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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Book-Of-The-Month: True and False

Hello, gang. I've been away from the blog a bit longer than I had planned (though you Twitter followers know I haven't missed a day there yet).
There are a lot of exciting shows coming up over the next few months, and I will be seeing as many of those as I can and letting you know what I think.
In the meantime, I'm adding a new monthly feature to my blog: a book selection.
This month I have chosen David Mamet's controversial True and False.
Not unlike a certain lupine blogger you all know and love, Mr. Mamet is not afraid to call it how he sees it.
Chapter by chapter, Mamet takes on and frequently skewers the current and traditional practices of method acting, auditioning, casting, theatrical study, and many other old theatrical axioms.
From the back cover of the book:
"Hard-edged, pragmatic, and idealistic . . . Every actor or would-be actor should read this book." - Chicago Tribune
The brilliant Steve Martin echoes this sentiment: "This book should be read and considered by everyone who acts."
Further acclaim of this book: "This is a very important book. No one has defined the actor's job better than Mamet." - William H. Macy
"I agree with almost nothing Mr. Mamet says in this book and encourage you to devour every word. Mamet is a genius." - Alec Baldwin

I encourage every actor, director, producer, and writer at every level in this business to not only read this book, but to have a copy on your shelf to pull out periodically as a reference.
Whether you choose to use Mamet's new idealism as an example of "what-to-do" or "what-not-to-do," I think it is an important perspective to keep handy at all times in this business.

1 comment:

davidk said...

I'm definitely buying a copy after the one I have now goes back to the library.