The Other Way: An Alternative Approach to Acting & Directing: Cloth Book

In twenty years of directing there has not been a book that has influenced my work more than this one. I have kept a copy of it in my book bag for more than five years. I use it when I need to get a quick fix of that essence that got me excited about theater when I was a teenager. For me, it's been invaluable.

Um, as someone who was a student of Richard Hornby's when THE END OF ACTING came out, I feel that the other critic is creating a false dilemma. Why not buy both books, since each has a slightly different area of emphasis? They work very well together. Marowitz gets organic when Hornby stays very academic, and both are passionate, thoughtful, stimulating reads. I employ ideas from each when I direct, and the results have never let me down. This is one of the four books on acting that I revisit the most. Along with AN ACTOR PREPARES, Mamet's TRUE AND FALSE, and Madd Harold's THE ACTOR'S GUIDE TO PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE (aka, "Barton for Dummies"), Marowitz has the written book I come to the most for common sense and bold ideas. It is illuminating, inspiring, and practical. I knew an actor who was one of the best I've seen, but was, by-and-large, untrained. In fact, he had quickly learned the obvious -- 95% of actor training was tedious and pretentious. The first book he found that really invigorated him was TRUE AND FALSE. The next summer, he read this one and really took to it. It was the "next, logical step," and it moved him in the right direction. I can see how. Is it a little sloppy? Yes. But that's a minor cavil. This book is just great. And if you haven't read Marowitz's other plays and books, you're in for a real treat!