Actor-musicianship is a permanent feature of the musical theatre landscape. Actor-musician shows can be seen from Bradford to Broadway, from village halls to international arena tours. However, with the exception of a couple of academic papers, there has been nothing written about this fascinating area of theatre practice.

Jeremy Harrison's book addresses this deficit, operating as both a record of the development of the actor-musician movement and as a practical guide for students, educators, performers and practitioners. It explores the history of actor-musicianship, examining its origins, as well as investigating - and offering guidance on - how this specialist form of music theatre is created.

It, in turn, acts as a means of defining an art form that has to date been left to lurk in the shadows of musical theatre; a subset with its own distinctive culture of performer, maker and audience, but as yet no formal recognition as a specialism in its own right. The actor-musician show is multifarious and as such this book targets those interested in mainstream commercial work, as well as alternative and avant-garde theatre practice.

The book draws together expertise from a range of disciplines with contributions from many of the leading figures in this field, including performers, directors, teachers, MDs, producers and writers. It also features a foreword by theatre director John Doyle.

The first and currently only book on a highly visible specialist area of theatre practice with appeal to a range of readers

About the Author

Jeremy Harrison was one of the country's leading actor-musicians before going on to run Rose Bruford College's unique Actor-Musicianship programme. Since graduating from RADA (1987), he has worked in theatre, film and television as a performer, MD, composer and director both in the UK and internationally. He is Chair of Rose Bruford College's Theatre for Young Audience's Centre and has presented practical workshops and papers on actor-musicianship and the musicality of acting in institutions around the world.

Reviews
Actor-musicianship is clearly making inroads in professional practice; last season it was an essential component of both staging and story in two new musicals on Broadway, School of Rock and Bandstand. Harrison's volume should then be of interest to anyone studying, teaching, or training in contemporary acting practice. * Journal of American Drama and Theatre *
I highly recommend Jeremy Harrison's Actor Musicianship as an excellent introduction to the genre. It is informative, clearly written, easy to follow, well documented and will make an extremely useful addition to the libraries of theatre departments and theatre students everywhere. * Voice and Speech Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781472509635
Author Jeremy Harrison
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 236g