Centre Stage

'The theatre stars' voice guru' Daily Mail

Acting is all about charisma. Whether you're an A-list star or an extra, you need to perform in a way that makes your audience listen.

Jeannette Nelson, Head of Voice at the National Theatre, knows a thing or two about charisma. She has spent three decades working with the world's leading actors - from Al Pacino to Benedict Cumberbatch to Juliette Binoche - teaching them to communicate with gravitas.

Now, Nelson pulls back the curtain on the tricks that professional performers use to own the room. Starting with clear speech and good posture, before moving on to the art of rhetoric and overcoming stage fright, she outlines a holistic three-stage method to communicating with authority, authenticity and eloquence.

The result is an eminently practical guide to the art of performance. If all the world's a stage, then this book will turn you into its lead actor.