” And then, I don’t know, I guess I wake up . . . I don’t know if Scout dreams about me.

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A founding member of Peter Brook’s international theatre company, Yoshi Oida infuses his acting and directing with the artistry of the Oriental traditions and a mastery of Western forms. In this disarmingly accessible study of the art of acting he shares his unique experience and range of expertise. An Actor’s Tricks offers a meticulous scrutiny of the actor’s preparation for performance and comes with a foreword by Peter Brook.

Drawing on an unrivalled wealth and range of expertise in the fields of acting, directing and training, Yoshi Oida and Lorna Marshall provide an authoritative and fascinating study of the art of the actor.

In scrutinising the process of performance from the twin perspectives of the actor and director, An Actor’s Tricks is filled with hints, insights and stories from productions with Peter Brook and from around the world.

Beginning with the daily preparation to train the body, it moves to the process of rehearsal for a performance right up to the moment when the actor steps onstage. An appendix of practical exercises is included for the actor to follow.

The books combines principles and techniques from both Western and Eastern disciplines of acting to provide a masterful study essential for every actor and director.

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Stanislavski’s ‘system’ has dominated actor-training in the West since his writings were first translated into English in the 1920s and 30s. His systematic attempt to outline a psycho-physical technique for acting single-handedly revolutionized standards of acting in the theatre.

Until now, readers and students have had to contend with inaccurate, misleading and difficult-to-read English-language versions. Some of the mistranslations have resulted in profound distortions in the way his system has been interpreted and taught. At last, Jean Benedetti has succeeded in translating Stanislavski’s huge manual into a lively, fascinating and accurate text in English. He has remained faithful to the author’s original intentions, putting the two books previously known as An Actor Prepares and Building A Character back together into one volume, and in a colloquial and readable style for today’s actors.

The result is a major contribution to the theatre, and a service to one of the great innovators of the twentieth century.

This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Foreword by the director Richard Eyre.

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Scenes for Teens is meant to help simplify the acting and auditioning process for young actors. Created by an experienced entertainer with Hollywood and Broadway credits, these fifty original comedy and drama scripts are ideal for actor training. The scenes are written for two actors, are gender-neutral, and intentionally exclude costumes, props, entrances, exits, complicated stage directions, and additional characters. In this way, Scenes for Teens is specifically designed to help young performers practice dialogue in a conversational and realistic manner. This allows them to focus on the one-on-one relationship.With an inspiring foreword by Kevin Sorbo – and a clear introduction to the art and business of professional acting by the author – Scenes for Teens is an effective teaching tool for young actors, their parents, and acting coaches.

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Master your facial expressions…

… complete your on-camera training…

…. change your life.

Contrary to popular belief, the camera doesn’t magically place emotion or thought on your face – YOU do.

Here’s the thing about facial communication… your face speaks an emotional, cognitive and emblematic language. Knowing how to speak this language fluently and authentically is a skill and often the difference between booking the on-camera job or not.

Is this you?

• Are you often told your facial expressions are too big, too small, too messy?
• Does your face frequently fail to represent what you’re really feeling inside?
• Do your headshots fail to capture who you really are?
• Is your face uncontrollable – Can’t stop it from moving? Can’t get it to move?
• Are you unable to figure out how to get what you feel and think on your face the way you intend?

Mastering how your face speaks to the camera starts here.

Acting: Face-to-Face, the Actor’s Guide to Understanding How Your Face Communicates Emotion for TV & Film is the first book in a two-book series about speaking what I call, “The Language of the Face.”

Our journey begins with-

• Why only a small percentage of on-camera actors get the majority of the work
• What those actors do differently than the rest
• Why acting is an art of deception and why deception is the key to truthful acting
• Why your facial messages may not be expressed the way we intend.

Then we’ll take a deep dive into-

• The science of emotions –
• The 3 ways emotions are facially expressed
• How to identify your personal emotion creating and revealing strengths and weaknesses
• The 4 steps to achieving “Emotional Alignment”- The balance between what you feel and what your face reveals.

What’s new in the expanded 2nd edition?

• Updated “Myths and Misconceptions.” chapter.
• What we’ve learned from mask-wearing.
• Deeper dive into EYE COMMUNICATION – what the eyes can and can’t say.
• 35 new photos to illustrate specificity and subtlety of emotional expression.

Also added are 3 brand NEW chapters including a mini version of the proprietary Emotion Screen Test (EST).

The EST is a guided in-depth self-evaluation of your own facial expressions. Its main purpose is to help you clearly evaluate your emotion creating and revealing strengths and weaknesses.

Are ready to finally complete your on-camera training?

I’m pretty certain you’ll love this comprehensive book on facial communication because it’s easy to follow and the information you’ll take away may not only game-changing, it may very well be life-changing.

Let the journey begin…

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This is the classic lexicon of Stanislavski’s most important concepts, all in the master’s own words. Upon its publication in 1963, An Actor’s Handbook quickly established itself as an essential guide for actors and directors. Culling key passages from Stanislavski’s vast output, this book covers more than one hundred and fifty key concepts, among them ‘Improvisation’, ‘External Technique’, ‘Magic If’, ‘Imaginary Objects’, ‘Discipline’, ‘What Is My System?’ and ‘Stage Fright’.This reissued, attractively packaged edition will be an essential book for any performer.

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