Act: The Modern Actor's Handbook

by David Rotenberg

“Simply put, I don’t think I would’ve found my voice as an actor without David.” ― Scott Speedman, actor “Act has the roadmap for the most crucial task of an getting present.” ― Shawn Doyle, actor A lively, conversational textbook dedicated to the art of acting from a master teacher. The Modern Actor’s Handbook is the result of 30 years of one of North America’s most renowned acting teachers teaching some of the world's most talented screen actors. This is a full tour through the concepts at the heart of Rotenberg’s states of being, primaries and secondaries, images that you elaborate up or distill down, modifiers, actions and beats, and more. Although his methods loosely draw on the great acting teachers like Hagen and Meisner back to Stanislavski, he teaches new techniques suited to the best of today’s screen actors. This is a major new work in the actor’s library and will be pulled off the shelf time and again to find that key into a scene, to prepare for an audition, or to find that right technique to make the art come alive again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

200 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2021

About the author

David Rotenberg has been a master acting teacher for over 20 years. He has directed on Broadway, in many major regional theatres, for television, and he has published six novels, including the Zhong Fong detective series, all of which are available at your local bookstore or online. The series is in the process of being optioned for film.

David has taught at York University, the National Theatre School of Canada, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the University of Cape Town, and Princeton. He regularly teaches professional classes in Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax. He directed the first Canadian play in the People's Republic of China. Most recently, David has directed at Penn State University and at York University, where he adapted and directed a stage version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

The roster of his students reads like a who's who in ranks of Canadian actors, including Scott Speedman, Rachel McAdams, James McGowan, Polly Shannon, David Hirsh, Jonas Chernick and Shawn Doyle. His unique techniques are used by actors in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the People's Republic of China.

Like him on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pla...

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always fascinating to listen to an expert talk about a field that you have little to no adult experience in. This book is intended to be an advanced manual for actors; it has a simplified and very interesting set of techniques for being present, accessing emotions to get in the headspace of a character, and thinking about relationships ad motivations to give character interactions more life. It sounds like the end goals is to have a committed, naturalistic performance, but this isn't method acting (for reasons I don't have enough background on to really understand).

The author has a great voice and really knows his stuff, even when it sometimes fees a little kooky. But such is the power of his teaching that by the end of the book I was nodding my head and thinking it all made perfect sense!

There were also several anecdotes about the business of showbusiness, the differences between stage and TV/Film acting, and a very long section on casting and how to deal with casting agents when you may not match their stereotypes of the role (or match another stereotype of theirs too well).

I'm never going to try to act in LA (or even Vancouver of Atlanta)(or even community theater), but this was a really interesting look at what actors think about when then work on their craft and art.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beginning-intermediate actor's handbook, casually academic, and covers a range of topics beyond crying on cue: how to build character depth, relationships with directors, what casting directors look for at your first callback vs. your third, the importance of presence vs. script, pleasing conservative vs. liberal directors, and more.

I'm not an actor, just interested in the brass-tacks mental/physical mechanics of a subjective art. Like many (all?) professors, Rotenberg rambles a bit and enjoys quoting himself, but his teaching style is approachable and concise, so it's easy to forgive.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having worked in the entertainment industry most of my adult life, I'm always interested in books by others in the profession, seeking to share their experiences and expertise. David Rotenberg gives his advice and shares his experiences here, and I'm sure many actors can benefit greatly from what he has to share.

I'll admit that the early part of the book, to me, wandered a bit. At times, it felt a bit too academic for my taste. The later part of the book, though, is chock-full of advice that could have a profound impact on someone's career. Even if you don't agree with everything, it's imperative to hear what people in the industry have to say, from varying approaches. Rotenberg strives to give actors the tools to present their best selves in auditions and in their work- whether it be film or stage.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren McCullough · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 and rounding up.
As someone who studied a number of acting methods in my BFA program, I found this to be a nice combination of many that I personally found very helpful.

If you just breaking into the industry, this a very approachable guide to navigating scripts, productions, and auditions.

I am not a huge fan of audiobooks for texts like this because I like to annotate, so between that and the audio quality of this (the audio sounded very compressed and low volume), I would not recommend the audio version unless it's the only way you'll be able to read it.

***Thank you to ECW Press Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

[Mirella Hetekivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read! Straight forward, spot on! Thanks!

[Ratty Datty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and interesting read

[Ethan Laniado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I study with Jeff and I'm excited to one day take a class with David. Great book.

[aliyah :] · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOOOOOOOO BOY

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing some of the tips and tricks, and I could see the points of view he was offering.
Certainly worth making a Coles note for.