An Actor's Companion: Tools for the Working Actor

by Seth Barrish, Anne Hathaway (Preface by)

Overview

"I was totally unprepared for the transformation that Seth's technique created in me. . . . I realized that what I thought I knew about acting up to that point was largely misguided . . . but I now had a great, talented, dedicated teacher who generously wanted to share his tools with everyone. There is muscularity, not to mention wisdom and truth to Seth's techniques. He is a wonderful teacher, and I know that having him as my first guide is one of the luckiest things to have happened to me in my career and life. And when I can't get back to class with him, I am so grateful I have this book to turn to."—Anne Hathaway

"This book is truly unlike anything else I know—these pieces are haikus on specific elements of performance and character building."—Philip Himberg, executive director, Sundance Theatre Institute

A collection of practical acting tips, tools, and exercises, An Actor's Companion is ideal for both the seasoned professionals and actors-in-training. The tips—all simple, direct, and useful—are easy to understand and even easier to apply, in both rehearsal and in performance.

Seth Barrish is an actor, teacher, and the co-artistic director of The Barrow Group in New York City. In his thirty-year career, he has directed the award-winning shows My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Show, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Best Solo Show), Sleepwalk With Me (Nightlife Award for Outstanding Comedian in a Major Performance), The Tricky Part (Obie Award, Drama Desk nominations for Best Play and Best Solo Show), Pentecost (Drama Desk nomination for Best Play), Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and Garland Award for Best Direction), and Good (Straw Hat Award for Best Direction), among dozens of others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781559367974
Publisher:	Theatre Communications Group
Publication date:	05/25/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	952 KB

About the Author

Seth Barrish is co-founder and co-Artistic Director of The Barrow Group. He has worked as an actor, director, composer and musical director internationally, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional theatres for over 20 years. His directing credits include: Old Wicked Songs (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Garland Award), Lonely Planet, Good (Straw Hart Award), Ghost in the Machine, Tales from Hollywood, Greetings, Beau Jest, Three Sisters and When You Comin' Back Red Ryder? Mr. Barrish has made numerous film and television appearances and is a professional acting and directing teacher in New York City.

Table of Contents

Foreword Anne Hathaway xiii

Introduction Seth Barrish xviii

Tips 1

Do Stuff 3

Keep the Activity Going 4

Really Do It 5

The Conversation Exercise 6

Dovetail 9

Avoid Psychological Crosses 10

Look Before Crossing 11

Entrances and Exits 13

Ease into the Play 14

Confiding 15

Break Up the Line 16

Real-Life Models 18

Costumes Help 19

Look to the Response 21

Beware of Eyeballing 23

Stay in Touch 24

A Focus Trick 25

Loading 26

Time Deadlines 28

Get Caught in the Act 30

Explore the Contrary Impulse 31

Just Say It 33

Negative Choices Are a No-No 35

Don't Bring Coals to Newcastle 37

Be a Good Liar 38

Leave the Emotions Alone 39

Don't Deny 41

It's Okay to Laugh 43

Surprises 45

Break the Patterns 46

Releasing Pauses 48

Change the Circumstances 49

What's Going On? 51

One Thing at a Time 53

Make It Hot 54

Make It Unimportant 56

The Impulse Exercise 57

Transformation 59

Translate 61

Get Physical 63

Respect the Itch 65

Become a Director 67

Scenes Are Built Around Conflict 68

Add Up Your Lines 69

Get to It 70

Physicalize Your Intentions 71

Find the Main Event 73

Give Yourself Somewhere to Go 75

Maybe, Kinda, Sorta … 77

Interrogations 79

Similarities and Differences 80

Run Away from Confrontation 81

Don't Let the Neighbors Hear 82

Get It Over With 84

Are You Ahead of Yourself? 85

Blow It Out 87

Conventional Behavior 89

Connect the Dots 91

Stay Out of Your Head 94

Skip the Beginning 96

Flirting 98

Break the Mood 99

Follow Through 101

Stalling 102

Face-Offs 103

It's Called a Play 105

Get Off the Train 107

Join the Audience 108

Parallelism 110

Amplification 112

Easy or Difficult? 114

Flip-Flops 116

Rehearse in Public 118

The Silent Improv 119

Detail the Environment 123

It's a 3-D World 124

It's No Big Deal 125

Quick Bargains 126

Shut Us Out 127

Classical Text Tips 129

Know What You're Saying 131

Avoid Stressing Pronouns 133

Common Sense Works 135

Look for Lists 136

Find the Juju Word 138

What Did They Say? 141

Look for the Argument 143

Be Wary of Punctuation 146

Beware of Annotations 147

Vocal Range 148

It's All the Same 149

Round the Corner 151

Steal from Yourself 1 153

Are You Talkin' Funny? 156

Start Slowly 157

Are You Sure It's a Soliloquy? 158

Monologue Tips 161

Don't Eyeball the Wall 163

Start to Yourself 165

Set Up Off-Center 166

Eliminate the Prep 167

Words of Wisdom 169

Acting Maxims 171

Quick Reference 173

Tips at a Glance 175

Acknowledgments 187

Editorial Reviews

“With the simplicity of a Zen master and the wit of an author who knows his business, Seth Barrish offers the true gift of any teacher to a student: precise tools that are easy to grab and handy for life.” —Martin Moran, actor, playwright

“After having had my fair share of overly intense and arrogant acting teachers while living in New York, Seth was a breath of fresh air. He exorcised out the ‘work’ of acting and finally brought back its true intention... ‘play.’” —Tony Hale, actor

“As a casting director who has never acted, his succinct, accessible lessons help me to not only be a better reader with the actors I audition on a daily basis, but these lessons have also given me the vocabulary to direct the actors into giving a better performance.” —Jennifer Euston, casting director

“I have introduced Seth’s book to my closest friends. You can now see them all on your favorite shows. Enough said.” —Sakina Jaffrey, actor

“What a gem! An Actor’s Companion is not only wise, but practical. The way Seth works is the best way: going for simplicity and spontaneity. But the book is selling itself short. It’s not only an actor’s companion—it’s also a director’s companion. I know I’ll be using it.” —Frank Oz, director, actor

“The tools that Seth gives actors make the director’s job easier and more exciting.” —Michael Apted, film director

“Seth’s book cuts to the quick: specific, precise tools to make your acting more spontaneous. Seth’s tools helped me rediscover the joy of acting.” —Michael Stahl-David, actor

“An Actor’s Companion is filled with simple, straightforward tools that are immensely freeing for any actor. They put you in your most creative and spontaneous state. I highly recommend this book!” —Peyman Moaadi, actor

“Seth’s book gives actors what they need most in their very public, yet oddly isolated enterprise, and that’s a practical companion.” —David Rabe, playwright

“Are you an actor?... Do yourself a favor and buy this book! Clear, concise and fun to use! I play with these tools every time I work.” —Alison Wright, actor

“Over the years, my acting had become so labored that it had simply stopped being fun. This book of tools made me fall in love with acting all over again. Plus, I started booking a lot more jobs!” —Poorna Jagannathan, actor

“An Actor’s Companion is a wonderful and useful book, whether you’re an old pro or just starting out—there’s something for everyone!” —Debra Monk, actor

“Simple, clear cut, direct, practical actions to solve my everyday actor problems.” —Zachary Booth, actor

From the Publisher