Theatre
-
The Actor’s Business Plan: A Career Guide for the Acting Life: 7 (Performance Books)
The Actors Business Plan is a self-directed practical guide for actors graduating from formal training programs, as well as for those already in the business whose careers need to move ahead more successfully. Using the familiar language of acting training, the book offers a method for the achievement of dreams through a five-year life and career plan giving positive steps to develop a happy life as an actor and as a person. It assists performers to flourish using the same kind of business/career planning that is a necessary part of life for entrepreneurs and business people. This introduction to the acting industry provides essential knowledge not only for how the business actually works, but also describes what casting directors, agents, and managers do, demystifies the role of unions, discusses how much things cost, and offers advice on branding and marketing strategies. It differs from other such handbooks in that it addresses the everyday issues of life, money, and jobs that so frequently destroy an actors career before it is even begun. While addressing NYC and LA, the guide also gives a regional breakdown for those actors who may wish to begin careers or to settle in other cities. It is loaded with personal stories, and interviews with actors, casting directors, and agents from throughout the US. The Actors Business Plan is the answer to the common complaint by students that they were not taught how to negotiate the show business world while at school. It is the perfect antidote for this problem and can easily fit into a ten or a thirteen-week class syllabus. Offering support as a personal career coach, empowering the actor to take concrete steps towards their life and career dreams, The Actors Business Plan: A Career Guide for the Acting Life is a must-have book for actors who are determined to be a part of the professional world .Read more
£14.20 -
The Elemental Actor: How to Release Your Hidden Powers
We are all a complex mixture of the elemental energies identified by many different cultures throughout history: Earth, Air, Fire, Water – and a fifth element called Quintessence or Spirit. As an actor, you need to be able to access each of them, so that you can draw on whichever element you need to bring your role fully into life.
In The Elemental Actor, Mel Churcher explores these deep, primal drives, and gives you practical tools to harness them to make your work more powerful and alive. Her unique approach combines elements of actor training, voice work and movement to increase your range and help you bring depth, specificity and intensity to your performance.
The book includes over one hundred games and exercises to help you explore each of the elements, incorporate this work into your practice, and apply it to the world of your role. There are also tips for preparing for auditions and dealing with performance anxiety, as well as advice on how to stay healthy in body, voice and mind.
Offering an everlasting palette that will enrich any performance, whether on stage or screen, The Elemental Actor will help you release the wellspring of your imagination, and put elemental power into your work.
Mel Churcher is an international acting, dialogue and voice coach who has worked with companies including the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre and Graeae Theatre Company. She is one of the top acting and dialogue coaches in TV and movies, and has worked with some of the biggest stars of stage and screen.Read more
£14.20 -
Harry Potter Crochet Wizardry: The official Harry Potter crochet pattern book
Immerse yourself in the Wizarding World with Harry Potter Crochet Wizardry, the deluxe guide to all things crochet from the iconic films.
Featuring over 20 official patterns for toys, keepsakes, and costume replicas inspired by the Harry Potter films, with projects ranging from beginner to more experienced.
Projects include:
Accio Amigurumi – The Sorting Hat; Fawkes; Professor McGonagall’s Animagus; Mandrake; Hedwig; Dobby; Harry’s stag Patronus
Conjuring Costumes – The Hogwarts Scarves; Ron’s Three Broomsticks cardigan; Hermione’s Godric’s Hollow Hat & Mitts; Luna’s Cardigan; Hermione’s Rooms of Requirement Jumper
Fantastic Fashion – Hogwarts Poncho; Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Socks; The Dumbledore Hat; The Unbreakable Vow Jumper
Curios & Keepsakes – The Burrow Blanket; Hogwarts Letter Crossbody Bag; Lovegood Dirigible Plum Pillow; Hogwarts Crest Blanket; Potions Class Baskets; Golden Snitch Baby Blanket; Quidditch BannerA true fan must-have, this book also includes fun facts, original costume sketches, film stills and other behind-the-scenes treasures.
Harry Potter Knitting Magic:
‘The perfect guide for weaving some magic’ – Prima
‘A dream for members of the fandom’ – Mollie Makes
‘Knitting has never been so magical!’ – Let’s Knit!Lee Sartori’s book ‘Harry Potter Crochet Wizardry’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 30-08-2021.
Read more
£14.20£19.00 -
Technical Drawing for Stage Design
Technical Drawing for Stage Design explains the importance of drawing in the design process, revealing how the initial two-dimensional drawing is a crucial building block in creating the scale model that in turn will develop into the stage set – that will transport the audience into another world.Read more
£14.10 -
The Invisible Actor (Bloomsbury Revelations)
The Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook’s theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer’s need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor’s method and becomes too conscious of the actor’s artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida’s work and methods. In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.Read more
£13.90 -
The Actor and the Target
A definitive guide to acting. A revised and updated edition of Declan Donnellan’s international bestseller, a fresh and radical approach to acting by a world-famous director and one of the most successful titles ever published by Nick Hern Books.“The Actor and the Target comes from the heart of his own experience. Fear, generalising and other actor’s blocks are dismembered lethally and with infectious relish” Alan Rickman
“Brilliantly direct, the ‘target’ equips the actor with keys to unlock the fears and flab of acting. Declan’s insightful voice guides us to the heart of the process; exhilirating to read and more importantly to put into practice.” Joseph Fiennes.
“Cuts open every generalisation about acting and draws out gleamingly fresh specifics.” Peter Brook
Read more
£13.70£16.10The Actor and the Target
£13.70£16.10 -
The Actor And The Text
Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, is world-famous for her voice teaching. The Actor and the Text is her classic book, distilled from years of working with actors of the highest calibre.Read more
£13.60£16.10The Actor And The Text
£13.60£16.10 -
A Game Called Malice: A Rebus Play
A delicious, and somewhat drunken, dinner party segues into a murder mystery game created by the hostess. However, the parlour game may hold clues about the dark truths hiding just under the surface of this genteel gathering…
As suspects, clues and red herrings are sifted – it seems one of the guests has an unfair advantage: John Rebus, an ex-detective who used to do this for a living.
But is he playing another game, one to which only he knows the rules, that will soon be revealed?
As the tension rises, one by one, all their secrets will come out – and there is a shocking discovery that awaits them all…
Read more
£13.60£18.00A Game Called Malice: A Rebus Play
£13.60£18.00 -
The Invisible Actor (Bloomsbury Revelations)
The Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook’s theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer’s need to characterise and expose depths of emotion.Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor’s method and becomes too conscious of the actor’s artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida’s work and methods.
In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.
Read more
£13.20 -
The Methuen Drama Book of Monologues for Young Actors
Selected by Anne Harvey, an experienced actress, director, writer and adjudicator, these dramatic monologues are suitable for performance at auditions, solo acting classes, festivals and examinations. Ranging from early Elizabethan to contemporary literature, the pieces are varied in content, tone and style and are equipped with an introduction setting the context. Writers include: Alan Ayckbourn, Enid Bagnold, David Campton, William Congreve, Sarah Daniels, Charles Dickens, Athol Fugard, Lucy Gannon, Graham Greene, John Godber, David Hare, Stanley Houghton, Henrik Ibsen, Shaman Macdonald, David Mercer, Iris Murdoch, Dennis Potter, Tom Stoppard, CP Taylor, Hugh Whitemore and many more.Read more
£12.30 -
Health and Safety in the Live Music and Event Technical Production Industry
This book covers the real basics of health and safety in the live music and event production industry in a simple jargon free manner that can also be used as the perfect student course note accompaniment to the various safety passport schemes that now exist in our industryRead more
£12.30 -
The Outstanding Actor: Seven Keys to Success (Performance Books)
Drawing on Ken Rea’s 35 years’ teaching experience and research, as well as interviews with top actors and directors, The Outstanding Actor identifies seven key qualities that the most successful actors manifest, along with practical exercises that help nurture those qualities and videos to demonstrate them.Featuring contributions and insights from Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Judi Dench, Al Pacino, Lily James, Rufus Norris and many more, The Outstanding Actor gives you techniques that you can immediately put into practice in rehearsals, classes or private preparation. It also shows you how to increase the chances of having a more successful career.
This new edition covers topical issues such as the #MeToo movement, gender balance and race issues, and how these affect working conditions and careers. There are also brand new links to video resources that bring the valuable exercises to life.
The book also includes forewords by Damian Lewis and Lily James.
Read more
£12.20 -
Speaking The Speech: An Actor’s Guide To Shakespeare
With a foreword by Mark Rylance.Why does Shakespeare write in the way he does? And how can actors and directors get the most out of his incomparable plays? In Speaking the Speech, Giles Block – ‘Master of the Words’ at Shakespeare’s Globe – sets out to answer these two simple questions. The result is the most authoritative, most comprehensive book yet written on speaking Shakespeare’s words.
Throughout the book, the author subjects Shakespeare’s language to rigorous examination, illuminating his extraordinary ability to bring his characters to life by a simple turn of phrase, a breath or even a pause. Block shows how we can only fully understand these characters, and the meaning of the plays, by speaking the words out loud.
Drawing on characters from across all of Shakespeare’s plays – and looking in detail at Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing – Block covers everything the actor needs to know, including: the essential distinctions between prose, rhymed verse and unrhymed verse, and the different strategies to be used when speaking them; the difference between you and thou; Shakespeare’s use of silence; and the vital importance of paying attention to Shakespeare’s original punctuation.
Speaking the Speech is a book for actors and directors who want to improve their understanding of Shakespeare’s language in order to speak it better. It is also a fascinating read for anyone who wants to deepen their appreciation of Shakespeare’s language and the way it comes to life when spoken aloud.
Read more
£12.00£14.20Speaking The Speech: An Actor’s Guide To Shakespeare
£12.00£14.20 -
National Youth Theatre Monologues: 75 Speeches for Auditions: Speeches for Young People
“The ultimate guide to auditions for young actors” Broadway WorldAn exciting and invaluable collection of audition speeches, all chosen from plays produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, spanning more than sixty years as one of the world’s leading companies for young performers.
Featuring seventy-five monologues by acclaimed writers such as Zawe Ashton, Moira Buffini, Carol Ann Duffy, Brian Friel, James Fritz, James Graham, Dennis Kelly, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Gbolahan Obisesan, Evan Placey, Sarah Solemani and Jack Thorne, the book offers rich and diverse roles ranging from teens to adults.
Each audition speech also comes with invaluable supporting material compiled by NYT Associate Artist Michael Bryher to help you perform the piece to its maximum effect, including:
- A detailed description of the play that the speech is originally from
- Contextual information such as what’s just happened in the play, where the monologue takes place, to whom the character is talking, and what their motivations are
- Things to think about when rehearsing and performing the speech
The book also provides extensive advice on choosing a speech, working on it and preparing for auditions, plus tips and first-hand insights into the monologues from current NYT members and alumni who’ve performed them.
An ideal resource for actors auditioning for drama school, the NYT or elsewhere, as well as those preparing for showcases or competitions, National Youth Theatre Monologues offers a wide and diverse range of roles, themes and styles meaning you’ll be able to find the speech that’s just right for you.
- Contextual information such as what’s just happened in the play, where the monologue takes place, to whom the character is talking, and what their motivations are
Read more
£12.00£14.20 - A detailed description of the play that the speech is originally from
-
I an Actor
The new revised edition of the uncensored ‘Acto-biography’ of the most controversial thespian of his generation. The memoirs of Nicholas Craig – theatrical eminence best known for his Trueplate in The Cuckolde of Leicester and more popularly as Gob in Oh No! It’s the Neighbours! – are re-released for a grateful audience, updated with a wealth of new and controversial material. Startlingly truthful, unflinchingly illustrated, I, An Actor’ is a piton up the slope of creativity for theatre fans and aspiring actors alike, revealing everything that most theatrical autobiographies cravenly avoid.Read more
£11.90£12.30I an Actor
£11.90£12.30 -
Great Shakespeare Actors: Burbage to Branagh
Great Shakespeare Actors offers a series of essays on great Shakespeare actors from his time to ours, starting by asking whether Shakespeare himself was the first–the answer is No–and continuing with essays on the men and women who have given great stage performances in his plays from Elizabethan times to our own. They include both English and American performers such as David Garrick, Sarah Siddons, Charlotte Cushman, Ira Aldridge, Edwin Booth, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Edith Evans, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft, Janet Suzman, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, and Kenneth Branagh. Individual chapters tell the story of their subjects’ careers, but together these overlapping tales combine to offer a succinct, actor-centred history of Shakespearian theatrical performance.
Stanley Wells examines what it takes to be a great Shakespeare actor and then offers a concise sketch of each actor’s career in Shakespeare, an assessment of their specific talents and claims to greatness, and an account, drawing on contemporary reviews, biographies, anecdotes, and, for some of the more recent actors, the author’s personal memories of their most notable performances in Shakespeare roles.Read more
£11.60£16.10Great Shakespeare Actors: Burbage to Branagh
£11.60£16.10 -
The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes
This is the ultimate anthology of theatrical anecdotes, edited by lifelong theatre-lover Gyles Brandreth in the Oxford tradition, and covering every kind of theatrical story and experience from the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe to the age of Stoppard and Mamet, from Richard Burbage to Richard Briers, from Nell Gwynn to Daniel Day-Lewis, from Sarah Bernhardt to Judi Dench.Players, playwrights, prompters, producers―they all feature. The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes provides a comprehensive, revealing, and hugely entertaining portrait of the world of theatre across four hundred years.
Many of the anecdotes are humorous: all have something pertinent and illuminating to say about an aspect of theatrical life―whether it is the art of playwriting, the craft of covering up missed cues, the drama of the First Night, the nightmare of touring, or the secret ingredients of star quality.
Edmund Kean, Henry Irving, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Ellen Terry, Edith Evans, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren―the great ‘names’ are all here, of course, but there are tales of the unexpected, too―and the unknown. This is a book―presented in five acts, with a suitably anecdotal and personal prologue from Gyles Brandreth―where, once in a while, the understudy takes centre-stage and Gyles Brandreth treats triumph and disaster just the same, including stories from the tattiest touring companies as well as from Broadway, the West End and theatres, large and small, in Australia, India, and across Europe.
Read more
£11.60£12.30The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes
£11.60£12.30 -
Duologues for Female Actors: Classic Scenes
I have compiled and edited this collection of Classic duologues for female actors to study, perform and enjoy. These scenes are suitable for a range of acting exams and awards as well as for auditions and festivals. I have tried and tested these scenes with numerous students over the years with great success and more importantly, they have thoroughly enjoyed working on themThe duologues in this collection are taken from a range of plays : including works from the Greeks, Restoration Drama, French Farce, Ibsen, Chekhov, Wilde, Shaw, Tennessee Williams and Jean Anouilh. Each scene has an introduction prepared suitable for exam or festival work and are also timed with exams and festival work in mind. I hope you enjoy this collection.Read more
£11.40 -
Laban for Actors and Dancers: Putting Laban’s Movement Theory into Practice – A Step-by-Step Guide
A handbook, complete with graded exercises, for teachers and students wanting a practical introduction to Laban’s famous system of movement.
Rudolf Laban is to movement what Stanislavski is to acting. He devised the first wholly successful system for recording human movement, a system which is increasingly influential in the training of actors and dancers.
‘Required reading for every young student of the theatre – and a lot of the older ones would reap enormous benefit from it’ Murray Melvin
Read more
£11.40£14.20 -
The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit (new edition): Revised Edition
A revised and updated edition of Bella Merlin’s essential guide to Stanislavsky.The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit collects together for the first time the terms and ideas developed by Stanislavsky throughout his career.
It is organised into three sections: Actor-Training, Rehearsal Processes and Performance Practices. Key terms are explained and defined as they naturally occur in this process. They are illustrated with examples from both his own work and that of other practitioners.
Each stage of the process is explored with sequences of practical exercises designed to help today’s actors and students become thoroughly familiar with the tools in Stanislavsky’s toolkit.
‘Bella Merlin magically converts her extensive knowledge into real-world practice and on-the-floor technique. This new edition is a necessary and lively resource for any theatre practitioner.’ David Chambers, Professor of Directing, Yale School of Drama
‘One of the essential books about acting for both professionals and students… brings new clarity to unlocking what Stanislavsky means for actors today.’ Michael Earley, Principal, Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance
Read more
£11.40£12.30 -
Scenes for Teens: 50 Original Comedy and Drama Scenes for Teenage Actors: 1 (The Young Actor Series)
Scenes for Teens is meant to help simplify the acting and auditioning process for young actors. Created by an experienced entertainer with Hollywood and Broadway credits, these fifty original comedy and drama scripts are ideal for actor training. The scenes are written for two actors, are gender-neutral, and intentionally exclude costumes, props, entrances, exits, complicated stage directions, and additional characters. In this way, Scenes for Teens is specifically designed to help young performers practice dialogue in a conversational and realistic manner. This allows them to focus on the one-on-one relationship.With an inspiring foreword by Kevin Sorbo – and a clear introduction to the art and business of professional acting by the author – Scenes for Teens is an effective teaching tool for young actors, their parents, and acting coaches.Read more
£11.40 -
Standout in Stillness: Mindfulness for Actors and Performers
Delve into the captivating world of mindfulness practices, tailored made for the theatre and entertainment industry, with Michael Andersen’s special report: “Standout in Stillness: Mindfulness for Actors and Performers”.
Infused with wisdom from Andersen’s vast experience, this easy-to-follow guide unravels the intertwining threads of mindfulness and extraordinary performances. The content is engaging, enlightening, and, above all, practical, making it ideal for performers across all spectrums, from the fledgling to the seasoned veteran.
- “The Art of Being Present: Mindfulness Basics” will introduce you to the profound concepts of the practice.
- In “Breathing for the Stage: Core of Acting Mindfulness”, you’ll dig deep into the magnificent impacts of purposeful breathwork.
- Chapters like “Emotional Equipoise: Achieving Balanced Sentiments Through Mindfulness” and “Rehearsing Mindfully: A Pathway to Authenticity” will provide invaluable tools in honing your acting abilities while maintaining inner stillness.
With this special report, you can harness your inner calm to ignite your acting potential. So, gear up for a transformative journey through the echoes of encore, from the comforting stillness behind the curtains to standing tall on the grandiose stage. Grab your copy now and commence a journey towards mindful performances that resonate deeply with your audience.
Remember, because in stillness, you truly standout!
Read more
£11.40 -
Memorization for Actors (Psychology for Actors Series)
Imagine if you could learn your lines in half the usual time yet feel confident they will roll off your tongue when needed.
Memorization for Actors provides you with a range of practical psychology tools and a bullet-proof memorization process that will put you miles ahead of the competition.
Read this book and discover:
• How you can become a master at learning your lines
• Simple tricks to learn more lines in less time
• Advanced tools to turbo-charge your memorization process
• Proven strategies to remember your lines in high stress situations
• When to schedule your memorization sessions for maximum effect, and more…Short enough to read in an afternoon, yet jam-packed with practical advice, Memorization for Actors will transform your acting career.
Alexa Ispas holds a PhD in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. The books in her Psychology for Actors Series provide actors with proven psychology techniques to thrive and build a successful career.
Read more
£11.40 -
Voice And The Actor
Voice and the Actor is the first classic work by Cicely Berry, Voice Director of the Royal Shakespear Company and world-famous voice teacher. Encapsulating her renowned method of teaching voice production, the exercises in this straightforward, no-nonsense guide will develop relaxation, breathing and muscular control – without which no actor or speaker can achieve their full potential.
Illustrated with passages used in Cicely Berry’s own teaching, Voice and the Actor is the essential first step towards speaking a text with truth and meaning. Inspiring and practical, her words will be a revelation for beginner and professional alike.
Read more
£11.30£14.20Voice And The Actor
£11.30£14.20 -
The Jobbing Actor: A Coaching Programme for Actors
‘The book all actors need – a vital manual to help you stay balanced in an increasingly demanding industry’ Miranda Hart
The Jobbing Actor is an innovative six-week coaching programme designed by accredited coaches to help you achieve your acting ambitions. It’s not just another ‘how to’ guide telling you what you already know; it’s a professional self-development programme that’s high on impact and low on bullshit.
Week by week, it will guide you through a structured series of industry-focused and holistic exercises and challenges. Full of uplifting advice and practical hints and tips, it covers every aspect of building and sustaining a career – from auditions and self-taping, through dealing with rejection and other trip-ups, to networking, branding and diversifying. Also included are daily journal pages in which you’ll set your targets and goals, and track your progress.
Inspiring, empowering – and fun! – The Jobbing Actor is your own personal coach in handy paperback form. It’ll empower you to take stock of where you are personally and professionally, instigate long-term, positive change, and reclaim ownership of your career.
Anita Gilbert and Letty Butler (aka Bert & Butler) have between them over forty years’ experience in the business. Anita has worked as a professional actor, as well as a theatrical agent, and is now a full-time voice and accent coach. Letty is a jobbing actor and comedienne, with extensive credits for stage and screen. She’s also an award-winning writer and professional life coach.
‘Brilliant. A godsend to actors!’ Eleanor Tomlinson
‘No-nonsense, practical advice delivered with humour, warmth and a real desire to help actors succeed’ Peter Hunt (Head of Casting, Lime Pictures)
Read more
£11.00 -
The Methuen Book of Duologues for Young Actors (Audition Books) (Audition Speeches)
Selected by Anne Harvey, an experienced actress, director, writer and adjudicator, these scenes are suitable for performance at auditions, solo acting classes, festivals and examinations. Ranging from Renaissance to contemporary literature, the pieces are varied in content, tone and style and are equipped with an introduction setting the context. Writers include: Edward Bond, Ken Campbell, David Crampton, Caryl Churchill, Noel Coward, Monica Dickens, Lisa Evans, Dario Fo, John Ford, David Hare, Jonathan Harvey, Lillian Hellman, Adrian Henri, Robert Holman, Moliere, Willy Russell, Diane Samuels, G B Shaw, David Storey, Frank Wedekind and many more…Read more
£11.00£12.30 -
Monologues for Kids and Tweens: 100 Original Comedy and Drama Monologues for Young Actors (The Young Actor Series)
“The monologues are brilliant! And the best part, there’s one to fit every audition, no matter what….He’s created another excellent guide to help young actors master their craft.” – Suzanne Lyons, Producer, Snowfall FilmsDoes your child dream of being on television?
Are you determined that your child escapes the perils of early stardom?
Are you wondering how to get started?Casting Director Michael Shurtleff, author of Audition, was famously quoted as saying, “The first step to a better audition is to give up character and use yourself.”
His student and talented character actor in his own right, Mike Kimmel, has translated that truth into a series of books that will help hone the skills of a young actor and help them understand how to handle and explore stage and film. Monologues for Kids and Tweens is a collection of 100 original comedy and drama scripts on a wide range of topics. Each piece may be performed by actors of any gender. No props or costumes are required.
As Eva C. Nusbaum says, ”These short pieces acknowledge – and rightly so – that kids live in imperfect families in an imperfect world.” They touch on:
- loss (The Comfy Red Chair,)
- consequences (Green Bananas,)
- shame (Little People,)
- duty (New Old Sneakers,)
- nostalgia (Little Magic Donut Seeds
The monologues are clean, family-friendly, and include positive messages, life lessons, and ethical questions for young people written between the lines. These are monologues they’ll remember you by. Ultimately, these monologues can help parents and teachers encourage positive attitudes and behaviors in our young performers – and their classmates and audiences as well. Appropriate for film, television, and theater training and performance.
As Jack Klugman said, “Acting is a craft, and you must learn it.” Get started with The Young Actor Series and give your young artist the best chance of becoming a professional actor and a well-balanced, empathetic human being.
Praise for Monologues for Kids and Tweens
”Mike has a real gift for writing while keeping his monologues concise and memorable.” – Will Wallace, Director, Producer, Actor and Acting Coach
”It makes for a nce addition to any young actor’s “tool box.” – Nicole Connor, Talent Agent, Central Artists Talent Agency
”Finally, a monologue book that is introspective and yet able to be expressed believably through the art of a child.” – GiGi Erneta, Actress, Radio and TV Host
”Kimmel has crafted a great selection of pieces varying in tone and subject that are perfect for the young performer….It’s so refreshing to have a compilation of monologues that support good values and personal growth for the child’s development, both as an actor and as an empathetic human being.” – Misty Marshall, Executive Director, Empowerment thru Arts, Sony recording artist and American Idol semi-finalist
Study acting as you grow with The Young Actor Series – build your acting skills now in preparation for studying with tomorrow’s Stella Adler, Uta Hagan, or Constantin Stanislavski.
- Acting Scenes for Kids and Tweens
- Monologues for Kids and Tweens
- One-Minute Monologues for Teens
- Scenes for Teens
- Monologues for Teens
These books can be used in any order by acting students in the correct age group.
Read more
£10.90 -
The Actor’s Guide to Playing a Character: William Esper Teaches the Meisner Technique
William Esper, one of the most celebrated acting teachers of our time, takes us through his step-by-step approach to the central challenge of advanced acting work: creating and playing a character.Esper’s first book, The Actor’s Art and Craft, earned praise for describing the basics taught in his famous first-year acting class. The Actor’s Guide to Creating a Character continues the journey. In these pages, co-author Damon DiMarco vividly re-creates Esper’s second-year course, again through the experiences of a fictional class. Esper’s training builds on Sanford Meisner’s legendary exercises, a world-renowned technique that Esper further developed through his long association with Meisner and the decades he has spent training a host of distinguished actors. His approach is flexible enough to apply to any role, helping actors to create characters with truthful and compelling inner lives.
Read more
£10.60£14.20 -
What Actors Do: Advice to the Players in Seven Paradoxes and a Manifesto
‘Only what is open and searching is active and alive. You, the actor, must learn to find security in insecurity, certainty in uncertainty, to trust that this will lead to discovery and growth.’
In What Actors Do, revered theatre director Mike Alfreds explores the wellspring of the actor’s craft, tracing a pathway to creative freedom through the thickets of competing methodologies and confusing paradoxes that you will face throughout your training and career.
How do you give life to a character that both is and isn’t yourself? How can you be childlike and open in your work without becoming childish? How, when you know what’s coming next, can you still be spontaneous?
Frank, uncompromising and full of sharply focused insights, this book will help you strip away the inhibitions and habitual thinking that can shackle our imaginations. It will show you how to generate truthful performances by trusting your inner creativity and remaining radically open, responsive and present in every moment.
Mike Alfreds has been directing plays for more than seventy years. In the 1970s he founded Shared Experience, and has since worked for the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and also extensively abroad. He is hugely respected within the profession, and is the author of two previous books, Different Every Night and Then What Happens?
‘If I was allowed to train again to be an actor, but I was only allowed one teacher, it would have to be Mike Alfreds. To me he is a genius when it comes to acting and storytelling’ Mark Rylance
Read more
£10.50£12.30 -
Talking Theatre: Interviews with Theatre People
The Sunday Times Theatre Book of the year. Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Miller, Alan Ayckbourn, John Gielgud, Tom Stoppard and many more talk about the stories behind some of the most important and successful theatre productions and performances of recent times. Shortly after he left the directorship of the National Theatre, Richard Eyre embarked on a series of interviews with people who had played a significant part in making and influencing the theatre of the second half of the twentieth century. Forty of these interviews – threaded through with Eyre’s own commentary – are published in this new paperback edition. Talking Theatre is a fascinating and revealing insight into the world and mindset of the artists and creative talent who have shaped – and continue to shape – modern theatre.Read more
£10.40 -
Drama Games for Actors – Exploring Self, Character and Text
‘A mass of invaluable ideas for all ages and all types of actors, amateur or professional. It’s hard to imagine anyone involved in theatre who wouldn’t find it useful.’ Richard Eyre, from his ForewordFrom the bestselling Drama Games series, this dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book offers dozens of games to serve as a rich source of ideas and inspiration for all actors – and those teaching or directing them.
This must-have companion is divided into three sections, each focusing on a different aspect of the actor’s process:
Self provides methods to deepen relaxation, sharpen focus, boost energy, expand imagination and enable a company of actors to work collaboratively
Character suggests strategies to aid the process of transformation, encouraging actors to explore characteristics that are distinct from their own
And Text offers exercises to unlock the words, allowing free and imaginative work within the structure of a script, without losing specificity
The games range from solo explorations which can be performed alone, to ideas for pairs and group work – making them suitable for a wide variety of scenarios and requirements. Overall, the book will serve as an essential foundation for every actor’s creativity, helping improve preparation, rehearsal and performance.
Read more
£10.30£12.30 -
Contemporary Monologues for Teenagers: Male (NHB Good Audition Guides) (The Guide Audition Guides) (The Good Audition Guides)
Extremely useful and thorough… A collection of great value to students –Teaching Drama MagazineForty fantastic male speeches for teenagers, all written since the year 2000, by some of the most exciting and acclaimed writers working today.
Whether you’re applying for drama school, taking an exam, or auditioning for a professional role, it’s likely you’ll be required to perform one or more monologues, including a piece from a contemporary play. It’s vital to come up with something fresh that’s suited both to you in order to allow you to express who you are as a performer and to the specific purposes of the audition.
In this invaluable collection you’ll find forty speeches by leading contemporary playwrights including Annie Baker, Jez Butterworth, Nadia Fall, Ella Hickson, Arinzé Kene, Dawn King, Jessica Swale, Jack Thorne, Enda Walsh and Tom Wells, from plays that were premiered at many of the UK’s most famous and respected venues, including the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, Royal Court Theatre, Bush Theatre, Traverse Theatre, the Young Vic, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James introduces each speech with a user-friendly, bullet-point list of ten things you need to know about the character, and then five ideas to help you perform the monologue.
This book also features a step-by-step guide to the process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself.
‘Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike’ Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides
A NOTE ON THE TITLE
The use of the word ‘Male’ in the title of this monologue collection refers to the characters as originally written, and is not intended to suggest any restriction in terms of usage.
We encourage performers of all gender identities to explore and choose any monologue that they connect with as an individual, and not feel constrained by who it was originally written to be performed by.
Read more
£10.30 -
Fantasy Monologues for Young Actors: 52 High-Quality Monologues for Kids & Teens
By the author of the best-selling Contemporary Monologues for Young Actors!
Following the smash success of Contemporary Monologues for Young Actors, award-winning NYC playwright Douglas M. Parker has created a new volume of unique monologues that allows young actors to explore a broad range of characters, emotions and situations.
Fantasy Monologues for Young Actors offers 52 fun, accessible and inventive monologues that will tap into every inch of an actor’s creativity. Featuring appealing, instantly involving pieces ranging from the comedic to the heartfelt, every monologue is written in contemporary and accessible language. Created specifically for actors and acting students ages 7-14 and for the teachers, directors and acting coaches who work with them..
These monologues feature:
- A broad range of unique circumstances and emotions: comedic, inspirational, heartfelt, lonely, curious, etc.
- Gender-neutral, so every monologue could be performed by a boy or a girl
- Emotional arcs and strong outcomes to challenge your actors and keep audiences engaged
- Modern day topics with contemporary language that really relate to kids today
- Perfect for auditions, as short performance pieces and for use in the classroom
Here are two sample monologues from the book:
FLYING
There’s a scene in Peter Pan where Peter teaches the kids to fly. And the way he does it is, he tells them to think their happiest thoughts. And they do it, and they just start flying. I mean, it tells you right in the book how to do it! So I thought – if they can fly, I bet I can too. So I just started thinking about all the things that made me the happiest. Like the day we picked up my new dog, Rex, from the kennel. And the day I beat my dad at chess – which is also known in my house as the day my dad let me beat him at chess. Or the time my sister gave me a birthday present, when it wasn’t even my birthday. Or when my mom says she loves me. And by the time I was finished, even though I was still lying in my bed, I was flying so high I thought I’d never touch the ground again. And I could look down and see everyone and everything in my life and they were all looking up and smiling and waving back at me . . . I don’t know if there really is a Peter Pan or an island filled with lost boys and pirates and Indians, but it doesn’t matter. Because I know one thing for sure . . . I know how to fly.
PAIL OF WATER
(Your character is either Jack or Jill from the well-known nursery rhyme.)
You make one mistake and people never forget it. Seriously. I mean, yeah, Jack [or Jill] and me went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. And, yes, one of us fell down and broke his crown and yeah, yeah, the other one came tumbling after. And no – we did not bring back any water. We did not succeed in our mission. And, if I was to be totally honest, we also lost the bucket. But come on. It wasn’t like we went up the hill to save the planet from an alien invasion. There wasn’t a baby up there about to be eaten by a bear. It was water. We fell down. We didn’t come back with a pail of water. Someone else got up out of their chair, got a bucket, climbed up the hill and fetched a pail of water. Big deal. Life will go on. And just to set the record straight, I am perfectly capable of fetching water. I personally have fetched hundreds of pails of water, both before that incident and after. So has Jack [or Jill]. It was one time. Sheesh. Maybe it’s time we all moved on.
Read more
£10.20 -
Dance Nation (Modern Classics)
“”Barron paints a wholly plausible picture of teenage insecurity and ambition… a play that wittily shows how dance can be a source of liberation without ever quelling the tremulous terrors of adolescence.”” – GuardianSomewhere in America, a revolution is coming. An army of competitive dancers is ready to take over the world, one routine at a time. With a pre-teen battle for power and perfection raging on and off stage, Dance Nation is a ferocious exploration of youth, ambition and self-discovery. Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and The Relentless Award, Dance Nation is Clare Barrons explosive play about the challenges of being young, and competitive dancing. Published for the first time in Methuen Drama’s Modern Classics series, this edition features a brand new introduction by Eboni Booth and Purva Bedi.Read more
£9.90£10.40Dance Nation (Modern Classics)
£9.90£10.40 -
A Practical Guide to Health and Safety in the Entertainment Industry (Safety series)
This book is designed to provide a practical approach to Health and Safety within the Live Entertainment and Event industry. It seeks to clarify the relationships between promoters, production managers, contractors and sub-contractors, freelancers, venues and the public. It gives industry-pertinent examples, and seeks to break down the myths surrounding Health and Safety into easily manageable morsels.
Chapters include The Perception of Safety, Responsibilities, Safety Policy, Risk Assessments, Writing the Risk Assessment, Safe Working Practices, Method Statements, Training, Records, What To Do When Challenged and When You Turn Up at a Venue. These are followed by an appendix of Applicable Regulations and over 50 pages of Examples and Samples.
It is important for readers to note that the content is based on current UK legislation, and whilst it will serve as a useful guide, with regular up-dates posted on this dedicated area of the etnow.com website (to which purchasers of the book will have free access), the author encourages people to read the regulations themselves.
Internationally, there are too many variations to enable an all-embracing book to be written on the subject. However, a safe working practice should be safe anywhere – if it was safe in the first place. Serious and sensible documentation, whether it conforms to a local standard or not, proves that your intentions are honourable.Read more
£9.90 -
Breaking and Entering: A Manual for the Working Actor: From Auditions to Agents to a Career
Philip Carlson was the first agent to sign Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Liev Schreiber, Claire Danes, Idris Elba, Kyra Sedgwick, Adrien Grenier and Paul Giamatti. He has represented Viola Davis, Kathy Bates, Brian Dennehy, and W.H. Macy among many and gifted others. He shares his practical trade secrets in this extraordinarily comprehensive guide on how to get into show business. Topics include: The Schools • The Business • Showcases • Casting Directors • Agents • Auditions • Which Coast? • Producers • Staying Real • Negotiating 101 • Where Do I Fit? • Movies • TV: Where the Real Money Is (These Days) • and more!His clients rave:
“He saw more in me than I saw in myself.” – Kyra Sedgwick
“A great and resonant canyon of thanks to Philip Carlson for his invaluable work with a generation of young talent – including me.” – Billy Crudup
“Philip Carlson is one of the wisest people on the subject of building a career that will last. Luck didn’t have him representing New York’s top character actors; wisdom, intelligence, patience and loyalty did. He was, and is, as good as it gets.” – Tim Blake Nelson
“Philip Carlson was my ‘Guide in shining armor!’ Smart, honest and hardworking, this book is his thinking and experience on a shelf.” – Idris Elba
“I was so fortunate to have found Philip when I did. I can’t imagine a better introduction to the world of acting and the business of getting there.” – Liev Schreiber
Read more
£9.80 -
Leave Taking: GCSE Student Guide
An essential resource for anyone studying Leave Taking for GCSE English Literature – featuring a complete guide to the text, plus activities and advice to help you prepare for assessment.Get to grips with Leave Taking with expert, easy-to-follow breakdowns and analyses of key aspects of the play – including the characters, plot, structure, themes, setting and language – along with a clear explanation of the historical context.
This guide is also packed with exercises and activities for use at home or in the classroom, to support your study and revision, track your progress and help you get great results in your exam.
Featuring insights from playwright Winsome Pinnock and extensive quotes and extracts from the play, this GCSE Student Guide will strengthen your understanding, build your confidence and boost your chances of success.
Read more
£9.60£10.40Leave Taking: GCSE Student Guide
£9.60£10.40 -
Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs
His fans have spoken, but despite their requests, Peter Davison has gone ahead and written his autobiography anyway. It wasn’t the book they tried to stop – it was more like the book they didn’t want him to start.
Despite displaying unspectacular scientific aptitude at school – he even managed to fail CSE woodwork, eliciting a lament from his astonished teacher (‘All you have to do is recognise wood!’) – Peter has secured his place in science fiction history, becoming the fifth Doctor Who, although he nearly turned down the role. The Time Lord connection continued with the marriage of his daughter Georgia to Dr Who number ten, David Tennant.
The artist formerly known as Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett has also starred in a number of television series including Love for Lydia, A Very Peculiar Practice, At Home with the Braithwaites and The Last Detective and became a national treasure for having his arm up a cow in his role as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. He was also in a Michael Winner movie…
He made his first tentative steps on stage in true am-dram style, but the Byfleet Players’ loss was the West End’s gain, after appearing in Legally Blonde, Chicago, Spamalot and the record-breaking Gypsy, where he rubbed shoulders backstage with Dames Meryl Streep, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench – all asking for directions to Imelda Staunton’s dressing room. One thing is for sure: of all the British screen and stage actors of the last fifty years, Peter Davison is certainly one of them and, within these pages, intrepid readers will at last have the dubious honour of sharing in his life and times – as he despairs over whether there truly ever can be life outside the box.
Read more
£9.50£10.40Is There Life Outside the Box: An Actor Despairs
£9.50£10.40 -
Bernard Manning: A Biography
The first biography of one of Britain s most controversial and contradictory comedians.Read more
£9.50 -
The Actor and the Camera
Drawing on his lifetime career in front of the camera (and sometimes behind it), Denis Lawson offers a wonderfully accessible introduction to acting for film and TV. For the young actor hoping to break into the industry – whether in a drama series, soap or sitcom – this book is the ultimate insider’s guide.The author takes us on a guided tour of the film or TV set from day one. We meet the various members of the crew, from the director of photography to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ADs, and learn what each of them does – and how to get the most from them in your work as an actor. Then comes the actual business of shooting the scenes, beginning with readthroughs and rehearsals (if there are any), on to hitting your mark and getting your eye-line right, finishing with the actor’s involvement in post-production.
Throughout, Lawson takes the actor’s point of view, offering encouragement and enlightenment, as well as being refreshingly candid about some of the more inane procedures. Above all, he offers a magnificent array of tips and inside knowledge for coping with what can be a daunting experience for a hopeful young actor.
Denis Lawson has been running film workshops for drama students and working actors for over twenty years. His work as an actor includes the BBC’s Bleak House, Holby City, Sensitive Skin, Marchlands and Inside No. 9 on television, and Local Hero, Broken and The Machine on film. In 2012 he joined the cast of BBC TV’s New Tricks, now in its eleventh series with an audience of almost nine million.
With a foreword by Ewan McGregor.
Read more
£9.40£10.40The Actor and the Camera
£9.40£10.40
