Letters to a Young Actor: A Universal Guide to Performance (Art of Mentoring) [Hardcover]

Robert Brustein (Author)

Book Description

Series: Art of Mentoring | Publication Date: February 1, 2005

The founder and director of the Yale Repertory Theater, as well as Harvard's American Repertory Theater, and the drama critic for The New Republic for going on thirty years, Robert Brustein is a living legend in theatrical circles. In Letters to a Young Actor, he not only seeks to inspire the multitudes of struggling dramatists out pounding the pavement, but also to reinvigorate the very state of the art of acting itself.Brustein is a man of strong opinions and formidable intellect. Stocked with a wealth of stories about the now rich and famous (he has at various points in his career cultivated such talent as actors Meryl Streep, Marisa Tomei, Cherry Jones, Debra Winger, Sigourney Weaver, Christopher Walken, Tony Shalhoub, Henry Winkler, Christopher Lloyd, Claire Bloom, and many, many more), he brings both passion and a peerless authority to his subject. His telling anecdotes from decades of experience help explain how and why those who made it big are the successes they are today-and what struggles they faced along the way. From why Method acting is not the answer, to the critical importance of paying attention in English Lit. classes, Brustein's advice is clear, persuasive, and inspiring.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This smart, no-nonsense primer-cum-directive on the art and science of acting comes stocked with information and peppered with anecdotes that will inspire the ambitious actor, despite the daunting nature of Brustein's curricula. Brustein, founder and director of the Yale Repertory Theatre and Harvard's American Repertory Theatre, is no lightweight, and this book may come as a shock to those who think acting is something innate and easy. Drawing on his 40-plus years of experience as an actor, director and dramaturge, Brustein explores what makes a good actor. Talent is essential, but insight, knowledge, reading, researching and a host of other explorations of both the human psyche and the history of literature and theater are necessary for an actor to have the range of some of Brustein's former students (Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Walken among them). Get a good liberal arts education, Brustein tells aspiring actors. Get a job to pay the rent and student loans while auditioning. Make numerous friends-these friendships will turn into jobs later in life. Most important, maintain a balance between performing and a personal life and remember that the best actors are all, at core, character actors. This is a sharp, accessible but far from simplistic Cliffs Notes on being an actor.
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From Booklist

Brustein has long maintained parallel careers as college professor, theater critic, and founder-director of Yale Repertory Theatre and the American Repertory Theater. That richness of experience informs this rich, gracefully written book in the Art of Mentoring series. Brustein covers all aspects of an emerging actor's life, from the "actor's calling" to getting a strong liberal education (to gain insights about oneself and the world that can be drawn upon onstage, not just to learn something else to fall back on) to strategies for finding work and staying employed. The book's title is misleading, however, for Brustein's advice is useful to performers of any age at any stage of their career. Indeed, it may fascinate and enlighten anyone interested in theater. What other book reviews various schools of acting; discusses the "exemplary careers" of prominent contemporary actors; details the roles of directors, audiences, critics, and designers in an actor's work life; and shows how those roles interplay to create contemporary theater? The subtitle of this ambitious, informative book is truer than its series-conforming title. Jack Helbig
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; First Edition edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465008062
• ISBN-13: 978-0465008063
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brustein's advice is universal, February 18, 2006

By 

Suzanne H. Rodgers (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Letters to a Young Actor: A Universal Guide to Performance (Art of Mentoring) (Hardcover)

I bought this as a gift for a young friend who wants to be an actor. I decided to read it first and found it delightful and insightful. The lessons he provides are for actors, but they apply equally to any choice of a profession, in my opinion. As the author points out, though, acting is the one profession where you rely totally on yourself, so you expose your ego to scrutiny that can be very painful. After reading the book, I want to be sure my friend's parents will read it too, so they can support him in his dream.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Peek into Another World, December 13, 2008

By 

Irfan A. Alvi (Towson, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Letters to a Young Actor (Art of Mentoring) (Paperback)

I have no experience in the acting world, nor any such aspirations, but I've always been fascinated with it. Perhaps this is because I value what actors do, but I imagine that I could never myself be a good actor, so my sense of wonder and appreciation are all the greater.

I therefore read this book in the hope of getting a thorough peek into the acting world -- including a sense of the real highs and lows of the actor's life -- and that's exactly what I got. Not only did I gain insight, but Brustein also serves as the kind of tour guide who makes the experience a delight.

This book should be informative and enjoyable for anyone interested in acting. Given the popularity of movies, I imagine that includes a lot of people! The book does have many references to specific people, performances, etc. which won't mean much to people outside the acting world, but those parts can be read through quickly without losing continuity.

Highly recommended for both aspiring (or active) actors, and for others who simply want to broaden their horizons by learning about a unique art form.