LOS ANGELES -- Mark W. Travis, a longtime theatre director turned author, will sign copies of his new book "The Director's Journey: A Creative Collaboration Between Directors, Actors and Writers" Feb. 12 at 7.30 PM at Bookstar, 12136 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

Travis has been directing plays locally for the past two decades, including such hits as Time Flies When You're Alive, Equus and The Coming of Stork . In recent years he has headed an acting school, the Travis Group Training Center, and taught a workshop at the Directors Guild of America on how to direct actors in a film. The Director's Journey grew out of that experience.

"Film directors know everything about making a movie -- the camera angles, editing, budgeting and so forth -- but very little about how to get performances out of actors," Travis said. "My book is meant to show exactly how they should go about that."

The Director's Journey is published by Michael Wiese Productions at $26.95. Call (800) 833-5738 for direct orders.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent