Book Review: The Outstanding Actor – Ken Rea

THE OUTSTANDING ACTOR: Seven Keys to Success (second edition) – Ken Rea (METHUEN DRAMA – ISBN: 978-1-350-15235-9)

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Following on from the extraordinarily successful first edition of this book, we have Ken Rea’s revised version (second edition) giving us more interviews with actors and also links to HD video recordings of his classes and techniques.

Ken Rea is Professor of Theatre at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. He began as a professional actor and director in New Zealand, working with some of the country’s leading theatres and on television as well as running his own company, The Living Theatre Troupe. Later, in the UK he was artistic director of Jet Theatre and Koru Theatre. In addition to his work at Guildhall, he has taught in the national drama academies of China, Indonesia, India, Italy and New Zealand, as well as in Germany, Greece and Canada. He has also worked as a movement coach with many theatres including the Royal Shakespeare Company.

As you can tell from the title of the book, this is aimed at people who are hoping to become a member of the acting fraternity. Or, those who are already part of that fraternity and hoping to learn a little bit extra to become perhaps more charismatic. As Ken himself writes in the book’s introduction: “What I’m examining in this book are not the core skills – such as strong vocal technique, a released body and a coherent acting process – but the qualities on top of those that make someone truly outstanding. What I’ll also show is that these qualities don’t just rely on your innate talent: you can consciously develop them in your work to step up to the next level of success. And the point of the book is to show you exactly how. In most cases it’s a matter of adopting new habits and values.”

As a retired actor I read the book with great enthusiasm and only wished that the first edition had been around when I was young and learning my trade. You can tell it is written by someone who has a complete and utter grip on the nuances of the acting profession and whose main purpose in publishing such a book is to further the actor’s understanding. The inclusion of links to videos showing in more detail what Ken is writing about is a brilliant addition and can only add to the reader’s passion.

Nick Wakeham