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Essential Books for Actors Looking to Expand Their Range

I told my Wednesday Act Live Now Act4fun class that I would send some actor book recommendations at class last week and I realized my other friends and improv actors might want the list as well.

Here they are, with a short description and my Amazon Affiliate link to purchase each if you are intrigued:

An Actor Prepares–Stanislavski: Told in a first-person story format, it reads like a novel, yet each chapter reveals common sense tips to create a more lifelike character. First in his famous trilogy of acting books.
https://amzn.to/3XMnSeL

To The Actor–Michael Chekhov: This teacher is probably my favorite because he combines the physical with the mental imagination to create fully-embodied characters.
https://amzn.to/3TvB9po

A Challenge for the Actor–Uta Hagen: This is a very pragmatic book, focused on solving problems that the actor often encounters when receiving a role.
https://amzn.to/3ZyCYFI

The Actor’s Art and Craft–William Esper: This gives an in-depth look at Meisner Technique, which is so much more than its Level 1 Repetition Exercise that made the technique famous.
https://amzn.to/3TvBcl4

Audition–Michael Shurtleff: This famous NY casting director gives no-nonsense advice for actors looking to create impactful characters and scenes, whether they are auditioning or not. His guideposts are mandatory reading for the professional actor.
https://amzn.to/3MJItKm

Enjoy! These are my first round, if you finish them or want more let me and I will steer you towards some others, depending on your specific interest. I’ve read a lot of acting books, seeing as I have both a BFA and MFA in Theatre!

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Summer Improv Drop-In Classes at PB Rec Center

If you’re new to improv comedy and looking to have a great time while learning more confidence and public speaking skills, join us for a drop-in improv class at the PB Rec Center in Pacific Beach San Diego, CA! If you’ve improvised before this is a great chance for you to get a ton of reps and show off your skills!

Every class we’ll start with a warmup and refresher on the basics of improv before moving on to everyone’s favorite: scene work! We’ll wrap up the class with short sets based a short or long form concept.

Things you will work on every class:

  • Being more fun by “Yes And”-ing your partner
  • Great listening skills
  • How to be interesting effortlessly
  • How to recognize your own comedic voice

Improvisation is a skill that can have great positive effects on your everyday life–try it for:

  • Increased confidence when speaking “on the spot”
  • Decreased anxiety
  • Endorphins released by uproarious laughter

Exuberant Theatre Company is excited to partner with the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Department on this class series. Sign up below and we’ll see you for some fun, laughs, and new friends at the class!

Ages: 18+

Dates: 7/16/24-8/15/24

Days: Every Tuesday and Thursday

Times: 6:30pm-8:30pm

Attendance: It’s a drop-in class so you can attend one session or all the sessions!

Sign Up Links/Cost:

Click either link below for sign up as pre-registration is required:

$25/ single class

or

5-class punch card for $120 (save $5)

RETURNING STUDENTS PURCHASING A SINGLE CLASS USE THIS LINK (IF IT IS YOUR 2ND CLASS USE REGISTRATION LINK “#2” AND SO ON…:

See you there!

Register for Single Class ($25)
Register for 5-Class Punch Card ($120-save $5)
Returning Students Purchase Link

About the Instructor

Hi, I’m Sean A. Mulvihill. I’m the Artistic Director of the Exuberant Theatre Company. We started out with a long-running improv comedy show at the Broadway Comedy Club and other NYC venues from 2018-2022. I moved to San Diego in early 2023 and am very excited to work with you. You can catch me performing improv around town at Mockingbird Improv (Team Broadway Unscripted) and Finest City Improv (Team Fjordache). I also put up scripted theater work at the annual San Diego International Fringe Festival (2024: Puppy Love).

I’ve been teaching acting and writing since 2001 and improv and sketch comedy since 2018. 

I’ve been acting professionally since the age of 16 when I got my first summer stock musical theatre gig in Illinois. I was late to the first rehearsal because I failed my Math Analysis final. The teacher let me retake it on the following Monday after school ended. I got a C. Because of that C, I got into USC.

So, at age 18, I moved to Los Angeles and went to USC to get a BFA in Acting. I had my first exposure to improv training with the great Dan O’Connor and Eric Trulles, but unfortunately I was partying so much I don’t remember much about those classes. After graduation, I was a founding member of the acclaimed Blue House Theatre Company alongside present-day stars Patrick J. Adams and Chris Pine. I developed an interest in the mystic and at the age of 24 I made a feature film called Living Luminaries with my then-hero, Eckhart Tolle, the author of The Power of Now.

I went on to act professionally on many regional and international stages from Tuacahn Ampitheatre in Utah to the Venetian Macau. I’ve appeared on TV and streaming channels like: RAI Italia “Questo Nostro Amore”, CBS “Next”, GSN “Baggage” (a dating show hosted by Jerry Springer), Amazon Prime, and am the voice of a Sony PlayStation game called “Loading Human.” I got my MFA in Physical Theatre in Italy and lived there for four years during which I gained weight.

After Italy, I moved to NYC in 2017 and fell in love with improv. I studied at UCB, the Magnet, and the PIT. My studies led me to direct a feature film called ACT SOCIAL starring Colin Mochrie of “Whose Line is it, Anyway?” Colin was a good sport when we put him in an fMRI and looked at his brain while he did improv. The film won the “Film Heals” Award at the 2021 Manhattan Film Festival.

I’m a positive and motivating person and my teaching style is honest, practical, and fun. I look forward to helping you reach your goals!

Read some reviews for my performing and teaching at: https://exubs.com/reviews/

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Kids’ Summer Camps in Point Loma

brother and sister performing

Each camp is 1 week of diving into the four main building blocks of musical theater: music, dance, storytelling and creating an ensemble. Each day, our dynamic ensemble of campers will learn songs, dances and scenes pulled from some of broadway’s most impactful works over the last decade! On the last day of each session, campers will present a showcase for their friends and family to enjoy!  More info and sign up: https://www.actlivenow.com/summer-camp.html

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Exubs to Celebrate 1-Year of Off-Off Broadway Improv Comedy

NEW YORK CITY–What started as an experimental long-form improv comedy show has turned into a weekly mainstay at New York’s famed Broadway Comedy Club.

The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team, with its show “All-American Improv Comedy,” has gone from completely unknown to, well, less unknown. They have shared the bill with several other local groups from places like UCB, The PIT, and The Magnet. The team uses multiple long-form improv formats with names like “The Roast Carrot” or “Your Life Improvised” which involve audience suggestions or an audience interview. They also do a lyric-inspired show where they do scenes based off of a musical guest’s songs.

Guests who are ready to take a chance on a fresh, energetic group of young improv comedians can find them every Sunday night at 6 P.M. at Manhattan’s Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W. 53rd St, New York, NY. The anniversary celebration show will be April 14, 2019.

Actors Nisarah Lewis and Greg Hudson
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The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team Spoofs Hollywood Films in NYC Comedy Show Sundays at Broadway Comedy Club

Nothing in the movies is sacred when The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team perform their improvised double feature every Sunday at 6 PM in NYC at Times Square’s Broadway Comedy Club.

October 9, 2018

Broadway Comedy Club has long been a destination for anyone interested in checking out the top undiscovered improv comedians in New York City. One of the most unique groups to hit the scene is The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team with their improvised romantic comedies and biopics. The crew (of UCB, Magnet, and PIT-trained improvisers) spoofs two films each night. Targets might be a rom-com like “50 First Dates” or a biopic such as “Walk the Line.” The comedy show is every Sunday at 6 PM at Broadway Comedy Club. Every show is different, representing true improv comedy in action. Few, if any, leave disappointed.

“We put our all into our show, make no doubt improv comedy is our absolute passion,” commented The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team’s Artistic Director, Sean A. Mulvihill. “Come by and check out our Sunday show and expect to have some real laughs as we poke fun at some of Hollywood’s most recognizable tropes.”

Special packages are available for group events and are appropriate for everything from parties to company staff building outings. The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team are more than happy to specially design an event, with interested parties just needing to reach out and get in touch. They can even come on location.

The standard VIP Party Pack even includes all-you-can-eat and drink for the entire group.

Feedback from attendees has been passionate.

Nomi B., recently said in a five-star review, “I thoroughly enjoyed the Exuberant Improve Comedy Troupe. They were funny, spontaneous, and innovative. Definitely worth experiencing.”

For more information be sure to visit https://exubs.com or call Sean at 917-907-2537. The Exuberants Improv Comedy Team performs every Sunday at 6pm at Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W. 53rd St, New York, NY 10019.

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8 Improv Acting Tips to Create the Best Scenes Possible – By Liz T.

“Improv acting is believed to be one of the most fun types of acting, and although it may not look hard, it is also one of the most difficult forms of acting! It requires constantly being on your toes, because you never know what will happen next in your scene. Many of the actors that have performed on popular shows like Saturday Night Live have studied the craft for many years, performing with improv troupes across the country, such as The Second City and The Groundlings. Here are my top improv acting tips for helping you improve your skills.” :

https://takelessons.com/blog/improv-acting-tips

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Company Member Profile: Maranda Rossi

Maranda Rossi is so excited to be a part of The Exuberants! Maranda was born and raised in Ohio, and later received her BFA in Musical Theatre from The Shenandoah Conservatory. Maranda also loves to improvise with The Murder Mystery Company, and Improv4kids. Maranda is best known for her role as a cat mom on her instagram @marandaequality, but her other notable roles include A Forever Frozen Story Intl tour ( Snow Queen), Beauty and the Beast (Belle), Reefer Madness ( Mary Lane), She Loves Me (Amalia), and South Pacific ( Nellie). 

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Company Member Profile: Kristin McGuire

Kristin McGuire is originally from Chicago and has been moving between LA and NYC for the past couple years pursuing acting and comedy. She is a student at Upright Citizens Brigade and performs improv and stand-up all over the city. Kristin has appeared on Royal Pains and many independent films and has performed voice-over on the television shows Master of None, Search Party, Bull, Instinct, The Last OG and many more. Kristin is also a musician and singer; she plays ukulele, violin, and piano and dances at Broadway Dance Center. Check out her website: kristin-mcguire.com or on social media: wheezymcg.