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Summary: Just go get Michael Shurtleff's Book already!
Review: David Mamet's book is good--David Mamet is a good writer. However, I am in agreement that he calls the Method hogwash mostly to enrage Strasberg and Meisner gurus (of which there are many--and it's like the Jets and the Sharks--there's all this competition as to the "right" way of acting. Mamet's idea of boiling down to the essense of what an actor does (which is not bringing his emotional problems to the audience) is valid and should be taken into consideration--however, he says that in the first chapter and in every subsequent chapter. Borrow it from the library. Go get Michael Shurtleff's Audition book if you want to learn how to act. When reading Mamet's book, take along a 1-lb. bag of salt.
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Summary: the NEW actor's Bible!
Review: David Mamet's True and False is one of the best books that I have read on the subject in recent history. Many people were surprised or shocked to read some of what he has to say, and for good reason. Mamet doesn't "trash" Stanislavsky, Strasberg, or the Method, as much as he offers an alternative to it. The Method is simply the universal standard by which he bases his criticisms of current acting techniques. Even if you don't agree with everything he outlines in the book, some of it can be used, or at least adapted to better help the actor. True and False should be read, and read again. Once I finish I just start back at the beginning and always find something new. An excellent companion book written by students of Mamet is A Practical Handbook for the Actor. It applies some of the techniques outlined in True and False into real stage experience. I've grown to love the Mamethod!
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Summary: True!
Review: Engaging. Insightful. Funny. Deadly serious. Most of all, True. My brother is a professional repetoiry actor in Ft. Worth, Texas. When we met for Christmas two years ago, he couldn't stop talking about this book. I honestly regret not rushing out and buying it then and there. This is useful, actual information about the process of good acting. If you act, buy this book and read it now. I haven't done traditional theater in over a decade, but even as a slam poet and improvisational comedian, I found what Mamet shares in "True and False" invaluable in approaching my work as a live performer. If you do anything involving words, a stage and an audience, you'll find something useful here. Simply put, what he says works. The writing is short, eloquent, and straight to the point. The topics he touches on by way of analogy and example make this a great read for actors and non-actors, alike. You can plough through this book in an afternoon, but you'll ponder it and reconsider it for the rest of your professional life. At least, you should, if you want to benefit from it. He says it best... The audience will teach you to act. They will show you what works and what doesn't. If your job onstage becomes anything more or less than to communicate what the audience has come to see, you may be brilliant, but you're not acting anymore. Chasing emotions you don't feel about a situation you're not actually in is the job of the writer, not the performer. You probably won't agree with 100% of what he has to say. Scratch that, you *won't* agree with everything here, but even then, he will force you to reconsider what you do believe. And, just what is the jist of what his supposedly "heretical" views on acting? Speak clearly. Find a simple, realistic objective for the scene. Let the words have their meaning without adding your own spin to them. Your own effective performance in their service will add anything of value that the audience couldn't have gotten from reading them off the page. Now, what's so false about that?
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Summary: After you get your acting degree, read this.
Review: Here's a quick read that I feel is essential for any actor. Perfect little essays for when you go, "Man, why am I doing this? What's it all for? Am I doing the right thing?" Mamet has very similar theories as I do about Method Acting, and why it's more harmful than helpful, about the merits of doing it on your own, and why you should never have something to fall back on. It's honest and important. What you are reading here is basically a Pulitzer Prize winning Cheerleader. But so often that's exactly what we need around here. Someone on the actor's side, not telling him or her how to bow down to acceptance, but to rise above and wait for the others to notice. Hopefully you find happiness somewhere in between.
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Summary: ANY artist should love this book.
Review: Here's what. Maybe Mamet is not an actor, but he is an artist, who has a low tolerance for moosekaka. Any artist should get a sigh of relief from reading this book. Dig this. I've always been curious about acting. So, I very sheepishly took an acting class at a respectable local theater. Man, I wanted to run out of there so fast, I felt ridiculous, foolish, a way poser and cluuuuless. No tips was I given, from teacher or classmates, but believe it or not, researching online this book was suggested. I bought it and devoured it. It gave me the direction I needed to get over myself and go back to the class. Have a simple objective AND Have fun. And I learned that from Mamet, not the class. I certainly learned much more than that from this small book. It's definitely not a technique book, but I feel strongly that ANY person pursuing art as a profession, in otherwords, any artist, should strongly relate to and enjoy and benefit from Mamet's personal wisdom. This book is so dam true and sensible.
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Summary: If you're in the "Business" you should read this book.
Review: I am an actor. I've been on Broadway, off Broadway, film, and everthing in between. I lived in N.Y. and studied with many teachers. Some taught the "Strasberg Method", some "Meisner", some the strict "Stanislavski Method. I never could figure out how to apply any of these methods to my work, so most of the time I just found my own way and never told anyone. I felt I was a charlatan and It was only a matter of time before I was discovered. And then I read Mamet's book. It is the single best book I have ever read concerning the business I love. If possible it made me love it even more. If you're in the "business" you should read this book. You may not agree with it. But you will learn from it.
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Summary: Demonstrating absurdity by being absurd
Review: I first bought this book while hanging out with a fellow actor friend of mine. We got on the NYC subway and started to read the books we'd just bought. I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was shocked, almost dismayed - but, oh so thankful. I felt the need to share these lines with my friend. He instantly called Mamet a heretic. "How dare he ? Why are you reading this ?" Two months later, I gave him a copy as a gift. I urged him to read it. A week later, he thanked me from the bottom of his heart. Why am I telling you this long story ? Because this book about smacking you in the face. You'll either appreciate it, or hate Mamet to death for it. But know that it's done with noble intentions. Actors are taught some truly silly techniques and habits. As a result, we are robbing ourselves of the dignity of what we do. And while Mamet reminds us that this artform was saved by people who basically wanted to make a living at doing "not much", there IS a dignity to it. I don't think he's seeking an overthrow of everything we hold dear. I think he's trying to teach us the absurdity of some of our actions by being absurd in his repsonses to it. "Stanislavski was a hack" is his call to action, not revolution. Read this book. Enjoy it with a grain of salt. And claim the dignity to break the silly habits you've learned to take on. I have. And the five friends I've bought this book for haven't stopped thanking me for it.
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Summary: Finally!!
Review: I have been in theater for years and am sick and tired of the emphasis on Stanislavski. His methods are only useful to hacks and actually impede the progress of those with any talent. If nothing else, this book is valuable just for the few words of wisdom it lends to those who have found acting under "the method" to be torture. It frees them from the shackles of established thought and allows them to view themselves and their abilities in a more positive and productive light. I don't agree with everything he says, and I'm actually not too fond of the man, but I think that this book is an important read for anyone who is frustrated with the "Stanislavski as God" culture of today's theater and theater schooling.
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Summary: An incisive handbook for living
Review: I have no particular interest in acting, but I found this book fascinating and compelling. It is nothing less than a guidebook on how to live. The fact that it is directed to actors paradoxically makes it even more valuable for the rest of us.
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Summary: blue print for acting
Review: i read about the methods of acting in this book, tried out for a play, got the part, applied what i read and discovered what mamet says in his book to be true. basically, he breaks down acting into simple, clear actions. i've never acted before, but when the play had run its course everyone said i made great strides. this is the book to get, don't waste your time with anything else.
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