Customer Reviews

Acting Class: Take a Seat

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

This is a must have book for any actor whether they are beginner or not. Using his vast knowledge and experience of the craft, Katselas gives you a very in-depth understanding of acting and provides you with a lot of insight to this art. Katselas makes his book very interesting and humorous to read and it is very to the point. Parts of this book are actually transcribed from actual lessons of his. No matter where you are in acting, this book will help you improve.

I bought this book and I have to say - it is a MUST HAVE for any actor. Indeed, any person- actor or not. I am now reading it a second time.
Great man, great teacher, and a great writer. I plan to suggest this book to all my students in New York.

Sheree Rainbolt Kren
[...]