Are there any books on acting / acting techniques you recommend? I know it's probably better to do hands on acting, but I can't afford classes at the moment, so I figured that would may be be helpful in a way.
As a huge research nerd, I think that’s a good plan!
I recommend Uta Hagen to someone just starting out. Hers were the very first books I read way back when I was in middle school and I was in the same boat. I knew I desperately wanted to be an actor, but I had no idea how to go about it. I went to the library, and hers, fatefully, where the only acting books that weren’t checked out. Of course, who knows if they are the most in line with my process because they were the first I read and that shaped my process… but I digress.
Her books are short, and divided into easy to read chapters. This alone makes them invaluable to beginners. So many acting books drone on and on and on. Hagen says what needs to be said, shortly and succinctly.
You can just skip to “A Challenge for the Actor.” She updated and expanded on topics she addressed in her first book, “Respect for Acting.”
It’s hard to recommend techniques, because how you approach your work is a very personal thing. I’d recommend researching as much as you can into the various techniques and work on building your “toolkit.” Don’t be afraid to take bits and pieces from various sources. I’m pretty intellectual with how I approach a role, but I always like to have rehearsal clothing that is as similar to my costume as I can get, because I need to find the character physically as soon as possible, and their clothing is the key to that for me.
If you want to learn as much as you can about different techniques, you definitely want to look into Stanford Meisner, as well as Stella Adler. I personally am not a fan of Meisner at all… but sometimes discovering what doesn’t work for you is as important as finding what does. A lot of people recommend A Practical Handbook for the Actor, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check that one out too.
All actors at some point in their lives need to read An Actor Prepares by Stanislavsky. It’s told like a story, which people seem to either love or hate, and it can be rough to get through if you don’t like the device, but he’s really the Bible as far as acting is concerned- everything that has come about since then is a reaction to his work.
Two random books that might be useful to you…I am in love with Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus- it has saved my butt a million times. Highly, highly recommend it. If you have any interest in Shakespeare, find Speak the Speech! It is the only Shakespeare monologue book I’ve ever bothered to buy. I also think Playing Shakespeare is great. Long, but worth it. There is also a book, but I have only watched the DVDs myself.
While you’re saving up for acting classes, try auditioning for local community theatre… you can work on testing all of those techniques you’re learning about, and work on building your resume :)
