Customer Reviews

Actions: The Actor's Thesaurus

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4 star:		(3)
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"Actions" is the perfect size to carry around, and I've found it invaluable in preparing for auditions as well as fleshing out a role. The juice in this book is in the concept of characterizing a theatrical beat in one action word. Since theater is visual, it is critical for an actor to physically demonstrate the inner workings of the character, and this book is a great jumping off point. I did purchase a pocket size thesaurus to use with it, since on several occasions this book did not contain the exact word I was looking for. I've played four widely different roles since acquiring this book, and consider the hours I've spent looking for that perfect "aha!" word well worthwhile. I'm making much more confident acting choices, and I think my characters are more assured, clearly defined and authentic. Highly recommended!

I'm an acting teacher in the theatre department at a university. I've found one of the biggest problems for actors was naming their goal/objective/victory...whatever you want to call it...and coming up with tactics that were compelling and ACTABLE. This book offers a goldmine of ideas for actors. Now, hopefully, they can move on from "convince" and "avoid"!!!



[ASIN:0896762521 Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus]]

This book is wonderful as a reference when trying to find the perfect action to express your intentions and achieve your objective in the scene. It won't be too helpful if you're not sure what action to start with at all, but if you have a sense of the action you are looking for, this thesaurus will help you find the strongest choice. I will carry this with me at all times.

This book makes it so much easier to clarify your actions and your goals when acting. It was introduced to me by a director and our whole cast bought copies and use them all the time. I highly recomend it!

This book was suggested by my current Acting coach on the first day of class. After one week I hadn't gotten it because I know tons of action verbs and I had written my own little booklet about them years ago in college so I had the info & thought I was fine. Then I realized my current coach is a genius and that this book is invaluable to all actors. I ordered it & I use it all the time. Actions plus a dictionary are two books all actors should carry with them every day. You might think that you want to manipulate someone in your scene, but you can't keep using manipulate on every line! If it didn't work the first time you need to try something else like coerce, taunt, trick, tease, jab, lure..... the list goes on. And it's really well organized so you can search by categories or alphabetically. And each word (like Manipulate) has a list of other verbs that might suit your action better. I'm so thrilled this book exists! I've only had it about a month or so & have merely cracked the surface so I know I'll be using it a very long time! Well worth the price no matter what you pay for it!

This book is great! It helps so much with building my action vocabulary so I can break down scenes easier, quicker, more specifically, and more imaginatively! I love it! I used to dread figuring out the actions. It was like talking in another language for me, but now it's fun. I should write a letter to the publisher for an updated version with even more juicy action verbs. I figure it's a good book for beginning acting students to get so they build a good foundation. In fact every actor should have it. The words are written in British English, so words like tantalize is spelled with an s - not a problem, just figured I'd mention it.

One of my biggest obstacles in any acting class I have taken is always trying to find my objective for a monologue--mostly because as soon as the instructor asks for my objective, all words leave my head. This resource gives all action words, and even groups major objectives and gives alternative words for all. It is extremely helpful, and is building my verb vocabulary. Every student actor should have one of these. It is extremely easy to use and a very great resource.

This book is such a great idea, but it would be AMAZING to have a version for Kindle or to have an app so that I can carry it around with me all the time.

I use it for directing actors. Absolutely invaluable.

This is a fantastic little book... so useful for both those who teach or direct and also for the actor. Because it is concise and highly portable, you can bring it to rehearsals easily in your carryall. As a teacher, I find it enormously helpful in aiding the student to understand how to play an action and finding beats. It works hand in hand with William Ball's excellent directing book, "A Sense of Direction". Highly recommended!!A Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing

This is a very useful book for all actors and singers. It will help you further understand what you are saying or doing with dramatic action. A must have, in my opinion.