'Everybody wants to get into the act' said the old-time comic Jimmy Durante, but the fact is that becoming a professional actor requires a lot more than just the desire to break into the business. A clear understanding of how acting careers are built and the specific way that actors must position themselves in a professional environment overseen by directors, agents, casting directors and acting unions is essential to all would-be actors. Acting Professionally will steer you through this hugely competitive industry in the U.S., offering wise advice on everything from writing a successful resume to finding yourself an agent.
The leading book in its field since its first edition in 1972, Acting Professionally 7th Edition is now fully updated, with the addition of co-author James Calleri (of Calleri Casting), and a new section on digital and web-based casting procedures. With comprehensive coverage of the new technologies of internet-transmitted performance videos, website casting, and electronic submissions, Acting Professionally will help you to create and sustain an acting career in the twenty-first century.
'Of all the books on the subject, Acting Professionally is by far the most comprehensive and thorough.' - Daniel Yurgaitis, Northern University
'It is the leading book of its kind, and certainly the best available resource for young actors who wish to begin their professional careers.' - Harold Dixon, University of Arizona
Praise for Previous Editions:
'This is the book that every mother should stick in her son's or daughter's bag next to the chocolate chip cookies as she packs them off form Fort Wayne on their way to the wicked city - on either coast - to be an actor (or just off to college to major in the arts)...Cohen has updated his info, but maintained his devotion to the nitty gritty...his approach is eminently business like and realistic.' - Jill Charles, Regional Theatre Directory
'The most straightforward, accurate, and honest description of what the acting business is like in the United States and what it takes to break into it.' - Roger Ellis, An Audition Handbook for Student Actors
'Cohen performs a magnificent service both to aspiring actors and to the theatre by presenting the profession of acting in its myriad, unadorned aspects.' - Eric Forsythe, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
'I recently read an excellent book entitled Acting Professionally by Robert Cohen. This book will help steer you in the right direction with its pragmatic advice and realistic picture of showbiz survival.' - Thomas Mills, "Tombudsman", in Back Stage West
'Where Acting Professionally differs from other texts on the market today is that it provides the most current statistics and information covering every aspect of the profession, coupled with the author's invaluably honest description of the business.' - Lori Talley, Back Stage West
About the Author
ROBERT COHEN is the founding chair of the drama department at the University of California, Irvine, where he now serves as Claire Trevor Professor of Drama. He is author of the defining text Acting Power, and many other theatre books including Acting One, Advanced Acting, Acting in Shakespeare and Creative Play Direction. In 1999 he received the Career Achievement Award for Education from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. He is a veteran stage director for Shakespeare festivals in the U.S. and abroad.
JAMES CALLERI is President of Calleri Casting, and one of the most prominent casting directors in America. His casting credits include 33 Variations, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Dead. His TV credits include Lipstick Jungle, Monk, Ed and Hope & Faith. He has been awarded six Artios Awards for outstanding achievement in casting, and is a member of the Casting Society of America.
Robert Cohen was the founding chair of Drama at the University of California at Irvine, where he continues to serve as the department's Claire Trevor Professor of Drama. He has also been a resident acting teacher at the Actors Center in New York, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, the Korean National Arts University, and the national theatre academies of Hungary, Finland, and Estonia. He is an accomplished stage director, scholar, playwright, drama critic, and teacher.
A director by training (Doctor of Fine Arts, Yale Drama School), Cohen has staged thirteen professional productions at the Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, plus well over a hundred productions at Stages Theatre Center (Hollywood), Virginia Museum Theatre (Richmond), Theatre 40 (Beverly Hills), Image Theatre (Boston), Summer Repertory Theatre (Santa Rosa), the Medieval Drama Project (Irvine), the Manhattan Theatre Source, various universities, and several operas, videos and films.
In addition to Theatre and Theatre: Brief Edition, he is also the author of many theatre books, including Acting One, Advanced Acting, Acting in Shakespeare, Acting Professionally, Acting Power, More Power to You, Giraudoux: Three Faces of Destiny, Creative Play Direction, and two dramatic anthologies. His essays have appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, Theatre Forum, Theatre Survey, Modern Drama, Theater der Zeit, Essays in Theatre, On Stage Studies, The Drama Review, Contemporary Literature, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Slavic and East European Performance, Experiment and Innovation, and Dramatic Theory and Criticism.
Cohen's play, The Prince, published by Dramatic Publishing Company, has been professionally produced in Long Beach, Pittsburgh, Budapest, and in staged readings in New York and Los Angeles; his dramatic translations (The Bourgeois Gentleman, The Misanthrope, Clizia, Tibi's Law) and opera translations (The Magic Flute, Carmen) have been both produced and published widely.
For the past twenty years, Cohen has been the Southern California drama critic for Plays International, reviewing over two hundred plays. In 1999, he received the national Career Achievement award from ATHE - the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
Mr. Cohen has in no uncertain terms assembled a tome of infinite wisdom concerning the professional acting world. He does not jump up and down like a cheerleader yelling "you can DO it!" nor does he tell you to give up on the whole nasty business. What he does do is tell you the hard truth about the nasty business, how nasty it is, what's real, and what there is to give hope. The advice is clear and unambiguous, such that no one will have a problem knowing what is the right direction for them after reading. Every actor, aspiring and seasoned, should keep this book by his or her side and read it often.
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I personally didn't find it too useful because I think any average person already knows half of the information in that book. He didn't list any names of agents or photograghers, etc. in his book, but I guess there were good points. He was very honest and up front, telling the readers what to expect and what agents and producers are looking for in an actor/actress. He talked about the different types of actors, like screen actors, stage actors, and extras, but didn't go into a great detail about anything in particular. Overall, I'd say it's an okay beginning book, but I would actually recommmend Acting is Everything, 9th edition over Acting Professionally because it is much more thorough, helpful and informative.
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This review is from: Acting Professionally: Raw Facts About Careers in Acting (Paperback)
I love this book. I reread it regularly. Robert Cohen doesn't hold back on the reality of this business. It forces you to reassess if you are truly fit for the acting profession. It also helps you determine where you need to focus for the next phase of progressing your career. HIGHLY recommended!
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