An Improvised Life (19 page)

gauging performances of others

as guitar player

in Hawaii

on his improv workshops, a reflection

improvisational work of

and learning about actors from directing

on learning from films

on life

on the making of movies

most important experience for

and the move to California during childhood

and moves to New York

in the movies

on the needs audiences have

in New Mexico

in New York, with Second City

in off-Broadway role

in other productions

philosophical and metaphysical shift experienced by

as a playwright

on the possibility of internal growth and conscious living

re-examining his acting technique

reflecting on his own acting

role-play in childhood

in school plays

schooling of

on script reading

on self-knowledge/discovery

singing career of

in St. Louis

in Toronto

undergoing therapy, effect of

working professionally with his sons

working with Native American youth

as a writer of books

zone experiences of

Arkin, Beatrice (mother)

Arkin, David I. (father)

Arkin, Matthew (son)

Arkin, Tony (son)

Arrick, Larry

Assadorian, Lucy

Audiences, needs of

Auditions/auditioning

Bach music

Ball-throwing exercise

Barry, J. J.

Beatty, Miss

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Beethoven’s 9th

Beginner’s mind, embracing the

Bennes, John

Bennington College

Berlin, Jeannie (daughter of Elaine May)

Beth (workshop participant)

Billie (workshop participant)

Bonerz, Peter

Brad (workshop participant)

Breslin, Abigail

Burnett, Carol

Candid Camera
(TV show)

Carey, Bob

Carnegie Hall, musical performance at

Catch-22
(film)

Chaos and anarchy, difference between

Chaplin, Charlie

Charlie Chan (character)

Chekhov method

Chekhov, Michael

Children’s imaginary play, value of

See also
Role-play

Cold War

Committee, The (improv group)

Conflict

avoiding, tensions in

manufactured

Conscious living, and the possibility of internal growth

Control

attempting to have

fear of losing

loss of, confusion resulting from, as riveting

minimal, feeling of

Coping tools and techniques, new, need for

Creativity, issue of

Crossing, The

Dana, Barbara (second wife)

Darden, Severn

Darling, Erik

Developmental stages, effect of going through

Devil and Daniel Webster, The
(film)

Diary of a Mad Housewife
(film)

Directors, view of

Dooley, Paul

Drama, meaning of, view on the

Dream analysis, techniques in

Duncan, Andrew

Eastern philosophy

Eliot, T. S.

Emotional context/state, as a tool, using the

Emotions, connecting to one’s

Emptiness, moment of, embracing

Energies, sensitivity to

Engles, Mr.

Enter Laughing
(Broadway play)

Enter Laughing
(Reiner)

Failure, allowing

Falk, Peter

Fans and fandom, view of

Fears

faced by Alan Arkin

of failure, children’s imaginary play devoid of any

felt by workshop participants

letting go of

of listening to Beethoven’s music

of losing control

role of, in manufacturing conflict

Feiffer, Jules

Fidel (arranger of workshop for Native Americans)

Film making, rules of, change in mindset about

Flow experience.
See
Zone experiences

Freedom, sense of, carrying on the

Free-play exercise

Frog-in-hot-water syndrome

Gardenia, Vince

Gielgud, John

Glengarry Glen Ross
(film)

Great Dictator, The
(film)

Greenwich Village

Greg (workshop participant)

Group art forms, underlying message running through all the

Guilt, nature of, obtaining a perspective on the

Hagen, Uta

Hall, Anita

Hayward, Louis

Hepburn, Katharine

Hiller, Arthur

Holland, Anthony (Tony)

Hollywood Boulevard

Huston, Walter

I Hate Hamlet
(Broadwaybound play)

Imaginary play.
See
Role-play

Improvisational training, actors with, working with

Improvisational workshops

conducting

reflecting on

Improvise, defined

In-Laws, The
(film)

Institute for American Indian Arts, The

Intellectualizing, problem of, avoiding the

Intention, role of

Intuition

Jackson, Anne

Jackson, Mahalia

Jewison, Norman

Judgments, initial, problem of making

Kahn, Madeline

Karen (workshop participant)

Kaye, Danny

Kazan, Elia

Kennedy, Jackie

Kennedy, John F.

Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeyevich

Kirlian aura lab

Korkes, Jon

Lampert, Zohra

Lavin, Linda

Lemmon, Jack

Letting go, value of

Lewis, Mrs.

Life

as improvisation

metaphor for, acting as a

Little Murders
(film)

Little Murders
(off-Broadway play)

Living in the moment, whole-heartedly

Los Angeles City College

Luv
(Broadway play)

Machine exercise

Major Barbara
(production)

Man in the Iron Mask, The
(film)

Mann, Thomas

Marx, Groucho

Mathieu, Bill

May, Elaine

Meaning and intention, role of

Mercer, Joanie

Merchant of Venice, The
(play)

Merrick, David

Metaphor for life

Moss, Thelma

Moving tableau exercise

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

My Dinner with Andre
(film)

Native American shaman

Native American students, workshop for

Nemerov, Howard

New York University (NYU)

Newlander, Suzanne (wife)

Newscasters, critique of

Omega Institute, The

Palmer, Arnold

Patinkin, Sheldon

Perkins, Tony

Petrouchka
(ballet)

Playing, value of

Playwrights, perspective of

“Playwriting” problem

See also
Intellectualizing, problem of, avoiding the

Poetry reading, unusual

Popi
(film)

Power of the acting profession, sense of the

Power Plays (evening of one-act plays)

Prince Igor
(opera)

Problem-solving exercise

Promenade Theater, The

Psychodrama, conducting workshops as

Reiner, Carl

Renoir, Jean

Richardson, Ralph

Role-play

during childhood

value of

See also
Ball-throwing exercise; Free-play exercise; Machine exercise; Moving tableau exercise; Problem-solving exercise

Rubin, Charlie

Ruggles, Charles

Russians Are Coming, The
(film)

Sahlins, Bernie

Sandy (uncle)

Schisgal, Murray

Schlossberg, Julian

Scorbate, Susan

Script reading

lack of, by actors

method for

Script-formatting computer program

Sean (workshop participant)

Second City, The (improv group)

Alan Arkin directing cast members from

in Chicago

in New York

in Toronto

Self-knowledge/discovery

Selling culture, living in a

Sills, Paul

Soviet Union

Stanislavski, Constantin Sergeyevich

State of the Union
(film)

Stravinsky, Igor

Susskind, David

Suzuki, Shunryu

Tableau exercise

Tarriers, The (folk singing group)

Television newscasters, critique of

Therapy/analysis, undergoing, effect of

Threepenny Opera, The
(Chicago-based production)

Toler, Sidney

Tracy, Spencer

Unconscious connections, discovering, technique for

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

University of Chicago

Virtual Reality
(one-act play)

Vision, breadth of

Wallach, Eli

White House Murder Case, The
(off-Broadway play)

Willard, Fred

Willis, Gordon

Wilson, Elizabeth

World War II,

Yaffe, Jeremy (first wife)

Zemach, Benjamin

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
(Suzuki)

Zone experiences

of Alan Arkin

of others

Copyright © 2011 by Alan Arkin

 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.

 

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Arkin, Alan.
An improvised life : a memoir / Alan Arkin.—1st Da Capo Press ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.

eISBN : 978-0-306-81974-2

1. Arkin, Alan. 2. Motion picture actors and actresses—
United States—Biography. I. Title.
PN2287.A685A3 2011
791.43’028’092—dc22
[B] 2010045034

 

First Da Capo Press edition 2011

 

Published by Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com

 

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