<p>I think it might be kind of good to share some of the "favourites" - that is, the best plays to read, books on the craft, stage shows, musicals-made-into-movies, whatever!</p>
<p>I haven't been able to read or see much. I recently got "Respect for Acting" by Uta Hagen and look forward to reading it. I ordered some books from Amazon.com that should arrive in a week or so, I'm looking forward to it.</p>
<p>If/when I become a teacher, "A Soprano on Her Head" by Eloise Ristad will be required reading for all my students. It would benefit anybody in ANY performing art. My favorite acting book is "To the Actor" by Michael Chekhov. I dont usually like musicals to film. I much prefer them live. However, if you havent seen Waiting for Guffman its a must. (hehehe) I like most things with Parker Posey I have seen. Also, about anything with the awesomeness of Meryl Streep, Juliette Binoche, julianne Moore or Susan Sarandon rocks my socks. IMHO best performance by a young actor I have ever seen on film was Natalie Portman in Anywhere But Here. I guess everybody has seen that. I would kill to go back in time to see her play Anne Frank on Broadway. As for plays, check out Talking With by Jane Martin for some awesome monologues though they might be overdone for auditions. Also see "Poona the F***dog & Other Plays for Children."</p>
<p>In freshman year at Tisch, my D had to compile a similar list for a project they were doing. It happens to be on my computer, as she did it over a visit home, so I'll share some of what she wrote about favorite plays she'd read/seen/done that were required in h/s, as well as acting books she was required to read in h/s, and some of her favorite shows as an audience member.</p>
<p>Books:</p>
<p>Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen
Backwards and Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays
Audition by Michael Shurtleff
Sanford Meisner on Acting
The Art of Acting by Stella Adler</p>
<p>Plays: (done or read) </p>
<p>Nocturne by Adam Rapp
The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman
Angels in America by Tony Kushner
Proof
La Cage
12 Angry Men
Threepenny Opera
Waiting for Godot
Les Mis
Hedwig and the Angry Inch</p>
<p>As an audience member:</p>
<p>RENT
Take Me Out
I Am My Own Wife
The Last Five Years
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
tick..tick..boom
Fully Committed
The Last Session</p>
<p>If you like the Hagen book, you might want to follow it up with A Challenge for the Actor. My teachers used it as a text. A Practical Handbook for the Actor is another as is An Actor Prepares. Be careful with the Stanislavsky if youre reading it without a good teacher, though. Ive known some people who got some stee-RANGE ideas about things after reading it independently. I completely agree with Notarebel about the value of A Soprano On Her Head. </p>
<p>Im pretty fickle about favorite plays, but Lorcas tragedies seem to have found a semi-permanent place on my ever-changing list. Maybe its just my hunger to perform them. I generally prefer to spend my time with the great playwrights rather than seeking the elusive cutting edge. The greats are considered such for a reason. Euripides, Shakespeare, Moliere, Ibsen, Checkhov, Shaw, Beckett, ONeill, Hellman, Brecht, Williams I imagine the MTers will be living with them, too; so, its good to go ahead and get intimate now if you havent already had a good drama lit class. Just grab a compilation from the library and stage some in your head. Totally destroys watching trashy TV. For the ones in translation, spot read and pick those that seem to flow the best lyrically if you have a choice. Some of these guys were poets and can lose a lot in an overly literal translation. Better yet, read them in the original language if you can. </p>
<p>Bad English teachers have sucked all the life out of some of the great plays for a lot of people. The best way to blow off that dull association is to go see them performed by professionals when possible. I personally went from viewing Shakespeare as a necessary chore to becoming a total fanatic after seeing him done justice in live performance. If you can get hold of them, check out Laurence Oliviers Shakespeare DVDs especially Richard III. As films, the cinematic production values are fairly amateurish even by the standards of their day which can be a bit annoying, but its OLIVIER! Ive also seen a wonderful production with James Earl Jones as King Lear on DVD. I must absolutely perform Poona at some point, too. Gotta show Im not a total pretentious geek! ;)</p>
<p>Notarebel: I ordered "A Soprano On Her Head" for my daughter after reading your recommendation and many reviews about it. It sounds like a great book; I'm sure I'll be reading it first, since my daughter is buried in schoolwork and play rehearsals right now. Thanks for the suggestion.</p>
<p>P.S. Thesbo, glad to see you concur; two thumbs up is encouraging!</p>
<p>Mezzomom - Cool. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Thesbo - You are the hottest pretentious geek I know! :p <3</p>
<p>Speaking of favorites it was cool to see Robin Williams get his props tonight. That man is a genius.</p>
<p>always a mom - i second most of your nominations, especially proof. i loved it!</p>
<p>Hi everyone! I have been reading this board for weeks now. I think I have now read all the threads since day one, and am somewhat informed. (I hope!) I did have a lil trouble with the new forum but I think I've got it now! </p>
<p>Thank you so much to those of you who have taken time to share information that you have found helpful- Schools, websites, books, they have all been so helpful. I have learned so much! Like everyone else who is on here with some regularity, I would like to thank Dr. John for his great words and helpful advice. </p>
<p>I have a D who will be auditioning in Chicago on Feb 7, 8, and 9. We hope to combine the trip with a Millikin audition. She has never auditioned before, and unlike many, has not gone to a summer camp to prepare. Believe it or not she is still selecting her pieces and is having trouble finding just the right thing. She found a few things, but found out they were on the lists of "things not to do". She is making me very nervous and I am about to tell her to compromise as she will not have time to properly prepare if she doesn't soon decide. (I know most of you are cringing as your s's and d's are well prepared and have already done several auditions.) She is so comfortable and laid back, but I think even she is getting nervous! She is stuck on the idea that the pieces she has read are just not her! She can't relate to most of the pieces, as she has never had experience with any of the more popular subjects such as the death of a close loved one, etc. I have told her as long as it is age appropriate and has no dialect she is ok. (Although I do remember reading in many places that you should be able to relate to the piece and it should "speak to you" and "be" you.) </p>
<p>The stuff she is finding is just not her. I'm going to go to newer works at the book store, as the 5 monologue books I have purchased haven't yielded any returns yet. I just recently read somewhere where it says not to use monologue books! I know to read the entire play, but dont you have to find a monologue first and then find the play to read? I'm just a lil overwhelmed. Any suggestions? </p>
<p>She is going to a vocal coach tomorrow to pick out music selections. I guess I am lucky that she was recently cast in a school production. With auditions and all I thought it would be a bad thing-leaving less time for practicing audition material-but the director is wonderful and has offered to help out. I hope this all works out and is not an incredible waste of money!</p>
<p>Ok so my first post (above)was on the wrong thread...this one was definitely not a must read. I'm going to put this where it belongs....Sorry guys, i'll get better I promise!</p>
<p>I started reading "A Soprano On Her Head" this weekend. Since I am not and never will be a performer, I was reading it purely for enjoyment...not because I expected to really learn and apply anything. But when I got to the chapter where she talks about turning the musical clefs to a vertical position, I was stunned. (I was one of those kids who begged my mom to let me take piano lessons and then hated it.) It was like an explosion of understanding that still has me shaken to the core. I've been eyeing the piano in my living room this whole week with a mix of fear and anticipation...I'm actually going to sit down and try again all these years later (but I'm waiting until I'm home alone :D )</p>
<p>Thanks for the wonderful suggestion; I told my daughter that this book is a definite "must read".</p>
<p>yay! a new convert! :)</p>
<p>Just happens D is lately on a complete theater kick as far as renting videos. She's done with her trimester finals this week and is entering world-class couch potato status.</p>
<p>So far she's seen All That Jazz, Center Stage (again), Chorus Line, and she plans to get Caberet and Turning Point. I also remember, wasn't there a movie called "The Red Shoes" or was that for children? </p>
<p>What other good movies about the stage can you recommend?</p>
<p>Films which are also stage shows: a little different than films about theatre</p>
<p>Cabaret
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Chicago
Hairspray
Fiddler on the Roof
The Producers
Grease
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Glengarry Glen Ross
The Lion King
Ragtime
Little Women
On Golden Pond
Phantom of the Opera
Steel Magnolias
A Streetcar Named Desire
Twelve Angry Men
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The Full Monty
Fame
Thoroughly Modern Millie
and on...and on.. :)</p>
<p>Thanks alwaysamom. </p>
<p>Fame and Full Monty were ones I'd forgotten. But any more movies you remember that are more just "about" the stage life than based on original shows? How about oldies from the '40s & '50s?</p>
<p>One that you MIGHT want to look into is Stage Beauty. It's coming out for rental this Tuesday, I work at a video store so I have it tonight...it's about 17th century theatre when they are just beginning to use women actors on stage. Basically it's about the male actor who used to play women (Billy Crudup) and his dresser, who becomes the big female actor (Claire Danes). I have not watched it yet. Might not be what you're looking for, though. If you like "Shakespeare in Love" it should be ok.</p>
<p>bump!!!!!!!!!</p>