Acting for Singers: Creating Believable Singing Characters |  | Author: David F. Ostwald
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $23.99
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Seller: allnewbooks
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 231774
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 264
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1
ISBN: 0195145402
Dewey Decimal Number: 792.071
EAN: 9780195145403
ASIN: 0195145402
Publication Date: July 7, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Written to meet the needs of thousands of students and pre-professional singers participating in production workshops and classes in opera and musical theater, Acting for Singers leads singing performers step by step from the studio or classroom through audition and rehearsals to a successful performance. Using a clear, systematic, positive approach, this practical guide explains how to analyze a script or libretto, shows how to develop a character building on material in the score, and gives the singing performer the tools to act believably. More than just a "how-to" acting book, however, Acting for Singers also addresses the problems of concentration, trust, projection, communication, and the self-doubt that often afflicts performers pursuing the goal of believable performance. Part I establishes the basic principles of acting and singing together, and teaches the reader how to improvise as a key tool to explore and develop characters. Part II teaches the singer how to analyze theatrical work for rehearsing and performing. Using concrete examples from Carmen and West Side Story, and imaginative exercises following each chapter, this text teaches all singers how to be effective singing actors.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
An excellent step-by-step approach June 30, 2005
Anonymous (Boston, MA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
As a performer and teacher I was impressed with the book as an applicable tool for students and professionals. It distills much information into concises chapters. I find myself re-reading chapters in order to grasp the concepts explored. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE in opera that I know - from the academic to the professional realm. Four stars!
The Real Power of "Acting for Singers" January 19, 2006
Launa Huffines (Ashland, OR United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
"Acting for Singers" speaks to the problems that most all of us share in creative situations when we are speaking to a group or preparing an article or script for publication. We do not have to be singers to use the wisdom of Ostwald's mind and experience. These challenges are inevitably concentration, trust, projection, communication, and the self-doubt that most of us sometimes experience.
If you could see David Ostwald in action, you would recognize how his life is a demonstration of his work. When the groups at my seminars would get excited and several voices were talking at once in an exercise, David (upon my request) would clearly enunciate one or two words to the whole group in a tone that instantly shifted everyone's attention to the work at hand. The whole group loved David's wit and wisdom, his power to achieve the intended focus and hold it, plus his demonstration of an open mind, the will to learn and to share knowledge gained through years of a focused mind and experience.
David's whole life is filled with the qualities of concentration, trust, projection, and communication. This is the real power of his written words. I think this book will prove so useful that it will become an essential textbook for teaching acting to singers.
very useful book August 4, 2005
La Diva (San Francisco, CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I highly recommend Acting for Singers. It is full of great tips and exercises that are helpful in any acting situation but especially for musical work. The chapter on auditioning alone is worth the price of the book. For sure I will go into my next audition a lot better prepared.
How to breathe life and artistry into your characters December 5, 2006
Perry-Lynn Moffitt (Brooklyn, NY)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
David Ostwald's new book, "Acting for Singers," is an important and helpful guide for singers-in-training, for professionals learning new roles, and for seasoned performers who wish to infuse new dramatic life into their repertory. As a former arts administrator for San Francisco Opera and Affiliate Artists, Inc., I feel that Ostwald's book is equally useful for stage directors, conductors, teachers, and coach/accompanists who strive to make their highly collaborative art form appear as seamless as possible. Ostwald covers a number of pertinent topics including the foundations of believable acting, ways to improve concentration, and how to motivate a character's actions. Having judged many auditions over the years, I found the chapter on "Getting the Part" to be especially helpful to young singers who may not know how to dress for the occasion, speak to the judges, or introduce their selections from the stage. The author's "Ten Maxim's of Believable Singing" provide a concise checklist of wisdom gleaned from his years of teaching and directing. Ostwald's analysis of how directors and teachers can help their singers grow and flourish, including the sage advice of "Always be supportive" and "Never humiliate anyone," presents a pithy list that bosses in any business should read and take to heart. The text is lively, clear and well designed, with headings, bulleted points and enough white space to make the book's insights both accessible and memorable. Each chapter contains helpful exercises, summaries or trouble shooting techniques which will enable singers and their colleagues to create superior performances. "Acting for Singers" will likely become an indispensable, dog-eared companion for any singers who wish to breathe live and artistry into their characters.
Perry-Lynn Moffitt
Acting for Singers: Creating Believable Singing Characters December 30, 2007
Marilyn Cronin (El Paso, Texas)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been a professional opera singer and voice professor for many decades. This book REALLY gets to the heart of the acting delima which singers' face. The index is very thorough, allowing the singer to find exactly the topic they are looking for easily. The book should be read cover to cover many times if the singer is new to the field of acting. (I find it helpful for each singer to ponder this question: Am I a singer who acts or, an actor who sings, or both.) An opera singer MUST learn to create operatic characters with which the audience can identify. Each Mannerism and gesture will change with each new operatic role one intends to interpret. This book should be a great help for the preparation of singers who aspire to act realistically and who wish to conquor this extremely demanding and rewarding field called OPERA.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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