Before the Curtain Opens

The Alexander Technique is a long-established, accessible and highly effective way of learning to change and retrain postural and behavioural habits that cause unnecessary tension, stress and illness. Developed over a century ago by F.M. Alexander (who taught the technique to George Bernard Shaw, Henry Irving, Aldous Huxley and many others), the Alexander Technique is a form of conscious awareness and mindfulness avant la lettre. It has always been used principally by actors – though it has wide applications in other professions and in daily life. Kate Kelly has a lifetime’s experience as an actor and Alexander teacher. In Before the Curtain Opens, she invites performers of all sorts to examine the everyday habits of standing, sitting, breathing, speaking and reacting that spill over, unseen, into their professional lives. ¿ Using her own experience, miniature case studies, humour and unfailingly gentle kindness, she shines a spotlight on our deepest-rooted habits. On every page she offers advice, tips, techniques and guidance to help actors and performers retrain themselves in everything they do in daily life – before the curtain opens. Reviews: "Kate Kelly-Tanguay’s Before the Curtain Opens distils a lifetime’s lived experience of the Alexander Technique into an engaging and vivid introduction to what becomes a holistic philosophy of performance. A must-read for actors, drama students, and anyone who wants to feel more at easy within their own skin. Kate writes with a reassuring immediacy that makes your feel she is in the room with you". David Grant, Senior Lecturer in Drama, School of Creative Arts, Queen's University, Belfast "I find Kate Kelly's capacity to cover a great deal of ground wittily and succinctly very engaging. The writing was itself a kind of Alexander lesson and I felt better for it." Stephen Dillane, Actor "The Alexander Technique is a way of learning to change and retrain postural and behavioural habits that cause unnecessary tension, stress and illness. More than this, it is a form of conscious awareness and mindfulness avant la lettre. In this new book the Blake enthusiast and Alexander teacher Kate Kelly explores why Energy is Eternal Delight." The Blake Society Newsletter, June 2018