{"id":8962,"date":"2021-01-18T18:22:25","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T18:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=8962"},"modified":"2021-01-18T18:31:31","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T18:31:31","slug":"10-books-every-actor-should-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/10-books-every-actor-should-own\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Books Every Actor Should Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Books Every Actor Should Own<\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by Amanda Grace<\/p>\n

January 19, 2021<\/p>\n<\/font>

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Away from the stage and out of the spotlight,\u00a0an actor’s work lies largely in\u00a0acquiring new approaches to understanding the human experience.\u00a0Set aside your repertoire and go back to the building blocks with these essential guides to performance and personhood.<\/p>\n \"\"<\/span>

Theatre of the Oppressed <\/em>(1977) by Augusto Boal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Boal covers the development of theatre through the rise and fall of the bourgeoisie, and their progression from Aristotelian to Machiavellian poetics to the idealist and Marxist poetics of Hugel and Brecht. In addition to being an excellent history of the politics of theatre, Boal’s work also exemplifies the potential of an intrinsically politicized art to create sweeping social change in the presentation of his own theatre’s work in Brazil and the “Joker” format.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Essential Acting<\/em> (2009) by Brigid Panet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Panet has spent her decades tutoring at such prestigious institutions as RADA and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama developing unpretentious and accessible techniques to strengthen her students\u2019 imagination and commitment to the scene. Since leaving her studio, Essential Acting<\/em> has continued to provide me with her condensed insight from afar.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stanislavski in Rehearsal<\/em> (1987) by Vasili Toporkov<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Most actors have studied Stanislavski\u2019s techniques; Toporkov\u2019s translated diaries from production tell us what the master was like in the rehearsal room, and so allow us to build upon our process from the direct accounts of one of his longest-standing students.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This Is Shakespeare<\/em> (2019) by Emma Smith<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Originally recommended to me<\/em> by a RSC Associate Director, this play-by-play exploration of what exactly Shakespeare is, in all the complexity and ambiguity of his work, is by far the best book on the Bard I have ever crossed. Smith covers canonical structure and interpretation throughout the ages with enticing expertise.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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All About Love<\/em> (1999) by bell hooks<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since this is a testimony and not a math equation, the best approach to\u00a0New Visions\u00a0<\/em>is to pick out what works for you. An analysis of love in all its forms\u2014authentic and masquerading\u2014I recommend All About Love<\/em> to all my dear ones, but especially my actor friends who devote their lives to reflecting how we relate to each other.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Theatre of Jean-Louis Barrault<\/em> (1959), tr. Joseph Chiari<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Gifted to me by an elder castmate and mentor, Jean-Louis Barrault\u2019s career memoirs take a place of pride on my bookshelf. These are the best stories you\u2019ve never heard from the actor-director behind the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de France, lifting the veil on the development of genius works from conception to curtain rise.<\/p>\n

Get the\u00a0book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Body Is Not an Apology<\/em> (2018) by Sonya Renee Taylor<\/strong><\/h4>\n

For performers, an open and understanding relationship with one\u2019s body is a necessity; make sure yours is empathetic and sustainable with the wisdom of Sonya Renee Taylor, who teaches her readers how exactly to take up space in a world designed to force us into shrinking.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0here<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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A Challenge for the Actor<\/em> (1991) by Uta Hagen<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A Challenge<\/em> is a classic for a reason.\u00a0Hagen is uncompromising, and the work is sometimes painful, but if you\u2019ve ever stood on stage and realized you had absolutely no connection to the moment, her exercises will save you and shape you into a stronger performer with moment-to-moment stamina.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Writing in Restaurants <\/em>(1987) by David Mamet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The most controversial author on my list, Mamet is prosaic even in his demands for simplicity. His complex and hard-won premises sometimes conflict (and, occasionally, are horribly outdated), but the vast majority of the time, his bitter pills are honest and sound advice to the actor climbing up the hill of making art.<\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Truth in Comedy<\/em> (1994) by Charna Halpern, Del Close, & Kim \u201cHoward\u201d Johnson<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This staple of the “honest improv” practitioner contains ample insight; especially fascinating is the observation that improvisers perhaps see the world as deeply connected because they are trained to see connections where most would never look; that, in fact, the world has always been and will always be full of hidden rapports, where their discovery turns into comedy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get the book\u00a0<\/span>here<\/b><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n
Amanda Grace\u00a0is an\u00a0actor, writer, composer, improvisor and director whose work has graced stages from\u00a0 Central Florida to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.\u00a0She is based in London, where she is studying to\u00a0obtain her M.F.A. in Actor & Performer Training at Rose Bruford College. Amanda holds an honours B.A. in Theatre Studies and a B.A. in Psychology, as well as a certificate in Shakespearean Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.\u00a0Her original albums can\u00a0be streamed at\u00a0amandagrace.bandcamp.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n
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