Customer Reviews

The Actor and the Target

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
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This is not a "how-to" book for the novice, inexperienced actor, but if you do have any experience or training the book is invaluable. I have been an acting teacher for 40 years, and this is the best book on the subject of actor empowerment and living in the moment that I have seen in a couple of decades. The book is a "must read" for any actor, and belongs in a very short list of most important books on the subject.

Donnellan truly seems to have inhabited actor's psyches and analyzed their difficulties. He has come up with an understandable and liberating way for actors to think about their work. This is one of the finest understandings of the actor's process that I have read in many years. I first encountered it in its original edition and have been using it to teach more advanced actors ever since. It builds upon the work of Stanislavski, Jung, Adler, Shurtleff, Spolin, Meisner, and the rest of the Greats but its focus is on the actor's internal struggles to realize these ideas. Bravo, I would never teach without this at my side.

This book is different. If you are a young actor struggling with understanding playing action, sense memory, substitutions, or if none of these things are part of your process, then don't buy this book.... YET! Instead look into Uta Hagen's book, Respect for Acting, or perhaps even Robert Cohen's book, Acting One.

This book assumes that the reader has been trained in modern acting theory, that the actor reading it has understanding of how to play and build a character, and yet still struggles (as we all do) with forms of "block". The author often uses the phrases/teachings of other acting teachers to point out that it is in fact the framing of some of these "tools" that leads to block. Not that the other theorist's ideas are incorrect, but rather that each actor needs to frame his/her process differently, and that the "target" dictates more of the game than we often think. Little of this is plainly stated in the book, much of it is implied, and if the reader hasn't the breadth of experience much of the potential firepower in this text may be missed. Each time you read it you will see another layer.

It's a fantastic book for any actor trying to re-evaluate, or sharpen his/her process. It is loaded with truth.

Everythnig it was great, the book arrived much earlier than expected and it was in a perfect package.
Thanks a lot, this book is great for actors and directors also!!

Reading books about acting is a bit of a funny thing to do, but if you're going to read a book about acting, read this one.

This is an excellent resource for actors. The general guidlines are great. But the part I liked best of all were the specific examples regarding an actor faced with the difficulties of playing Juliet. The specific examples are complex and so helpful in fleshing out the general guidlines and for making them easier to remember for future reference. I also liked the fact that there was a lot of "new age" psychology--which is so great at plugging us into our own psychys--which is really what acting is all about. This book was dealing with very complex concepts, but they were presented simply and clearly. I give it 5 stars unequivically. As an actor, I am very grateful for this book!

The Actor and the Target is an invaluable insight into the actor's process. Well written with terrific clarity and wisdom.