“The Outstanding Actor is distilled from 30 years’ teaching and research at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where acting tutor, Ken Rea trained some of the high-profile actors including Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, Joseph Fiennes, Damian Lewis, Hayley Atwell and Daniel Craig. The book uncovers what these people, and many stars like them, were doing that made them successful and offers suggestions for how actors can adopt these traits and qualities to influence their own careers.Drawing on teaching experience and research as well as interviews with top actors and directors, the book identifies seven key qualities that outstanding actors manifest and the key exercises that help nurture those qualities. The focus of the book is not the core competences (voice, movement, acting process) but the qualities on top of those which make someone truly outstanding. Blending discussion, interviews and practical exercises, the book gives techniques that actors can immediately put into practice: in rehearsals, classes, workshops or their own private preparation for a role, as well as how they can increase their chances of having a more successful, fulfilling career. Organised in three sections, Part One deals with rehearsal and performance technique whilst Part Two shows how actors can adopt the right frame of mind to become more successful, and Part Three deals with managing your career.The core question of the book is: given your circumstances (traits, culture, physicality, gender, age, personality and life experience) what difference can you make to your destiny as an actor?”–“The Outstanding Actor is distilled from 30 years’ teaching and research at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where acting tutor, Ken Rea trained some of the high-profile actors including Ewan McGregor, Orlando Bloom, Joseph Fiennes, Damian Lewis, Hayley Atwell and Daniel Craig. The book uncovers what these people, and many stars like them, were doing that made them successful and offers suggestions for how actors can adopt these traits and qualities to influence their own careers. Drawing on teaching experience and research as well as interviews with top actors and directors, the book identifies seven key qualities that outstanding actors manifest and the key exercises that help nurture those qualities. The focus of the book is not the core competences (voice, movement, acting process) but the qualities on top of those which make someone truly outstanding. Blending discussion, interviews and practical exercises, the book gives techniques that actors can immediately put into practice: in rehearsals, classes, workshops or their own private preparation for a role, as well as how they can increase their chances of having a more successful, fulfilling career. Organised in three sections, Part One deals with rehearsal and performance technique whilst Part Two shows how actors can adopt the right frame of mind to become more successful, and Part Three deals with managing your career.The core question of the book is: given your circumstances (traits, culture, physicality, gender, age, personality and life experience) what difference can you make to your destiny as an actor?”–
