Harriet Walter's wonderfully practical - and personal - introduction to acting.

'Acting is what I do with who I am', writes Harriet Walter. And in this book she takes us step by step through the processes involved in performance. Each step of the way is illuminated with brilliantly precise examples from her own career.

So we are introduced to the Workshop, the Rehearsal, and the Roots and Pathways into a role. Then follows the main meat of the book: six Keys to the Development and Exploration of character. The closing section deals with Performance on stage and screen. Every insight, every suggestion is firmly rooted in the author's own experience.

Harriet Walter's book is full of unparalleled insights into the everyday working life of an actor, and into quite how much hard work is needed before they can convincingly put themselves in other people's shoes.

'My advice to a young actor: read this book' Richard Eyre

'Buy it, and be delightfully and unhectoringly informed about exactly what it is that actors get up to and why... Harriet Walter is sharp, clear, elegant, sturdily sensitive' — Observer

'A fascinating insight into the working life of an actor... very enjoyable' — The Times