Fithian Press, 2014 Robert Cohen’s vastly entertaining memoir of his unexpected “fall” into the world of theatre is the story of his sixteen “lucky breaks” that turned him away from an intended career as a lawyer and sent him instead into a life-long adventure as a professional actor, director, producer, playwright, author, scholar, translator, stage  …  Read More »

By Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò Machiavelli is perhaps the most misunderstood historical character in European history. Considered by those knowing little about him to be an apostle of evil, he was in fact a brilliant historian, diplomat, poet, politician and playwright, responsible for the founding of commedia dell’arte as well as modern political science. Machiavelli’s Clizia  …  Read More »

‘Robert Cohen’s book, Acting Power, follows the tradition of his other book, Acting One, and has been the veritable bible for acting teachers for the last quarter century.’ – David Krasner, Emerson College “Cohen’s reworking of his 1978 best-seller Acting Power sets out to affirm what he describes as his ‘sociological and psychological principles’ of  …Read More »

McGraw-Hill, 2008 Acting One was initially published by Cohen in 1984 to provide a step-by-step approach to mastering the basic fundamentals of acting – those originally explored in his 1978 Acting Power. In 1994, two independent dissertation surveys found that this text was, by that time, the most frequently assigned acting book in the United  …  Read More »

McGraw-Hill, 2008 This is the fifth edition of Cohen’s Acting One (which is also available separately) is combined with the second, fully revised edition of his Advanced Acting. In combination, says one outside peer reviewer, “Mr. Cohen is approaching as definitive an acting course textbook there is ever likely to be. I find the material  …  Read More »

Palgrave Macmillan's Acting Professionally, is now in its seventh, completely revised edition, and co-authored with distinguished casting director James Calleri. Regarded since 1972 as the “bible” of guides to the American acting profession in all media. Review Excerpts “A must for those who want to understand the biz.” –Theatre Week. “Clearly put information and practical advice… an  …  Read More »

This newly revised and expanded second edition of Cohen’s distinguished work on Shakespearean acting (2005) is available in an inexpensive paperback with Smith and Kraus. Review Excerpts “Cohen’s analyses… are perceptive and well articulated… [showing] actors that [Shakespearean] language is not merely decorative, but something that grows out of a psychological urgency… . By book’s  …  Read More »

Tenth Edition McGraw-Hill, 2013 The newest edition of Cohen’s best-selling introduction to theatre: its nature, history and practical components (acting, directing, playwriting, design, criticism). Also published in abridged form as Theatre: Brief Edition Review Excerpt “Professor Cohen is a phenomenon as rare in the United States as Europe: the author of several books on theatre  …  Read More »

Tenth Edition McGraw-Hill, 2013 A condensation of the full version of Cohen’s best-selling Theatre, which includes all of its chapters on theatrical craft (acting, directing, playwriting, design, criticism), plus those on music theatre, “what is theatre?” and “what is a play,” but compresses the larger edition’s seven chapters on theatre history into two chapters: “Theatre  …  Read More »

Robert Cohen draws on fifty years of acting, directing and teaching experience in order to illustrate how the world’s great theatre artists combine collaboration with leadership at all levels, from a production’s conception to its final performance. The book provides the techniques, exercises and language that promote collaborative skills. Working collaboratively is vital to successful  …  Read More »

A collection of Robert Cohen’s most important essays on theatre from 1959 to 2000. Also published in Romanian. Table of Contents ON PLAYING “Tears (And Acting) in Shakespeare” “Dragging Carcasses to the Firepit: Acting Theory, Practice, and Pedagogy” “The English Secret” “Intro/Extrospective Analysis” “Answers to Questions” “From Middle to Modern Ages” “Putting a Tree in  …  Read More »

Eight representative plays from the Greeks to the present, six of which are used as historical models in Cohen’s Theatre;
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannos
Anonymous, The Plaie Called Corpus Christi: The Beginnings
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin), The Bourgeois Gentleman
August Strindberg, Miss Julie
Anton Chekhov, The Three Sisters
Samuel Beckett, Happy Days  …  Read More »

A scholarly analysis of the plays of French dramatist Jean Giraudoux. University of Chicago Press, 1968. “Professor Cohen brings to his analysis of Giraudoux an invaluable theatrical perspective… Giraudoux was an extraordinarily intelligent craftsman and he both merits and benefits from Cohen’s scholarly, sympathetic, and well-written study.” Books Abroad