Tips : Ideas for Actors [Paperback]

Jon Jory (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1575252023 | ISBN-13: 978-1575252025 | Publication Date: March 1, 2000 | Edition: 1

Until recent times, acting wisdom was passed on through an oral tradition called "tips". Presented here are 250 tips, including the way to set a laugh, the use of opposites, a clear definition of "actions", how to use a "breath score", and even how to react if you're fired.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Jory, whose 31-year tenure as artistic director of the venerable Actors Theatre of Louisville ends this fall when he joins the drama faculty of the University of Washington, has assembled a pastiche of pointers that is a Helpful Hints from Heloise for actors. And when the producer of some 1300 professional works and a leading member of the brain trust behind The Humana Festival, the most significant incubator of new plays in the country, wants to dish on acting, actors listen. Arranged under a dozen major headings that include obligatory sections such as textual study, role building, technique, and strategy, each of the 205 tips is a succinct, one-page chestnut that will benefit actors of all levels. Jory!s advice is both practical and theoretical, pedestrian and elevated. One particularly revelatory tip, Transitions, divulges what Jory the director most closely watches for in auditions. This is the kind of soup-to-nuts guide actors are starving for, and as a result there may be fewer starving actors. Another dead-on entry in Smith and Kraus!s Career Development Series, this should be acquired by all collections supporting the needs of actors."Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jon Jory served as the producing director at Actors Theatre of Louisville for thirty-one years, during which time he directed over 140 plays and produced over 1300. Mr. Jory is recognized as a chief innovator and initiator for the American theater during a crucial era of its growth. Throughout his career, Mr. Jory has devoted his energy to the rebirth of the regional repertory and to excellence in all facets of production, but especially to the encouragement of new writers and the production of new American plays. Mr. Jory is himself a published playwright. He now teaches theater at the University of Seattle. Mr. Jory has been responsible for developing the internationally lauded Humana Festival of New American Plays, the SHORTS Festival and the Classics in Context Festival. Through his work at Actors Theatre, he has brought new plays to festivals all over the world. Plays from Actors Theatre directed by Mr. Jory have been seen On- and Off-Broadway, on national television, and in 15 regional theaters in the United States. Mr. Jory has directed and taught in Greece, Canada, Bulgaria, Australia, Hungary, Israel, Ireland, Yugoslavia, Poland, Egypt, and Syria. As a result of these efforts, he and Actors Theatre have received the Margo Jones Award twice for the production of new plays, the Shubert Foundation's James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of the Professional Theatre, Carnegie Mellon's Commitment to Playwriting Award, and a Special Tony Award for Achievement in Regional Theater. Mr. Jory was an honored recipient of the American Theatre Association's Award for distinguished Service to Theatre, the National Theatre Conference Award, The Southeastern Theatre Conference Distinguished Career Award, and the Milner Person of the Year Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc; 1 edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575252023
• ISBN-13: 978-1575252025
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real theatre starts here., October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tips : Ideas for Actors (Paperback)

If this book is any indication, Jory must be a marvelous teacher. Clear, concise, and direct, this is the one book about theatre I wish I'd had when I was in school. Targeted mainly toward actors, this is a wise and lucid compendium for ANY theatre artist, or for any patron who wants to understand more about how a play works onstage.

Jory covers all the major themes and topics in pithy one-page descriptions, and clearly relates them to one another. Although he obviously has definite ideas about how to approach a play, he also emphasizes that the actor (playwright, director, etc.) as artist is responsible for making the work organic. He's also very strong on discipline and professional behavior.

This book is for anyone who loves the theatre, and can be heartily recommended for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. Appropriate especially for actors and playwrights, it's full of insights for directors and the rest of the technical team as well. Should be required reading for all university-level theatre programs. Keep it in your script bag when you go to rehearsal, just in case you need a little reminder of why you do this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick the brain of a true expert in his field., January 12, 2003

By 

"the_one_aamo" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tips : Ideas for Actors (Paperback)

In my opinion, this is a book every serious actor needs to have. I've been lucky enough to have Jon as a professor, and "Tips" is the next best thing to being able to actually talk to the guy in person. He's got a lot of down-to-earth, nuts & bolts type advice in very straightforward language. While many theatre people are want to use flowery language and get caught up in the lofty ideal of being an "artist", Jon is much more interested in helping actors serve the STORY they are helping to tell, in a way that a PAYING AUDIENCE will be glad they saw. Jon has a lifetime of experience with the theatre; "Tips" gives you a pretty darn good distillation of that experience.

5.0 out of 5 stars Tips, August 22, 2011

By 

AK - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tips : Ideas for Actors (Paperback)

I had to get this book for class and it's a great to have around and just flip-through. We use at least 3 of JJ's tips in each monologue....very helpful.