Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

by Marina Caldarone, Maggie Lloyd-Williams

A vital companion for actors in rehearsal - a thesaurus of action-words to revitalise performance, with a foreword by Terry Johnson. Finding the right action is an essential part of the process of preparation for the actor. Using this thesaurus of active verbs, the actor can refine the action-word until s/he hits exactly the right one to help make the action come alive. The method of 'actioning' is widely used in rehearsal rooms, but has never before been set down in a systematic and comprehensive way. 'If you want to act, or act better, Actions will take you a long way on the journey to excellence' Terry Johnson This bestselling book is now available as an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. In addition to the full list of action-words found in the book, the app A to Z search, and predictive search function
Emotional groupings to help you pinpoint the action you require
Bookmark, note-making and random word functions
Share your actions on social media or by email
Full instructions on how to use actioning in rehearsal, plus how to use the app
To learn more, and download your copy, visit the iTunes website. 'This condenses all the usefulness of the book into a neat little app. Absolutely invaluable!' - User review

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Reference, Writing, Film, Education, Plays

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[James Scholz]

mad useful not too much content wise

[Jesse]

Forget all of those annoying, confusing books that try to teach you how to act, this is all you need. If you're serious about acting, this is a great investment to make.

[Mary Sullivan-Haller]

I took a course called “acting for business professionals” (Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC)- I bought it after learning how important objectives are when it comes to a speaker wanting to reach an audience. If you can’t articulate what you are seeking from your listener. The foundation for communication is on shaky ground. I’m an English teacher and expect to use it often.

[Katie]

Worth it for the verbs alone.

[Addy Canzano]

Actually just a big book of adjectives. It’s useful just not a ton of content to actually take away any information from

[Sebastián Bravo Montenegro]

Agree with a lot of the theories they posit. I found a few confusing but overall, such a great tool for directors and actors.

[Sophie Yerxa-Robinson]

if you are an actor, you need this book.

[allison (brekker's version)]

This would've been super helpful if I had studied it prior to performing my scenes

[Zara West]

If you are a writer and never heard of actioning, then you need this book. This is a thesaurus of transitive verbs. A transitive verb is one that fits in the sentence: He ___ her, or she ___ him, or I ___ you.

In actioning, actors label each line of dialogue in a script with an action they will be doing as they speak the line. So for example. The actor might be saying: Take your umbrella. But if the verb is love - he will say it and act in a loving way. If the verb is compel, he will say it and act in a forcefully way.

Thinking of a transitive verb that the character is doing while writing a section of dialogue or a section of inner thought works the same way - it will add action to your scene.

[Carolyn Page]

A fantastic resource for me, as a student actor. Actioning is a great way to explore the depths of the text and find ways to bring meaning and life to it in a way that speaks to the audience and inspires your castmates to greater reactions. The more you give, the more you get.

[amanda jane]

If you are an actor, you need this book...amazing!

[incachi]

I think this is a nice book for actors to have. It is pretty simple, but it was helpful when I was doing character development and finding objectives for a character.

[Evan]

ALWAYS useful. I still use this for rehearsals.

[Adam Poynter]

This is a great reference tool for the on-the-go actor/actress.

[Joshua Stephen]

Invaluable in assisting directors to quickly translate notes into the actor's language. I keep a copy with me on all projects.

[Shaina]

So many great words, but there are many that I didn't feel were truly actable actions. But many were.

[Abigail Oldham]

I adore this resource as an actor and a director. I constantly come back to this to help myself and my actors stay centered on specific playable actions. A MUST HAVE.

[Grant Conversano]

Huge help in understand the tools of drama, I certainly haven't mastered it yet.

[Pepper]

A must have for actors who are working on a script and trying to figure out their characters motives and tactics!

[MJ]

This is an awesome, must-have book for any actor/creative.

The more you use it, the better it’ll get. So start using it now!

[Alessia’s Books]

Useful

[Fran]

Not really as helpful as I thought it would be. A friend of mine loves it for teaching Improv.

[Ashley Campbell]

A very useful tool for actors & directors

[Fc O'neill]

Actor? Essential!

[Shann]

I use this specifically as a thesaurus. If you want to explore different tactics (or Meisner “doings”), I think this book is an incredibly useful tool.

Your Meisner teacher, including mine, will probably tell you not to get this book (god forbid you use a word that may not have originated from your gut!). But I actually think it’s even MORE powerful with Meisner bc it offers roots for exploration of a more colorful spectrum of doings.

For example, are you sick of saying “You’re laughing” or “You’re relaxed” in repetition? After exploring synonyms, you may find they’re not just laughing, they’re actually delighted or cheerful. Are they relaxed, or are they actually content or cheerful? I think that specificity is incredibly useful and true to Meisner’s goal of “be accurate”. By just reading this spectrum of behaviors on the page, you’ll start feeling and recognizing them in your scene partner and pulling them “from your gut” on stage.

That being said, you can do that with any thesaurus or simple internet search, you definitely don’t need this book at all to play with this.

[Liquidlasagna]

Books used by the Acting Studio of Chicago

1. Audition - Shurtleff
4. Actions: The Actors Thesaurus - Calderone/Loyd-Williams
5. Freeing The Natural Voice - Linklater
6. The Art Of Acting - Stella Adler
7. The Actor And The Target - Donnellan
8. The Intent To Live: Achieving Your True Potential As An Actor - Moss
9. A Practical Handbook For the Actor - Bruder
10. On The Technique of Acting - Chekhov

[Caterina Rossiti]

Bible

[Jordan Hull]

i use this everyday bitches!

[Evan]

I carry this with me everywhere I go.

[Sally Wilson]

An actors staple.