The Rules of Acting

<p><b>Luvvies. Tyrannical directors. Useless agents. Less job security than an England football manager. Who¿d be an actor?</b><br><br>Michael Simkins isn¿t sure, even though he¿s been one himself for over thirty years. Join him backstage as he examines that business called showbusiness, from am dram to Hollywood, and from Shakespeare to ads for flatulence pills.<br><br>In a career that started as a plump teenager in ballet tights at RADA, Michael has appeared in countless West End plays and musicals, presented safety training workshops for sewage workers, and when resting, worked as a crate smasher at a car factory. He¿s done movies, soaps, ads, and voice-overs, and worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Kelly Osbourne. As the ultimate jobbing actor he¿s flirted with triumph and oblivion without ever quite managing either. <br><br>In<i>The Rules of Acting </i>he shares his hard-won wisdom. Covering everything from learning your lines to tilting for Oscar success in Hollywood, survi