diff --git a/doit/action.py b/doit/action.py
index e7b0e2fa..f4d99353 100644
--- a/doit/action.py
+++ b/doit/action.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import inspect
 from pathlib import PurePath
 from threading import Thread
+from typing import Union
 import pdb
 
 from .exceptions import InvalidTask, TaskFailed, TaskError
@@ -27,6 +28,9 @@ class BaseAction(object):
     # must implement:
     # def execute(self, out=None, err=None)
 
+    # must implement:
+    # def title(self)
+
     @staticmethod
     def _prepare_kwargs(task, func, args, kwargs):
         """
@@ -153,6 +157,15 @@ def action(self):
             kwargs = self._prepare_kwargs(self.task, ref, args, kw)
             return ref(*args, **kwargs)
 
+    def title(self) -> Union[str, TaskError]:
+        try:
+            action = self.expand_action()
+        except Exception as exc:
+            return TaskError(
+                "CmdAction Error creating command string", exc)
+        assert isinstance(action, str)
+        return action
+
 
     def _print_process_output(self, process, input_, capture, realtime):
         """Reads 'input_' until process is terminated.
@@ -396,6 +409,9 @@ def __init__(self, py_callable, args=None, kwargs=None, task=None):
             msg = "%r kwargs must be a 'dict'. got '%s'"
             raise InvalidTask(msg % (self.task, self.kwargs))
 
+    def title(self) -> str:
+        return f"{self.py_callable.__name__}(*{self.args}, **{self._prepare_kwargs()})"
+
 
     def _prepare_kwargs(self):
         return BaseAction._prepare_kwargs(self.task, self.py_callable,
diff --git a/doit/reporter.py b/doit/reporter.py
index 6ac59f69..c723aa29 100644
--- a/doit/reporter.py
+++ b/doit/reporter.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ def __init__(self, outstream, options):
         self.failures = []
         self.runtime_errors = []
         self.failure_verbosity = options.get('failure_verbosity', 0)
+        self.show_action = options.get('show_action', False)
         self.outstream = outstream
 
     def write(self, text):
@@ -42,6 +43,11 @@ def execute_task(self, task):
         if task.actions and (task.name[0] != '_'):
             self.write('.  %s\n' % task.title())
 
+    def execute_action(self, action):
+        """called before executing each action"""
+        if self.show_action:
+            self.write(' +  %s\n' % action.title())
+
     def add_failure(self, task, exception):
         """called when execution finishes with a failure"""
         result = {'task': task, 'exception':exception}
@@ -137,7 +143,7 @@ def _just_pass(self, *args):
         """over-write base to do nothing"""
         pass
 
-    get_status = execute_task = add_failure = add_success \
+    get_status = execute_task = execute_action = add_failure = add_success \
         = skip_uptodate = skip_ignore = teardown_task = complete_run \
         = _just_pass
 
diff --git a/doit/runner.py b/doit/runner.py
index 572058f2..662ac988 100644
--- a/doit/runner.py
+++ b/doit/runner.py
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ def execute_task(self, task):
 
         # finally execute it!
         self.reporter.execute_task(task)
-        return task.execute(self.stream)
+        return task.execute(self.stream, self.reporter)
 
 
     def process_task_result(self, node, catched_excp):
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ def teardown(self):
         """run teardown from all tasks"""
         for task in reversed(self.teardown_list):
             self.reporter.teardown_task(task)
-            catched = task.execute_teardown(self.stream)
+            catched = task.execute_teardown(self.stream, self.reporter)
             if catched:
                 msg = "ERROR: task '%s' teardown action" % task.name
                 error = SetupError(msg, catched)
diff --git a/doit/task.py b/doit/task.py
index 2ad04f83..d9e7b9a5 100644
--- a/doit/task.py
+++ b/doit/task.py
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@
 
 from .cmdparse import CmdOption, TaskParse
 from .exceptions import CatchedException, InvalidTask
-from .action import create_action, PythonAction
+from .action import create_action, BaseAction, PythonAction
 from .dependency import UptodateCalculator
+from .reporter import ConsoleReporter
 
 
 def first_line(doc):
@@ -449,7 +450,7 @@ def save_extra_values(self):
     def overwrite_verbosity(self, stream):
         self.verbosity = stream.effective_verbosity(self.verbosity)
 
-    def execute(self, stream):
+    def execute(self, stream, reporter=None):
         """Executes the task.
         @return failure: see CmdAction.execute
         """
@@ -457,6 +458,8 @@ def execute(self, stream):
         self.init_options()
         task_stdout, task_stderr = stream._get_out_err(self.verbosity)
         for action in self.actions:
+            if isinstance(action, BaseAction) and isinstance(reporter, ConsoleReporter):
+                reporter.execute_action(action)
             action_return = action.execute(task_stdout, task_stderr)
             if isinstance(action_return, CatchedException):
                 return action_return
@@ -464,12 +467,14 @@ def execute(self, stream):
             self.values.update(action.values)
 
 
-    def execute_teardown(self, stream):
+    def execute_teardown(self, stream, reporter=None):
         """Executes task's teardown
         @return failure: see CmdAction.execute
         """
         task_stdout, task_stderr = stream._get_out_err(self.verbosity)
         for action in self.teardown:
+            if isinstance(action, BaseAction) and isinstance(reporter, ConsoleReporter):
+                reporter.execute_action(action)
             action_return = action.execute(task_stdout, task_stderr)
             if isinstance(action_return, CatchedException):
                 return action_return
diff --git a/tests/test_action.py b/tests/test_action.py
index fdbfc191..7a5fcc97 100644
--- a/tests/test_action.py
+++ b/tests/test_action.py
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ def test_values(self):
         my_action.execute()
         assert {} == my_action.values
 
+    def test_title(self):
+        cmd = "%s 1 2" % PROGRAM
+        my_action = action.CmdAction(cmd)
+        assert cmd == my_action.title()
+
 
 class TestCmdActionParams(object):
     def test_invalid_param_stdout(self):
@@ -596,6 +601,11 @@ def vvv(): return {'x': 5, 'y':10}
         my_action.execute()
         assert {'x': 5, 'y':10} == my_action.values
 
+    def test_title(self):
+        my_action = action.PythonAction(self._func_par,args=(2,2),
+                                   kwargs={'par3':25})
+        assert "_func_par(*(2, 2), **{'par3': 25})" == my_action.title()
+
 
 class TestPythonVerbosity(object):
     def write_stderr(self):
diff --git a/tests/test_reporter.py b/tests/test_reporter.py
index 85ae3296..4f20625b 100644
--- a/tests/test_reporter.py
+++ b/tests/test_reporter.py
@@ -3,9 +3,12 @@
 from io import StringIO
 
 from doit import reporter
+from doit.action import BaseAction
 from doit.task import Stream, Task
 from doit.exceptions import CatchedException
 
+import pytest
+
 
 class TestConsoleReporter(object):
 
@@ -28,6 +31,21 @@ def do_nothing():pass
         rep.execute_task(t1)
         assert ".  with_action\n" == rep.outstream.getvalue()
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "options,expected",
+        [
+            ({}, ""),
+            ({"show_action": True}, " +  action_title\n"),
+            ({"show_action": False}, ""),
+        ],
+    )
+    def test_executeAction(self, options, expected):
+        rep = reporter.ConsoleReporter(StringIO(), options)
+        a1 = BaseAction()
+        a1.title = lambda: "action_title"
+        rep.execute_action(a1)
+        assert expected == rep.outstream.getvalue()
+
     def test_executeTask_unicode(self):
         rep = reporter.ConsoleReporter(StringIO(), {})
         def do_nothing():pass
diff --git a/tests/test_task.py b/tests/test_task.py
index 678b1bba..00ab8d78 100644
--- a/tests/test_task.py
+++ b/tests/test_task.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 from doit.exceptions import TaskError
 from doit.exceptions import CatchedException
 from doit import action
+from doit import reporter
 from doit import task
 from doit.task import Stream
 
@@ -392,6 +393,26 @@ def my_raise():
         assert isinstance(got, CatchedException)
 
 
+def py_fn(x):
+    pass
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "t",
+    [
+        task.Task("t1", [(py_fn, [1]), (py_fn, [2])]),
+        task.Task("t1", [], teardown=[(py_fn, [1]), (py_fn, [2])]),
+    ],
+)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "show_action,expected",
+    [(False, ""), (True, " +  py_fn(*[1], **{})\n +  py_fn(*[2], **{})\n")],
+)
+def test_show_action(t, show_action, expected):
+    rep = reporter.ConsoleReporter(StringIO(), {"show_action": show_action})
+    t.execute(Stream(0), rep)
+    t.execute_teardown(Stream(0), rep)
+    assert expected == rep.outstream.getvalue()
+
 class TestTaskClean(object):
 
     @pytest.fixture