BOOKS EVERY ACTORS SHOULD OWN

This is just a shorty today (apparently it’s the weekend). I thought I would answer a number of emails from my own students and from actors and acting students across the world with what are the TEN books that I think you should have all read, and in fact own.

Click on the Title to Find out some more about each of the books. Our AMERICAN readers should CLICK here to see the books suggested for their region.

1) A Practical Handbook for the Actor (Handbook of Practical Aesthetics) – Bruder et Al.

2) True and False – Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor (Mamet’s Manifesto on Acting) – by David Mamet

3) Actions – The Actor’s Thesaurus (A tool EVERY actor should own) – Caldarone & Lloyd Williams

4) Actor’s Art and Craft (an exceptional book on Meisner Technique) – by William Esper

5) The Monologue Audition (the only book you need on approaching Monologues) by Karen Kohlhaas

6) Viewpoints (an excellent guide to this amazing technique for the creation of theatre) by Tina Landau and Anne Bogart

7) A Manual for Living (a philosophy of living that’s great for all actors) by Epictetus and Sharon Lebell

8) A Whore’s Profession (a great chance to see Mamet at his best) David Mamet

9) An Actor’s Work (A new translation of Stanislavski’s first two books, a good replacement for the old books) by Stanislavski & Benedetti

10) Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

To you, the best

Mark Westbrook