There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 32 is “Goodbye”.
This position may need to be adjusted when the person to whom you are saying goodbye is neither ten feet tall nor standing on a balcony.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 31 is “Flattery”.
There is perhaps no skill so useful to the rising actor as that of flattery. The performer who can flatter winningly will go far in the profession, so today’s lesson has application beyond the stage. Using this powerful technique you will compel agents, directors, producers and other people of influence to do your bidding. Unlock the magical secrets of sycophancy and you’ll be given parts you never would get by mere talent alone!
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 30 is “Farewell”.
Many plays include a farewell or two, so every would-be actor should practise this regularly. An hour or two in front of the mirror in this position once a week or so will soon bring it to perfection. As a bonus, you’ll quickly develop the hip round-shouldered stance so popular these days with fashion-conscious youngsters.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 29 is “Startling”.
Also known as “the unwilling goalkeeper” or “the groper’s happy memory”, this posture is suited to a multitude of purposes.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 28 is “Horror”.
Just out of shot, Boris Karloff as The Monster slowly advances, preparing to bring about a fitting end to Edgerly’s career of crimes against acting.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 27 is “Fright”.
This picture was created at roughly the same date as Edvard Munch’s The Scream. Edgerly’s version has far greater artistry of course because it shows the correct position of the feet.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 26 is “Fear”.
In this illustration we see delineated the very embodiment of fear. One of the few flaws in Jamie Lee Curtis’s otherwise impeccable performance in the film Halloween is that she only makes a few half-hearted attempts to execute this attitude and falls short every time. If she had spent the last reel of the picture running about with her arms in the correct pose as shown above, the result would have been astonishing.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 25 is “Excitement”.
Having studied this illustration, when you next hear someone described as “the most exciting actor of his generation”, you’ll understand that what is meant is he displays complete artistry in the raising of his shoulders and hands. There are those that would have you believe that acting is about emotional truth, or some such nonsense, but those who have the wit to follow Lessons in Acting will have none of that.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 24 is “Astonishment”.
Nicolas Cage is said to have learned everything he knows about acting from the pictures contained in this book, and it is hoped that he will star as Webster Edgerly when, as is surely inevitable, it is turned into a film.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
There are 106 Attitudes depicted in Lessons in Acting. Number 23 is “Amazement”.
A danger with mastery of this spectacular attitude is that when having experienced the reaction of an audience to its power the novice actor may be tempted to overuse it. While it is not technically incorrect to repeatedly assume this position, the remainder of the cast may look upon your doing so as a shameless attempt at upstaging. Vanessa Redgrave, having quite innocently expressed her amazement several times in this manner in an early appearance in The Cherry Orchard, is credited with starting the vogue for treating this play as a comedy.
Every day I post a new Attitude or Rule of Stage Conduct on this blog. Get the book for more thespian weirdness. An ideal birthday gift for the slightly dazed.
