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Harry R New user 76 Posts |
Can anyone recommend a good book or two about acting that might help a mentalists performance?
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Anabelle Special user 951 Posts |
I have a book I really like called The Technique of Acting by Stella Adler. It's from the 80s I think and has an introduction by Marlon Brando. That should help mentalists.
Anabelle |
christopher carter Special user 660 Posts |
Many people who have read David Mamet's recent book on acting have raved about it. I haven't read it yet, so I can't comment specifically. I strongly recommend all of Stanislavski's books on acting and also Ute Hagen's "Respect for Acting."
--Chris |
landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Take a look also at Acting One by Robert Cohen, and for inspiration about what the point of performing in front of an audience is, read The Empty Space by Peter Brook.
Improvisation for the Theatre by Viola Spolin has a number of beneficial exercises that will help loosen you up in front of an audience and get you to trust your performing self more. You may also be aware of Henning Nelms' Magic and Showmanship which specifically talks about theatrical techniques as applied to the performance of magic. I think with these books and the ones mentioned above (only one I don't especially like is the Mamet book), you should have a lot to keep you thinking and performing! Jack Shalom
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
Harris0n Loyal user leeds uk 290 Posts |
Hi
How do people rate 'Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre' by Keith Johnstone?
"There are times when the truth is necessary and times when myth-making is necessary." Nick Cave
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christopher carter Special user 660 Posts |
With Jack Shalom's excellent suggestions including Spolin's "Improvisation for the Theater," I thought I'd mention a book called "Improvise This!" by Mark Bergen, Molly Cox, Jim Detmar. Spolin's book is the seminal work on improvisational theater games. "Improvise This" can't claim nearly such significance, but because it was written to help corporate types come out of their shells and think on their feet, it is extremely accessible to folks with no acting experience.
--Chris |
RileyG Special user Las Vegas 840 Posts |
Acting The First Six Lessons, by Richard Boleslavsky
Backwards & Forwards, By William Ball A Sense of Direction, By William Ball |
brownbomber Regular user Edinburgh 156 Posts |
There is no better book than IMPRO by the genius that is Keith Johnstone. More than about merely acting, this book will change your life.
BB |
Greg Arce Inner circle 6732 Posts |
You can't go wrong with anything from Stella Adler or Uta Hagen.
Greg
One of my favorite quotes: "A critic is a legless man who teaches running."
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Dr Omni Regular user UK 199 Posts |
Some of the most thorough and educational books on acting - useful for any performer - have been written by Russians:
Constantin Stanislavski's trilogy (mentioned above) - "The Actor Prepares", "Creating a Character", "Preparing a Role". Also "My Life in Art" (his autobiography). Mikhail Chekhov (a theatre director, not the playwright Anton Chekhov) - "On the Art of Acting". Vlesovod Pudovkin - "Film Technique and Film Acting" (originally two volumes, but combined into a single volume). Specifically for mentalists/magicians (in addition to Nelms, mentioned above) - Bob Cassidy, "Fundamentals" (available only in e-book format); Derren Brown, "Absolute Magic"; and Eugene Burger's prolific writings on the art of magic. (None of them Russians.) |
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