Praise for WORKING ACTOR
from University Acting Teachers
"If you’re looking for guidance, here it is.
David teaches what he knows, and he knows what needs to be taught. He’s not some guru teaching something he hasn’t directly experienced himself. If you’re serious about learning about the reality of working in this business...Read this book... And, if you’re ever lucky enough to get the opportunity, take his class.
-Brian Fagan
Director, Professional Program in Acting for the Camera
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
"An insightful, warm, funny, wise, practical and soulful love letter to actors and to the industry.
I will definitely share it with all of my students
whether they head East or West!”
--Julia Gibson
Professional Actor, Instructor
University of North Carolina Drama School, Chapel Hill
"David’s book offers a very welcome hand to actors ready to enter the profession.
He brings his own wealth of experience to a portrait of the artist’s life on either coast. This book is invaluable to any actor just starting out."
--Greg Leaming
Director, Florida State University
Asolo Acting Conservatory
“This is excellent work, in a very original format.
...A young actor will find many goals to work toward RIGHT NOW no matter where they live or study...David cuts through a lot of BS and allows for lots of variance in a young performer's attack on the biz. Real ground-level survival tips for LA and NYC are especially useful."
Will Casey
Academic Adviser, Acting and Improv Instructor
Columbia College, Chicago
I will definitely recommend it as a must-read
to my acting students and to our alums in NY and LA....The voice in the book is reader friendly - wise but humorous and encouraging..Just as it is liberating for an actor to break down a script into beats and objectives, David has applied this technique to the career itself, so that the actor can approach the profession using the same skills and, hopefully, discover the freedom in life one finds in performance.
--Donna Snow
Head of the Undergraduate Acting Program, Temple University
“Working Actor is a witty, informative, and engaging guide, laced with hilarious anecdotes, to surviving and thriving in show business.
It is a must-read for all theatre students."
--Kenneth Elliott
Professor of Theater, Rutgers University
"With an emphasis on tenacity and work ethic,
David debunks common misconceptions about talent vs. skill and encourages actors to make practical, effective choices in establishing a career as a Working Actor."
--Dr. Ibby Cizmar
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre & Africana Studies,
Franklin & Marshall College.
Teaching has become one of my favorite things to do. When time permits, I love teaching seminars on
ACTING FOR THE CAMERA
and on how to craft the kind of
IMPRESSIVE AUDITIONS
that get actors noticed.
After knowing him for three decades, I am constantly impressed and inspired by his commitment to growth as an artist. David's understanding that we have within us, at any and all stages, the capacity to evolve makes him particularly suited to guide and enrich the experience of young people."
-- Sharon Lawrence,
4-Time Emmy-nominated Television and Stage actor
"WORKING ACTOR is a must- read and overall time saver for every young actor.
David truthfully details what it means to be a modern working actor with a meaningful life. His invaluable experiences about the industry on both coasts grounds the reader in total reality and also provides practical information to pursue the daunting dream of being an actor. I can’t wait to share this book with my students."
--Andrea Bendewald
Los Angeles-based Actress/Teacher/Coach
My first Equity summer stock job, "Crimes of the Heart." We had ten days to learn, rehearse and open the show! It's the only time I've ever missed an entrance -- and on opening night! This is a picture of me falling crazy in love with Maureen Silliman -- which wasn't hard to do!
On stage in "Voice of the Prairie" with the wonderful, Edith Meeks, who now heads up the iconic HB Acting Studios in New York. I remember I had to dye my hair brown because I was playing the younger version of a fellow actor in the show who was a handsome, sort of Mediterranean-looking guy.
