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Authors: Alan Arkin

BOOK: An Improvised Life
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gauging performances of others
as guitar player
in Hawaii
on his improv workshops, a reflection
improvisational work of
and learning about actors from directing
on learning from films
on life
on the making of movies
most important experience for
and the move to California during childhood
and moves to New York
in the movies
on the needs audiences have
in New Mexico
in New York, with Second City
in off-Broadway role
in other productions
philosophical and metaphysical shift experienced by
as a playwright
on the possibility of internal growth and conscious living
re-examining his acting technique
reflecting on his own acting
role-play in childhood
in school plays
schooling of
on script reading
on self-knowledge/discovery
singing career of
in St. Louis
in Toronto
undergoing therapy, effect of
working professionally with his sons
working with Native American youth
as a writer of books
zone experiences of
Arkin, Beatrice (mother)
Arkin, David I. (father)
Arkin, Matthew (son)
Arkin, Tony (son)
Arrick, Larry
Assadorian, Lucy
Audiences, needs of
Auditions/auditioning
Bach music
Ball-throwing exercise
Barry, J. J.
Beatty, Miss
Beethoven, Ludwig van
Beethoven’s 9th
Beginner’s mind, embracing the
Bennes, John
Bennington College
Berlin, Jeannie (daughter of Elaine May)
Beth (workshop participant)
Billie (workshop participant)
Bonerz, Peter
Brad (workshop participant)
Breslin, Abigail
Burnett, Carol
Candid Camera
(TV show)
Carey, Bob
Carnegie Hall, musical performance at
Catch-22
(film)
Chaos and anarchy, difference between
Chaplin, Charlie
Charlie Chan (character)
Chekhov method
Chekhov, Michael
Children’s imaginary play, value of
See also
Role-play
Cold War
Committee, The (improv group)
Conflict
avoiding, tensions in
manufactured
Conscious living, and the possibility of internal growth
Control
attempting to have
fear of losing
loss of, confusion resulting from, as riveting
minimal, feeling of
Coping tools and techniques, new, need for
Creativity, issue of
Crossing, The
Dana, Barbara (second wife)
Darden, Severn
Darling, Erik
Developmental stages, effect of going through
Devil and Daniel Webster, The
(film)
Diary of a Mad Housewife
(film)
Directors, view of
Dooley, Paul
Drama, meaning of, view on the
Dream analysis, techniques in
Duncan, Andrew
Eastern philosophy
Eliot, T. S.
Emotional context/state, as a tool, using the
Emotions, connecting to one’s
Emptiness, moment of, embracing
Energies, sensitivity to
Engles, Mr.
Enter Laughing
(Broadway play)
Enter Laughing
(Reiner)
Failure, allowing
Falk, Peter
Fans and fandom, view of
Fears
faced by Alan Arkin
of failure, children’s imaginary play devoid of any
felt by workshop participants
letting go of
of listening to Beethoven’s music
of losing control
role of, in manufacturing conflict
Feiffer, Jules
Fidel (arranger of workshop for Native Americans)
Film making, rules of, change in mindset about
Flow experience.
See
Zone experiences
Freedom, sense of, carrying on the
Free-play exercise
Frog-in-hot-water syndrome
Gardenia, Vince
Gielgud, John
Glengarry Glen Ross
(film)
Great Dictator, The
(film)
Greenwich Village
Greg (workshop participant)
Group art forms, underlying message running through all the
Guilt, nature of, obtaining a perspective on the
Hagen, Uta
Hall, Anita
Hayward, Louis
Hepburn, Katharine
Hiller, Arthur
Holland, Anthony (Tony)
Hollywood Boulevard
Huston, Walter
I Hate Hamlet
(Broadwaybound play)
Imaginary play.
See
Role-play
Improvisational training, actors with, working with
Improvisational workshops
conducting
reflecting on
Improvise, defined
In-Laws, The
(film)
Institute for American Indian Arts, The
Intellectualizing, problem of, avoiding the
Intention, role of
Intuition
Jackson, Anne
Jackson, Mahalia
Jewison, Norman
Judgments, initial, problem of making
Kahn, Madeline
Karen (workshop participant)
Kaye, Danny
Kazan, Elia
Kennedy, Jackie
Kennedy, John F.
Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeyevich
Kirlian aura lab
Korkes, Jon
Lampert, Zohra
Lavin, Linda
Lemmon, Jack
Letting go, value of
Lewis, Mrs.
Life
as improvisation
metaphor for, acting as a
Little Murders
(film)
Little Murders
(off-Broadway play)
Living in the moment, whole-heartedly
Los Angeles City College
Luv
(Broadway play)
Machine exercise
Major Barbara
(production)
Man in the Iron Mask, The
(film)
Mann, Thomas
Marx, Groucho
Mathieu, Bill
May, Elaine
Meaning and intention, role of
Mercer, Joanie
Merchant of Venice, The
(play)
Merrick, David
Metaphor for life
Moss, Thelma
Moving tableau exercise
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
My Dinner with Andre
(film)
Native American shaman
Native American students, workshop for
Nemerov, Howard
New York University (NYU)
Newlander, Suzanne (wife)
Newscasters, critique of
Omega Institute, The
Palmer, Arnold
Patinkin, Sheldon
Perkins, Tony
Petrouchka
(ballet)
Playing, value of
Playwrights, perspective of
“Playwriting” problem
See also
Intellectualizing, problem of, avoiding the
Poetry reading, unusual
Popi
(film)
Power of the acting profession, sense of the
Power Plays (evening of one-act plays)
Prince Igor
(opera)
Problem-solving exercise
Promenade Theater, The
Psychodrama, conducting workshops as
Reiner, Carl
Renoir, Jean
Richardson, Ralph
Role-play
during childhood
value of
See also
Ball-throwing exercise; Free-play exercise; Machine exercise; Moving tableau exercise; Problem-solving exercise
Rubin, Charlie
Ruggles, Charles
Russians Are Coming, The
(film)
Sahlins, Bernie
Sandy (uncle)
Schisgal, Murray
Schlossberg, Julian
Scorbate, Susan
Script reading
lack of, by actors
method for
Script-formatting computer program
Sean (workshop participant)
Second City, The (improv group)
Alan Arkin directing cast members from
in Chicago
in New York
in Toronto
Self-knowledge/discovery
Selling culture, living in a
Sills, Paul
Soviet Union
Stanislavski, Constantin Sergeyevich
State of the Union
(film)
Stravinsky, Igor
Susskind, David
Suzuki, Shunryu
Tableau exercise
Tarriers, The (folk singing group)
Television newscasters, critique of
Therapy/analysis, undergoing, effect of
Threepenny Opera, The
(Chicago-based production)
Toler, Sidney
Tracy, Spencer
Unconscious connections, discovering, technique for
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of Chicago
Virtual Reality
(one-act play)
Vision, breadth of
Wallach, Eli
White House Murder Case, The
(off-Broadway play)
Willard, Fred
Willis, Gordon
Wilson, Elizabeth
World War II,
Yaffe, Jeremy (first wife)
Zemach, Benjamin
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
(Suzuki)
Zone experiences
of Alan Arkin
of others
Copyright © 2011 by Alan Arkin
 
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.
 
 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
 
Arkin, Alan.
An improvised life : a memoir / Alan Arkin.—1st Da Capo Press ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN : 978-0-306-81974-2
1. Arkin, Alan. 2. Motion picture actors and actresses—
United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN2287.A685A3 2011
791.43’028’092—dc22
[B] 2010045034
 
First Da Capo Press edition 2011
 
Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com
 
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
 

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