Mind Expanding Books

๐ŸŽฌ Theater and Film

Different Every Night: Putting the play on stage and keeping it fresh
Different Every Night: Putting the play on stage and keeping it fresh

Mike Alfreds 2008

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Different Every Night is the culmination of a lifetime of work in the theater, the most complete rehearsal methodology in print since Stanislavsky. It offers a vital master class for actors and directors, full of sound practical advice and guidance, and is packed with techniques for bringing the text to life and keeping it alive, both in rehearsal ...

Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre

Keith Johnstone 1987

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In this landmark work Keith Johnstone provides a revelatory guide to rediscovering and unlocking the imagination. Admired for its clarity and zest, Impro lays bare the techniques and exercises used to foster spontaneity and narrative skill for actors. These techniques and exercises were evolved in the actors' studio, when he was Associate Director ...

In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing
In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing

Walter Murch

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In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought-provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question - Why do cuts work? - Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique...

The Actor and the Target
The Actor and the Target

Declan Donnellan 2006

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โ€œActing is a reflex, a mechanism for development and survival. . . . It isnโ€™t โ€˜second nature,โ€™ it is โ€˜first nature.โ€™โ€โ€”Declan Donnellanย This immensely popular and ever-practical book on acting takes a scalpel to the heart of actorsโ€™ persistent fears, helping them to release their talent on stage. It is straightforward and unpretentious, with a spiri...

How to Stop Acting
How to Stop Acting

Harold Guskin 2003

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"The Great Guskin" (John Lahr, The New Yorker) shares the approach he uses to help actors land roles, develop them, and keep them aliveHarold Guskin is an "acting doctor" whose clients include Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, James Gandolfini, Bridget Fonda, and dozens more. In How to Stop Acting, Guskin reveals the insights and techniques that have worke...

Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director's Chair
Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director's Chair

Frank Hauser, Russell Reich 2008

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Five years ago, Frank Hauser, then a retired freelance director, and writer Russell Reich, his former student, self-published Notes on Directing in hardcover. It was immediately acclaimed as "a gem-witty and full of insight;" "so sensible, so complete, and so right;" and "amazingly illuminating" by the likes of Judi Dench, Edward Albee, and Terry T...

A Practical Handbook for the Actor
A Practical Handbook for the Actor

Melissa Bruder, Lee Michael Cohn, Madeleine Olnek, Nathaniel Pollack, Robert Previtio, Scott Zigler, David Mamet 1986

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6 working actors describe their methods and philosophies of the theater. All have worked with playwright David Mamet at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

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