“The whole world is a theater, and the people in it are actors,” the great William Shakespeare used to say. And he was absolutely right, because society always requires the fulfillment of some rules: how to dress, what to say, where to move - everything is programmed by the conventions of being. It turns out that each of us plays: at work - a gray clerk, at home - a cleaning lady and mother, in a store - a scrupulous consumer. To play these, and not only, the role will help books on acting.
What kind of artist are you
Artistic techniques were necessarily taught in every aristocratic family. Monarchs, nobles, industrialists - all studied acting. It was necessary for communication, personal development, business. How does this help offstage? Acting skills at the household level are:
- delivered voice, the ability to control it according to the situation;
- ease, immediacy of public existence;
- harmony of movements, speech, gaze;
- freedom, charm, openness, charisma;
- improvisation, intuition.
A rather eloquent list showing the importance and necessity of these skills for a successful life. Carrying out a deal or a lesson according to established stamps, you will never get a good result. With this technique, you can easily achieve the desired impact.
Where the ability to be different comes in handy
Well-being, career, peace of mind directly depend on the quality of playing their roles. You can play life sincerely, openly, with joy - everything around you will respond in kind. If you try to imitate, cheat, society will reject you.
You can show off your artistry:
- in pedagogy, marketing, service in social structures, management - the ability to communicate, convince, sympathize with any mood, situation, is very necessary;
- in business and career - helps to think outside the box, teaches correctly, easily negotiate, speak to the public, convince the team, be confident, be positive, give out fantastic ideas;
- in the family - gives emancipation, confidence, teaches to coexist harmoniously, to bring up creativity in children, sociability.
- personal comfort - having learned to master the voice, body, emotions, you can better understand yourself, achieve success in any issue, find a way out of a difficult situation, improvise in a dead-end negotiation.
The ability to be different, remaining yourself, will make life brighter, more interesting, more productive. Exercises will remove fears, clamps, remove complexes. You will become more interesting for others, employers, colleagues.
Teach children to talk
In the age of gadgets, the skills of natural artistry disappear in children. By settling down, they lose communication skills, self-confidence, creativity. If earlier plasticity was learned from cats, natural behavior - from children, today babies themselves need help to adapt in society. The best way is acting trainings, of course, in a playful way.
Children torn from their phones learn:
- live communication skills;
- improvisation;
- fantasize, reincarnate;
- not be afraid of public speaking;
- laugh at yourself;
- sympathize, help.
Creative lessons develop speech, improve diction, broaden horizons, vocabulary, and develop a child's memory. The most important thing: these skills help to show your individuality, to become a person, to choose the best direction for yourself in adult life.
Who teaches lyceum techniques
Today there are no problems with courses, schools, studios, trainings teaching people who do not seek to become subjects of Melpomene. They teach how to speak correctly, understand facial expressions, gestures, take pauses in order to hear interlocutors, manage emotions so as not to harm, but to improve the result of negotiations.
They will help those who seek to get on stage or act in films, but did not come to this idea in their youth. And those who have dreamed of a stage since childhood. In parallel, this science will have a positive impact on all areas of daily life. A confident speaking person inspires confidence, a desire to follow him.
Your own director
The higher the professional level of the teachers, the more expensive the training is. But there is another option: you can study this science on your own - the book and the Internet will help you! Among the host of manuals, brochures, folios, there are quite understandable, effective tasks, advice, rules.
Paper, electronic, audio or video - there are textbooks for every taste. Self-study of the topic, with self-discipline and desire, will give positive results. But you need to understand that you need to improve in a team under the guidance of specialists. The self-training principle looks like this:
- Stage 1 - self-study, self-study
- Stage 2 - a textbook on acting, where the topics are expanded, the tasks are complicated;
- Stage 3 - a tutor or an amateur theater group;
- Stage 4 - for those who have chosen the stage profession, you can safely go to the casting or to the theater to audition.For those who need these skills in other professions, it is enough to periodically train using their best practices.
What to believe, what to choose for self-study, we will tell you here and now. Please note: each listed author has a fairly large authoring library. After reading the name, pay attention to the expert, teacher. If it was his program that you liked more than others, look for the following works of this teacher-director.
Stanislavsky system - classic
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Stanislavsky's theory of the performing arts emerged, dividing craft and craftsmanship. A method of acting technique has appeared, which helps to create the psychological validity of emotions and actions. All the variety of current methods is based on the system of Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky. The best schools, including the Hollywood one, use elements of this method. For future theater stars, Stanislavsky is the beginning of all beginnings, a system that helps to discover real talent in oneself.
Stanislavsky K.S. The work of the actor on himself
AST Publishing House, 2017. First edition - 1938. Series: exclusive: Russian classics.
143 r
In theater circles, this book is called the Bible of the performing arts, it sets out the essence of his world-famous system. K. Stanislavsky was the first to systematize the experience of transforming an artist into a character.
Stanislavsky K.S. The work of the actor on himself
Stanislavsky K.S. Collected Works in Nine Volumes
- Volume 2. The work of the actor on himself. Part 1: Working on yourself in the creative process of experiencing: A student's diary.
Publisher: M .: Art. 512 p., 1989.
RUB 200
Talk about accepting the character of the hero to be played. How, through your personal experiences, to come to the experiences of the hero, to find similar emotions, feelings. The author teaches to revive the stage image so that the viewer believes in his real existence here and now. There are exercises to create artistic truth, sincerity. His famous "I don't believe!" - exactly in this part.
- Volume 3. The work of the actor on himself. Part 2: Work on yourself in the creative process of embodiment. Student diary.
Publisher: M .: Art. 512 pages, 1990
RUB 500
The emotional background of the role must be superimposed on the speech and plasticity of the hero, to create a physically meaningful image. Exercises for emotions, the truth of body plastics.
- Volume 4. The work of the actor on the role: Materials for the book.
Publisher: M .: Art. 624 pp., 1991.
RUB 350
This topic was not completed by the author during his lifetime. Volume 4 contains the second part of Stanislavsky's system, which deals with the creation of a stage image. Training is based on examples of performances of the classics - "The Inspector General", "Othello", etc.
Stanislavsky K.S. Collected Works in Nine Volumes
Advantages:
- any works by Stanislavsky can be purchased as a textbook and as a gift edition, the price and quality of printing will match;
- buying knowledge of global importance for 200-500 rubles is cool;
- it is good that during reprints only the editorial preface changes, the Master's texts remain unchanged.
Disadvantages:
- the books are designed for trained people who know the basics of theatrical business, who studied in the studios. It's difficult on its own.
Development of the Stanislavsky system
Mikhail Chekhov. Secrets of acting. The actor's path.
AST, Moscow. Series: Golden Fund for Acting, 560 pp., 2011.
289 r
The great Russian artist, Stanislavsky's favorite student Chekhov emigrated to the United States, became the founder of a school for Hollywood stars (Marilyn Monroe, Wedge Eastwood, etc.). There are not only memoirs, biographical stories, but also chapters on the Stanislavsky system.
It is very useful for beginners to read how Chekhov worked on his ingenious characters - King Lear, Khlestakov and many others. Stories about rehearsals with directors Stanislavsky, Sulerzhitsky, Vakhtangov - this is the history of the Moscow Art Theater school from the first person, this is the basis that needs to be absorbed.
Ikhail Chekhov. Secrets of acting. The actor's path
Olga Loza.Actor's training according to the Stanislavsky system. Exercises and etudes.
Publishing house AST. Series: The Golden Fund for Acting, 192 pp., 2009.
Electronic version, download for 139 rubles.
Artists, teachers, psychologists, everyone who cares about mastering their emotions will find in this manual unique exercises developed by Stanislavsky, which will help you easily change your mood, express thoughts vividly, and speak expressively. Tasks are collected from all the works of the great teacher, director.
Olga Loza. Actor's training according to the Stanislavsky system. Exercises and studies
Elvira Sarabyan. Actor's training according to the Stanislavsky system. Mood. States. Partner. Situation.
Publishing house AST. Series: Golden Fund for Acting, 160 pp., 2011.
99 - 425 rubles.
To master the techniques of persuasion, the art of communication, not to be afraid of public speaking, to argue productively, achieving the desired result - the exercises from this manual will help.
lionira Sarabyan. Actor's training according to the Stanislavsky system. Mood. States. Partner. Situation.
Advantages:
- it is amazing how the classical system of the last century is being transformed in the modern world: the exercises and trainings are the same, but the message and implementation are modern. Modern language is simpler and easier to understand.
- I am glad that you can buy books on newsprint inexpensively, the essence is important, not the pictures;
- offset printing with colorful pictures - so you want to get started right away.
Disadvantages:
- small editions, and on order the price rises three times.
Other techniques
Boris Zakhava. The skill of an actor and director. Tutorial.
Lan Publishing. Series Textbooks for universities, 456 pages, sixth edition. 2024.
1666 RUB
Students of the famous "Pike" (Shchukin Theater Institute) study according to this system. The treatise contains a system of exercises for a novice artist. A student of the Vakhtangov school, Boris Zakhava, talks about the main things in the profession: attention, imagination, action. Shares best practices for working on the role. It will be useful for professionals and amateurs. The skills you develop through the exercises will come in handy in your daily life.
Boris Zakhava. The skill of an actor and director. Tutorial
Sergey Gippius. Gymnastics of the senses.
Publishing house AST. Series: Theatrical experiments, 512 p. 2017
347-956 rub.
More than two hundred practical tasks for imagination, attention, work with partners. An excellent training textbook is accompanied by the author's reasoning on methods of creative motivation. The topics of the mechanisms of perception, reflexes, and the practice of tempo rhythms are isolated. Training of creative psychotechnics by Gippius is today the most popular textbook of acting.
Sergey Gippius. Gymnastics of the senses.
Yuri Alshits. Forever training.
Publishing house GITIS, 256 pages, 2010.
Electronic version, downloadable for free.
A collection of practical tasks for individual and group work, compiled by a professor at GITIS. More than 100 exercises will help you keep yourself in good shape and improve your talents. What is valuable here is that the exercises are divided into 10 sections, each with additional explanations, comments, reflections.
Yuri Alshits. Forever training
Advantages:
- the authors are professionals of theatrical pedagogy, they can be trusted;
- no unnecessary texts, practical tasks, advice, exercises.
Disadvantages:
- sold as fiction, are expensive.
For children, adolescents and their parents
Mikhail Kipnis. Actor's training. 128 best games and exercises.
Publishing house AST. Series: Golden Fund for Acting, 288 pp., 2009.
158-182 rub.
A useful, not abstruse book for aspiring actors, children, psychologists, managers. Simple but effective trainings, warm-up exercises, involvement in group play. Professionals can update their developments in terms of group communication techniques, the development of creative thinking.
Mikhail Kipnis. Actor's training. 128 best games and exercises
Irina Feofanova. Acting training for children.
Electronic version, downloadable for free.
No file creation data.
The textbook will provide invaluable assistance to teachers, parents of children from four to 12 years old. At this age, it is easier to master the basics of scenography, plasticity, stage movement. Quiet silent children exercises will relieve clamping, shyness. All game tasks have been tested many times in the theater studio. Parents can themselves develop the creativity of their future stars of the big stage. And if they do not become artists, they will learn to think, improvise, speak, communicate freely, which is very useful in any profession. It will be easy for them to find themselves in this complex world.
Irina Feofanova. Acting training for children
Advantages:
- very clear, simply written: in the game, children acquire the skills of collective coexistence;
- written by professionals - age criteria, psychology are taken into account;
- an adult drama studio uses these games and exercises - a great result.
Disadvantages:
- Feofanova cannot be purchased in a printed version.
Foreign experience
Ivana Chubbuck. The skill of the actor. Chubbuck technique.
Eksmo Publishing House LLC. Series: Scene Masters, 416 pages, 2013.
587 r
Audiobook is available on the Internet, recorded in 2015.
The famous Ivana Chubbak, based on the system of Stanislavsky and other schools, created her own technique that allows you to very quickly enter the image, to stay organically in it. Her students were Brad Peet, Jim Carrey and others. There are many techniques for reproducing emotions. How to truthfully play pregnancy, dying, anger, without clichés, busting passions, explains an American teacher.
Arthur Bartow. Acting skills. American School.
Alpina non-fiction publishing house. Genre: Cinematography / theater, 410 pages, 2013.
RUB 379-535
Electronic version, download for 459 rubles.
The artistic director of the Department of Drama at New York University has collected all known techniques from Stanislavsky to modern innovators. Here the knowledge of European and American schools is systematized. Not collected into a single system, but presented separately - from classics to postmodern teaching methods. There is an opportunity to choose what is more suitable for a specific individual. Through these trainings, we learned about Al Pacino, Mickey Rourke and many others.
Arthur Bartow. Acting skills. American school
Bernard Hillier. Secrets of Acting in Hollywood.
Publishing house AST. Series: Pocket training, 256 pages, 2016.
403 RUB
Emotional stresses and psychological barriers are faced not only by acting actors, everyone needs to learn to resist uncertainty, look for opportunities to move towards the goal. There are some acting technique tips that are useful for everyday life. How to keep smiling in bad weather, to deal with uncertainty, to be liberated, to find strength for the next step towards the goal - the answers can be found here.
Michael Powell. Acting skills for beginners.
Translated by I. Naumova. Publisher: Eksmo, 2011.
Series: Gift Editions. Self-study guide. Genre: Cinema.
RUB 817
The main message of the author is - take your first step to the Oscar! Advice and assignments will come in handy not only for self-preparation, but also for working in a studio, theater schools. The manual is provided with illustrations. The skills that a novice actor should have are widely represented - from voice to physical expression.
The basis of the course is Stanislavsky's system, but there are topics from the series "how to become famous", experimental training systems. A lot of advice from movie stars: Robert de Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and others share their experiences.
Michael Powell. Acting for beginners
Advantages:
- seemingly according to Stanislavsky, while foreign authors have completely different starting points, and the results are unexpectedly interesting;
- any developments from these books are suitable for ordinary life, they even helped on a date with a girl;
- psychological moments in theatrical art are more and more amenable to training, thanks to the tasks from these books.
Disadvantages:
- if the actors follow these guidelines unconditionally, the theater will turn into a craft;
- not a very budgetary price for foreign literature.
Oratory
There are a lot of books on the development of voice, techniques for dealing with fears of public speaking. It is difficult to find really valuable useful literature here without navigation. The best option is the classics of the genre, authors who have confirmed the right to be teachers by the results of their work. All modern literature on oratory in one way or another is based on the classics, only reworked in a modern way. Therefore, you can start with the recognized mastodons.
I.P. Kozlyaninov, I. Yu. Promptova. Scenic speech.
Publishing house GITIS. Theatrical art. Textbook, 511 pp., 202.
Electronic version (2010), free download.
Teachers of the Russian Academy of Theater Arts wrote a textbook on speech technique for theater-goers. Starting with voice production, working with text, pronunciation, ending with semantic emotions when playing poetic works, the manual helps to understand not only the theory of theatrical sound, but practically master this technique. Each topic has self-study exercises. The authors of the textbook will help you learn to speak clearly, expressively, hear the text, and work with the script.
I.P. Kozlyaninov, I. Yu. Promptova. Scenic speech
IN AND. Annushkin. Technique of speech.
Flint Publishing. Expressive Reading Course Manual, Sixth Edition, 2013.
245 RUB
One of the obligatory skills of an artist is stage speech, the ability to speak expressively, emotionally colored, articulating words clearly. The author suggests tongue twisters and other sound-making exercises. There are also practices for setting the voice, correct breathing. It is useful for everyone who needs the skills of correct Russian speech - for teachers, managers, students of the philological faculty.
IN AND. Annushkin. Speech technique
James Humes. Secrets of Great Speakers. Speak like Churchill, keep like Lincoln.
Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publishing House. Genre: Psychology, 304 pp., 2013.
1 235 RUB
Electronic version (2012), downloadable for free.
To convince the director that you are the best candidate for promotion, you need to be able to clearly, convincingly state your thoughts. The Business Public Speaking Guide was written by a speechwriter for five US presidents. The book contains techniques for drawing up correct texts, strategies for their presentation. You can learn to speak on business!
James Humes. Secrets of Great Speakers. Speak like Churchill, keep like Lincoln
Arthur Schopenhauer. Eristics, or the art of winning arguments.
Eksmo Publishing House. Series: Great Ideas, 128 pp., 2015.
120 RUB
The German philosopher, a lover of irrationality, proved that the winner is not the one who is right, but the one who knows how to refute the irrefutable. Having mastered a dozen techniques, you can win an absolutely disastrous discussion, convince a person that black is white. A useful science for those who often have to negotiate, sell or purchase.
Arthur Schopenhauer. Eristics, or the art of winning disputes
Dale Carnegie. Public speaking is the path to success.
Potpourri Publishing House. Series: Psychology, 480 pages, 2008.
130 RUB
Carnegie's methods always work, the self-taught author created the institute of oratory with their help. Carnegie's works on various areas of psychology and oratory are collected in one binding. It is useful for novice artists, businessmen, experienced professional negotiators.
Dale Carnegie. Public speaking is the path to success
Advantages:
- when a person speaks clearly and correctly, it is pleasant to talk;
- from the reviews: I learned a lot from Annushkin: I learned to set tasks quietly, clearly, without words-parasites, confidently - the efficiency in the team has even grown;
- from the reviews: having studied the basics of speech technique, I was convinced that a word can really kill or make you happy.
Disadvantages:
- little literature on this topic is published; it should become accessible and popular.
Exclusively for businessmen
Of course, all textbooks on oratory, psychotechnics of communication will be useful for this category. There are specialized manuals for this category. They need the ability to communicate, convince, insist, and be creative for a different kind of creativity.
Patricia Madson. Improvisation lessons. How to stop planning and start living.
Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publishing House. Genre: Foreign Psychology, 192 pp., 2014.
893 r
Audiobook (5 hours 02 minutes), download on the Internet for 280 rubles.
The author is a Stanford professor and acting teacher. Her rules of improvisation help to easily bypass life obstacles from raising children to showdown with the boss. She calls on to boldly take steps towards the new, not to be afraid of mistakes, to act rather than plan. Thirteen messages for a good start from the first rule - agree, to the thirteenth - live with pleasure, help you take the first step and win.
Patricia Madson. Improvisation lessons. How to stop planning and start living
Sergey Shipunov. Charismatic speaker.
Publisher: University of Rhetoric and Public Speaking, 288 pp., 2017.
651 r
Guide to the training course "Verbal Improvisation". Stage speech classes are held with humor, practical returns will not keep you waiting. There are specific exercises for each problematic point of public introductions:
- removal of stage fright;
- eye contact with the public;
- work on timbre, intonation;
- meaningful pauses;
- struggle with words-parasites;
- gestures, facial expressions.
Sergey Shipunov. Charismatic speaker
With the help of techniques, you will learn how to conduct debates, make small talk, make toasts, and tell interesting stories. A bright, promising speaker - you can really learn this.
Jerry Weisman. Masters of the word. Secrets of public speaking.
Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publishing House. Series: Secrets of the Great, 288 pp., 2014.
744 - 1,327 rubles.
A professional teacher, an expert in public speaking, talks about preparing and conducting a presentation. The material is structured, well presented, interesting, accessible. As role models - Mark Twain, Frank Sinatra, Woody Allen and other celebrities, 75 practices in total.
Jerry Weisman. Masters of the word. Secrets of public speaking.
Ilya Melnikov. Assessment of the situation and adjustment to it.
Genre: Social psychology. Series: Acting in business, 23 pages, 2012.
Electronic version, download for 30 rubles.
Business is, according to the author, a play where any supporting actor can become the main character, if he has talent. Find practical tips for managing emotions here. Smiling when your heart is hard, being indifferent when you want to yell - is achieved with the help of training.
Ilya Melnikov. Assessment of the situation and adjustment to it.
Advantages from reviews:
- these trainings help to protect the nerves of both parties in business;
- I created a good mood for myself, the situation in the team has improved, but they should also read these books;
- I tested Shipunov's ideas in practice - it worked, now I will persuade any customer.
Disadvantages:
- It is difficult to train individually, but there is no time to go to group trainings.
If you play a role, then only the main
Life is a big stage where decorations, partners, sounds appear and disappear. Over the years, everyone learns their roles by heart - work, family, dacha. The script repeats itself day after day. And so I want new sensations, impressions, personal growth. Here is the time to do acting practices, start improvising. Return home by a different route, go to the park instead of watching the series, buy flowers, remember about a school friend - turn your usual schedule-script upside down, be able to remain organic and positive in it.
And tomorrow to change everything again - that's what improvisation is in life. What for? Improvisation frees our inner freedom. When a person improvises, the inner director begins to work. After checking the traditional roles, he will expand the repertoire and propose new script plans. They will have to create different images, show different emotions. When a person improvises, he writes the script himself, does not what society requires, but what he likes.
Once you master the techniques of acting, you will no longer play supporting roles in other people's plays. Being the first violin and writing your own music is much more interesting!