ABSTRACT
This is a book about Acting. Not Drama. Not Theatre or Performance Studies. It’s a book about the practice of acting and the people who advance its evolution. It combines information from various published sources with insights from my own experiences as a working professional and original material from fellow actors. The intention is to introduce you to an array of practitioners and thinkers who have shaped our craft, along with a range of insights into the challenges and experiences you’ll possibly encounter on your way. In many ways, I lead you to the banquet table, so that you can choose whatever suits your taste buds. In other words, this isn’t a primer or ‘how to act’ book, because
it’s hard to learn how to act from a book. It’s an art you discover experientially, by getting up and doing it, as it involves all aspects of your personality: your body, voice, imagination, emotions and psyche. That said, there are many ideas which can be shared through the written word. Hence Acting: The Basics. The contents of this book straddle both the Academy and the Industry, applying to you whether you’re at a vocational drama school or a university studying Acting as part of a broader degree. (There may even be something for the seasoned professional.) So, I hope to share with you a desire to combine practical acting with intellectual curiosity, since – as a professional actor who also teaches in universities and drama schools – I believe there are so many exciting discoveries to be made by linking our own experience to the study of others. To which end, we begin with a historical overview.
