First Year Actors Reading List 2005-2006

First Year Actors Reading List

The first semester of scene study will deal with the works of 20th and 21st century American writers. The second semester will focus of the works of Chekhov and Ibsen. The following list of American writers is representative of the texts you will be using, but not limited to these particular texts.

Nilo Cruz Anna and the Tropics Tony Kushner Angels in America, Parts 1 and 2 Suzan-Lori Parks In the Blood Lynn Nottage Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Intimate Apparel Eugene O’Neill Anna Christie, Desire Under the Elms, Long Day’s Journey Into Night Sam Shepard Fool for Love, True West Paula Vogel How I Learned to Drive Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, Summer and Smoke August Wilson The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars

Anton Chekhov (translations by Carol Rocamora) The Sea Gull, The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya

Henrik Ibsen (translations by Rolf Fjelde) A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, An Enemy of the People

Required Reading for First Year Alexander Technique Michael Gelb, Body Learning

Some recommendations for further reading: Jean Benedetti, Stanislavski: An Introduction Cicely Berry, Voice and the Actor Richard Boleslavsky, Acting: The First Six Lessons Peter Brook, The Empty Space Michael Chekhov, To the Actor Declan Donellan, The Actor and the Target Richard Gilman, Chekhov’s Plays: An Opening into Eternity Uta Hagen, A Challenge for the Actor Dudley Knight, “Standard Speech-The Ongoing Debate” (http://www.fitzmauricevoice.com/writings/pdfs/standards.pdf) Kristin Linklater, Freeing the Natural Voice Henri Troyat, Daily Life in Russia Under the Tsar