Acting with Passion

A frighteningly simple super-highway into an actor's well of creativity and passion. * Stephen Beckett, actor *
The central tenet is ‘self-tuning’ – reconnecting with the body – or more likely, connecting with the body to understand what it feels like. Really comprehensive exercises – with an online audio guide that require repetition will help all serious actors. Flacks makes a good point: ‘you wouldn’t expect to go from lifting one kilo weights to 15 after a couple of days, over time you will build incredibly strong neuromuscular connections.’ It sounds scientific, because it is. But Flacks’ engaging written style ensures the science bit is more than accessible. Handy. -- Allison Johnstone * Ink Pellet *
Whilst I personally resist her demonizing of intellect, that caveat is outweighed by the delightful mix of inspired pragmatism and no-nonsense speculation in Niki Flacks' book that will not only be solidly useful for any actor, but will stimulate that voracious curiosity which is the lifeblood of a fulfilling life in our business. * Mark Wing-Davey, Chair, Graduate Acting Program, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU *
Acting with Passion offers a wonderful invitation to enter the exhilarating world of Niki Flacks' acting workshops dropping in for useful exercises, profound insights and experienced advice on the craft of acting. * Niamh Dowling, Head of School, Rose Bruford College, UK *
Through an extraordinary life as a theatre artist, teacher, trained psychotherapist, and corporate consultant, Niki Flacks has earned the privilege to claim the overworked artistic word passion in the title of her book, Acting with Passion: A Performer’s Guide to Emotion on Cue. Her energetic writing style matches the ardor of the book’s accompanying audio, as well as YouTube videos of her lectures on the subject. … Many sections of this book are inspired, inspiring, and extremely valuable in terms of actually creating life on stage and screen. … This book speaks directly to actors working solo or in groups, as if Flacks is teaching them personally. In this relationship with performers, the author offers some very fresh insights into actors’ eternal struggles. … [T]here is enough fresh and often ingenious content in it to earn a significant place in a performer’s or teacher’s library. * Theatre Topics *