The Alexander Technique for Actors
Applying the Alexander Technique to actor training and performance
Overview
The Alexander Technique for Actors by Kelly McEvenue adapts the Alexander Technique — a method for releasing habitual muscular tension and improving body awareness — specifically for actors. It addresses the physical demands of performance and the patterns that limit actors' expressiveness.
The book includes exercises and applications tailored to acting situations, including auditions, rehearsals, and performances. McEvenue connects Alexander principles to voice work, movement, and emotional availability.
How It Works
Valuable for actors who experience physical tension that interferes with their performance, or who want to develop greater ease and presence on stage and on camera. The technique is taught in many top acting programs.
Available in paperback, typically priced between $18-22. Includes illustrations and practical exercises that can be practiced independently.
Who Uses It
Recommended for actors who recognize that physical tension is limiting their work. The Alexander Technique is one of the most effective tools for developing the kind of relaxed readiness that great performance requires. The Alexander Technique has been a core component of actor training at leading conservatories and MFA programs for decades, including Juilliard, RADA, and the Yale School of Drama, which speaks to its proven value for performers. McEvenue's contribution is making the technique's benefits specifically accessible to actors rather than requiring them to translate general Alexander principles into performance applications on their own. For actors who have ever been told they are too tense, too stiff, or holding their body in ways that read as unnatural on stage or camera, this book addresses the root cause rather than just the symptom.
Pricing & Plans
The Alexander Technique for Actors is available in paperback from Methuen Drama, typically priced between $18 and $22 for a new copy. Used copies are available for $10 to $15 from secondhand booksellers and online marketplaces. Digital editions are available for Kindle at approximately $12 to $18. The book includes illustrations of key positions and movements, which are helpful for understanding the physical concepts being described. Compared to the cost of private Alexander Technique lessons — which typically run $75 to $150 per session — the book represents an extremely affordable entry point to the technique, though it is important to note that in-person lessons provide feedback that a book cannot replicate. For actors enrolled in training programs that include Alexander work, this book provides excellent supplementary material that deepens understanding of what is being taught in class.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
McEvenue's greatest achievement is translating the Alexander Technique's somewhat abstract principles into concrete, performance-specific applications that actors can immediately understand and use. The book addresses the specific physical challenges actors face — tension during auditions, loss of physical freedom during emotional scenes, the strain of sustaining performances over long runs — with targeted Alexander-based solutions. The exercises are clearly described and can be practiced independently, giving actors a self-directed physical training practice they can maintain between lessons or classes. McEvenue connects Alexander principles to voice work, demonstrating how releasing physical tension directly improves vocal production, which gives actors a unified approach to body and voice development. The book's acting-specific framing makes the Alexander Technique feel immediately relevant rather than requiring actors to figure out how general body awareness translates to their craft. The illustrations help convey physical concepts that are inherently difficult to describe in words alone.
What Could Be Better
The Alexander Technique is fundamentally about subtle changes in body awareness and habitual patterns, which are extremely difficult to learn from a book without in-person guidance — readers should view this text as an introduction and supplement to hands-on lessons rather than a complete substitute for them. Some of the body awareness exercises require a level of proprioceptive sensitivity that beginners may not yet have developed, which can make early practice sessions feel vague or uncertain. The book focuses on the application of Alexander principles to acting but does not provide a complete education in the Alexander Technique itself, which means actors who want to understand the technique more deeply will need additional resources. The illustrations, while helpful, are static and cannot fully convey the dynamic, movement-based nature of Alexander work. Some actors may find that the technique's emphasis on inhibition — learning to not do habitual things — feels counterintuitive or even frustrating compared to acting approaches that focus on active doing and emotional engagement. Additionally, the book does not address screen acting in as much detail as stage acting, and camera actors may need to adapt some exercises for their specific medium.
Our Recommendation
If you experience physical tension that interferes with your acting — whether it manifests as a tight jaw, raised shoulders, locked knees, shallow breath, or a general sense of physical effort that you cannot release — The Alexander Technique for Actors should be one of the first resources you turn to. It is particularly valuable for actors in rigorous training programs where the physical demands of daily classes, rehearsals, and performances create cumulative tension that can become chronic if not addressed. For actors who have already studied the Alexander Technique in general settings, this book provides the performance-specific applications that make the technique directly relevant to your artistic practice. If you can afford private Alexander lessons, use the book as a companion text that deepens your understanding of what you are learning in sessions. Actors who find the Alexander approach resonates with them should also explore the Feldenkrais Method and Body-Mind Centering, which offer complementary approaches to body awareness and physical freedom.
Pro Tips
Start with the book's introductory exercises on constructive rest — lying in semi-supine position for ten to fifteen minutes daily — before attempting the more complex performance-related applications, as this foundational practice develops the body awareness that everything else builds on. Be patient with the process: the Alexander Technique works by changing deeply ingrained physical habits, which takes time and consistent practice rather than dramatic breakthrough moments. If possible, take at least a few private Alexander lessons alongside reading the book — even a small amount of hands-on guidance from a certified teacher will dramatically accelerate your understanding of what the exercises are asking you to do. Apply the principles during your daily activities — sitting, walking, using your phone — not just during performance, as the technique is about changing habitual patterns that affect everything you do. Notice when you are tightening or holding during auditions and use the Alexander principle of inhibition to pause and release before continuing, rather than pushing through the tension. Use the book's exercises as part of your warm-up routine before performances and auditions to establish a baseline of physical ease and readiness.