The Actor's Essential Reading List

OK, this is in response to a number of people recently asking me which books I would recommend that an actor read. I'm never really sure how to answer that question, because what lights my fire might not light theirs. What I've decided is that there are three distinct answers to the question, so I'll present them all here.

Answer One
I suppose that there is a canon of sorts that every serious theatre craftsman should be familiar with just in terms of history, major movements, styles, etcetera. I have no doubt that such canonical lists abound on the internet so I won't reproduce them here. Check out any online course syllabus from any drama class at any major university, or look at the reading lists on amazon.com. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to suggest that these works are without value to the individual actor. They have great value and are canonical for just that reason. However, like so many things canonical, if not approached in the right way, they become merely relics of old ideas, read just because they happened to survive rather than to plumb their depths. I know far too many actors who have read Quintillian, and Aristotle, and Craig, and Stanislavski, and Artaud, and Brook, and Grotowski, and whoever else you might care to name, in the former manner and are no better for it except to be able to say that they have read them. By all means, read them, read them all, but read them with a drive to learn from them, not simply because someone says they're important. Life's too short for that.

Answer Two
Read anything and everything that fuels your individual fire. It doesn't matter what it is: literature, genre fiction, non-fiction, comic books, bubble gum wrappers, or Congolese midget porn...whatever fuels you creatively as a human being fuels your craft and your art. Never let anyone tell you differently. If someone does, refer them to me. Better yet, just tell them what I would tell them: "Sod off!"

Answer Three
These are specific books that have directly influenced my thoughts on theatre and acting, or have had a direct influence on my acting. They are all theatre related and in no particular order.
The Actor's Eye by Morris Carnovsky: An artistic treasure trove that so clearly crystallizes what we are trying to so as actors. Unfortunately out of print.
The Intent To Live by Larry Moss: An excellent, if somewhat indulgent, primer on the basics of Stanislavski, and much more accessible than the translations of Stanislavski.
The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan: Provides some nice refinements to the System's basics as well as proposing some provocative new ideas.
Stanislavski in Focus by Sharon Carnicke: Clarifies a number of misconceptions and places them in their histroical context. Makes one wish for newer translations of Stanislavski's work.
The Empty Space by Peter Brook: The only book listed in everyone's canon that really did anything for me.
Playing Shakespeare by John Barton: Indispensible if you're planning to take on the Bard (and if you're not, what the hell's the matter with you?)
Speaking Shakespeare by Patsy Rodenburg: See above.
Improvisation for the Theatre by Viola Spolin: The introductory material alone is worth the cost of the book.
Book on Improvisation by Stephen Book: Takes everything you ever knew about acting and turns it inside out. The ideas and the work are immediately applicable and up the stakes like nothing else I have come across. My Bible.

The following books, also in no particular order, are not theatre specific, but I cannot emphasize enough their impact on what I belive and do.
Freedom from the Known by Jiddhu Krishnamurti: Just when you thought you knew what inspiration was....
Zen in the Art of Archery bu Eugen Herrigal: This is what training is like.
The Book by Alan Watts: Will teach you everything you ever need to know about being part of the whole.
Living Without a Goal by James Ogilvy: Will teach you everything you need to know about being in the moment.
Dune, Dune Messiah, etc by Frank Herbert: Not the stories, the epigrams.
No Boundary by Ken Wilber: Blows away all of the excuses.
Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse: Nothing is the same after this....
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran: The most sublime statement of Love and Divinity ever penned.

So there it is.
Happy reading.

etonne-moi!

Da Count: Supporters...athletic and otherwise

This Flattering Glass closes tomorrow, and we cannot even begin to put into words how honored, humbled and proud we feel about the whole experience. We've never worked with a group of people more dedicated to excellence than this cast and crew.

But Da Count today is for another group of people: those who have supported us. Chris and Julie Ann for faith and space and lights. Marcel for advice, video tape, and just being there. Nora for being president of our fan club. Suzanne for being a treasure beyond value. Mike, Nancy, Kate, Patrick, Will, Donald, Jessi, and Charles for congratulations, encouragement, and very kind words. Everyone who has seen the show for taking time out of their lives.

Vive le bullshit!

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!

www.fresnobeehive.com

I just wanted to extend my most sincere thanks and gratitude to Greg and Lisa and the rest of the cast and crew. Without any of you we would not be able to play and WOW the audiences!

Hey, let's get together and crank this thing out 4 more times! Yay!!!! ;-)

Thank you!!!

Viva la Bullshit!

Alais!

Previews!!!

Well, we're finally here! It's the week of opening and tonight and tomorrow night we are previewing the show.

Dress rehearsals are always a bit tempestuous... new playing space, costumes, hair/make up, lights, props, etc. Mondays are always the worst, Tuesdays are 10,000 times better and by Wednesday/Thursday you are just ironing out the final wrinkles and the show gels nicely.

We are at that place in time where our show will reach the beauty it is meant to be. There are always 6 more changes and I have seen some new things from the cast mates even now. It is exciting and I can't wait for there to be an audience and to feed off their response.

This show kicks! I love performing in it, I love working with this group of people and I can't wait to share that love with all of you!

Thank you to all!

Break legs!!!!

Alais

Da Count: Our Actors

Our actors...those amazingly gifted and wonderfully beautiful people that we have been blessed to spend the last four weeks with: Renee "Alais" Newlove, Dave "Bushy" Otero, Hal "Edmund" Bolen, Stephen "Edward" Torres, Jessica "Eleanor" Reedy, Ron "Gaunt" Blackwell, RJ "Henry" Blak, Arthur "Hotspur" Koster, Melissa "Isabel" Geston, Julia "Joan" Reimer, Rene "Mowbray" Lastreto, and Matt "Richard" Otstot.

You rock our world.

An Open Thank You...

as of last night we concluded the first major phase of our rehearsals for "this flattering glass." the language, relationship, emotion, action, and character exploration is done (inasmuch as those things are ever truly "done.") and, while i had absolute faith in the ventoux process , it was always the actors themselves who would prove my faith warranted.

and i now find it "all unpossible" to voice the humility and honor that i have felt in their presence for the last three weeks. they are Actors! each of them, renee, dave, hal, stephen, jessica, ron, rj, arthur, melissa, julia, rene, and matt, in their own way and to their own degree, have taken what i was confident would be a workable and useful tool for actors, and demonstrated, nightly, what Will and Dedication can accomplish when melded with Craft.

as we enter the final shaping phase of rehearsals, let me simply thank you for all you have done, and for all that i know you will continue to do.

and to alissa: thank you for joining our merry troupe and for your enthusiasm, professionalism and dedication. hell, girl, you scare me...and that's just what a good stage manager should do.

and my darling lisa, my partner, my touchstone, my wife, my Love: none of this is possible without you. more importantly, without you, none of it matters.

etonne-moi
gt

This Flattering Glass, the adventure

As we enter week three, I am amazed at the way this venture is taking shape. It is a grand undertaking, and we have no idea where it will take us. But we boldly step off the edge and trust our skills, intuition, and desires to take us to the heights we wish to achieve. What ever the result, we all have grown as a result of this challenge.

Thank you, Greg, for your dream and allowing us to be part of it. Lisa, you are so supporting and encouraging, we could not do this without your insight.

To my cast members, We are "This Flattering Glass". What we do reflects back our dedication and devotion to our craft.

Thank you all.

First Run Thru: Interlude

a few random thoughts that i had during the course of last night's rehearsal (in no particular order): oh yes...GOOD!...i told you NOT to play with the guns...YES...i really need to learn my lines...hm, it doesn't fall out when i have it...YESYESYESYESYES...i'm so happy...damn

Exciting (posted for Jesseree who is having puter issues)

Exciting is when you can't wait for the rest of your day to go by so you can go to rehearsal.... This play is exciting; this theatre company is exciting!

We Play With Balls

In our "focus ups" GT has lead us through a particular exercise that I find to be the most helpful. It's the Space Ball exercise. Now this is no ordinary ball, this ball can be any shape, size and it changes on a whim. This ball emotes too.

The hardest part for me is to get the Space Ball out on my head. I can picture a ball, you can say "think of a volleyball," and my mind will picture a volleyball. This is not the Space Ball exercise. The Space Ball is made of the space in front of you. It's up to you to make the Space Ball real and to play with the ball. We play with the Space Ball on our own and sometimes we combine Space Balls and play with a partner or a group. It's interesting to see what the other cast members come up with, new way to play with the Space Ball, different games to play with the Space Ball, it's all individualized and real.

Last night we played with the Space Balls as we were feeling different emotions. We were experiencing different feelings in regards to our relationship with the Space Ball. I feel bad for my Space Ball because I was more aggressive with it and it went through some abuse.

After our exercise is completed, I can feel my palm tingle as if I can still feel the ball, my arms are warm from the movements and playing, my legs tingle from focusing on moving to get the ball, and I'm a little out of breathe (because I am out of shape) from playing with the ball. My whole entire body is so focused on playing with the Space Ball, it is that real. And it's totally trippy to experience.

I love this exercise because it not only focuses my mind but my entire body too. I can put that energy into playing on stage with the actors and the space. Placing emotions into our Space Ball exercise raises the stakes and makes the playing that much more intense.

I have to say thank you to the ensemble for letting go of inhibitions, for following the exercises and for giving 100% to the space... the ensemble makes the environment open and welcome to be free to play! Thank you!

Alais

psst... Lisa...

... part 2 is up... ya know... B.I.T.S.! Oh yeah... the rest of you can read it to.

from the "intermittent in nature" theatre company

Since we are and anyone hardly comes by any more... there is a new post up there.

BTW... cheers on the great work that is continuing to happen!

B.I.T.S. Pt. 2

(or... How we got over ourselves, experimented in web marketing and sold out 3 out of 5 performances at Rogue 2007!)

Is now up and can be found HERE & HERE.

Cheers!

This Flattering Glass: Day 1

What an amazing beginning we have made. I cannot thank the cast enough: Renee, Hal, Dave, Jessica, Arthur, Matt, RJ, Julia, Melissa, Dave, Ron, Jag, Rene...you all dove in with both feet and more! If we opened tomorrow I would be proud of this show.

I look forward to where you take me. And thank you, Lisa, for keeping me on task.

etonne-moi
g

The Tao of B.I.T.S. (Butts In The Seats)

(reprinted from JungleWebs.net)


ARTS MARKETING of THEATRE
(or... the Internet - it's not just for porn anymore)
by Marcel Nunis (Theatre J'Nerique)

As a playwright, director and producer in the theatre I was plagued for years with these nightmare questions:

• How do I push the show without "selling out"?
• Will I compromise my "art" by marketing my show aggressively?
• How do I compete with big media for an audience on a budget?
  

Let us first admit to our own sins. Yes, there does exist a snotty "holier than thou" attitude in the world of the arts. We roll our eyes over a marketing budget and campaigns. We protest with excuses like... "That's going to cost too much!" or "This show is brilliant enough to sell itself!" Then we capitulate "within reason" insisting on "traditional arts marketing" (posters, flyers and press releases) and exercise care not to "go overboard and compromise our art" through "aggressive and crass" commercialization. Our show opens and performances are barely selling a third of the house with audience members made up mostly of family, friends and "supporters". Our show eventually closes and we are relieved that it broke even.

In the meantime, someone else's show opens. We hear the first weekend is bringing in "sold out" crowds. We turn up the second weekend to "support our comrades" only to be met with lines wrapped around the block. In fact, we are one of 30 people turned away at that performance. We envy their success (never admitting it outwardly) and inevitably discuss (gossip) in hushed tones about the "pedestrian quality" of THAT show while drowning our sorrows at the local bar without having even seen it yet.

• "Did you see their poster? She was almost naked in it!"
  
• "Those people in line are not a REAL theatre audience... they don't even have a subscriber base like we do."
  
• "We don't need a hit... we are artists!"
  
• "Can you believe they used the Internet to market their show... with promotional videos??"

The discussion eventually descends into moaning about "the death of theatre" and how the mediums of film, TV and videos are destroying the communal shared experience of "live" performance.

Let us take a few steps back, shall we? Perhaps we need to be reminded of several important factors concerning the craft we are engaged in. This cuts across the board... weather we practice theatre as a hobby, amature, professional, or student. These factors concern ANY level of theatre including, academic, community, dinner, repertory, fringe, independent, profit or non-profit. In fact, many of these factors also apply to almost any discipline in the arts.

FACTOR 1- Every discipline of the arts is a medium of communication.
Through our various mediums we utilize creativity to communicate... stories, ideas, issues, etc. Our mediums are dependent on an audience to communicate these ideas to. Without an audience... our "art" does not exist. Just because we have rehearsed our show for 4 to 6 weeks does not mean anybody is going to turn up to experience it unless they are aware that it is happening. This is where the next level of "communication" comes into play through effective marketing and creating a buzz.

FACTOR 2 - The success of our "art" has always been dependent on "buzz".
It can be argued that "showbiz" as we know it today was invented by The Bard and his peers over 400 years ago. I'm even willing to bet that in the earliest recorded history of western theatre, buzz was a major factor in getting the word out for a show.

DIOMEDES: We really have to check out that new play at the Theatre of Dionysis!
KADMOS: What's it about?
DIOMEDES: A guy who kills his father and marries his mother. Totally scandalous!
KADMOS: Yeah, everyone at the market is talking about it! That wacky Sophocles... what will he think of next?!

I will argue that until 40 to 50 years ago, practitioners in the arts were always on the cutting edge of marketing. Until the early 60's many of the "hit" songs on radio were showtunes from Broadway shows (which in turn helped sell those shows at the theater box-office).

Then a malaise set in and there seemed to be a collective rise in the "victim" attitude all around. It is true that the popularity of film and TV diminished the box-office returns of "live" theatre. Plus, trends and tastes in music were changing, showtunes began to lose it's popular voice and it became expensive to advertise in the new media.

So, do we roll over and play dead or do we pick ourselves up and exercise creativity developing new methods with a brand new affordable medium (hint: the Internet) that puts everyone on a level playing field?

FACTOR 3 - All "art" is the skillful craft of manipulating thought and emotion.
A playwright does it through the structure of plot and design of language. The director does it by conceptualizing an emphasis that . The actor does it through the physical control of his or her instrument. Designers (set, lighting and sound) do it through the cunning arrangement in their areas of stagecraft.

Let's face it... there is a lot of creativity and innovation involved in creating our "product". Shouldn't the same energy and emphasis be given to selling it?

FACTOR 4 - At least 95 percent of those "great plays" we learn about in theatre history made money!
Sure, there were some that were "closet masterpieces, flops or were "just ahead of their time" but most of them were successes at the box-office. (Some of those "ahead of their time" flops came back to do boffo box-office.)

Even "great works" have to be effectively marketed to create a buzz to get B.I.T.S. Then, the strength of the show (product) further amps up the buzz to create more "sold out" shows. Really folks, "Death Of A Salesman" (a serious non-musical drama) that "American theatre classic" did good box-office.

Perhaps all of us in the theatre (and in the arts in general) need to rethink how we market our craft. I truly believe that a new day is emerging. The novelty of movies, TV and videos have plateaued. Audiences are ready to get out again and partake in "live" performance once more. Theatre can become a vital (and profitable) medium again. It really does not matter the style of theatre you engage in... it can all be vital once more.

We just have to put aside our stuffy attitudes and fears and strike out to once more become innovators. Not just within our craft (and the products we create) but also in marketing them. Perhaps if we are willing to learn once more we can take note of the techniques utilized by our brethren in rock and roll, film, etc and pounce on the new affordable media like the Internet which is capable of reaching out to a new audience.

The choice is to rise from the embers or to diminish into the ash of irrelevancy.

click here for more on Web Arts Marketing.

2 playwrights chatting

reposted from my personal blog... marcel

Last night, after catching up with a friend on her return from New Zealand I ran into fellow playwright, Ross Howard who fielded 2 shows at the recent Rogue Festival. This one & this one... both excellent plays in my book ( I saw them both in my quest to seek out original works during the festival). I was actually on my way home but just couldn't pass up the opportunity to commiserate with someone who I think is a bright emerging talent in this waning field.

Ross is English and came to this country to pursue an MFA in playwriting. Curious... considering that he hails from the land of the Bard.

I cannot really explain what fun and how much of a luxury this was for me. It is rare in these parts to come upon a fellow comrade in the trenches to share ideas with... especially one who is open to sharing without the (natural) paranoia of their ideas being stolen. (This is a malady that often plagues many in our craft... lol.)

We chatted about all sorts of things. A light dissection of each other's shows (he had also come to see mine and I his)... working techniques (discovering to our delight that our process is similar)... discussions of playwrights works we (both) admired... our mentors (and we share a couple) ...and future plans and projects we are considering. It was also a joy to be able to chat with someone who shares a common "blue collar" attitude to the work.

We both agreed that theatre is first and foremost a "gig"... and some of it transcends to evolve into art... that the over analysis emphasized in academia has taken the gig out of it which in turn perpetuates the perception that it is inaccessible to regular folk. (Then, they wonder why they can't get an audience.) Instead of mutual support and encouragement... too often in this world of theatre (sadly, more true than not) folks get caught up in a competitive back-stabbing, holier-than-thou snob attitude that really does no one any good and only contributes to the further erosion of the craft... simply because they buy into the idea that everything they create is art.

It was so refreshing (and encouraging) to be able to converse with someone in a "common language". The language of the theatre is common enough among practitioners of the craft but there does exist various "dialects" within this small (and ever shrinking) world. Chatting with actors about a show is quite different than speaking with designers, etc. To be able to converse with a fellow playwright for me presented the unique opportunity to speak in "short-cuts" brought about by a common understanding through the labor of our work that does not require explanation... like two carpenters discussing the best techniques for dovetails without explaining what a dovetail is.

We even half jokingly chatted about spearheading an "indie garage theatre" movement... not unlike the indie garage band or indie film movements that have done so much to refresh those forms over the recent years. Perhaps that is what is needed... to bring a sense of rock n roll back to theatre. Strip away the "jizz" and and allow the works to really sing through performance without the distractions of unnecessary "production value".

I stayed out longer than I thought I would last night... but returned home happy, rejuvenated and much encouraged by the conversations that transpired between Ross and I. It was nice... akin to running into a fellow countryman from the same village in a foreign land.

This Flattering Glass Cast

In April/May of 2007, Theatre Ventoux will present "This Flattering Glass", our adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Richard II", at the Severance Building.

The following people have graciously consented to give of their Time and Artistry to this small drop in the lake of Wonderful.

Stephanie French as Alais
Dave Otero as Bushy
Hal Bolen as Edmund
Stephen Torres as Edward
Jessica Reedy as Eleanor
Ron Blackwell as Gaunt
Raul Vasquez, Jr. as Henry
RJ Blak as Hotspur
Kimberly Guevara as Isabel
Tessa Cavalletto as Joan
Jaguar Bennett as Percy
and
Matt Otstot as Richard

etonnoe-moi
gt

It begins...

It is said that all creation is a suffering.

It is certainly true that birthing something out of little more than passion and force of will is, shall we say, taxing. Yet, for all of the angst, here it is...a new theatre company. Unproven, untried, uncertain... undaunted, unbowed, unabashedly wide-eyed.

We have but one goal: "To create something wonderful." That's all, nothing cosmic. We're not out to make a buck, or change the world, or bring theatre to the masses, or even to provide a venue for the artist. Sure, all of that would be nice, and I hope we do all of those things; but more than anything else, first and foremost, it's about the wonder...the kind of wonder that makes you shiver and quake in a tangle of passion drenched sheets...the kind of wonder that makes you jump that last foot into bed because you just know there's something under there...the kind of wonder that makes you laugh and cry for reasons no one else can fathom...the kind of wonder that makes others want to know what they're missing...the kind of wonder that touches.

So there it is in a relatively longer that it probably should be nutshell. Stay with us...because something wonderful this way comes.

etonne-moi
gt