Acting for the Stage

by Anna Weinstein (Editor), Chris Qualls (Editor)

Overview

Acting for the Stage is a highly accessible guide to the business of theater acting, written for those interested in pursuing acting as a profession. This book is a collection of essays by and interviews with talented artists and businesspeople who have built successful careers in the theater; it’s a goldmine of career advice that might take years to find on your own. Herein, the myths around professional acting are dispelled, and the mysteries revealed. Acting for the Stage illuminates practical strategies to help you build a life as a theater professional and find financial rewards and creative fulfillment in the process.

• Contains essays by and interviews with working stage actors, acting coaches, directors, writers, and agents.
• Features discussions on selecting a graduate school program, choosing acting classes and workshops, making the most out of your showcase, landing an agent, networking and promoting yourself, and the business of casting.
• Covers issues of money management, balancing the highs and lows of the profession, finding work to nourish your acting career, and building your creative team and support network.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781317370505
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	02/24/2017
Series:	ISSN
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	286
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Anna Weinstein is the Series Editor for PERFORM. A writer and editor with over fifteen years of experience in educational publishing, she received her MFA in Writing for the Performing Arts from the University of California at Riverside--Palm Desert and her BA in Communication Studies/Performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches introductory and advanced screenwriting at Auburn University, and she is a frequent contributor to Film International, where she publishes interviews with award-winning female directors in her series "Diva Directors Around the Globe."

Chris Qualls is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Auburn University, where he teaches voiceover acting, acting for stage and screen, and introduction to theater. He received his MFA in Acting from the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and his BA in Communication Studies/Film from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has worked as a voiceover actor for thirty years. His research and creative work focus on the integration of classical and nontraditional approaches to Shakespeare in performance, theater and media for social justice, and voice acting. He is a member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED

MOVING TOWARD YOUR DREAM

Big Buttery Acting and Developing Business Relationships

An Interview With Richard Robichaux

HOW TO BREAK IN

An Agent’s Perspective

An Interview With Kay Hilton

TRAINING AND RESPECTING THE WORK

A Director’s Perspective

An Interview With David Hammond

AUDITIONING FOR SHAKESPEARE

By Joe Falocco

IS A RESIDENT THEATER COMPANY FOR YOU?

An Interview With Richard Rose

By Amanda Nelson

CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT

TRAINING YOUR VOICE FOR THE JOB

An Interview With Bob Corff

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND HABITS

For the Working Actor

An Interview With Jordan Lund

THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE!

A Semi-Imaginary Interview With Berliner Ensemble Actor Laura Tratnik

By John Crutchfield

WHEN IT FEELS IMPOSSIBLE

An Interview With Regan Linton

By Jason Dorwart

A DIALOGUE ABOUT THE ART OF WORKING AS AN ACTOR

By Kate Kramer and Elizabeth Stevens

CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS

THE TRIPLE CROWN OF ACTING

The Road to Winning an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony

An Interview With Ellen Burstyn

CAREER STRATEGIES FOR PERFORMING ARTISTS

By Amy Guerin

YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL! NOW WHAT?

An Agent’s Perspective

By Richard Lucas

EXPANDING YOUR VIEW OF SUCCESS

Notes from the Acting Coach

An Interview With Scott Fielding

NOT STANDING ON CEREMONY

How To Be an Amateur in the Theater

By Phillip L. Beard

CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD

CREATING A CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE FOR THE STAGE

An Interview With Caden Manson and Jemma Nelson

By Emeline Jouve

WORKING IN CORPORATE ENTERTAINMENT

An Interview With Lisa Kovach

SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS THEATER

Acting as a Vessel for Change

By Christina Rodriguez de Conte

THE ACTOR WHO WRITES

Another Tool for Your Toolbox

By Robert Hedley

A LIFE IN THE THEATER

By Harriet Power

CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN

UNDERSTANDING YOUR AUDIENCE

By Kirsty Sedgman

BEGINNING ACTING LATER IN LIFE

An Interview With Mary Ann Thebus

By Anna Hozian

MANAGING REJECTION, DISAPPOINTMENT, AND SETBACKS

By Carl Menninger and Lori Hammel

1,000+ STAGE PERFORMANCES

An Interview With 100-Year-Old Chemancheri Kunjiraman Nair

By Akhila Vimal C

SUCCESS AND THE RESET BUTTON

A Moving Target

By Deric McNish

TEACHING ACTING IN PRISONS

Lessons From the Actors’ Gang Prison Project

An Interview With Sabra Williams

INDEX

Editorial Reviews

"Every young actor anticipating a fulfilling life in the theater can benefit mightily from this book. There's lots of wisdom and helpful, practical advice here. It's up-to-date and comprehensive. The variety of perspectives helps to clarify the daunting, maybe overwhelming, prospect of entering this oh-so-demanding yet oh-so-rewarding field. A welcome addition to the PERFORM series. Thank you, Anna and Chris!"

—Eric Forsythe, Head of Directing, University of Iowa Theatre, IA, USA

"The most comprehensive and impressive collection of useful real-world advice about thoughtfully pursuing a career in the theater I have read in a very long time. If you are looking for one book that will improve your prospects and positively change your theatrical future, this is it."

—Guy Roberts, CEO & Artistic Director, Prague Shakespeare Company, Czech Republic

"Required reading for any business class on acting. An invaluable book for anyone looking to peer into the real world of the working actor. Easy to read, with a wide array of working artists talking about how to live and breathe acting. This book could radically change your career. I wish someone had handed this to me 20 years ago!"

—Richard Robichaux, Head of Acting, Penn State University, PA, USA

From the Publisher