In the Moment - by Gerry Cousins (Paperback)

About the Book

Indispensable for any student of dramatic arts... concise and structured approach to the audition ... breaks down the skills essential for a performer to approach this daunting task with skill, intelligence and professionalism.

Book Synopsis

Lucky you! You have an audition. Now what?

An audition is a truthful clip of a moment lived in a surreal circumstance that must clearly exist in the actor's mind, and carry physical weight and presence. It only takes knowing how.

Often, acting classes are about theater - scene study, performance, memorized lines, sets, costumes, etc., and the luxury of time. Auditioning for a part in film and television has its own skill set. Usually, an actor has one day to get ready, assess a character breakdown, the clothes on his back, perhaps a chair in an empty space, and a stranger with whom to read.

Gerry Cousins fashioned In the Moment as a direct segue into the professional world of film and television - emphasizing craft, focus, preparation, relaxation and commitment. In her workbook - as in the studio - she stresses individualism to meet each student's needs - no single technique for all. Step by step, scene by scene, she builds on what went before and what to do next, until you're there.

Whether an actor, trial lawyer, executive, sales and marketing professional, you have a voice that should be heard. "Who am I in this moment and how am I going to communicate that?"

Gerry will teach you how to prepare your script, make choices, and understand where you're coming from. When it comes down to it - what people see, what they want to see - is not a role or character or piece of work, certainly not a performance. What they want to see ... is you!

Gerry Cousins has been writing for 25 years and founded her own on-camera acting school, IN THE MOMENT, in Studio City, California.

Review Quotes

Gerry Cousins' In the Moment is an indispensable tool for any student of the dramatic arts. Offering a concise and structured approach to the audition process-from initial script analysis all the way to the moment of the audition itself-this handbook breaks down the skills essential for a performer to approach this often daunting task with skill, intelligence and professionalism. Presenting an array of exercises, both dramaturgical and performative (and all clearly steeped in industry experience), In the Moment guides the reader chronologically, pragmatically and thoroughly through a procedure in which raw talent alone does not suffice; there are necessary tricks of the trade which Cousins reveals with a lucidity and candor rarely found in the more theoretical approaches. And this is what will put In the Moment in high demand from both drama instructors and actors-in-training-it is a look inside the mechanics of the audition process, offering a set of usable tools to help prepare performers for the realities of the business. Recommended for film and theatre bookstores, as well as to be purchased by performing arts high schools and university drama departments, In the Moment is sure to be consumed avidly by teachers and students of acting alike. Charles Asher, PBK Reviews