Books in the Theatre Arts Workbooks series

The Actor's Workbook is an essential workbook for actors, actors in training and teachers of acting and drama. The workbook and video provide a clear, step-by-step guide to learning techniques in acting.The book presents a system of exercises which will develop core acting skills, offers techniques for developing an authored role and models for devising new work. These techniques are based on the practices of Konstantin Stanislavski and his recent theatrical descendants including Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner, Michael Chekhov and others. The exercises in the book are outlined in a student-centred approach, offering not only in-class exercises, but also pre-class exercises, educational frameworks, teaching-tips, suggested texts through which to apply the work, follow-up exercises and suggestions for further reading in each chapter.Enabling and guiding the actor's sustainable, communicable, believable transformation into an imagined reality, this workbook is filled with powerful and precise acting tools, each underpinned by a rigorous and well-explained philosophy of practice.The Actor's Workbook includes video of the author teaching the exercises, with professional actors demonstrating the techniques to be learned.

The art of armed and unarmed stage combat thrills actors and audiences alike the world over. This book details many of the foundational techniques used by actors studying stage combat and actor-movement disciplines. A variety of specific training exercises are described that connect the actor's imagination to a cohesive and meaningful actor-training curriculum - integrating stage combat with the actor's process of developing a fully embodied awareness of the physical life of the character.Developing physical awareness and dexterity is an essential component of an actor's training and rehearsal processes. Engagement, connection, the ability to listen and respond with authenticity, clarity, flexibility, intentionality, tactical response, variety are all helpful aspects for the actor studying combat movement. With practical exercises and expert advice, Stage Combat Arts allows the actor to further hone their emotional connection and extension, breath and voice, intention and focus, movement and freedom, and their ability to connect physically to imagery and text - disciplines that are at the foundation of actor-training - all through the art of combat movement.