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David Mamet
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True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor Paperback – February 22, 1997

by David Mamet (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 531 ratings
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One of our most brilliantly iconoclastic playwrights takes on the art of profession of acting with these words: invent nothing, deny nothing, speak up, stand up, stay out of school. Acting schools, “interpretation,” “sense memory,” “The Method”—David Mamet takes a jackhammer to the idols of contemporary acting, while revealing the true heroism and nobility of the craft. He shows actors how to undertake auditions and rehearsals, deal with agents and directors, engage audiences, and stay faithful to the script, while rejecting the temptations that seduce so many of their colleagues. Bracing in its clarity, exhilarating in its common sense, True and False is as shocking as it is practical, as witty as it is instructive, and as irreverent as it is inspiring.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    127 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    February 22, 1997
  5. Dimensions
    5.1 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780679772644
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0679772644
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mamet manages to demolish the myths...that pass for theory with regard o acting and directing. . . True and False is a revealing book of the highest order and a pleasure to read"—Anthony Hopkins
 
"Hard-edged, pragmatic and idealistic. . . . Every actor or would-be actor should read this book."—Chicago Tribune 
 
"Trenchant...Meet’s pared-down, occasionally cryptic prose can make powerful sense."—The New York Times
 
"This book should be read and considered by everyone who acts."—Steve Martin 

About the Author

David Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, as well as a director, novelist, poet, and essayist. He has written the screenplays for more than twenty films, including Heist, Spartan, House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, The Winslow Boy, Wag the Dog, and the Oscar-nominated The Verdict. His more than twenty plays include Oleanna, The Cryptogram, Speed-the-Plow, American Buffalo, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and the Pulitzer Prizewinning Glengarry Glen Ross. Born in Chicago in 1947, Mamet has taught at the Yale School of Drama, New York University, and Goddard College, and is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0679772642
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; First Edition (February 22, 1997)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 127 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780679772644
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679772644
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 531 ratings

About the author

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David Mamet

David Mamet

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David Mamet's numerous plays include Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross (winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), American Buffalo, Speed-the-Plow, Boston Marriage, November, Race and The Anarchist. He wrote the screenplays for such films as The Verdict, The Untouchables and Wag the Dog, and has twice been nominated for an Academy Award. He has written and directed ten films, including Homicide, The Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, House of Games, Spartan and Redbelt. In addition, he wrote the novels The Village, The Old Religion, Wilson and many books of nonfiction, including Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose and Practice of the Movie Business; Theatre; Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama and the New York Times bestseller The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture. His HBO film Phil Spector, starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren, aired in 2013 and earned him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing. He was co-creator and executive producer of the CBS television show The Unit and is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
531 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael J Mc Dermott
5.0 out of 5 stars Mamet knows his stuff
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
An interesting critique of the method school of acting, and wonderful insight into the world of drama. I came to know of Mamet through his infamous letter to the writers of the Unit, and this book carries that same voice and pursuit of drama as the ultimate goal of all in the world of entertainment.

He has a very thorough and persuasive perspective on the attitude and approach to acting, from its foundation in theater to the abstract in bringing the unreal to life on stage. The criticism I've read of this, such as Mamet not giving concrete advice towards casting or auditioning sessions, does seem contradictory given the back cover's advertisement of 'how to undertake auditions and rehearsals' but I found this book a treatise on the art and science of the actor's profession and an attitude to take towards the 'business' side of show business.

Even for those who remain persuaded by Stanislavsky or the Method should find this an interesting and invigorating dialogue on their profession. Highly recommend to all in, and those fascinated by, the arts and the stage.
5 people found this helpful
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john ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Method Acting
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024
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This is Mamets total and unequivocal reputation of Konstantin Stanislavskis Method. If you’ve never studied method acting..this might be boring
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Terrence Walsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Speaks to multiple audiences, like authors
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
Many reviewers commented on True & False as it relates to actors and their craft. Few commented as authors--playwrights. My perspective is that of an author with few published credits. Call me a newbie.

Actually I've been writing for decades in the bowels of a federal agency, anonymously. (Trust me, it was all NON-fiction.) I've had brilliant editors and duds. Even with anonymous federal prose the key to good writing is the audiences. Few documents have just one audience--look at what happens when a "private" email goes public. We must consider ALL the audiences, real or potential, present AND future, visible or not.

Now, writing as a fledgling dramatist, I find Mr. Mamet's thoughts useful. Here is someone who respects the audience AND the author. Take any dramatic work that endures through hundreds of live performances, or thousands. With a revolving door of actors that work is still going. Despite a parade of venues that show still goes on. An audience flows in and out. Just look at any Broadway road tour. There are only two common pieces--the author and the script.

While True & False may be directed to actors, a second audience must be authors. It's full of nuggets for authors.

For example, this to an actor: "You don't have to portray the hero or the villain. That's been done for you in the script."
That is, BY THE AUTHOR. Hmmm. Had I been a lazy author, leaving too many blanks, relying too heavily on skillful improvisation to fill in the blanks? There is a place for improvisation but the author's billing appears above the title of the show. Had I done my job? Earned that billing?

If you ever see one of my works you can decide for yourself (e.g. ROUND TUIT, Brooklyn Publishers). As for me, I'm sure: True & False already helped me be a better author--and of course the journey continues. Thank you, Mr. Mamet.

I hope one or two will find this review helpful.
3 people found this helpful
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Frank Fetters
4.0 out of 5 stars Simplification Translates Into Power
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011
Verified Purchase
Over the years, I have been amazed at how successful David Mamet has been in almost everything he attempts. This is why, when I started reading this book I felt disappointed. It seemed to me that, in the first third of the book, he listed all the things you should NOT do as an actor. Several times I thought about closing the book and throwing it away. But somewhere around that point where I almost gave up on him, Mamet's genius kicked in. It may be heretical to say this, but I believe that one of the stronger aspects of Mamet's art is his ability to cut through the BS and simplify. I believe that a considerable amount of his power as a dramatist comes from this. Concerning playwriting, he said that, in the crafting of a play, you must dispense with any part of it that does not relate to the protagonist's quest.

In this book, he again makes us see the power of simplification. He says actors need to forget about the elaborate explanations coming from the "scholars" and just look at the bare bones reality of what acting is. Pretending. He says "This is what I see the actor doing: Invent nothing, deny nothing. This is the meaning of character." He also says, "The simple performance of a great deed, onstage or off, is called 'heroism'". He says a number of other provocative things and then proves each and every one of them. And these proofs are a strong counter-argument to what many acting teachers and scholars are saying. What he tells the actor to do is practical, real, doable and powerful. That is why I gave it three stars, why I will suggest that any actor who acts in any play I write reads this book, and why I believe this book is nourishment not only for the actor, but for the playwright and for just about anybody else in the theatre who wants to know how great performances can be sculpted from a written text.
8 people found this helpful
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M. Plishka
5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just for Actors...
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is about much more than acting. It's about the creative life, the life well lived. How to approach every moment on Life's stage. Being bold enough to share yourself, your life, and artistic creations with the gatekeepers and institutional structures of the world and the virtue of doing it.
The closing thoughts from Mamet are apropos here:
"What is true, what is false, what is, finally, important? It is not a sign of ignorance not to know the answers. But there is great merit in facing the questions."
I highly recommend this book, especially if you consider your life and what you share, art.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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sally price
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you this book did arrive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
I would like to apologise for my previous review.
This book did arrive and I’m very pleased with it.
I apologise once again.
And thank you
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Carolina Quito
5.0 out of 5 stars David Mameta is an icon !
Reviewed in France on December 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
Amazing, reading David Mamet is always a gift for the artists
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars La importancia de la escritura de los personajes
Reviewed in Spain on November 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
A diferencia de otros maestros de la interpretación, como el consabido método Stanislawski o Chéjov, Mamet pone el foco en la importancia de cómo el personaje está escrito y en el conjunto de la obra, más que en la construcción propia o "egoísta" del actor. De esta forma, alivia la carga de dicho actor, dándole más importancia a la acción del mismo personaje que al mundo interior, que, en su opinión, llega a lastrar tanto la propia actuación, como el conjunto de la obra teatral a representar.
Interesante planteamiento para reivindicar la importancia del diálogo y la expresión de la trama.
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to digest but healthy!
Reviewed in Germany on December 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is basically 150 pages of rant about all the "acting philosophies". Having read and being taught most of the acting techniques Mamet refers to, it felt almost infuriating to read this book. However, in a good way! Being a curious person by nature, I never fell victim to one of the almost religious standpoints about acting techniques, and Mamet reinforces just that!

Mamet puts acting in a nutshell, what it's really about. Not being overly intellectual, not trying to be smarter than the scene and not to put on a mask to hide yourself. So instead of telling you what to do, he tells you what NOT to do, eventually keeping it simple and personal, to invent nothing and deny nothing.

If you want to act truthfully, this book is for you. It might not immediately "click" in your head but the aftereffects of it will be fruitful.
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TJ Turnell
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
Must have book for the field. Unbeatable price for a hardcover.
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