ACSF: Reading List

The word theater comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.
-Stella Adler

READ

I recommend all of these books for beginning actors and civilians who want to understand more about the art of acting. (The most important books for beginners are on top.)

Click on any of the titles below to purchase at Amazon.com

Acting: The First Six Lessons (Theatre Arts Book) Richard Boleslovsky

An actor prepares,: By Constantin Stanislavski. Translated by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. Introd. by John Gielgud

The New Generation of Acting Teachers, Eva Mekler

The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods (Career Development Book)

The Actor's Studio: A Player's Place

The Actor's Eye by Morris Karnovsky

Strasberg's Method by Lorrie Hull: A Practical Guide for Actors, Teachers, Directors

Shelley: Also known as Shirley , Shelley Winters parts 1 and 2
Method Actors: Three Generations of an American Acting Style, Steve Vineberg
Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (and anything by or about Walt Whitman)*
Carl Jung: Wounded Healer of the Soul , Claire Dunne
In the Dark Places of Wisdom , Peter Kingsley
Reality , Peter Kingsley
Talking with Angels, Fourth Edition , Gitta Mallasz

Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship By Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe: The Thomas Carlyle Translation with a New Introduction By Franz Schoenberner and Illustrations By William Sharp
The Eighth Day: A Novel , Thornton Wilder
Three Plays: Our Town, The Skin of Our Teeth, and The Matchmaker (Perennial Classics) Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing, Hélene Cixous
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life , Anne Lamott
My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization, Chellis
Glendinning
If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

Peter Brook and Traditional Thought, Basarab Nicolescu

Sean Penn's letter to George W. Bush Watch here

The New York Times- theater section

Watch

Pleasantville with Toby Maguire and Reese Witherspoon
Broadway: The Golden Age by Rick McKay
Hearts of Darkness, Eleanor Coppola (a documentary)
The Burning Times, Donna Reed (on women & spirituality)*
I'll Do Anything (with Nick Nolte)
Vanya on 42nd St., Louis Malle, with Julianne Moore
Stella Adler: Awake and Dream(a documentary on her teaching)
Joseph Campbell interview with Bill Moyers
Looking for Richard, Al Pacino*Pacino- An Actor's Vision collection
Stanislavsky Century (available from the library) a 3 part video
Esther Kahn, starring Summer Phoenix*
Mephisto, starring Klaus Maria Brandauer*
The Hours
The Pianist, Roman Polansky
What the Bleep do we Know
Frances, starring Jessica Lange
Beyond the Sea- Kevin Spacey*
Searching for Debra Winger- Rosanna Arquette
Lenny- The story of Lenny Bruce, dir. Bob Fosse
The Best of Youth (Italian)
In America *
Being Julia *
Dogville, Lars Von Trier, starring Nicole Kidman
The Lives of Others *
Mulholland Drive, starring Naomi Watts
Into the Wild
The Gods Must be Crazy
Unscripted, directed by Steven Soderberg, produced by George Clooney *
Tetro *
Youth without Youth
I am Love
Two Lovers
The Hurt Locker
The Burning Plain
After the Wedding