An Actor Prepares...To Live in New York City: How to Live Like a Star Before You Become One [Paperback]

Craig Wroe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

A guide for actors, and everyone else, to getting the best for less and surviving, thriving and living the good life in the Big Apple. Here is the ultimate guidebook for the hordes of aspiring young performers who arrive in the Big City determined to climb the ladder to stardom. But the purpose of Craig Wroe, an actor himself, is not to provide instruction on how to refine acting, singing or dancing talents or how to land a job in the chorus of The Producers. Plenty of other books do that. His aim is far broader - to help you survive in the crowded, frantic, expensive maelstrom that is New York. From finding a decent, reasonably inexpensive place to live to finding competent, reasonably inexpensive dental care, from getting computer training to organize your day-to-day existence to joining a gym to harden your body, from eating well to dressing better - all on a tight budget - there is virtually no aspect of life in New York that is not covered in this book. And it not only names names; it gives addresses and phone numbers as well. And keep in mind that newly-arrived lawyers, accountants, models, writers-you name them-need these things too.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...full of joie de vivre and joie de New York... hardheaded practical advice for achieving both forms of joie. -- Kathleen Chalfant, actress, May 2003

An Instant Drama Book Shop bestseller!...Indispensable! -- The Drama Book Shop, August 2003

Craig Wroe's popular new title...is useful for anyone looking for advice on settling into an affordable lifestyle in NYC. -- Meredith Lee, Show Business Weekly, July 2003

Craig has written with grace, style, objectivity and humor. We all owe him a great debt. Bravo! -- Earle Hyman, actor, May 2003

Practical as salt...a wealth of information that will benefit any New Yorker hewing to a budget. -- Charles Wright, TheatreMania.com, July 2003

This is a superb book for all young actors preparing to live in New York. -- Mercedes Ruehl, actress, April 2003

Very helpful...up to date and timely. -- Janet Coleman, WBAI Radio, June 2003

What a useful book for us fiscally challenged writers and artists who dream of living and working in Manhattan. -- Alphonse Vinh, NPR, July 2003

[This book proves] it doesn't have to cost a fortune to live in NYC. -- Saturday Today in New York, NBC TV, July 2003

[this book] is the best guide to the trials and trails of New York life I have ever read. -- Arthur Penn, actor, April 2003

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Limelight Editions; 1 edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879109866
• ISBN-13: 978-0879109868
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Reference
  • #94 in Books > Travel > United States > States > New York

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't need to be an actor to love this book, December 27, 2003

By 

J. Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Actor Prepares...To Live in New York City: How to Live Like a Star Before You Become One (Paperback)

What a gold mine! This book isn't just for actors--it is a meticulously-researched, up-to-date and readable guide to living well in Manhattan without watching money flow through your fingers--it covers everything from haircuts and clothes to great deals at the opera. I'm recommending it to all newcomers, regardless of profession. If I had to find one small flaw, it's that I'm not quite confident about his recommendations for women, as--and he freely admits this--they rely on the judgment of his female friends, and the reader can't gauge whether these women share the author's ability to find the best, the least expensive and the most hard-to-find secrets of New York. Regardless, a minor detail in a worthwhile book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give this book 6 stars, I would!, October 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: An Actor Prepares...To Live in New York City: How to Live Like a Star Before You Become One (Paperback)

Okay, I've read a lot of guide books for actors. I've read lots of guides to New York. This writer actually blended the two together to create the best and most practical New York/Actor "how to" on the market. This is great for anyone setting out to conquer New York. I read this cover to cover the day it arrived, and now carry it with me wherever I go. Best purchase I've made in a long time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hell's Kitchen Living, March 31, 2007

By 

S. Galiza (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Actor Prepares...To Live in New York City: How to Live Like a Star Before You Become One (Paperback)

This book is good, but even better if you plan on living in Hell's Kitchen (midtown west). As the author refers to that area often. Overall, i liked it though. I'd say it helps speed up the process of getting comfortable living in the big city, not working, but LIVING.