The Lucid Body: A Guide for the Physical Actor
Buy the Book from Perseus Books Group
orderentry@perseusbooks.com
800-343-4499 or amazon.com
Tired of pretending?
Learn how to work from your truth, no matter how extreme the dramatic situation.
Finally the Lucid Body in print! This book is a usable tool for actors looking for a more holistic physical approach to the demands of film and theater. It will introduce the somatic concepts of freeing the body from habitual tension, and give hands on exercises to learn how to re-build physical character, using one’s organic self. The Lucid Body process is a spiritual journey for the actor, as it leads toward physical and mental integration through a thorough exploration of the seven chakra energy centers.. Knowing yourself deeply, means knowing your characters as well. Whether in a Lucid Body class, or thinking about it, order this book now and start peeling away the layers of learned response in order to uncover the freshness of true response. Lucid Body, Lucid Mind. Lucid Acting.
Don’t be caught on stage without it!
BackStage Spotlights:
The Essentials
JANUARY 28, 2010
The Drama Book Shop, New YorkWe asked the staffs of the Drama Book Shop in New York and Samuel French in Los Angeles for their picks of the top 10 books every actor should own. Here are their choices.
1. “Stella Adler on Acting” by Stella Adler
Adler fuses multiple techniques and methods to create an approach to acting that is all-encompassing, rich, and multilayered. Perfect for the professional and novice alike.
2. “Auditioning” by Joanna Merlin
A former casting director for Hal Prince and a working actor, Merlin gives exceptional advice from her experience on both sides of the audition table. What she does best is address the many ways in which actors sabotage themselves and the many things they can do to harness their personal power to deliver the best audition possible. This book is uplifting and demystifies the sometimes scary process of auditioning.
3. “How to Get the Part…Without Falling Apart” by Margie Haber
Covering both acting for the camera and auditioning for the camera, this book is great and informative when read cover to cover, but it also provides quick-to-pick-up tips for those with a short attention span. It also includes a major bonus: sample TV and film audition scenes. A must-have book for the film actor.
4. “Truth” by Susan Batson
The acting coach and founder of Black Nexxus, an acting school in New York and L.A., strips away acting technique to reveal that which is most honest. The book is filled with tons of practical tips to help you break down the script and create a unique character.
5. “The Lucid Body” by Fay Simpson
This is a wonderful book that approaches acting through movement and the chakras, the seven energy centers of the body, according to yoga philosophy. It’s a new approach to acting based on where the character lives in your body.
6. “Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre” by Keith Johnstone
A must-read for anyone remotely interested in the performing arts. Johnstone calls on readers to bring the creativity and whimsy of improvisation into all corners of their lives and art. It will open your mind and provide food for thought for the inner child and inner artist.
7. “Playing Shakespeare” by John Barton
This is one of the most definitive texts on performing Shakespeare. With more than 35 years of directorial experience with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Barton walks the actor through Shakespeare and the workshop process with the help of numerous great Shakespearean actors.
8. “Make Your Voice Heard” by Chuck Jones
With root exercises similar to those of the Linklater technique, Jones takes the idea of range and clarity in the speaking voice and integrates it with the emotional freedom and connection that modern acting techniques require.
9. “Second Circle” by Patsy Rodenburg
This is the most recent book from this renowned actor, director, and teacher, and her first to focus on acting solely from the perspective of energy. It’s excellent for both actor and civilian, encouraging you to find your power, energy, and center so that you can be present in a scene and in life.
10. “Mystic in the Theatre” by Eva Le Gallienne
This is more than just a biography of Eleonora Duse, acclaimed stage actress of the early 1900s. It is an inspirational tale of the courage and passion necessary to pursue a life in the theater.
The Drama Book Shop, 250 W. 40th St., New York, NY 10018;
(212) 944-0595; www.dramabookshop.com