Acting Class: Take a Seat [Hardcover]

Milton Katselas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Previously only available to Katselas' students at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse, Acting Class presents the concepts and methods that have helped lead a generation of actors to success on stage, in cinema, and on television. Now for the first time, this all-encompassing book is available to the general public, taking readers and sitting them in the legendary acting class of Milton Katselas, where he not only covers techniques and methods, but also includes valuable discussions on the attitude any artist needs to fulfill his or her dream.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Milton Katselas is a renowned director, teacher, painter, and founder of the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Under his direction, Blythe Danner won a Tony Award, Eileen Heckert an Academy Award, and Bette Davis an Emmy Award. His last book Dreams into Action was a New York Times bestseller. Katselas currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Books (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597775924
• ISBN-13: 978-1597775922
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #726,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lessons from the Master Class, October 27, 2008

By 

Evan Jacobs (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Acting Class: Take a Seat (Hardcover)

We lost a legendary teacher last week. Milton Katselas passed away on October 24th 2008 at the age of 75. This book (finally available to non-students) represents the wisdom he gathered and techniques he perfected over his many years of teaching. If you're serious about acting (or any other creative or artistic pursuit for that matter) you really must take the time to read, understand and apply this book.

In the time I studied in his classes I had the opportunity to see a great many actors and directors overcome obstacles that stood in the way of their talent. And after a while I was surprised to find that there were often similarities to the challenges they faced. This book could be called a compilation of the remedies that Milton discovered.

The core of Milton's technique is The Checklist. Tried and tested techniques for breaking down a scene and unlocking its secrets. He shares this along with many other common pitfalls to watch out for.

Much of Acting Class is written in the form of transcribed critiques from actual classes and because of this, the message may not be immediately clear to those who haven't sat in his class themselves. I studied at the Beverly Hills Playhouse for three years and I can tell you that over time I saw a great many students learn these exact lessons. For this reason I can assure you that, however oblique it may seem on first read, the lessons are in this text.

This is not a dry, dense, academic book. Milton gets right to it. Acting is not some vague, formless art in his view. It's a skill that can be learned, exercised and perfected.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, August 26, 2009

By 

Michael Hill "reader" (l.a. ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Acting Class: Take a Seat (Hardcover)

This book is the most important book on Acting,living as an actor,and finding truth and joy in the work..I have ever read...and I have been a professional actor for 50 years,,READ IT,STUDY IT,AND Even if you are a rotten actor,you will get better

5.0 out of 5 stars Milton's technique is tried and true..., August 14, 2010

By 

Rebecca - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acting Class: Take a Seat (Hardcover)

This book is so valuable for actors, directors and writers. It gives you a clear checklist with inspiring anecdotes to help illustrate how the technique works. Milton is gone, but fortunately, he documented and shared his technique.