BookOdyssey

Babies have no problem in vocalising - they cry, loud and long. But as we learn how to speak language, a highly intellectual activity, we increasingly depend on speech and body language to express what we wish to communicate. This is fine for ordinary conversation but there are times for most of us when we need to be able to use our voices to present ourselves in a wider context. Most people are vocally better equipped than they know. Usually some unconscious habit gets in the way. The Voice Book shows you simply and practically what is going wrong - and how to put it right. Whether you are a professional or amateur actor, classical or popular singer, politician, public speaker, or need to present for business, church or college, The Voice Book will help you to discover how to use your voice freely, powerfully and with pleasure. Σελίδες: 320, Διαστάσεις: 13.7x13.7cm

\"The ultimate guide to mastering the art of magic.\" —Business Insider\"A must-have for any aspiring magician.\" —Mashable Learn to perform 50 unbelievable magic tricks that will impress and astonish any audience!  Features QR codes with links to trick videos for easy learning and visual aid!  This delightful book reveals some of magic\'s best-kept secrets, showing you step-by-step exactly how the tricks are done from multiple angles. Learn easy-yet-mystifying card tricks, awe-inspiring coin tricks, mentalism tricks for reading someone\'s mind, deceptive bets, and amazing visual tricks that you can do with everyday objects, including how to: Make a pen disappearLevitate a dollarSend a cup through a tableTear a napkin and restore it to its original statePut a need through a balloon without popping itCrack an apple open with your bare handsAnd more! In addition to these jaw-dropping tricks, this book provides readers with: QR Codes with trick videos for visual aidPractice and performance tipsJokes to use when performingAdditional resourcesAnd more! Ultimately, by the end of this book not only will you know fifty mind-blowing magic tricks, but you will also know exactly how to perform them confidently. The book is the perfect gift for aspiring magicians or anyone who wants to impress their family and friends!   Σελίδες: 156, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0317, Διαστάσεις: 19.1x19.1cm

In How Plays Work, distinguished playwright David Edgar examines the mechanisms and techniques which dramatists throughout the ages have employed to structure their plays and to express their meaning. Written for playwrights and playgoers alike, Edgar\'s analysis starts with the building blocks of whole plays – plot, character-creation, genre and structure – and moves on to scenes and devices. He shows how plays share a common architecture without which the uniqueness of their authors\' vision would be invisible. How Plays Work is both a masterclass for playwrights and playmakers and a fascinating guide to the anatomy of drama. In this revised edition, Edgar brings the book right up to date with analyses of many recent plays, as well as explorations of emerging genres and new innovations in playwriting practice. \'A brilliantly illuminating, bang-up-to-date, unmissable read\' April De Angelis \'A book of real theoretical heft written by a major working playwright\' Steve Waters \'An essential accompaniment for anyone fascinated by the craft of dramatic storytelling\' John Yorke \'Every theatremaker should read this book\' Pippa Hill, Literary Manager, Royal Shakespeare Company \'Even if you\'ve read the book before, it demands to be reread\' Simon Callow \'Combines theoretical acumen with the assured know-how of a working dramatist\' Terry Eagleton, Times Literary Supplement Σελίδες: 288, Διαστάσεις: 13.5x13.5cm

A clear, supportive and comprehensive guide to writing a play - based on the author\'s long-running playwriting masterclasses, as taught at the UK\'s National Theatre. This book leads you through everything you need to know, including: The theatrical tools and techniques you can use to bring your play to life on the stage (and how these differ from writing for film and TV); Discovering and trusting your writing process, with a range of approaches for developing your initial idea into a completed script; Understanding your characters, including their goals and central conflicts, and using emotional logic to connect them to your story; Finding the dramatic structure and theatrical setting that best suits your play; The key elements of constructing a great scene, including how to handle exposition, invoke tension, deepen characterisation and create effective transitions; Writing engaging, active dialogue by finding each character\'s voice, balancing exposition with subtext, and rooting what a character says in their specific context Throughout, you\'ll find examples from classical and modern plays, plus insights from other contemporary playwrights into their own writing journeys. Each chapter provides a set of exercises to help you practise what you\'ve learnt. There\'s also advice on what to do once you\'ve finished your script - including redrafting, receiving feedback and taking notes - and how to navigate your play\'s progress towards production. Whether you\'re an emerging playwright or embarking on your first-ever play, The Playwright\'s Journey will help you develop your creativity, strengthen your connection to your material, and transform your idea into a fully formed play that feels alive on the page - and the stage. Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

\'The future of theatre will belong to the maverick minds who possess the skills to mix things up and who have enough tools in their box to trick the game.\' This is a practical, grassroots, self-empowerment book for theatremakers. It\'s for anybody who wants to make live theatre, whether you\'re an actor, a director, a producer, a designer or a writer. Whether you\'re all of these, or none of them. Categories don\'t matter. What matters is making your show, and putting it in front of an audience. This book is not a method, nor a practice. It\'s an accessible toolbox of reflections and provocations designed to help you – an independent-minded, career-driven, professional theatremaker – along the path towards achieving your dreams. Inside, Russell Lucas shares his decades of experience in independent theatremaking, covering aspects including: Generating and developing ideasWorking with other creativesPromoting your show and selling ticketsUnderstanding the power of the audienceMaking ends meet and sustaining your career He tackles abstract problems, dissects the practical ones, and debunks plenty of myths along the way. Inspiring and unconventional, but always grounded in sound, real-world sense, 300 Thoughts for Theatremakers is a book for anyone who\'s passionate about a life in theatre, and wants to make that a reality. \'Thank God for this book. It will surely be a comfort and support to all those who follow in Russell Lucas\'s independent and determined footsteps\' Alan Lane, Artistic Director of Slung Low, from his Foreword Σελίδες: 272, Διαστάσεις: 14.8x14.8cm

An inspiring and interactive workbook to help you develop skills for longform improvisation, by one of the UK’s top improv performers and teachers. Structured as a twelve-week course, this book provides techniques, advice and exercises that can be done on your own or in groups – with activities to complete as you go – for learning faster and becoming (more) amazing at improvisation. It draws on the author’s own experience of performing and teaching improv around the world, with added gems of wisdom from key experts. Starting with the basics of improvisation, it moves on to explore areas of the craft such as rehearsals, character, editing, form and style; plus career advice including how to cope with bad gigs, jealousy, fear of missing out and your Inner Critic. The Improviser’s Way is ideal for improvisers at any level – from those new to improv entirely, through those familiar with shortform who are looking to extend their reach, to experienced longform performers and teachers looking to refresh their approach and embrace new ideas. It is also invaluable to anyone looking to discover more about this popular, thrillingly creative and empowering form of performance. By the end, you won’t just be a better improviser – you’ll be a better person! Σελίδες: 296, Διαστάσεις: 18.9x18.9cm

A step-by-step guide to Physical Theatre in both theory and practice - full of detailed exercises and inspiring ideas. In Through the Body, based on twelve years of teaching physical theatre, Dymphna Callery introduces the reader to the principles behind the work of certain key 20th-century theatre practitioners (Artaud, Grotowski, Meyerhold, Brook and Lecoq, among others) and offers exercises by which their theories can be turned into practice and their principles explored in action. The book takes the form of a series of workshops starting with the preparation of the body through Awareness, Articulation, Energy and Neutrality. A section on Mask-work is followed by further work on the body, investigating Presence, Complicité, Play, Audience, Rhythm, Sound and E-motion. The book - and the work - culminates in sections on Devising and on the Physical Text. There is also a thorough bibliography and a contact list of training courses in the UK and abroad. \'This book offers everything you have ever wanted to know about Physical Theatre. It is very detailed but at the same time very easy to understand. It breaks down every topic to short paragraphs which are informative and simple. A must for any theatre student or lecturer for that matter!\' Amazon readers review Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 13.6x13.6cm

A TIMES BEST COMEDY BOOK OF 2021 \'Phil Wang makes me laugh out loud with every single thing he does and this book is no exception\' JAMES ACASTER\'An hilarious breath of fresh air\' AMY SCHUMER\'Phil Wang is as original a writer as he is a comedian. Sidesplitter is predictably hilarious but also quietly moving\' SATHNAM SANGHERA\'A razor-sharp dissection of cultural connections, divides and differences. And yes, it\'s side-splittingly funny\' ADAM KAY\'But where are you REALLY from?\' Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he\'s finally written a book about it. In this mix of comic memoir and observational essay, one of the UK\'s most exciting stand-up comedians reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East. Phil was born in Stoke-on-Trent, raised in Malaysia, and then came of age in Bath - \'a spa town for people who find Cheltenham too ethnic\'. Phil takes an incisive look at what it means to be mixed race, as he explores the contrasts between cultures and delves into Britain and Malaysia\'s shared histories, bringing his trademark cynicism and wit to topics ranging from family, food, and comedy to race, empire, and colonialism. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0916, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

Judy Garland, the girl with the pigtails in THE WIZARD OF OZ, was an entertainer of almost magical power. The woman of half a dozen comebacks and a hundred heartbreaks. To tell her story, Gerald Clarke took ten years, travelled thousands of miles across two continents, conducted hundreds of interviews, and combed through mountains of documents, many of which were unavailable to other biographers. Combining a novelist\'s skill and a movie director\'s eye, Clarke re-creates the golden age of Hollywood with cinematic urgency: Louis B Mayer, the patriarch of MGM; sexy Lana Turner, Judy\'s friend and idol, who had a habit of trying to snatch away any man Judy expressed interest in; clarinettist Artie Shaw, handsome Tyrone Power; boy genius Orson Welles and brilliant director Vincente Minnelli, who fathered her first child, Liza. Towards the end of her life, Garland tried to tell her own story. With access to her tape recordings - and her revelatory unfinished manuscript - Clarke is able to tell Judy\'s story as she herself might have told it. Σελίδες: 528, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1011, Διαστάσεις: 20.1x20.1cm

The long-awaited memoir by movie and theatre legend, Brian Cox.A Guardian, Times, Sunday Times and Independent Book of the Year*Featuring a foreword by the executive producer of Succession, Frank Rich, an executive producer of HBO\'s Succession, a former chief drama critic of The New York Times, and the author of the memoir Ghost Light.*\'One of the best showbiz memoirs ever written... it\'s as funny as it is furious... Brian Cox has done everything and with this book he leaves everyone else standing\' Mail on SundayFrom Titus Andronicus with the RSC to media magnate Logan Roy in HBO\'s Succession, Brian Cox has made his name as an actor of unparalleled distinction and versatility. We know him on screen, but few know of his extraordinary life story.Growing up in Dundee, Scotland, Cox lost his father when he was just eight years old and was brought up by his three elder sisters in the aftermath of his mother\'s nervous breakdowns and ultimate hospitalization. After joining the Dundee Repertory Theatre at the age of fifteen, you could say the rest is history - but that is to overlook the enormous graft that has gone into the making of the legend we know today. This is a rags-to-riches life story like no other - a seminal autobiography that both captures Cox\'s distinctive voice and his very soul. Rich in emotion and meaning, with plenty of laughs along the way, it will be a classic in the vein of The Moon\'s a Balloon by David Niven and What\'s It All About by Michael Caine.\'Absolute heaven\' Sunday Times\'A hugely readable memoir from a giant of stage and screen\' Mark Kermode\'A life well lived and a story well told. From first page to last Brian Cox the great actor is Brian Cox the great storyteller, and nobody is spared his sharp eye and his caustic wit, himself and some big Hollywood names included\' Alastair Campbell\'Laced with his characteristic generosity, self-deprecation and cut-the-crap wisdom\' Harriet Walter\'Mesmerizing\' Peter Biskind\'Blisteringly brilliant\' Bryony Gordon\'Funny and irreverent\' The Times Σελίδες: 384, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1028, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

Shortlisted for the Theatre Book Prize; former prime minister John Major takes a remarkable journey into his own unconventional family past to tell the story of the British music hall. John Major shares memories of his performer father Tom and then shines the spotlight on the story of the music hall itself, from its Victorian heyday to its demise. In this fond look back at characters such as Marie Lloyd, Little Tich and Vesta Tilley, these faded stars take their place in the limelight once more. Packed with colourful anecdotes, ‘My Old Man’ is a warm-hearted account of a golden and bygone age. Σελίδες: 448, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

This is a book about three things: 1. A room called the Comedy Cellar. 2. Who gets to speak in that room. 3. What they get to say. The Comedy Cellar is a tiny basement club in New York’s Greenwich Village. Run according to the principles of its owners, the Dworman family, it became a safe place for stand-ups to take risks and experiment. Superstar comedians such as Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Louis CK became regulars, celebrities started to hang out, the club hosted debates, and everyone was encouraged to argue at its back table. Then the Comedy Cellar ended up on the frontline of the global culture war. Andrew Hankinson speaks to the Cellar’s owner, comedians, and audience members, using interviews, emails, podcasts, letters, text messages, and previously private documents to create a conversation about who gets to speak and what they get to say, and why. Moving backwards in time from Louis CK’s downfall to when Manny Dworman used to host folk singers including Bob Dylan, this is about a comedy club, but it’s also about the widening cultural chasm. Σελίδες: 400, Διαστάσεις: 14.8x14.8cm

A practical investigation of how comedy works, by a well-respected practitioner and teacher. With a Foreword by Toby Jones. Comedy is recognised as one of the most problematic areas of performances. For that reason, it is rarely written about in any systematic way. John Wright, founder of Trestle Theatre and Told by an Idiot, brings a wide range of experience of physical comedy to this unique exploration of comedy and comedic techniques. The book opens with an analysis of the different kinds of laughter that can be provoked by performance. This is followed by the main part of the book: games and exercises devised to demonstrate and investigate the whole range of comic possibilities open to a performer. Why Is That So Funny? is an invaluable book for teachers and performers, and a fascinating read for anyone interested in how comedy works. Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 13.5x13.5cm

An exciting and invaluable collection of audition speeches, all chosen from plays produced by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, spanning more than sixty years as one of the world\'s leading companies for young performers. Featuring seventy-five monologues by acclaimed writers such as Zawe Ashton, Moira Buffini, Carol Ann Duffy, Brian Friel, James Fritz, James Graham, Dennis Kelly, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Gbolahan Obisesan, Evan Placey, Sarah Solemani and Jack Thorne, the book offers rich and diverse roles ranging from teens to adults.  Each audition speech also comes with invaluable supporting material – compiled by NYT Associate Artist Michael Bryher – to help you perform the piece to its maximum effect, including:  A detailed description of the play that the speech is originally from Contextual information such as what\'s just happened in the play, where the monologue takes place, to whom the character is talking, and what their motivations are Things to think about when rehearsing and performing the speech The book also provides extensive advice on choosing a speech, working on it and preparing for auditions, plus tips and first-hand insights into the monologues from current NYT members and alumni who\'ve performed them. An ideal resource for actors auditioning for drama school, the NYT or elsewhere, as well as those preparing for showcases or competitions, National Youth Theatre Monologues offers a wide and diverse range of roles, themes and styles – meaning you’ll be able to find the speech that\'s just right for you. Σελίδες: 392, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

A practical guide to creating successful immersive theatre productions, by an experienced theatre-maker and practitioner. Placing the audience at the heart of a production – not as passive bystanders but as active participants – is the impetus behind the hugely varied work of leading immersive theatre companies such as Punchdrunk, OneOhOne and Hobo Theatre. Done well, it can generate powerful, gut-level emotional effects that will long outlast the production itself. Creating Worlds offers a step-by-step breakdown of the entire journey towards making an immersive theatre production, and covers everything you need to consider, including: Deciding what kind of production you want to make, and the ‘mission statement’ for your pieceUnderstanding and anticipating audience behaviourPlanning and influencing journeys through the spaceBalancing interaction with narrativeGiving your audience an active role, and navigating the thin line between free will and uncontrolled chaosManaging complex rehearsals, and preparing your cast for the unexpectedExtending the audience experience outside of the performanceGenerating innovative ideas and tactics for marketing your production Throughout the book, Jason Warren draws on his own experiences of creating immersive theatre work in a variety of styles and settings. Also included is a glossary of key terms, and a schedule to help you make the most of your rehearsal period. An essential how-to guide for theatre-makers, artists, students and teachers who want to create their own immersive theatre, Creating Worlds is also a fascinating read for those interested in the inspirations and ideas that fuel the performances they love. ‘The joy of working in this field is that there is so much left to discover… my aim with this book is to help you craft your own beliefs on what makes good immersive theatre – and to create responsive and rich worlds of your own.’ Jason Warren Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 14.8x14.8cm

\'The Feldenkrais Method is unique... I haven\'t found any other movement study that opens up such a rich and continuing area of enquiry\' John Wright, from his Foreword Spontaneity, sensitivity, simplicity and flexibility in any situation are just some of the qualities that the Feldenkrais Method has inspired in performers around the world. It uses movement to enable you to feel, adapt and respond in new ways – not just in limited, habitual patterns – thereby increasing your physical, emotional and mental potential. Written by an experienced actor, theatre-maker and Feldenkrais practitioner, Feldenkrais for Actors leads you through a range of topics where using the Method can help, such as: Presence and PostureThe Role of TensionEmotion, Character and CreativityVoice and BreathInjury and Anxiety Also included are dozens of exercises and lessons so that you can experience how the Method will help you in practice. Feldenkrais for Actors is the result of thirty years of study and experience of the Method, and the benefits it can bring. It is invaluable for actors at any stage of their career, as well as for singers, dancers, musicians, martial artists, athletes and more. Σελίδες: 280, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills As an actor at any level – whether you are doing theatre studies at school, taking part in youth theatre, preparing for drama-school showcases, or attending professional acting workshops – you will often be required to prepare a duologue with a fellow performer. Your success is often based on locating and selecting a fresh, dynamic scene suited to your specific performing skills, as well as your interplay as a duo. Which is where this book comes in. This collection features twenty-five fantastic duologues for two women, almost all written since the year 2000 by some of our most exciting dramatic voices, offering a wide variety of character types and styles of writing. Playwrights featured include Alexi Kaye Campbell, Helen Edmundson, Vivienne Franzmann, Sam Holcroft, Anna Jordan, Chloë Moss, Rona Munro, Lynn Nottage, Evan Placey and Jessica Swale, and the plays themselves were premiered at the very best theatres across the UK including the National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Shakespeare\'s Globe, and the Almeida, Bush, Soho, Royal Court and Tricycle Theatres. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James equips each duologue with a thorough introduction including the vital information you need to place the piece in context (the who, what, when, where and why) and suggestions about how to perform the scene to its maximum effect (including the characters\' objectives). The collection also features an introduction on the whole process of selecting and preparing a duologue, and how to present it to the greatest effect. The result is the most comprehensive and useful contemporary duologue book of its kind now available. \'Sound practical advice... a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike\' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

\'This is the biography - truthful, sympathetic and thorough - that Coward deserves\'DAILY TELEGRAPHThe voice, the dressing-gown, the cigarette in its holder, remain unmistakable. There is rarely a week when one of Private Lives, Hay Fever, and Blithe Spirit is not in production somewhere in the world. Phrases from Noël Coward\'s songs - \"Mad About The Boy\", \"Mad Dogs and Englishman\" - are forever lodged in the public consciousness. He was at one point the most highly paid author in the world. Yet some of his most striking and daring writing remains unfamiliar. As T.S. Eliot said, in 1954, \"there are things you can learn from Noël Coward that you won\'t learn from Shakespeare\".Coward wrote some fifty plays and nine musicals, as well as revues, screenplays, short stories, poetry, and a novel. He was both composer and lyricist for approximately 675 songs. Louis Mountbatten\'s famous tribute argued that, while there were greater comedians, novelists, composers, painters and so on, only \"the master\" had combined fourteen talents in one. So central was he to his age\'s theatre that any account of his career is also a history of the British stage. And so daring was Coward\'s unorthdoxy in his closest relationships, obliquely reflected throughout his writing, that it must also be a history of sexual liberation in the twentieth century. In Oliver Soden\'s sparkling, story-packed new Life, the Master finally gets his due. Σελίδες: 656, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0611, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to directing plays – by one of Britain\'s leading theatre directors. Stephen Unwin has worked with hundreds of different actors in a multiplicity of different venues. He is the ideal author of a \'how to\' guide to directing. As Unwin himself says: \'Directing plays is difficult. The aim of this book is to lay out what skills are needed, and to give some sense of how you might develop them. The emphasis is on the professional theatre, but the book is useful for directors in other contexts - amateur dramatics, university drama, school plays and so on. Directing is directing, wherever you do it.\' Starting at the very beginning, Unwin takes us step by step through: * Choosing the play * Casting * Design * Rehearsal - Establishing Facts, Improvisation, Language, Character, Blocking, Using Specialists and so on * Running the Play * Putting it on the Stage * Opening Night Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 13.5x13.5cm

\'Utterly charming\' - Jack Whitehall \'Funny, touching, revealing\' - Gyles Brandreth \'A gorgeous book\' - Richard Curtis\'Hugh Bonneville\'s considerable talent for writing is on display page after page. Beautiful. Touching. And funny\' - Gary Oldman\'Shows a great verve for storytelling\' The Independent Hugh Bonneville is one of Britain\'s most accomplished actors, familiar to audiences worldwide for his roles in Notting Hill, the Paddington films and Downton Abbey. From getting his big break as Third Shepherd in the school nativity play, to mistaking a Hollywood star for an estate agent, Hugh creates a brilliantly vivid picture of a career on stage and screen. What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts, or playing Robert de Niro\'s right leg, or not being Gary Oldman, twice? A wickedly funny storyteller, Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father\'s dementia and of his mother, whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death. Whether telling stories of working with divas, Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade, this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor. Σελίδες: 384, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1011, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*\'A real gem of a book for comedy fans... honest, irreverent and fascinating\' Matt Lucas\'Bob Odenkirk is not only a brilliant comedy writer and performer, he is also a comedy fan. This book is a love letter to all his comedy heroes, full of warmth, heart and wit\' Georgia Pritchett \'Bob is one of the sharpest comedy writers and actors working today. This is a wonderful memoir ... I devoured it in one sitting\' David Walliams\'I loved this book. I was in a lift with Bob once, back in the 90s - little did I know how high he was going\' Harry Hill-------------------------------------------------------------In this hilarious, heartfelt memoir, the star of Mr. Show and Breaking Bad spin off Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz, his cult status as a comedy writer, and what it\'s like to reinvent himself at age fifty as an action-film ass-kicker.Bob Odenkirk\'s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a \"Homeric\" decades-long \"odyssey\" from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations-with a side-trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him-it\'s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one, and one is plenty.Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City\'s legendary Del Close, then somehow made his way to a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While surviving that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth, he stashed away the secrets of comedy writing-eventually employing them in the immortal \"Motivational Speaker\" sketch for Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show with Bob and David.In Hollywood, Bob demonstrated a bullheadedness that would shame Sisyphus himself, and when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, the phone rang with an offer to appear on Breaking Bad-a show about how boring it is to be a high school chemistry teacher. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, and then, in a twist that will confound you, he re-re-invented himself as a bona fide action star. Why? Read this and do your own psychoanalysis-it\'s fun!Featuring humorous tangents, never-before-seen photos, wild characters, and Bob\'s trademark unflinching drive and humour, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot.\'I can\'t think of another entertainer who has improbably morphed so many times and all through real genius and determination\' Conan O\'Brien\'An exceptionally and uniquely talented man who has had a huge influence on comedy for over thirty years. And now he\'s given us his P.O.V. of that journey. This book is filled not only with lessons on \"making\" \"it\" in \"showbiz\" but also regular old life lessons as well (including his killer recipe for \"Granny\'s Sunday Loaf\"). It\'s funny, informative, and like the author himself, disarmingly honest. I look forward to meeting him one day\' David Cross Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0301, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

An alternative autobiography of the well-loved actor and man of the theatre, winner of the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography. In My Life in Pieces Simon Callow retraces his life through the multifarious performers, writers, productions and events which have left their indelible mark on him. The story begins with Peter Pan – his first ever visit to the theatre – before transporting us to southern Africa and South London, where Callow spent much of his childhood. Later, he charms his way into a job at the National Theatre box office courtesy of his hero, Laurence Olivier – and thus consummated a lifetime’s love affair with theatre. Alongside Olivier, we encounter Paul Scofield, Michael Gambon, Alan Bennett and Richard Eyre, all of whom Callow has worked with, as well as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness, David Hare, Simon Gray and many more. He writes too about figures he did not meet but who greatly influenced his life and work, figures such as Stanislavsky, Nureyev and Cocteau, as well as Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. And he even makes room for not-quite- legit performers like Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howard – and Mrs Shufflewick. The result is a passionate, instructive and beguiling book which, in tracing Simon Callow’s own ‘sentimental education’, leaves us enriched by his generosity and wisdom. \'first rate... the best writer-actor we have\' David Hare \'Simon Callow combines zest, originality and passion and has elegantly turned his views and life in the theatre into an astonishing memoir\' Richard Eyre Σελίδες: 448, Διαστάσεις: 13.4x13.4cm

In The Viewpoints Book, first published in the United States, acclaimed theatre directors Anne Bogart and Tina Landau introduce the history, terminology and philosophy of Viewpoints, and offer a step-by-step recipe for using it as both a training tool and a rehearsal technique. Viewpoints is a technique of improvisation that grew out of the post-modern dance world, allowing actors to learn to function spontaneously and intuitively. It was first articulated by choreographer Mary Overlie, whose ideas have been expanded and developed by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, adapting them for the use of actors. Over the last twenty years, Viewpoints has ignited the imaginations of actors, directors, designers, choreographers, dramaturgs and writers. It is taught all over the world and used by countless theatre-makers in the rehearsal process to develop flexibility, articulation and strength in movement, and to enrich ensemble playing. An invaluable resource for theatre-makers, as well as for anyone with an interest in collaboration and the creative process, whether in art, business or daily life. \'Viewpoints is timeless – a system belonging to the natural principles of movement, time and space. It is a philosophy translated into a technique for training performers, building ensemble, and creating movement for the stage\' Anne Bogart and Tina Landau Σελίδες: 240, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

A guide to the hidden workings of plays and the trade secrets that govern their writing - by the acclaimed playwright Steve Waters. Drawing on a wide range of drama, both historical and modern, Waters takes the reader through the key elements of dramatic writing – scenes, acts, space, time, characters, language and images – to show how a play is more than the sum of its parts, with as much inner vitality as a living organism. Almost uniquely amongst accounts of playwriting, Waters\' book looks at the ways in which good plays move their audiences, generating powerful emotional responses that often defy conventional analysis. The Secret Life of Plays is for playwrights at any stage of their career, and will inspire and inform drama students as well as working actors and directors. Most of all it is for anyone who has ever laughed or cried in the theatre – and wants to know why. \'Theatre is a live medium, about bodies, sweat and feeling, even if it is informed by ideas and reason. How a thing composed of words manages to carry within it the currents of energy that generate that impression of life is what I want to explore…\' Steve Waters  \'Steve Waters\' book is like his plays: clear, elegant and stimulating throughout\' David Edgar Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 13.7x13.7cm

Every time you open your mouth on stage you are trying to persuade somebody of something. Sometimes referred to as \'the art of persuasion\', rhetoric means using language to communicate your ideas and intentions to other people – and to make sure you are heard, understood and believed. This clear and concise guide explains how it works in plays, and how actors can use it to bring their performances to life on stage. Drawing on her decades of experience working with actors on major productions, including as Head of Voice at the National Theatre, Jeannette Nelson introduces all the major rhetorical techniques and devices that playwrights use. She offers fascinating breakdowns of dialogue and speeches from across the theatrical canon – from Shakespeare and Ibsen, to Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry and Arthur Miller, right up to contemporary playwrights such as Helen Edmundson and Tanika Gupta. Each chapter also includes a series of practical exercises which combine spoken word with physical action to help you explore and understand these techniques, and harness their power in performance. Whether you\'re an actor, a director or a drama teacher, Keeping It Active will empower you with a greater understanding of the ways that language underpins all dramatic works, and will give you the tools you need to unlock the text, understand characters, connect with the audience, and perform with greater confidence, focus and authenticity. \'As this excellent book outlines, rhetoric is everywhere. It\'s not simply in the parliament, the press conference and the court; it\'s in the workplace, the home and the family. There\'s no argument, classical or modern, in a play that isn\'t informed and helped by Jeannette\'s work\' Josie Rourke, from her Foreword \'A great resource for actors and directors\' Ralph Fiennes \'Jeannette Nelson\'s revelatory relationship to language is, quite simply, life-changing\' Simon Godwin \'Jeannette taught me so much... I felt like I could persuade anybody to do anything\' Sophie Okonedo Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 13.5x13.5cm

From the bestselling Drama Games series, this dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book – packed with over 200 individual games – is perfect for teachers, playgroup leaders and drama facilitators who want to inspire and entertain children, aged 3 and up, with vibrant and engaging drama experiences. The book includes 40 complete and easy-to-follow lesson plans that can be implemented with little prior preparation – all appropriate for exploring the curriculum or running extra-curricular workshops. The action-packed sessions will transport you and your group to enchanted forests, pirate ships, bustling farmyards or the bottom of the sea, via magic-carpet rides or a journey through outer space. They incorporate vocal exercises, mime and movement, nursery rhymes and fairytales, character development, costumes, songs and music, puppetry, art and text work. Also included is advice on preparing sessions, and a template lesson plan. The most comprehensive and practical drama resource ever published for anyone working with young children (including parents!), the book offers material that will engage any child, from the most reticent to the supremely confident. It is an ideal way to explore and encourage skills of creativity, self-expression, tolerance, mutual respect, problem-solving and communication, in a safe, non-threatening environment. \'Tapping into a child’s ability to play is the way to educate our children and inspire them to learn. Katherine Zachest understands this and her book is a fantastic tool with which to do it.\' Sally Cookson, from her Foreword Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 11x11cm

An inspiring, hands-on guide to narrative improvisation, by the co-creator and director of the Olivier Award-winning improv show Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Improvisation is a craft that anyone can learn. When freed from endless rules and rigid approaches and allowed to relax, react instinctively and work seamlessly as a group, improvisers can spontaneously create performances that thrill audiences with their liveness. Drawing on the author\'s extensive experience teaching and performing around the world, Improv Beyond Rules is a fresh and exciting re-examination of the whole field of improvisation. Starting with the fundamental principles that work for all forms of improvised performance – and the common traps improvisers fall into – it goes on to explore the elements of narrative improvisation, where performers create a story without any predetermined structure: The Moment: How to be authentically \'in the moment\' by listening and responding to your fellow performers, accepting their suggestions (not necessarily by always saying \'yes\') and committing to whatever happens next.The Scene: How to connect moments together to build a compelling scene and keep it moving forward; why there\'s no such thing as a mistake; understanding and working with audiences.The Story: How to link scenes to build story and plot; what kids can teach us about storytelling; utilising dramatic structure; developing and playing different types of characters; key principles of staging. Packed with dozens of games and exercises, Improv Beyond Rules will give you the tools to build your confidence, empower your performance, and unlock your creativity. Written for improvisers with any level of experience, this book is also the perfect starting point for directors, teachers, actors or anyone eager to learn how improvisation can benefit both rehearsal and performance. \'Adam transforms the seemingly impossible into something exceptionally practical with his trademark patience, charm and clarity\' Mischief Theatre, from their Foreword Σελίδες: 304, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

The essential playwriting career guide, from the team behind acclaimed new writing theatre company Papatango. Writing a good play is only a small part of making it as a successful playwright; understanding the business side of building a career is just as crucial. Yet most advice for budding writers focuses only on the craft of playwriting, ignoring the practicalities of the industry – which makes it harder for those without connections or know-how to get their work on stage. Being a Playwright sets out, transparently and honestly, all the factors besides writing that playwrights need to know about to succeed. It includes advice on: How to get a script noticed; Which programming and commissioning opportunities to pursue; How to approach agents, companies and collaborators Drawing on Papatango\'s decade-long experience of discovering and launching successful new writers – who have gone on to win prizes such as BAFTA, OffWestEnd, Royal National Theatre Foundation and Alfred Fagon Awards – this straightforward and accessible book discusses the opportunities and pitfalls of life as a playwright. Whether you\'re an aspiring writer wondering how to break into the industry, or a working playwright looking to land bigger commissions, this is your insider road map to navigating the world of professional theatre. Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

In September 1998, Michael J. Fox stunned the world by announcing that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson\'s disease - in fact, he had been secretly fighting it for seven years. In this candid book, with his trademark ironic sensibility and sense of the absurd, he tells his life story - from his childhood in western Canada to his meteoric rise in film and television and, most importantly, the years in which - with the unswerving support of his wife, family and friends - he has dealt with his illness. He talks about what Parkinson\'s has given him: the chance to appreciate a wonderful life and career, and the opportunity to help search for a cure and spread public awareness of the disease. He feels as if he is a very lucky man indeed. Σελίδες: 320, Διαστάσεις: 12.6x12.6cm

Jane Fonda, no. 1 bestselling author, actress and fitness pioneer, is an icon for generations of women. Now you can learn her secrets to living life to the full with this intimate insight into her world. Combining stories from her own life and from the lives of others with new research, Jane Fonda explores how the critical years from 45 and 50, and especially from 60 and beyond, can be the time when you truly become the energetic, loving, fulfilled person you were meant to be. Covering the 11 key ingredients for vital living, Fonda shows you how to enjoy a more insightful, healthy and fully integrated life - one that is profoundly in touch with yourself, your body, mind and spirit, and with your talents, friends and community. Covering health, fitness, sex, love, social growth, and self-understanding, Prime Time offers a vision for successful living and maturing, so you too can ensure that your forties and beyond are your own prime time. Σελίδες: 432, Διαστάσεις: 13.2x13.2cm

A propulsive tour through a fantastical London, where history and myth collide, murder stalks the streets and the mundane becomes very magical indeed…The year is 1949, the city London. Amidst the smog of the capital is Dennis Knuckleyard, a hapless eighteen-year-old employed by a second-hand bookshop. One day, on an errand to acquire books for sale, Dennis discovers a novel that simply does not exist. It is a fictitious book, a figment from another novel. Yet it is physically there in his hands. How?Dennis has stumbled on a book from the Great When, a magical version of London beyond time and space, where reality blurs with fiction and concepts such as Crime and Poetry are incarnated as wondrous, terrible beings. But this other, magical London must remain a secret: if Dennis cannot find a way to return this book to where it belongs, he risks bizarre and disastrous repercussions, such as his body being turned inside out (or worse).So begins a journey delving deep into the city’s occult underbelly and tarrying with an eccentric cast of sorcerers, gangsters, and murderers – some from legend, some all too real, and all with plans of their own. Soon Dennis finds himself at the centre of an explosive series of events that may alter and endanger both Londons forever.Thrilling, lyrical and sparkling with dark humour, The Great When is the first book in a new series by Sunday Times-bestseller and icon, Alan Moore.\'A breathless time-travelling classic. Savage, humane, comic, terrifying\' Iain Sinclair‘Brilliant and so powerfully imaginative’ Adam Curtis\'A weird book and a complete joy\' Mariana Enríquez‘A masterful step from one of our very best, uncompromising storytellers; Moore peels back the layers of London and reveals not only the history we know, but the histories that could have been, and, underneath it all, both the dark and beautiful truths about who we are as a nation.’ Heather Parry Σελίδες: 336, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1001, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

Σελίδες: 240, Διαστάσεις: 13.7x13.7cm

This is the ultimate anthology of theatrical anecdotes, edited by lifelong theatre-lover Gyles Brandreth in the Oxford tradition, and covering every kind of theatrical story and experience from the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe to the age of Stoppard and Mamet, from Richard Burbage to Richard Briers, from Nell Gwynn to Daniel Day-Lewis, from Sarah Bernhardt to Judi Dench. Players, playwrights, prompters, producers--they all feature. The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes provides a comprehensive, revealing, and hugely entertaining portrait of the world of theatre across four hundred years. Many of the anecdotes are humorous: all have something pertinent and illuminating to say about an aspect of theatrical life--whether it is the art of playwriting, the craft of covering up missed cues, the drama of the First Night, the nightmare of touring, or the secret ingredients of star quality. Edmund Kean, Henry Irving, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Ellen Terry, Edith Evans, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren--the great \'names\' are all here, of course, but there are tales of the unexpected, too--and the unknown. This is a book--presented in five acts, with a suitably anecdotal and personal prologue from Gyles Brandreth--where, once in a while, the understudy takes centre-stage and Gyles Brandreth treats triumph and disaster just the same, including stories from the tattiest touring companies as well as from Broadway, the West End and theatres, large and small, in Australia, India, and across Europe. Σελίδες: 832, Διαστάσεις: 12.7x12.7cm

\'Haunting in every way. A story thick with family secrets, human heartache, and the kind of deep magic only Harkness can conjure. You will be enchanted\' LEIGH BARDUGO\'The Black Bird Oracle deftly explores the nexus of memory, history, and parenthood - the magic, pain, and promises mothers pass onto their children. Harkness\'s lush prose makes a fantastical world real enough to touch\' JODI PICOULTDiana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself - and her family history - in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved Number One Sunday Times bestselling All Souls series.The first shadows fall on a Friday afternoon when a single, dying raven lands on the pavement in front of Diana Bishop, harbinger of an invitation that reads, \'It\'s time you came home, Diana\'. Diana is a witch and scholar; her husband Matthew Clairmont, a vampire. Their intense love for one another awoke the dark powers within her and dissolved the Covenant between the three species - Witch, Daemon and Vampire - that live alongside humans. Now, the governing Congregation has decided it must test the magical powers of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Becca. Concerned with their safety, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family\'s future and travels to Ravenswood, the Proctor family home.There, Diana begins a new era, becoming her great aunt Gwyneth\'s pupil in higher magic. It\'s time to confront her family\'s past - and her own, inescapable desire for greater power.Number One bestselling author Deborah Harkness returns to her beloved All Souls world with a triumphant novel that sweeps back to the Salem Panic and illuminates Diana\'s family history in new and thrilling ways. Σελίδες: 464, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0716, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

This comprehensive guide in official partnership with the hit TV series Downton Abbey is a lavish celebration of the elegant institution of afternoon tea, filled with recipes, historical facts and etiquette guides. With over 150 stunning photographs featuring stills from across the series and right up to the latest film release, this collection of 70 delicious recipes will give you everything you need to take afternoon tea just like the Granthams do in the much-beloved series. With a foreword by Gareth Neame, executive producer of Downton Abbey, this book investigates the history of tea, covering its origins and varieties, the etiquette surrounding its consumption in English aristocratic life, and its presence in the series, both upstairs and downstairs. The book then turns to 70 recipes for delicious bakes, bites and assorted sweet and savoury delights to accompany a delightful afternoon tea, with sections on: Pastries, buns and biscuits - Whip up classics like the cream scone or chelsea buns, as well as enticing delicacies such as raspberry eclairs and chocolate florentines.  Cakes, tarts and puddings - From colourful Battenburg cakes and lemon tarts to warming spicy dark gingerbread or steamed toffee pudding, these irresistable bakes will have something to suit every taste.  Tea sandwiches and savoury bites - Enjoy mini pork pies and cornish pasties, or make carefully trimmed tea sandwiches to complete any spread.  Preserves and spreads - Make aromatic strawberry-rhubarb jam, currant jelly or lemon curd from scratch to accompany your bakes. This carefully curated selection of recipes spans the world of Downton, from intimate afternoon tea taken in the drawing-room to glamorous tea parties in the garden. Full of photographs and quotes from Downton characters, with this book you can recreate the rich traditions and flavours of Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea time and time again.   Σελίδες: 144, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0707, Διαστάσεις: 17.1x17.1cm

Show-business legend Dick Van Dyke is living proof that life does get better the longer you live it. Who better to offer instruction, advice, and humour than someone who\'s entering his ninth decade with a jaunty two-step? Van Dyke isn\'t just a born song-and-dance man his irrepressible belief in embracing the moment and unleashing his inner child has proved to be the ultimate elixir of youth. When he was injured during the filming of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , his doctor warned him he\'d be using a walker within seven years, but Dick performed a soft shoe right there and never looked back.In Keep Moving , Dick Van Dyke offers his own playful anecdotes and advice, as well as insights from his brother, actor Jerry Van Dyke his friend and creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show , Carl Reiner and other spirited friends and family. Whether he\'s describing the pleasure he takes in his habitual visits to the grocery store how he met his late-in-life-love Arlene or how he sprung back, livelier than ever, from a near-death experience, Dick\'s optimistic outlook is an invigorating tonic for anyone who needs a reminder that life should be lived with enthusiasm despite what the calendar says. You don\'t have to act your age. You don\'t even have to feel it. And if it does attempt to elbow its way into your life, you do not have to pay attention. If I am out shopping and hear music playing in a store, I start to dance. If I want to sing, I sing. I read books and get excited about new ideas. I enjoy myself. I don\'t think about the way I am supposed to act at my age - or at any age. As far as I know, there is no manual for old age. There is no test you have to pass. There is no way you have to behave. There is no such thing as\'age appropriate.\'When people ask my secret to staying youthful at an age when getting up and down from your chair on your own is considered an accomplishment, you know what I tell them?\'Keep moving.\'\"- Dick Van Dyke Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1018, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm