5 Books Every Acting Student Should Read

Whether you are a veteran actor or just walking into your first acting class, every acting student must continue to learn more about the craft. Acting itself is a journey and having the right tools under your belt will only help you enhance your skills. Here are the five books that every acting student should read at least once!

The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer

Jenna Fischer's wit and humor shines through as she gives young actors an honest look into the industry. This timeless book gives readers a step by step guide on how to get established in the industry. Along with telling her own journey to becoming a professional actress, she gives readers many helpful tips related to the industry such as headshots, agents, auditions and callbacks, how to look out for scams, and much more. This is a must-have book for any actor today!

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Being an Actor by Simon Callow

Few actors have ever been more eloquent, more honest, or more entertaining about their life and their profession than Simon Callow. A book filled with his honesty about how vulnerable it is to live as actors do. Providing insight to how most actings are frequently unemployed, for one thing, of which he says, "That's the hardest: acclaim being followed by unemployment..." While this may seem heavy, the book gives a true insight into the art and craft of acting, with all its joys and frustrations.

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The Art of Acting by Stella Adler

Stella Adler was one of the 20th Century's greatest figures. She is arguably the most important teacher of acting in American history. Over her long career, both in New York and Hollywood, she offered her vast acting knowledge to generations of actors, including Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, and Robert De Niro. The great voice finally ended in the early Nineties, but her decades of experience and teaching have been brilliantly caught and encapsulated by Howard Kissel in the twenty-two lessons in this book.

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Audition by Michael Shurtleff

Michael Shurtleff has been casting director for Broadway shows and films. His legendary course on auditioning has launched hundreds of successful careers. Michael's straightforward approach in this book provides easy to follow tips on building a character, script analysis, and prep for an audition. Any profession that lives around acting or auditioning should read this book.

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Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner and Dennis Longwell

Sanford Meisner was one of the best known and beloved teachers of acting in the country. This book follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Written in collaboration with Dennis Longwell, it is essential reading for beginning and professional actors alike. Throughout these pages Meisner is a delight-always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges.

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