"an invaluable tool for actors at any stage of experience"

I think the practical and realistic approach of The Actor’s Menu makes this book an invaluable tool for actors at any stage of experience and ability. In particular, Howey’s approach to the actor’s personal agenda, working with emotion and his definition of character provide a clear pathway toward personal, spontaneous and, ultimately, powerful acting.

Like a lot of acting coaches, I’ve got a LOT of acting books on the shelf in my study; The Actor’s Menu is one book that I can predict won’t stay up on the shelf, but will help me talk to my students about how to identify and evaluate what works best in their process—and how to get rid of what doesn’t. I’m looking forward to the results this book brings my actors.

Andy Garrison

B.A. in Theatre at Baker University.
M.F.A. in Acting and Directing at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Actor Training Studio: Kansas City
SAG, AFTRA.

"...develop strong, believable characters..."

An Acting Book Based on a Unique Culinary/Pastiche Approach
Book Review by R. J. Nickerson
New England Entertainment Digest (October 2005)
www.JACNEED.com

Whether new to the business or a seasoned professional, The Actor’s Menu: A Character Preparation Handbook (Compass Publishing, 9/05 – $14.95) provides actors with a personal, active approach to discovering and developing their talent. Beginning with appetizers and ending with desserts, actors learn how to prepare a character in the same way that a master chef chooses the most complementary dishes for a feast. From typecasting to reinventing a character’s story, actors discover the key ingredients that will enable them to use their own unique qualities and emotions to develop strong, believable characters that people are interested in watching. How to identify and resolve problems such as hidden agendas that can disable an actor’s work; distinguish between perception, feeling, and emotions; and find lasting sources of inspiration are among the issues explored. The importance of imagination, words, and story as well as the difference between intellectual and visceral choices (and the impact of each) are also discussed.

Bill Howey has taught and coached acting for more than 25 years. He has appeared as an actor on the soap opera, The Young and the Restless and has worked as a dialogue/acting coach for the television series A Family for Joe, with Robert Mitchum, and Charlie Hoover, with Sam Kinison. He is a trainer and consultant to executives, managers, and public speakers. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

"Revealing without being preachy; informative yet not dogmatic"

The Actor’s Menu
review by Keith Thompson

Bill Howey’s new book, “The Actor’s Menu”, gives the aspiring actor the one thing most acting class books are devoid of: that is the opportunity to use a comprehensive blueprint to get a usable system for executing the craft of acting on a repeatable basis. Howey’s book, presented much like a restaurant menu, (presumably so actor/waiters could understand it) is an enlightening journey into all the ingredients that make up the portrayal of complex characters. The Actor’s Menu forces you to think, asking a myriad of questions aimed at discovering just what your particular human incarnation has to bring to the table, and how it can be applied repeatedly as the basis of your acting career.

As acting class books go, “The Actor’s Menu” is a corker. Revealing without being preachy; informative yet not dogmatic, Howey’s book forces you to think and come up with your own personal menu that brings the best you have to offer to the role. My favorite section was without a doubt the Essential Ingredients chapter, where emotions, feelings and conflict are explored for what they are and are not, and how to meld them into an actable tool. One of the nice yet less obvious jewels in the The Actor’s Menu is the constant weaving and equipping of the actor’s arsenal. You may be eating a meal here but my view is that it’s an MRE, as you are fully equipped for battle after reading and implementing this book.

Bill Howey is no Johnny-come-lately to this endeavor, having been an actor. teacher, writer and producer for more than 25 years. Howey’s client list is as eclectic as it is talented. Some of the people he’s worked with over the years include George Clooney, Robert Mitchum, Sam Kinison, and even his own son Steve Howey, who stars as Van on the hit WB show “Reba”.

If you’ve determined that you really can’t do anything else with your life other than act, then The Actor’s Menu will whet your appetite even further!

Article Source: Keith Thompson on EzineArticles.com