We've all encountered those overly cerebral, mechanical actors—the ones so busy measuring beats and sorting objectives and obstacles that they don't really hear their scene partners' lines. Whatever the role, these actors do it by the book.But the "book" is more than just proverbial. It's constantly being written and rewritten, with publishers releasing a steady stream of new tomes on the craft and business of acting each year.We spoke with actors, coaches, and teachers to find out which titles are essential. They all agreed that although you can't master the art of acting by only following an instruction manual—like those misguided robotic actors—it's nonetheless beneficial to own at least a library shelf or two of books devoted to your profession.Rocking the ClassicsUnsurprisingly, among the titles most often mentioned by Back Stage's respondents were such venerable texts as "Sanford Meisner on Acting" (1987), Stella Adler...
- 1/28/2010
- backstage.com
"You need to use the Internet to have any career at all," says actor David Blue, who plays the recurring role of Cliff, Marc St. James' (Michael Urie) love interest on Ugly Betty. What was once the domain of paper and ink now fills cyberspace. Casting has gone from the hand-to-stack exercise of sorting through headshots to the click-and-scroll of digital images and videos. And in direct response, actors are turning to the Internet for support, social networking, and self-promotion. They are creating new roles for themselves: that of a "cyber self." Blue uses his MySpace page combo-style — personally and professionally. "MySpace has acted as a site where fans and people interested in keeping up with me can hear what's happening on a regular basis," he says. Actor and comedian Jason Stuart, who played the recurring role of Dr. Steven Michael Thomas on My Wife and Kids and co-stars in...
- 11/13/2008
- by Laura A. Butler
- backstage.com
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