Breaking it down Audition techniques for actors of the global majority

Timing is everything, and this book couldn't have come at a better moment as film and theater companies seek to embrace equity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera and on and off the stage. Experienced theater professionals Persley and Ndounou offer a 10-step program that focuses "on breaking down the process of preparing for and performing in an audition, rather than being broken down by the system." These steps include approaches to establishing boundaries, playing the action, and identifying the emotions, and all are meant to help the student or aspiring actor develop a successful audition strategy and an effective acting process. Readers are encouraged to start keeping an acting journal, using the prompts provided after each step. Additional resources include lists of "Supplemental Stanislavsky-Based and Non-Eurocentric Techniques Developed by African American Actor Trainers," "Non-Eurocentric Acting Approach University Programs," and "Theatres of the Global Majority with Actor Training Opportunities." Further resources may be found at www.BreakingItDown.com. This is an important guide for all theater students and aspiring actors, especially those who identify as BIPOC.

Persley and Ndounou--accomplished educators, performers, and directors who cofounded CreateEnsemble, a social media platform for artists of color--have written an acting guide specifically for people of the "global majority" (the more than 80 percent of the world's population that is nonwhite). Focusing on stage audition skills that can easily be applied to screen acting, the authors encourage actors of the global majority (AGM) to treat auditions like job interviews. They provide practical guidance on establishing boundaries, developing a mission statement, increasing emotional vocabulary, creating self-taped auditions, vetting agents and managers, creating résumés, and developing a social media presence. Persley and Ndounou discuss how to handle situations where AGM are asked to read for dehumanizing roles that rely on racial or gender stereotypes; they also make the case that Stanislavski-based techniques, which push performers to disconnect from their emotions and gender and racial identity, can be harmful and limiting for AGM. VERDICT Everyone involved in the performing arts, from professors to casting directors to actors to students, especially those just starting out, should read this eye-opening work.--Lisa Henry, Kirkwood P.L., MO