Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus

A vital rehearsal-room companion — a powerful thesaurus of action‑words to energise performance and unlock truthful acting choices.

The definitive guide to ‘actioning’, used by actors and directors across the world.

About the Ebook

Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus is an indispensable tool for actors in rehearsal, offering a comprehensive list of active verbs to help refine and energise performance choices. The method of ‘actioning’ — assigning a playable action to each line or beat — is widely used in rehearsal rooms, but had never been presented in such a systematic and accessible way until this book.

Using this thesaurus, actors can pinpoint the exact action that brings a moment to life, deepens intention and clarifies motivation. Whether you’re working on classical text, contemporary drama or screen performance, this book provides a practical vocabulary to support truthful, dynamic acting.

Includes a foreword by Terry Johnson.

"If you want to act, or act better, Actions will take you a long way on the journey to excellence."
— Terry Johnson

Watch: The 60‑Second Challenge

A quick, fun introduction to how actioning works in practice.

Also Available as an App

Actions: The Actors’ Thesaurus is also available as an app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch — the perfect on‑the‑go rehearsal companion.

• A–Z and predictive search
• Emotional groupings for targeted action selection
• Bookmarking, notes and random‑word functions
• Share actions via email or social media
• Full guidance on using actioning in rehearsal

Visit the iTunes Store to learn more and download.

Critical Praise

"This condenses all the usefulness of the book into a neat little app. Absolutely invaluable!"
— User Review

"Clear, practical and endlessly useful — a must‑have for actors."
— Drama Magazine

"An excellent manual… indispensable to acting students and teachers alike."
— Word Matters

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• A complete actioning toolkit for rehearsal and performance.
• Clear, practical vocabulary to unlock intention and energise choices.
• Perfect for actors, directors and teachers working with text.
• Widely used in professional rehearsal rooms worldwide.
• A Nick Hern Books essential for every actor’s toolkit.

About the Authors

Marina Caldarone is a theatre director, acting coach and educator with extensive experience across stage and screen. She has worked with actors at all levels, helping them develop clarity, intention and emotional truth.

Maggie Lloyd‑Williams is an actor and teacher whose work focuses on practical tools for performance. Together, they have created one of the most widely used resources in contemporary actor training.

Bundle Option

Get this ebook together with Actioning – and How to Do It in the Complete Actions Bundle.

Also Available

• Actioning – and How to Do It — the essential companion guide that teaches you how to apply the actions in rehearsal.

Publication Details

Publisher: Nick Hern Books

Publication Date: 26 October 2017

Print Length: 192 pages

ISBN (Ebook): 9781780019727

Format: Ebook

Language: English

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