100 DAYS: DEVELOPING THE PERFORMER’S MINDSET Kevin Dowsett

Founder and artistic director of Theatretrain, which runs classes, holiday courses and participative productions for young people, Kevin Dowsett is steeped in education, performance and training.

His new book does exactly what it says on the cover, it offers a hundred half hour tasks, exercises or activities designed to build the mindset which every performer, amateur or professional

needs because Dowsett believes that the right mindset is the difference between a good and a great performer. You will need a large notebook.

So on Day One you consider your own energy, enthusiasm and commitment. Press your palms together and feel the energy. Then write in your journal a list of five things you are enthusiastic about yourself out of ten, By day 55 you are thinking about conflict because as the author says “drama is mankind in a mess”. On Day 81 you are invited to think about what disgusts you and on Day 89 about stage presence.

It’s quite an original approach and pretty user friendly. A thespy and keen youngster could easily undertake this book as a course without any adult intervention at all. After three and a half months Emma or Edward would certainly have adjusted her or his mindset and have a journal full of constructive notes to prove it and to refer to. Confidence and self knowledge are invaluable life skills anyway so whatever the youngster concerned might do in the future the learning from this book will not be wasted.