Additions to the Library

When I am searching for truths and equal signs for my work in improvisation and spontaneous theatre at JaCKPie, I rarely look for books ABOUT improvisation... My favorite resources are books about playwrighting, acting, directing, screenwriting and so on... Tonight, I purchased 4 books that I will soon deconstruct in search for said truths and equal signs...

And here they are... in order of what fell out of the Barnes and Noble bag... (PLEASE REMEMBER THESE ARE NOT RECOMMENDATIONS... I JUST BOUGHT THEM AND HAVEN'T READ THEM YET!)

Story by Robert McKee - Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. Randomly flipping pages, I see awesome sections on Character, Tension and a great page on what makes an argument and why they don't work on screen/stage. Can't wait for this one. The really big selling point is that I agree with the first thing he says. "Story is about principles, not rules. A rule says "You must do it this way." A principle says, "This works... and has through all remembered time. The difference is crucial."

The Playwright's Guidebook by Stuart Spencer - An insightful primer on the art of dramatic writing. Skimming through, I see sections on Action, Motivation, Subtext and Character... all big favorites. Especially excited to see a formula that states "General Qualities + Emotions + Action + Speech/Behavior = Character.

The Unconscious Actor - by Darryl Hickman - Out of control, In full command... The art of performance in acting and in life.  Right off the bat, I spot at least 3 references to Zen so far... mmmmmmmawesome. Chapter one is title "Movie Star or Monk?" and Chapter four is titled "Beyond Box Office: Performance as Art." The man had me at Hello.

Oops! Well look at that... I was wrong, I didn't buy 4 new books. This last one is an old favorite... I buy a copy of Free Play, Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch every time I go to that particular Barnes and Noble for a friend. This copy is for Jillian Fratkin, who is a teacher at JaCKPie and is also doing work forming our Director's Series shows... This book blows people's minds. Before you run out and buy it though, make sure that you read Chapter 2. Some people have trouble responding to his writing style and I don't want to be slapped around for suggesting you buy it Blindly. (If you want to slap me around, please find another excuse. There are plenty. If you need suggestions that are guaranteed to work, just ask Chris Pierce. Or my old teacher Dr. Dan. Or my Cat. Any of those should work.)

So there we are... Four books... 3 new that I can't wait to hit and 1 old that I can't wait to give. It is a good night all around!