Directors on Acting

The latest addition to director/teacher Joel Asher's The Actors at Work Series (see reviews of Getting the Part [VL-11/93] and Agents "Tell It Like It Is!" [VL-5/95]) employs the same format as earlier entries: namely, Asher interviews professionals in the field; in this case five directors on the subject of acting. While the advice offered here--ranging from the lucidity of seasoned professional Arthur Hiller to the relatively vapid comments of TV director Jane Anderson and the duh-obvious remarks of Gordon Hunt (who advises actors at one point to get out there and act)--is often rudimentary, Directors on Acting does offer insights into scene preparation, improvisation, the differences between comedic and dramatic acting, and the necessity of training, among other topics, and therefore would still be useful for beginning acting students. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Van Vleck)