“PUBLISHING NEWS” _________ GROUND-BREAKING NEW BOOK: From working among some of the "Greats" at The Actors Studio NY, to teaching Actors/Writers/Directors worldwide, Janine Manatis has developed her own “method” of training people, incorporating knowledge from the Arts, Sciences,
Psychology, Metaphysics, Body/Mind/Spirit and Sensory work, which finally evolved into her original "8-Step Paradigm". At the request of many who wanted to participate in her workshops in LA, NY,Toronto, Montreal, Paris and even Israel,
she began to extend these exercises to: Lawyers, Health-Care Practitioners, Yoga Instructors, Therapists,
Business Executives, Sales Personnel, Artists - and even a Tiger, Bear and a "Kissing Whale"!* After years of working with a variety of clients, she learned "the work" really is for anybody seeking
a better way of life. Inspired to offer this work to “Everybody”, she decided to write a book - a “how-to” book that’s not a “how-to” book. The title says it all…
www.actorsexercisesforeverybody.com
RECENTLY PUBLISHED “Stanislavsky in Canada”: An Interview with Janine Manatis
for the Book, Stanislavsky and Directing, ed. by Anna Migliarisi, published by Legas, ©
2008. Available on amazon.
Excerpt of Interview with
Janine Manatis: “When I was chosen by Edward Albee to succeed him as moderator of the
Playwrights’ Unit at the Actors’ Studio - surrounded by great writers like: James Baldwin (who adapted his ground-breaking novel Giovanni’s Room for me
as an actress at the Studio), Norman Mailer, Lorraine Hansbury, Arthur Kopit,
Terrence McNally – I began by saying to them: ‘Even though you are at the Actors’ Studio, you
really don’t know anything about the craft of the actor. What you need is to do the work. We’re not
going to sit around and talk about it. That’s against the Method. You are now going to begin doing actors’
exercises.’ (Everyone was dumbstruck!) ‘In this way you will come to know what it takes to act.
How it’s not so simple. It’s not just understanding the meaning; it’s not just the brain mind
(see my 8-step paradigm). It’s body/mind/spirit. It’s totality. You can have all the knowledge in the
world and not be able to use it.’ They found
out, much to their amazement, how hard it was, how wonderful it was, and how it changed how they wrote. They also
learned, when the writer is open to the contribution of the actor, there is not a feeling of loss; there is a feeling of
gain, a plus, not a minus. Ensemble work at its best brings a spirit of cooperation
as opposed to a spirit of competition… Of course all the playwrights wanted to become actors! They absolutely loved it!”
“Ensemble, The Method,
and All That Jazz…” Interview with Janine Manatis for the Book, Directing and Authorship in Western
Drama, ed. Anna Migliarisi, published by Legas, © 2005 Available on Amazon
Excerpt from Interview with Janine Manatis: Author: “Since you knew both Elia
Kazan and Tennessee Williams at the Studio, I was curious about your understanding of their working
relationship, particular as it pertains to the ending of Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof...”
Manatis: “In point of fact, Kazan
made the ending absolutely clear. He does not alter Williams’ meaning, he does what a good director does, and that
is, he brings the truth to light. Williams did not suffer, he benefited from working with Kazan. People
have their personal conflicts. However, that did not prevent the working relationship from continuing leading to
Sweet Bird of Youth. Nor did it prevent Tennessee from becoming one of the founding members of
the Playwrights’ Unit at the Actors’ Studio where his one act play, Night of the Iguana was developed
into a full length production by Frank Cosaro.” “One of the things that is profoundly
true, both of these men were major talents. Williams was a great writer, and Kazan was
a great director. Their conflicts, in my opinion, are made too much the focus, it is too much
like gossip, not like honest inquiry. Whatever the differences between these men, I know, I don’t just believe, I
know they had the utmost respect for each other. And that is what matters, what made the relationship and its contribution
to modern theatre so brilliant and so lasting...”
JANINE MANATIS QUOTED IN "STARRING
BRIAN LINEHAN..."
Exerpt from George Anthony's book, "Starring Brian Linehan: a Life Behind the Scenes", quoting
Brian's friend and colleage, Janine Manatis:
"'I
would never have thought that Brian would be a TV personality,' Linehan's friend and former acting
teacher Janine Manatis says. 'Absolutely not...What overcame that, in my opinion,
was the brilliance of his ability, which was to me absolutely unique. How he investigated, found out, looked
into, and came up with information. Information. Not gossip. Gossip is the conversation of cowards. What Brian came up with was not gossip!' When asked if Brian wanted to be an actor, 'No',
says Manatis flatly. Half a century has passed, but her voice remains clear, uncluttered and
effortlessly authortative."
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