Ken Rea’s bestselling book The Outstanding Actor: Seven Keys to Success is published in a new edition by Methuen Drama. This second edition incorporates up to date interviews with actors and creatives, a foreword by former student Lily James, and for the first time, Rea shares some of his key techniques with HD video recordings.
“Ken’s classes were easily my favourite while I was training. When we think of our favourite actors, we are drawn to danger, risk, charisma, spontaneity, charm…Ken is a master at drawing these qualities out of you as a student and teaching you to own them. He’s brilliant.” – Paapa Essiedu
Drawing on Ken Rea’s 40 years’ teaching experience and research, as well as interviews with top actors and directors, The Outstanding Actor identifies seven key qualities that the most successful actors manifest, along with practical exercises that help nurture those qualities.
“… you can be hugely talented and brilliantly trained, and yet still not have a good career. The key is simple: you must be proactive rather than reactive. You can’t afford to drift through your career waiting for opportunities to come, because the odds are, they won’t. By being proactive you can make a difference.” Extract from The Outstanding Actor
In addition to new contributions and insights from former students Orlando Bloom, Paapa Essiedu, Lily James, Lesley Sharp, Jodie Whittaker, Daniel Craig and many more, the second edition is revised to reflect the impact of developments across society and the industry, including the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. Using the latest technology, the edition also features HD video recordings of over 20 of the exercises described in the book, giving readers an insight into Rea’s masterclasses and the chance to see exactly how the exercises work and are developed during a session.
The Outstanding Actor gives techniques that actors can immediately put into practice in rehearsals, classes or private preparation, to consciously develop the qualities needed to step up to the next level of success. Rea has also used the techniques to train thousands of senior executives throughout Europe to develop their presence and charisma.
Ken Rea said today, “There’s never been a more crucial time for actors to develop their skills. The Covid crisis won’t last forever, and when the theatres do re-open, opportunities will come very quickly. This means that actors need to be match-fit now, so they’re ready to go. As I show in the book, this is not just about being physically ready; it’s also about having that winning mindset that will get you the job in the first place, that makes a director say, “Yes, this is the kind of energy I want in my cast!”
