Actors & Acting

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Acting as an art, and as a profession, has long since fascinated many. Over the years, techniques, methods and styles have been formulated by the likes of Stanislavski, Strasberg, and Mamet, each with their own particular view on acting. Many of these legendary theatre artists have created accessible, helpful books that not only help demystify the craft, but also offer insight into their particular process. This section has a wealth of titles, ranging from technical handbooks, to intimate memoirs. An enthralling subject, these titles are sure to enlighten.

Lessons: The Craft of Acting
Tom Isbell
In his introduction, the author stresses that this in not a how-to book, but rather a series of 100 lessons. If you're new to acting, they should provide a solid foundation on which you can build your acting life; if you've been acting a while, these lessons will confirm what you already know deep within you, but perhaps haven't yet voiced. Softcover, 199 pp. $25.95.

Act Now!
A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Working Actor
Peter Jazwinski
So, you want to be an actor . . . but you have no idea how to get started. In the pages of Act Now! you'll find a step-by-step process that will show you not only how to get started, but also how to become a working actor. Becoming a actor takes time and commitment, but if you follow the steps provided in this book, you're one step closer to success. Softcover, 275 pp. $20.00.

How to Audition for TV Commercials: From the Ad Agency Point of View
W.L. Jenkins
Learn how to land television commercials with this insider's guide to what ad agencies are really looking for. Written by a former actor turned ad exec, How to Audition for TV Commercials gives step-by-step guidance to help actors understand the process from the ad agency's point of view. Softcover, 191 pp. $18.95.

Actors At Work
Rosemary Tichler & Barry Jay Kaplan
With a nod to The Paris Review's Writers at Work model, Actors at Work looks at the ways in which some of our most respected stage and film actors approach their calling. Rosemary Tichler and Barry Jay Kaplan explore these performers' influences, their idols and insecurities, their paths to work and success, the uses of training, and the art of acting itself. Softcover, 369 pp. $17.95.

Acting Emotions
Elly A. Konijn
Acting Emotions utilizes contemporary research from the field of emotional psychology and examines such issues as a double consciousness, presence, and the illusion of spontaneity - the very essences of theatrical performance. Softcover, 209 pp. $42.95.

The Second City Almanac of Improvisation
Anne Libera
In The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, Anne Libera collects the diverse ideas, viewpoints, and memories of a vast array of teachers, actors, and directors who all got their start at the legendary comedy theatre. Libera puts each essay in context to give readers an understanding of how The Second City method of improv-based comedy has become the industry standard. Softcover, 196 pp. $44.50.

Inside Inside
James Lipton
A revealing behind-the-scenes portrait of the award-winning TV show Inside the Actor's Studio and its creator and host, James Lipton. Softcover, 492 pp. $16.50.

How to Act & Eat at the Same Time: The Sequel
The Do's and Don'ts of Landing a Professional Acting Job
Tom Logan
In this very humorous and greatly expanded version of Tom Logan's previous book of the same name, The Sequel continues to demystify agents and the audition process. Breaking down the "Do's and Don'ts" into highly readable anecdotes filled with important information, How to Act & Eat at the Same Time will let the reader know how directors choose their actors and how the actor is seen from the 'other side' of the table. Softcover, 260 pp. $22.50.

Acting: Working in the Theatre
Robert Emmet Long
For the first time in the thirty-year history of the Working in the Theatre seminars, this volume gathers the insights of more than 100 great performers. Here is a book for students, actors, and others in the profession, as well as anyone with a passion for the theatre. The humor, art, grace, and dedication conveyed by these artists transform lives every night. Now, they speak directly to us about what it is really like to be working in the theatre. Softcover, 174 pp. $18.95.

Creative Colleges
Second Edition
Elaina Loveland
This comprehensive guide tackles the unique issues of selectind and applying to colleges for aspiring actors, artists, dancers, musicians and writers. As a "creative student" you need to not only find a college that provides a great education but also one that will nurture your talents and prepare you to make a career out of your passion. Softcover, 320 pp. $21.95.

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Performance Anxiety
Eric Maisel
Actors and musicians call it "stage fright." Others may know it as "butterflies." No matter what you call it, the symptoms of performance anxiety are the same: a paralyzing sense of fear and dread whenever you have to speak or perform before a group of any size. Now Dr. Eric Maisel, a renowned author, psychotherapist, and creativity coach shows readers how to approach presentations calmly and comfortably, without sweaty palms and a pounding heart. It doesn't matter whether you work in the classroom, the boardroom, a theatre, or concert hall, this book will help you. Softcover, 260 pp. $24.95.

True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor
David Mamet
Invent nothing, deny nothing, speak up, stand up and stay out of school. With these words, one of the most brilliantly iconoclastic playwrights takes on the art and profession of acting, in a book that is as shocking as it is practical, witty as it is instructive and irreverent as it is inspiring. $14.95.

Notes to an Actor
Ron Marasco
Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession. It is learned by experience, by trial and error, and by succeeding and failing. In his years as an actor, director, scholar, and teacher of acting, Marasco developed his compact and user-friendly book geared specifically to the way actors work. Hardcover, 215 pp. $29.95.

An Actor's Tricks
Yoshi Oida & Lorna Marshall
Yoshi Oida infuses his acting and directing with the artistry of the Oriental traditions and a mastery of Western forms. An Actor's Tricks offers a meticulous scrutiny of the actor's preparation for performance. Throughout, examples and principles drawn from Oida's work with Peter Brook and from both Western and Eastern disciplines are offered to illuminate the process. This book is a study of the act of creation essential for every actor and director. Softcover, 102 pp. $23.00.

The Intercultural Performance Handbook
John Martin
The Intercultural Performance Handbook opens up a new world of technique for performers. It provides a guide to physical, vocal and improvisational dynamics drawn from world performance styles, a new vocabulary with which to interpret plays from around the globe, games for exploring rhythm, movement, balance, tension and gesture, and much more. Softcover, 153 pp. $44.95.


Konstantin Stanislavsky
Bella Merlin
This compact, well-illustrated guide provides an overview of Stanislavsky's life history, an assessment of his widely read text An Actor Prepares, detailed commentary of the key 1898 production of The Seagull, and an indispensable set of practical exercises for actors, teachers and directors. Softcover, 171 pp. $30.95.

The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit
Bella Merlin
The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit collects together for the first time the terms and ideas developed by Stanislavsky throughout his career. It is organized into three sections: Actor-Training, Rehearsal Processes and Performance Practices. Key terms are explained and defined as they naturally occur in this process. Each stage of the process is then explored with sequences of practical exercises designed today's actors and students become thoroughly familiar with the tools in Stanislavsky's toolkit. Softcover, 340 pp. $27.99.

Auditioning: An Actor Friendly Guide
Joanna Merlin
This book provides everything the actor needs to achieve self-confidence and artistic honesty in an audition. Included ae several tips from outstanding "names" in the business. " Merlin's compassion and understanding toward actors is matched by her sensitivity and generosity in teaching this unusual craft." Kevin Kline Softcover, $16.95.


Your Name Here: An Actor/Writer's Guide to Solo Performance
Susan Merson
For actors, writers and public speakers of all kinds, Your Name Here will teach you how to get your solo play out and into the world. Inside you will find step by step acting and writing techniques, examples and discussion of six different forms of solo plays, production basics, marketing strategies, and much more. Award-winning and veteran actress, writer and producer Susan Merson brings over thirty years of theatrical experience to this essential guide. Softcover, 168 pp. $21.95.

Zygmunt Molik's Voice and Body Work: The Legacy of Jerzy Grotowski
Guiliano Campo & Zygmont Molik
Zygmunt Molik is one of the last living members of Jerzy Grotowski's original acting company and was a leading trainer at the Teatr Laboratorium. Softcover, 190 pp. $39.95.

Acting and Reacting: Tools for the Modern Actor
Nick Moseley
Nick Moseley has developed a system that is based on the individual actor's need to find truth in everything they do, to be 'in the moment' and to react truly instinctively to the other people on stage. In Acting and Reacting, he takes the best of Stanislavski, David Mamet and Sanford Meisner to fuel his own intensely practical approach. Softcover, $28.95.

The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential As An Actor
Larry Moss
Sunday, November 2 at 6 pm. at TheatreBooks.
Renowned acting coach, stage and film director and author of the bestselling book The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential As An Actor ( in stock, $21.00) will be at TheatreBooks to give a talk and sign copies of his book. Join us as Larry gives some insights into the techniques outlined in his book and taught in his classes in NY and LA. The stars are coached by Larry Moss: "Brilliant " - Jim Carrey. "Exciting, inspiring and truly transformational." - Leonardo DiCaprio. "A profoundly gifted, articulate teacher. " - Hilary Swank.

The Actor's Other Career Book: Using Your Chops to Survive and Thrive
Lisa Mulcahy
Actors everywhere want work, but acting often does not offer a consistent, dependable paycheck. This inspiring guide shows actors that they can parlay their multitude of skills -- vocal, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual -- into careers that go beyond waiting tables and mixing cocktails. This book features interviews with more than fifty actors who have found satisfying other careers that improve their quality of life, pay the rent, and sharpen their acting skills. Softcover, 207 pp. $24.95.

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Last modified August 30, 2010.
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.