The Art of Coarse Acting

A coarse actor is. - One who can remember their lines but not the order in which they come - One whose eyebrows are attached to their feet (so every facial expression involves the whole body as well) - One who limps on both legs simultaneously - One who knows everybody else's lines better than their ownFor 50 years, Michael Green's The Art of Coarse Acting has been essential reading for anyone with a passion for theatre. It's an outrageous spoof that punctures pretentiousness, pokes fun at incompetence, revels in disaster and lifts the lid on life backstage.As this special 50th anniversary edition proves, however much the theatre may change, Coarse Actors don't. Green's acerbic yet affectionate work remains one of the funniest books about acting ever written. … (more)

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A Coarse Actor is one who knows the lines, but not the order in which they come. Or who knows everybody else's lines better than their own. Which means, no matter how few lines those might be, they end up taped to the inside of a sheild, or written inside a handy cigarette case.

Anyone who's participated in amateur theatre will groan with recognition at Green's observations. The importance of having a plan for when every gun onstage refuses to fire (a spot of impromptu karate was my solution). The curse of having to play Touchstone. The bash-bash-bash-skewer-under-the-arm stage combat routine. Rereading this book after 20 years was a delight. It's a product of its time, but bad acting is eternal. ( )

There have been three editions of this book so far - the original, published in 1968; the second revised edition, published in 1980 (Arrow); and the third edition, published by Samuel French in 1994.

For my money, the second revised edition is the one you should invest in - and I mean "invest in", as anyone who's participated in amateur dramatics will want this as a permanent addition to their collection. The anecdotes are brilliant, Green's style rapier-sharp and the insights absolutely spot-on - in fact, I dare you to read this and not be crying with mirth within twenty minutes. A comic classic! ( )

Hilarious - still makes us laugh upon re-reading many times. A great gift for any amateur actor or theatre goer.
from the jacket notes:
"Every Company can boast at least one Coarse Actor. He's the one who's determined to shine - despite the director's desperate attempts to conceal him. He's so unbelievable that the person who has just been shot in the head has to get up to show him the way off stage. His blood capsule is guaranteed to leak during the most intimate love scene. And his aim is to be dead by Act Two so that he can spend the rest of the evening in the pub. But beware - even the best get involved in Coarse Acting sometimes. Nobody is safe."

Topics include Simple Ways of Wrecking a Play, No need to learn lines, All-purpose Coarse Acting characters, How to be conspicuous, All-purpose Coarse expressions, How to Steal a Scene without saying a word, and many examples of successful and unsuccessful performances - all very funny. There are also chapters on the Director, the Stage Manager, Front of House, the Outdoor theatre, and Tours, all with many cautionary tales of amateur productions gone wrong.
A winner! ( )