5 comments about Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing.

1. This book has opened my eyes to a greater view of the audition process as an actor. It has also awakened a fire in me to direct. I am planning on directing my first play this coming Fall, and I really feel prepared with this book and the class I'm taking now. A great text for discussion for directing classes.
   
   Engagingly written.



2. SENSE OF DIRECTION is a text every director will want to take a look at, even if, years later, some of Ball's advice seems dated (or too expensive-he was not a man to shy away from large budgets and extended rehearsals if he thought them necessary.) In person he could be rather abrasive, to the point of being ridiculous, like Ross Hunter in a caftan. But on the pages of his book, he exhibits a warm, spiritual nature, almost like a priest. Since the days of the Chekhov dynasty, the director has of course assumed near divine proportions in the theater and you get the feeling Ball enjoyed that role, but he is often very courteous towards his actors. He even goes so far as to say that "one of the director's most important qualifications is knowing when NOT to interrupt his actors."
   
   He was a professional director and the book covers every contingency from "first reading to opening night." Some of Ball's advice is not going to help you if you are an amateur. He gives the advice that actors, like cattle, can't hold too many ideas in their heads at one time so he urges the director to come up with a shorthand of small verbs or nouns with which the actor might make himself aware at all times. "Seduce," for example, might be his direction to the actor playing Cleopatra. Sounds elementary, but it works! After all, he was the man who boasted that he discovered Annette Bening.
   
   He notes that often, for the first ten minutes of a play, the audience finds itself uncomfortable, with a marked realization of the artificiality of theater. They are sitting in a dark room and watching a bunch of people all lit up pretending to be real. As directors our job is to make those first ten minutes fly by so that the dream can swamp the audience and take them along with us on our journey. In passages like this one, he writes beautifully. Within a year or two after completing his book he was summarily fired from ACT and not long after that he had left this world for another, behind the curtains of life. Sad ending for what was once a glorious if eccentric career.



3. William Ball's "Sense of Direction" has some excellent information for those involed in, or thinking about becoming involved in, directing. However, Mr. Ball is coming from the world of professional actors and sometimes his advise is not applicable for directors involved in educational theatre.



4. Mr. William Ball, the former artistic director and founder of The American Conservatory Theatre in San Fransisco, boils down almost forty years of teaching, acting and directing experience into possibly the most effective,educational and practical document about directing. I shudder to use the word text book as that term implies dry academia- an approach which leads to the the death of the theatre- but really this book is indespensable to any theatre director. Ball lays out in a logical, simple and jargon free manner the nuts and bolts of building a balanced right and left brained community which has complete and utter access to the creative impulse. Everything in Ball's book is transferable, practical (sorry about using that term again but it is true)and impeccably rendered. For any theatre director, I strongly suggest purchasing this book as the foundation of any library. Five out of five stars.



5. A wealth of practical insight. It could serve as a model for all "how to" books: utterly clear, in stark, spare prose that nevertheless conveys enormous passion for the art. I picked it up as part of a workshop at the Yale Drama School, and have reread it many times. It's a kind of checklist of decisions that must be made by the director, from the most profound philosophical ones to the nuts and bolts of costume design. Mr. Ball's voice here is the one that any director would want to provide his actors in rehearsal: calm, clear, thoroughly informed, and obviously in command.

3 comments about Creating a Role.

1. This is another "must-read" for actors. This is the third and final book in his classic trilogy, and shows how to apply the techniques in his first and second book to creating a role. Very practical; this trilogy completely transformed my acting almost overnight. You do not need to have an instuctor to show you how to use this technique; much of it you can do on your own. Strongly recommended.



2. There is nothing "simple" about acting & this wordy, detailed book will prove it. Though written in so much deep detail that it can be off-putting to some, if you are serious about acting you will learn so much necessary skill from this book.



3. This book shocked me. In buying it I had envisioned receiving an "okay" book. I was so wrong. This book is incredible. I found myself highlighting/making notes/and never letting the book close. This book helps the actor who really, really needs help. It sounds odd, but this book can make you an incredible actor. True, it can't start you in Hollywood! However it provides insight on how to be a great actor, no matter if Hollywood becons. Buy the book, you won't be disappointed! I promise

5 comments about Tennessee Williams: Plays 1957-1980 (Library of America).

1. My review refers to the two Ten Williams volumes of the LoA.
   I love the LoA. The books give me the supreme pleasure in reading. They are so beautifully printed on optimal paper in an optimal size, that I sometimes read stuff that is not worth reading.
   I have read '10' for two reasons: 1. because I had bought the LoA, and 2. because I had read a lot about the 'glorious bird' in Gore Vidal's 2 volume memoirs. And then, of course, I had seen the Glass Menagerie on Stage and the Cat on the Hot Tin Roof in the movies. Can't remember what else I might have seen before I read this. I saw Suddenly Last Summer only after I read it. I never saw A Streetcar or the Iguana. Pity.
   Let me say straightforward, that I love half a dozen to maximum 10 of TW's plays. They are pulp material, they are trash, they are melodrama, and they are true, and gripping, and honest, and vulgar...
   And they are great.
   But the early plays are plain nothing, while the last few ones are abominable.
   It is impossible to draw a strict line when he started to write readable stuff and when he declined so badly that he stopped doing that. But for me it is clear: his early attempts are trash, and so are his last.
   My conclusion: the LoA would have done better to restrict themselves to one volume and then focus on the main phase.
   If they want to re-issue, I can offer advice as to which plays to include and which ones not.



2. Tennessee Williams represented a major advance in American drama as he introduced a lyricism that had previously been missing. Eugene O'Neill helped the American theatre grow up, but Williams was the one who made it sing.
   
   Williams was able to create complex, vibrant plays which gave intense life to all of the contradictions, nastiness, dysfunction and beauty of American life and families. America has never produced a more honest or sincere playwright. His characters are always searching for ways to hang on to their humanity as the forces of repression and authoritarianism threaten to swallow them up or destroy them.
   
   But above all else, Williams' dialogue is superbly, sublimely poetic. For Williams, the drama is in language itself, and no one has ever used words to greater effect than Tennessee Williams. Both Library of America volumes of Williams' plays are essential reading for people interested in theatre, America, and/or the possibilities of hope and grace in turbulent times.



3. I, for one, worship the pulp Tennesse Williams typed upon, but I think Mark E. Baxter's review below might just give Tenn himself a run for his money when it comes to audaciously witty, ironic, shocking, and ultimately moving writing. At the very least, Williams (a man who was once seen at a production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" cackling "Haha, she's off to the nuthouse now!" as the curtain fell) would have enjoyed this hilariously, astonishingly off-kilter review. Brava, Mark E. Baxter! Well done!



4. Why American critics are so desperate to make Tennessee Williams into the "great" American playwright is beyond me -- perhaps they feel inadequate when compared to the genius that's come out of England and Continental Europe (e.g., Shaw, Shakespeare, Moliere).
   
   The characters are seldom well-developed, and frequently, I found myself not caring what happened to them. Or rather, I hoped that Mr. Williams would kill them all off a little quicker so he could end the wretched work.



5. Tennessee Williams is in the top ranks of American playwrights. His works are a MUST for serious students of the American theatre. Moreover, they are wonderful works for actors to read and learn from -- some of the finest characters, most poignant scenes, and brilliant insights on human nature AND theatrical staging that you can find anywhere. Cheerful? No. Uplifting? Usually not. Brilliant, stageworthy and gripping? Always. This collection, both volumes, gives you all the plays, plus some very worthwhile notes and prefaces from Williams himself.

5 comments about The New Essential Guide to Characters (Star Wars).

1. The most obvious flaw of this book is that it doesn't include Revenge of the Sith material. So critical things like Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, Padme and Count Dooku's deaths, General Greivous entirely, are all casually left out.
   
   The more annoying flaw though, is the lack of coverage. A good amount of characters are covered, but too many are just left out entirely. Nearly all the members of Rogue Squadron simply aren't mentioned, just as one example. It's hard to expect them to fit in every character ever, but there are far too many missing for this resource to be able to be considered comprehensive.
   
   Their main mistake was restricting themselves by format. Every character received at least one whole page of information, plus a full, detailed, color illustration. At the end, a few dozen other characters got a short blurb, and some got a facial portrait. They should have gone for a more encyclopedic approach, allotting as much space as was necessary for each character, and not restricting themselves to a page by page format. Then they could have included a lot more people and amde the book a lot more satisfying.
   
   This book does very nicely in what it has done, I'll certainly give it that.
   But as it stands, a few years after it's release, it is in need of a serious update and a total revamp of included characters.



2. I really like this book. Seldom do you get the opportunity to read about Star Wars characters, all compiled into a single volume. Every page in this book is fun to read. Character illustrations are pretty good and the descriptions on each characters are quite detailed and well-constructed.
   
   However, there are some typo errors in the book and I was left wondering why did the publisher (Del Rey) decide to revise this book before Episode 3 was released. Some of the key characters missing from this book include General Grevious and many other important figures in Episode 3. In my opinion, this book should have been revised after Episode 3.
   
   Nevertheless, its still a great book to read. I recommend it book to both fans of Star Wars and RPG gamers. A job well done to the author of this book - Mr. Daniel Wallace.



3. The book has a lot of good information and is up to date.



4. Star Wars: The New Essential Guide To Characters (2002.)
   
   INTRODUCTION:
   Star Wars is the ultimate science fiction series. It's not likely that when George Lucas released the classic first film in 1977 just how big the franchise would go onto be. In addition to two trilogies of films, the Lucas series spawned video games, comic books, novels, and an assortment of other Expanded Universe material. With all these different sources of Star Wars, it was high time that guides to everyone's favorite galaxy far, far away were released. And in the mid-late nineties, that happened. Guides were released for characters, vehicles, weapons/technology, alien species, droids, planets, and characters However, many of the guides were outdated with the arrival of the prequel films. And thus, several got a much needed revamp. The character guide was amongst them. Read on for my review of The NEW Essential Guide To Characters.
   
   OVERVIEW:
   This book is exactly what it says it is - a guide to the many characters of the Star Wars galaxy. For pretty much every character, whether he or her is from a movie, novel, comic, or video game, you get a standard profile of info like height, species, and birth planet, as well as a biography of the character. You also get a full color illustration - and since many of these characters come from novels, this is the first time official art of them has ever been published. From the better known players in the Star Wars universe like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo right down to considerably lesser-known characters like Exar Kun and Vergere, this book explores characters from every corner of the Star Wars galaxy.
   
   REVIEW:
   I really can't begin to say how satisfied I am with the book. I was satisfied with the older version of it, but this newer version kills the old one dead. With color illustrations and ultra-detailed info on every character that goes well beyond what you'd expect, this book is the definitive character guide. I only have two complaints. First and foremost, the book does NOT cover Episode III. This is because this version of the book was released prior to Episode III, and therefore, General Grievous does not appear in this guide. Likewise, characters who first appeared in Episodes I and II (and didn't appear outside the prequel trilogy) only have their history listed up to the end of Episode II. This means that the deaths of Count Dooku and Nute Gunray get no explanation in this book. The other flaw about the book I want to bring up is the omission of some characters. Most of the character get a page or two devoted to them, but the more minor characters just have a brief paragraph in the back of the book. And some characters, mysteriously enough, don't get ANY representation in this book outside of other characters' summaries. Among the characters who fail to get a summary are Guri, Xizor's humanoid replica droid from Shadows Of The Empire, practically all characters featured in The Truce At Bakura, as well as a good deal of the pilots introduced in the X-Wing series. Still, their being forgotten is a minor flaw next to everything this book does well. Accordingly, I recommend it to any fan of the Star Wars universe.
   
   EDITION NOTES:
   A few different editions of this book have been released over the years. Needless to say, the latest edition, which features numerous updates and new characters, is the superior version. If you're gonna buy it, be sure to get the latest version!
   
   OVERALL:
   In the end, this book satisfies me. No Star Wars fan, no matter how big or small, should be without this book. If you're eager to learn more about a certain character, or maybe you just want to know a thing or two about someone from the Star Wars universe, this is the book for you. I strongly recommend it to any fan.



5. I don't own this book, I just read through it at a local bookstore. I didn't buy it because there was just too much missing. Some major characters from the films and EU are omitted or receive only short (one paragraph) descriptions, while other minor characters get full 1-2 page entries.
   
   For example, mad clone Joruus C'Baoth gets one paragraph (nothing on the original Jorus), whereas Boss Nass and Sebulba from Ep I have full entries. Most of the Jedi Council from Eps I and II get one paragraph each in a collective entry, with a few omitted completely. The podrace competitors get about the same coverage as the Jedi Council, if not more. And a personal quibble, I would have liked to have seen an entry on Captain Tarpals. He's at least as important as Sebulba.
   
   Surely this will be revised to accommodate Ep III and Tartakovsky Clone Wars updates. Hopefully it will also include many expansions on older characters as well.

5 comments about Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons; Revised and Updated (Plume Books).

1. I purchased this book for a class, it was the textbook we used. It was interesting and seemed to encompass a fair amount of history. I do wish he'd expanded more on the history of computer animation, but it's pretty extensive in and of itself.



2. The book I ordered was in perfect condition and delivery right away. I got it about half the amount of business days I was supposed to get it. Plus the book isn't mind-numbing to read as it's about the coolest subject ever.



3. When I think of the history of animation, I tend to divide things into three periods: The Golden Age, noted for early Warner Brothers cartoons and the classic Disney movies such as Snow White and Fantasia; The Age of Mediocrity, where creativity seemed to reach its nadir, as seen most notably in the bland Hanna Barbera cartoons; and the Modern Era, with the resurgence in cartoon creativity, which, starting with The Little Mermaid in the movies and the Simpsons on TV, animation reached a new level of popularity and respectability. Leonard Maltin's book, Of Mice and Magic, shows that my own view of cartoon history is roughly correct but also overly simple: there was plenty of mediocrity in the Golden Age and plenty of decent stuff in the Age of Mediocrity.
   
   Maltin starts off with a chapter about the silent era, when animation was just beginning. Over time, experience would refine the process, but the big leap would occur with sound, in particular with Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie featuring Mickey Mouse. After the silent era chapter, there are chapters that serve as "biographies" of the major animation studios, starting with the biggest of them all, Disney.
   
   The Disney characters are among the most popular in cartoon history (or film history in general). Mickey Mouse may have been the biggest name, but he didn't have much of a personality, so he started being pushed aside in favor of more developed characters, especially Donald Duck, the first major Disney character with any sort of edge. In fact, this is a constant theme in the book: that the weakest cartoons from any studio were the ones that featured characters with no distinct personalities.
   
   Success would often come with the most offbeat and edgy characters, such as Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Popeye and Daffy Duck. But some of the studios had a mercenary nature that would put quantity ahead of quality; probably the worst in the bunch was Terrytoons where good cartoons were the exception, not the rule. Although even Terrytoons would have some memorable characters - in particular, Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle - even many of the cartoons featuring them were not very good (which is why in the world of cartoons, the Terrytoons characters will never outshine even some of the Disney or Warner Brothers second-stringers).
   
   Space limitations prevent me from going as in depth on this subject as I would like, but suffice it to say that after reading this book, I still do feel justified in defining an Age of Mediocrity. It was not that every cartoon in that period was bad, but the good ones were few and far between and classics were very rare indeed. The Age of Mediocrity was filled with bland cartoons that were more cute than funny, often repeated the same gags over and over again, and had few remarkable characters.
   
   What about what I call the Modern Age? It would have started right after this edition of the book was published (1987), so it is understandably, but sadly omitted. Also missing is any real look at TV cartoons, so Bullwinkle, Underdog, Yogi Bear and the Super Friends, among others, are only mentioned in passing. Maltin admits up front that this book won't cover these TV cartoons, nor non-American products, hence the omission of international fare such as the Italian Fantasia-like movie, Allegro non troppo.
   
   The strengths of this book, however, far outweigh the shortcomings. While my opinions sometimes differ from Maltin's on the quality of various cartoons, these are a matter of individual taste (overall, he tends to go easier on the films than I do; for example, he has a more favorable opinion on the UPA cartoons than I do); besides, this book is more of a history of cartoons than a critique of them. In addition to good writing, we gets lots of pictures (only a few in color) and an extensive filmography for all the chronicled cartoon studios.
   
   You probably need to be a certain age (probably at least 30) to fully appreciate this book, as younger readers may not have really grown up with these cartoons and may not have even seen them as adults (and since many of these cartoons were geared only to kids, they would not even have much appeal to those over 10). But if you remember these cartoons and look back at them with fond nostalgia, this is a great book.



4. I found this book to be an excellent reference source for cartoons produced to be shown in theaters. However, entitling it "A History of American Animated Cartoons" is not exactly truth in advertising. I think most people (except for perhaps some obsessive purists) would agree that the cartoons produced for television from the 40/50's onward would also be considered American Animated Cartoons. But none of these great cartoons (i.e., Gumby, Beany and Cecil, Clutch Cargo, Hanna-Barbara's Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Pixie & Dixie, and others through the present) are included here in any detail. Also missing from the appendices of studio output are the more obscure products like Warner's Private Snafu and other animation produced for corporate clients. Mr Maltin would do cartoon lovers well by commissioning a second volume to complete the story.



5. Leonard Maltin has a real knowledge of animation and his passion and enthusiasm for cartoons is apparent. The book traces animation from its beginnings at the turn of the century up to modern day. Extensive coverage is provided to all the major cartoon studios and many of the key directors. The illustrations are excellent. Maltin provides a fair amount of detail but not too much to overwhelm the casual fan. Anyone interested in the history of animation or just wants information on which films to see is well advised to pick up this very well written book.

5 comments about Pygmalion (Penguin Classics).

1. This is probably the best edition of one of the best plays ever written ! A very interesting play criticizing society, and what is written in this play is timeless ; it applies to every society through the ages ! I really love it ! Just buy it and read to discover the truth hidden in every society.



2. T. Cook writes: A true "diamond in the rough," Pygmalion is one of the cleverest and underrated plays written. Shaw conveys the faulty class system of Europe through the memorable Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle. Eliza, a cockney girl from the poor part of London, has trademark accent and original sounds, like "Ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-ow-oo." Despite her poor living conditions, she is able to retain her honor and good character. She often repeats "I'm a good girl, I am." This shows that she is not willing to sell her own body and sacrifice her integrity in order to get by. Henry Higgins, in comparison, is on the higher end of the class scale. His ability to replicate any sound and to place a man within any part of London demonstrates his expertise in his field. He uses vulgar words, however, like "bloody," "devil," and "damned." He is also oblivious to his faults such as his anger and foul language. The differences in characterization show the problems with the class system; the high moral characters are in the lower class while vulgar characters are found in the high class.
   While the general population is not as familiar with Pygmalion as it is with My Fair Lady, Pygmalion is superior to its movie counterpart. First, Eliza's strong accent is more evident in the play due to the strange spelling of words; the confusion of the reader in deciphering these words mirror the Londoners' confusion in listening to Eliza. Second, Rex Harrison does not fully convey the volatile nature of Higgins; Higgins in Pygmalion is capable of going from happy to furious within one line and Harrison's emotions are similar to that of a wall.
   
   I highly recommend Pygmalion because it is a classic that is enjoyable to read and better crafted than its more famous movie adaptation.



3. George Bernard Shaw uses of wit and insight into England's 1800s arrogant class system to show class is not bred, but made, and the highest class of people see no class at all, being humble enough to know we are equals. Shaw's "Pygmalion" was not written just to add to his wallet with its publication, but to influence society, much the same as Charles Dickens "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield" have.
   
   As fun as the musical, "My Fair Lady" is, read Shaw's take on this old Greek myth.
   
   From the plot of whether or not a pauper can made a princess to the subplot of love and true romance, the story is intertwined with memorable characters, delightful banter and intriguing thoughts.
   
   Shaw's understanding of English's accents and how these separated the masses (do they still?) causes me in America to wonder if my Chicago-istic pronunciations affect how I am seen. What about African-American accents, or the New England accents? Does a Kentucky girl's accent come across as higher or lower class than her Alabama neighbors? How do I see others? Am I as affected?
   
   Drop down a little cash, sneak this book into a larger order, and read, "Pygmalion." Review Edith Hamilton's book on mythology, discover who Shaw refers to (as in Galatea and Pygmalion, a fascinating story in its own right).
   
   I fully recommend "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw.
   
   Anthony Trendl
   editor, HungarianBookstore.com



4. This is a wonderful play to read. Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering make a bet that they can take a poor flower girl, Eliza Doolitle, and pass her off as a duchess. The pair teaches her perfect English, manners, and how to dress like a lady. They succeed, but they don't realize Eliza has her own opinions. This play is great because you really get a feel for the early Victorian era and Shaw's feminist views.



5. I thought that this book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book depicts the common belief of the people in early 20th century London that appearance and stature is far more important than education or beliefs. This belief, although not as extreme today, is still held by many. Shaw uses the two extremes of society at that time to tell a truly fascinating story of a young, poor woman, Eliza Doolittle, who is transformed into a lady of high class and style by a professor of phonetics, Henry Higgins. Although it is a play and it is difficult to know the characters' thoughts, Shaw details their actions to the point that allows the reader to feel they know the characters and feel like they were actually a part of the story. Shaw's combination of humor and expression of feeling perfectly offset each other so that the book never bores the reader. This book is a fairly easy read and gives the reader an accurate account of life in early 20th century London.

5 comments about Performance Success : Performing Your Best Under Pressure (Theatre Arts).

1. Don Greene is good at explaining how to utilize your "right brain" for performance purposes. It's harder to work through the material in book form, but if you can't get his CD or work with him personally, the book is great. I would definitely recommend it.



2. This book empnasizes on how to manage your fear, stress, emotion and all situations that will not let you perform adequately. Mr.Greene gives some good examples on how to use your right side of the brain, the place where everybody would love to be. Also there is a series of questions that will let you know at what level of performace you are at that moment, and according to the score, he tells you how to improve on it. So all you people out there looking for a book on self control in front of an audience, this is it!



3. I believe strongly that the key to winning an audition lies in identifying the stresses that affect all musicians and performing artists, and learning how to become more comfortable with your abilities by accepting both your strenths and weaknesses. Winning an audition is a game, and whatever you can do to prepare yourself psychologically is a help. This book categorises the psychological activity that accompanies the lead up to an audition or performance, and allows you to set up a regime of positive thinking and relaxation that will inspire you to achieve more from each of your successive performances. I think it is an absolutely essential addition to any serious musician who really is determined to pursue their dreams. Too many of us engage in "doomsday thinking", and don't allow ourselves to find out what we could really achieve if we just gave ourselves a fighting chance. Obviously you don't have to use everything in the book, but as a professional violinist, i highly recommend it to any of my colleagues who have problems focusing on achieving a good performance in the meager ten munites that we often have to prove ourselves.



4. This is a very good book for performance artists, not only for musicians. The strategies and exercises for performing at your optimal under situations of high pressure are effective. Nonetheless, sometimes I thought they were oversimplified. The exercises explained in the book DO work, however, I thought that the lenght of time proposed in the book to practice and master them are unrealistic. I don't think that after practicing and performing without an intense focus for many years I could just make it happen in one week by just practicing it a couple of minutes a day. I know it takes (at least to myself) many months even a couple of years to train my mind to be in the "here and now" every single minute I play. What this book did for me was to create a new awareness of how should I approach my practice time, what kind of exercises to do to be better prepared for a big event and what kind of mental state I should be pursuing in the moments leading to and during performance.



5. After spending my teens and twenties playing rock and roll, I began playing the cello at 29 and a decade later now play at a professional level. Along the way I have experienced plenty of psychological bruises in performance situations--which, thanks to this book, I learned were self-inflicted. "Performance Success" has provided me with plenty of "right-mind" ideas for dealing with performance anxiety, which I have tried out successfully on stage. If you've ever dealt with nerves before performances or auditions, this book is a must-read!

3 comments about 13 by Shanley: Thirteen Plays (Applause American Masters Series).

1. I once took a Shanley scene study class in NYC at Circle Rep. Patrick Shanley came into the very last class and talked to us and critiqued our scenes. A very down to earth and inspiring man. He talked to us of how he sees no seperation of dreams and real-life when he writes. His early plays contained in this collection inspire some of his better known quirky characters(Savage, Murk, Danny, Roberta, Aldo) and stories(Savage in Limbo, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Big Funk, Italian/American Reconciliation) but all his work no matter how dreamy are always real as are his characters. There's a journey for all his characters in each play and a world of magic, if you believe in it, the characters and play will come alive. For actors, Shanley has to be filled with the right stuff, not pumped up.



2. If you've ever been involved in a relationship that gets deep, personal and reveals a you you never knew existed...Shanley's already been there and brilliantly written about it. His ability to peer into the dark, dank depths of the human psyche and then actually write something funny about it is unparalleled. I've seen many of his plays and always left with a sore stomach from laughing so hard. I wanted to read them, too, so I could take the time to savor the deeper understandings. I'm constantly lending my copy to friends to read after they come to me in the throws of personal or relationship crisis. I'm grateful for this collection and can't wait for the next one.



3. I found the plays in "13 by Shanley" to be as outrageous, quirky, beautiful, and redeeming as his screenwork. Shanley has the uncanny ability to make you read him twice, because one reading doesn't quite settle with you. I found myself reading a play in this collection, all the while thinking, "that's odd. I'm not too sure I care for that one. Oh, well." Then, I'd wake up the next morning, with lines from the play nagging at me. I'd go back to it and, sure enough... "it's brilliant. How did I miss that before?"

   Shanley isn't everyone's cup of tea. However, if you have any kind of appreciative bone in your body for passionately quirky romances like "Moonstruck" or moodily misunderstood fairlytales like "Joe Versus The Volcano" (my personal all-time favorite)... then I STRONGLY urge you to pick up "13 by Shanley" for 13 cultured tales of love, beauty, and self-discovery.

   Shanley's a genius. He's in a class by himself.

5 comments about Impro for Storytellers (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback)).

1. This book is fantastic if you want to persue Impro. The first one - "Impro" everyone in the world should read whereas this one is far more of a handbook for those of us who want to persue it onsatge. But still brilliant, just a different beast. If you ever get a chance to hear this man talk - go!



2. If you're going to read only one book about improvisation, read this. If you read two books, wait a month or two and read this again. I've been part of a professional improv performance group for the last five years and every time I read this book it fills me with new levels of information and wisdom.
   
   Many people never discover this book because they read Johnstone's first book, Impro, and find it difficult to apply as well as not very relevant once it delves into the eccentric world of mask work. Impro for Storytellers is highly relevant, contains many games, exercises, and suggestions to try, and is a highly entertaining read. I recommend reading this first and reading Impro later if you enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed it over and over again.



3. I've used Keith's Impro for several years, and this book is just what I've been looking for! It gives the kind of details I've been for to use in my classes and performances.



4. This is quite a large book, pretty much entirely made up of a wide variety of games for actors with vivid examples of what students come up with under pressure, and thorough explanations of the goal of each excercise. It's extremely well written and just as good as something to sit down and read, as something to get up and play with.
   
   The games range from easy to very hard; many would make excellent fun warm-ups to introduce non-actors to basic acting theory and to interacting with an audience. What makes this book unusual for an acting text is the emphasis on story, and the highly audience-centric approach to performance.
   
   I would seriously recommend this book to writers, screenwriters, and story artists. The ultimate goal for Johnstone is to teach his improvisers to hook the audience and keep them hooked by altering tactics, reversing, raising the stakes, setting up expectations. Throughout, his unexpected cry of "Be obvious! Don't be creative!" keeps the story being invented on an engaging emotional level.
   
   I bought this because I'm teaching a class involving some acting, but found so many exciting ideas for plotting I want to send a copy to everyone I know in story. First rate.



5. I thought that Keith Johnstone's first book "Impro" was the best book on Improv -- until I read this. Impro For Storytellers is chock full of imaginative games that will make any improv workshop (or communications training) sparkle with creative fun and learning by taking the pressure off of being creative.

   If you want the best collection of improv games since Spolins "Improvisation for the Theatre", this is it. Johnstone paces the book with wonderful stories of how the games have been used under all sorts of circumstances, with a brilliant and dry sense of wit. If you are interested in improv, please read this book!

1 comments about Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World.

1. Perhaps you have flown on a jumbo jet, and certainly you have seen jumbo sized bags of corn chips. "Jumbo" is even an official designation for a particular size of olive, among other things. Of course, these are big olives, and "jumbo" means big, but you might not realize that it is an eponym, a word taken from a name. It comes from Jumbo the elephant, but how Jumbo got that name isn't recorded; other elephants at the London Zoo were called, say, Tommy or Jack. Jumbo did not get his name because he was big (he got it long before he grew big), but "jumbo" came to mean big because Jumbo became big. In _Jumbo: This Being the True Story of the Greatest Elephant in the World_ (Steerforth Press), Paul Chambers has produced a delightful biography of what really was, for many reasons, the greatest elephant in the world. It is in many ways a sad story, with human greed and folly taking their toll on the poor pachyderm, who lost his life directly because of his fame. Jumbo's is, however, a unique story, in which are remarkable, flawed men, only some of whom had his best interest at heart.
   
   Jumbo was far from jumbo when his mother was killed and he was captured; he was a scrawny runt, and it would have surprised no one if he had died on his caravan of rhinos, giraffes, antelopes, and more heading to the Red Sea. After a sea voyage and transfer within Europe, the little elephant was bought by the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The French never appreciated their acquisition, and the Superintendent of the London Zoo, Abraham Bartlett was eager to get Jumbo when the French zoo was selling off extra animals. Bartlett also hand picked a handler for the elephant, the keeper Matthew Scott, because although Scott had worked wonders with parrots and elands, he had no experience with elephants and Bartlett was sure that Scott could thus be made to take charge of Jumbo in just the manner Bartlett wanted. Bartlett's thinking on the issue was completely wrong. Scott was to become inseparable from Jumbo, and was to use his connection with the elephant to become more influential and rich than the London Zoo ever intended any zookeeper to be. He was continually to annoy Bartlett who could not transfer him or dismiss him because he had such close control of Jumbo. The increasing influence of Scott, and the difficulty of maintaining such a huge and sometimes unrestrained beast at the zoo, bothered Bartlett, who was glad to get rid of the pair when P. T. Barnum offered to buy Jumbo. The elephant was a sensation, attracting huge crowds when he landed and went on procession to the site of Barnum's circus at Madison Square Garden. Barnum forbade any measurements to be made of Jumbo, aware that the press and public would happily exaggerate his size. Jumbo was well worth any expense or trouble Barnum had undertaken; attendance at the circus was never better, and Jumbo took to circus life well. He was, however, to be with the circus only four years; a collision with an unscheduled train in Ontario killed him. Barnum not only arranged for his body to be mounted and put on display (where it was still a draw), but started the story that brave Jumbo had lost his life while heroically protecting the circus's dwarf elephant from that oncoming train.
   
   Scott was bereft. He was let go from the circus, but continued hanging around aimlessly for a while; no one knows what became of him. Jumbo's stuffed hide was in a museum for decades before the museum burned to the ground in 1975, and his skeleton is in storage vaults of the American Museum of Natural History, where people still ask about it. Jumbo's legacy does not just include his named used as a word, as elements of his story were included in a children's book in 1939, _Dumbo_, which had a small print run until Walt Disney got hold of it. Chambers has told Jumbo's story with affection and detail, giving us a good idea of the character of the big elephant, but also of the characters around him that turned him into a world-renowned star.