The Ten Commandments of Theater

Book excerpt: The Ten Commandments of Theater is a ten-chapter, step-by-step handbook to guide theater actors through the acting process from the moment they are first cast in a role until the final curtain comes down. Each chapter is written as a Commandment ? a rule of the theater that must be respected in order to achieve success in a particular performance, as well as an overall acting career.These Commandments include points on:? proper warm-up routines? scoring a script? researching and developing a character? formulating a personal acting process? and other guidelines that fall under the umbrella of ?Method? acting.Unlike many other acting handbooks, The Ten Commandments of Theater is concise and understandable for even the greenest of actors. It is a must for young and veteran actors alike, providing tried-and-true techniques to help create a more successful acting process.ANNE JOHNSTON-BROWN is a graduate with Highest Honors from Cal State, San Bernardino, with her B.A. in Theatre Arts (Acting Emphasis). Over the past decade, Anne has accumulated a host of performance credits, including: Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music, Mama Rose in Gypsy, Anna in The King and I, and many more. She most recently appeared on the Kodak Theatre stage as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat alongside Eric Martsolf (Passions) and Brad Maul (Days of Our Lives). She was a top-ten finalist at the ACTF Irene Ryan Competition in 1998 and has since won six Inland Empire Theatre League Outstanding Actress Awards. She is currently a proud member of the renowned Moho?s, a sketch comedy troupe founded and directed by comedian Fred Willard and his wife, Mary. Anne is a resident of San Bernardino and lives with herhusband, Tom, of eighteen years.