The Unconscious Actor

Book excerpt: Darryl Hickman was thirty years old, starring in a Broadway musical, when he took his first acting lesson. He had appeared in almost 100 films before he was eighteen. The director John Ford called him "a natural;" he made it all look easy. He has been an actor, song-and-dance man, writer, director, producer, and CBS executive. In this book, Hickman writes about the actors, writers, and directors he came to know--and learn from--during a career that spanned four decades. He writes about how he was inspired by the ideas of the Russian master, actor-director-teacher Constantin Stanislavsky, revealing how those ideas influenced the development of his own unique Process which has informed his work as actor and teacher. Here he describes his innovative Process, a step-by-step way to learn how to act on the stage or in front of a camera. He shows you how to trust your impulses, and how to add craftsmanship and a conscious use of the mechanics of creativity to arrive at an integrated, well-balanced performance. But The Unconscious Actor is not just for actors--it's for everyone. We live in a performance-oriented society. High standards are demanded of us in the classroom, at the office, on the athletic field, in the boardroom, and in our personal lives. Hickman makes clear that we all have the tools to become outstanding performers, demonstrating how to make use of those tools with skill and precision. Many of those who have taken Hickman's workshop have gone on to become award-winning actors, writers and producers, oil magnates, college professors, world-travel consultants, even top executives. Their stories prove that, by applying the principles outlined in this book, it's possible for the motivated reader to reach the pinnacle of success in his or her chosen field.--Adapted from jacket.