Actors always ask for notes on their performance, and they will take them from just about anyone. While people in other pursuits tend not to ask for performance ratings, actors demand them.
Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor grew out of the actor's profession - which, the author notes, is "such a mysterious art." It is learned by experience, by trial and error, and by succeeding and failing. In his years as an actor, director, scholar, and teacher of acting, Mr. Marasco found that most acting books were either outdated classics that were rarely read, or quasi-textbooks that actors only "skimmed." So he developed Notes to an Actor, a compact, user-friendly book geared specifically to the way actors work.
Written in a conversational, director-to-actor style, the book is based on the innovative idea that notes, given one on one, are the essential tool of creative learning. Practical advice is the core of Mr. Marasco's chapters on Perspective, Rehearsal, and Performance. Deeper issues of the actor's art are considered in chapters on Talent and Greatness. The book offers usable how-to notes on acting in Comedy, on playing material with Style, and on moving back and forth between Stage and Screen (after all, actors have to make a living with their art).
Clear, intelligent, and beautifully written in a "shop talk" way, Notes to an Actor is the best book of its kind to appear in years.
Industry Reviews
It is, hands down, the best book I have ever read on the art of acting...the writing is direct, smart, brief, and practical. -- Kelly Younger * Kellyyounger.net *
I think this is the best book on acting I've ever read. -- Kirk Douglas
Ron's advice and tools on acting are incredibly astute, thought provoking, refreshing, and inspiring. I wish I'd had this book in my back pocket before many an audition. -- Neve Campbell, star of The Company
Notes to an Actor is inspiring, transforming and absolutely fun. This brilliant book will be a cherished favorite of actors and artists until the last star falls from the sky. -- Beth Henley, Pullitzer Prize-winning playwright
Finally, the definitive book on acting. Ron Marasco will make you a better actor! -- Patricia Clarkson, two-time Emmy Award Winner and Academy Award Nominee
Notes to an Actor is a conversation with an actor about his art, filled with insight and great stories. It is the best summary of notes for someone looking to be a truly 'complete' actor. -- Colin Hanks, star of Orange County and King Kong
Hands down, the best book I have ever read on the art of acting and actually gave me a lot to think about as a playwright. The writing is direct, smart, brief, and practical. Even better, there are no long stories about the author's acting career or personal anecdotes that read like an autobiography rather than a guidebook. It's organized by topics actors (and writers) really want to understand. Can't recommend it highly enough. -- Kelly Younger, award-winning playwright, author of I Think You Think I Love You, and member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre and Dramatists
This is a helpful book for both actors and directors at every skill level. It tells them where to go and, most importantly, how to get there. -- Bernard Sahlins, author of Days and Nights at The Second City
Ron Marasco is everything a young actor could want in a coach, a director, or a guru. His advice is practical and broad-ranging, his experience is extensive, and his stories about the business are often very funny. Notes to an Actor is a smart, useful, and even wise guide for living the actor's life. -- Curt Columbus, Artistic director of the Trinity Repertory Company
Truly unique among acting resources...an insightful, invaluable, and definitive work....Essential. * CHOICE *
There certainly is no shortage of books on acting, but Ron Marasco's Notes to an Actor takes a different approach than most. Notes to an Actor reads like a conversation between a director and actor, making it a more enjoyable read than most acting books. Highly recommended. * Stage-Direction.Com *
The most practical book about acting that I have ever read....while it looks to be very useful to an actor, it is also fascinating for anyone who attends the theater...a great, simple read. -- Maria Knapp * About.Com *
Useful both to those seeking to further their development as actors and to those for whom acting has long been a profession, this is an insightful, invaluable, and definitive work. * CHOICE *
A witty, easy-to-read compilation of all the essential acting tips and tools that every actor should carry in his or her back pocket. * Instantcast Blog *
