A Leap from the Method: An Organic Approach to Acting is a new book about acting now available in bookstores all over the United States (including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com). The book is authored by character actor Allan Rich, a 65 year veteran of movie and theater acting ("Serpico," "Frances," "Quiz Show," "Disclosure," "Amistad," etc.). His book puts into plain words the various acting methods first described by famous acting teachers such as Konstantin Stanislavski and Stella Adler. Partially an acting text book, the book provides training and exercises regarding casting calls, auditioning, cold reading and film/stage acting in general. It’s the best book on American method acting for the career actor and is currently required reading at select colleges and universities.

This is the short version of Allan Rich's demo reel. It's an impossibility to condense a long career into two and a half minutes, but now you can see the face of the actor behind this ground breaking book.

 

 

Below are two samples of the letters from students at California State Univeristy, Northridge (CSUN). Every sememster, Professor Doug Kaback of the Theater Department invites Allan Rich, his long time freind and mentor, to visit and speak to his classes. From reading these letters, it's hard to tell who enjoys the visits more, Rich or the Students.

Doug,

Thank you for inviting Allan Rich to speak to our class on Thursday. He was very entertaining. Hearing you talk about him for an entire semester could not fully prepare us for what we experienced that day. Not only were we lucky enough to witness his acting skills but given a generous amount of motivation to pursue the things we wanted in life. It’s nice to know that in his eyes, we were born with the potential to do anything.

I just finished reading his book A Leap from the Method: An Organic Approach to Acting and was pleased to find that everything written was an extension of what he shared with us in class. The only thing missing was an encore performance. Reading about his life made up for it though because he wrote it in such a way that every word played out in my mind. I’m not trying to be an actor but I aspire to write to that standard. I’ve gathered in the past that understanding an actor’s craft is very valuable to the writer and it is always good to read different perspectives on how to approach acting. He encourages all of his actors to learn as much as they can about the human condition so that the actor is better equipped when performing what he called a “creative” lie. He explains that the writer has created a world for the actor to become familiar with and until his emotions are aroused the character will finally emerge. Knowing this makes me more aware of all the things I need to address when creating a story from scratch. I hope to do a lot of actors justice.

I was also very impressed with not only the amount of actors he has worked with but learning that most of them were once his students. There was a thank you letter written to him from a Jesse Erwin and I wonder if he’s the same guy I once knew in high school. That was almost ten years ago but he knew then that he really wanted to be an actor. Allan Rich made it clear that pursuing an acting career should be something that you really want to do because to be really good at it, you have to stick with it no matter how poor you may feel. I believe he was trying to hint that we should feel this way about anything we pursue in life. I’m glad to see that Jesse had a chance to meet him while he was young. Allan Rich seems to handle the aspiring actor’s ego with care, emphasizing in class and the book that everyone was born with natural talent. We all have the potential it just needs to be exercised. Could you imagine how many people there are in the world that may have wanted to become actors at some point in their lives but gave up because they thought they weren’t talented enough? I’m glad he’s telling this to anyone willing to listen.

I know you’ve met a lot of interesting people throughout your acting and teaching career but Allan Rich takes the cake. I hope others are fortunate enough to meet him in the future. Thanks again.

Chenae

Spring 2009

Hi Professor Kaback,

I'm writing to thank you for inviting your friend and mentor, Allan Rich, to speak with our class last week. I recognized Rich as soon as I saw him; as you mentioned before his appearance, as an actor Rich has appeared in numerous films and television shows, so my reaction upon meeting him was something like, 'Oh, that guy.' Most amazing to me was seeing this octogenarian slowly shuffle into the classroom and cautiously take his seat at the head of the class, but then transform himself--at the drop of the proverbial hat-- at various times into Hamlet, Richard II and III (if I'm remembering correctly), and one of the Two Gentlemen from Verona. In short, it was incredible to see this old man channel his vitality into impromptu performances that held the room for more than an hour. Bravo, Allan Rich! and hats off to Professor Kaback for booking the gig.

I also want to mention here that I was quite happy to be able to pick up a copy of Rich's book, 'A Leap from the Method,' and to get it signed by the author. Rich's approach to acting, paired with his skill as a storyteller and his native charm, make for entertaining and educational reading. I'm curious why you haven't made this t the sanctioned text for this class; it seems like a natural pairing, and it cost is still less than half of what I'd pay for a textbook for just about any other class on campus.

Okay, time for me to go rehearse my performance piece. I'll see you in class at 2.

Mike