ACTING FOR YOUNG ACTORS The Ultimate Teen Guide by Mary Lou Belli and Dinah Lenney Foreward by Jason Ritter

Acting for Young Actors covers everything a teen needs to know about acting professionally and for fun. The authors provide tons of information about “the business” in a thorough and entertaining resource for the young artist who wants to learn more about craft. The book introduces basic vocabulary and exercises, and offers tips from the pros about everything from learning lines to starring in a movie.

Belli and Lenney begin with the five W’s; that is, five questions every actor needs to ask himself in every role: Who are you? What do you want? Why do you want it? Where and When do these events take place? The first chapters address ways to answer these questions, and give real examples of how other actors have answered them in specific scenes from theatre, television and movies. The authors delve into auditions, monologues, improvisation and the rehearsal process in separate sections, and investigate ways to continue to develop craft as well as to pursue professional goals.

Belli and Lenney don’t promise to make anybody a star and they don’t think that’s a reason to go after a career. They see actors as creative thinkers, the better prepared for any and every challenge for having pursued their acting training. Whether or not kids choose to work professionally, the craft of acting has the potential to make them better citizens of the world. This is a book to read again and again, for practical advice and inspiration.

Quotes
“Everything you need to know is in this book!’
Kelly Rowland, DESTINY’S CHILD

“Mary Lou’s and Dinah’s book should be required reading for every actor
before they even get to L.A. I want to leave copies of it in my waiting room.”
G. Charles Wright, Casting Director, THAT 70’s SHOW

“Buy this book or I won’t cast you.”
Nancylee Myatt, Executive Producer, SOUTH OF NOWHERE

“At last! a book that treats the young actor as an artist and craftsman,
without sacrificing any of the fun to be had along the way!”
Tony Shalhoub, Emmy® award-winning star of MONK

“A must for any young actor! An unbeatable resource packed
with great advice from experienced professionals.”
Myrl A. Schreibman, Professor at UCLA School of Theatre, FIlm and Television

About the Authors
Emmy award winning director Mary Lou Belli has earned multiple honors for her work in television and theatre, and co-authored THE SITCOM CAREER BOOK. After receiving a BA in theatre from Penn State, Mary Lou acted in musical theatre and soaps in New York before becoming a producer and director in Southern California, where she has over 75 theatrical productions and countless television episodes to her credit. She's lectured at Universities and Film Schools all over the country and continues to teach privately. Among the awards she holds dearest is her citation from LA mayor Tom Bradley for her work with abused children. Mary Lou lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Charlie Dougherty, and their two children.

Dinah Lenney received her BA from Yale and was certified at the Neighborhood Playhouse where she studied acting with Sanford Meisner. Continuing to play in theatre, film and television, she's just begun her 13th season as Nurse Shirley on NBC's critically acclaimed ER, for which she was honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award For Best Ensemble. Dinah coaches privately and teaches in programs at UCLA, UCSD and Pepperdine University. Most recently, she earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the Bennington Writing Seminars. Her memoir, BIGGER THAN LIFE, will be available in early 07 from the University of Nebraska Press. Dinah lives in Los Angeles with her husband Fred and their children, Eliza and Jake.

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