Playing Shakespeare's Lovers examines Shakespeare's romantic characters from multiple perspectives. Contributing actors, directors, educators and scholars bring diverse and wide-ranging insights into the motives, context, history and challenges of performing Shakespeare's "infinite variety" of lovers. The volume begins with an introductory essay, followed by brief essays and interviews, on various characters within the world of Shakespeare's lovers.

A new edition of the classic book for actors starting their careers, with new material

Few actors have ever been more eloquent, more honest, or more entertaining about their life and their profession than Simon Callow, one of the finest actors of his time and increasingly one of the most admired writers about the theater.

Beginning with the letter to Laurence Olivier that produced his first theatrical job to his triumph as Mozart in the original production of Amadeus, Callow takes us with him on his progress through England’s rich and demanding theater: his training at London’s famed Drama Centre, his grim and glorious apprenticeship in the provincial theater, his breakthrough at the Joint Stock Company, and then success at Olivier’s National Theatre are among the way stations.

Callow provides a guide not only to the actor’s profession but also to the intricacies of his art, from unemployment—“the primeval slime from which all actors emerge and to which, inevitably, they return”—to the last night of a long run.

Actors of colour need the best speeches to demonstrate their skills and hone their craft. Roberta Uno has carefully selected monologues that represent African-American, Native American, Latino, and Asian-American identities. Each monologue comes with an introduction and notes on the characters and stage directions to set the scene for the actor. This new edition now includes more of the most exciting and accomplished playwrights to have emerged over the 15 years since the Monologues for Actors of Color books were first published, from new, cutting edge talent to Pulitzer winners.

This dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, part of the bestselling Drama Games series, offers dozens of games to help bring Shakespeare's plays to life in the classroom or rehearsal room - making them fun and accessible to actors, students, directors and teachers. Inspired by the work of leading cultural education charity Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, this book offers a wide range of activities to tackle every aspect of the plays, including: Warm-ups and General Games to establish an atmosphere of focus, connection, support and fun - all the conditions you need for a successful session Story and World-building to explore the events, environments and societies of Shakespeare's plays Introducing Shakespeare's Language to help break down the text and allow participants to uncover the meaning through play and creative discovery Activating Shakespeare's Language to liberate actors from the script through movement and voice-work Character to help develop compelling, believable performances by investigating motivations and relationships, circumstances and emotions Staging to help empower every member of the ensemble in moments that might be challenging to stage - such as big movement sequences, fights and battles and intimate love scenes Whatever your reason for exploring Shakespeare - whether you're directing a production, teaching a set text, or introducing his work to a drama club for the first time - this essential resource will give you the tools you need to demystify the language, take ownership of the plays, and find a connection to the words that resonates in our own time.

'I wish I'd had this book when I was starting out as a young director... I cannot recommend it highly enough.' Marianne Elliott, from her Foreword This dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book in the bestselling Drama Games series offers dozens of ideas and exercises to energise and inspire a bold, creative rehearsal process for any play, of any period or genre. Aimed at directors of all levels, it covers every aspect of rehearsal, including: Warm-up exercises to prepare the body, voice and mind, and to create a strong ensemble Ideas for approaching the text, tackling the 'Story of the Play' A wealth of games for unlocking the 'World of the Play', including developing characters, finding a physical style, understanding genre and investigating themes Suggestions for exploring sound and music, whether for use in the production or simply to encourage a sense of fun in rehearsals This essential 'go-to' book will provide you with a host of original and illuminating games, perfect for the play you're rehearsing, be it Shakespeare or Greek tragedy, a Restoration comedy, physical theatre, Modern Naturalism - or even a brand new play. Marianne Elliott, one of the most innovative and exciting directors working anywhere in the world, describes it as a 'beautiful, and very clearly written book' which will become her 'constant companion in future'.

Performer Training is an examination of how actors are trained in different cultures. Beginning with studies of mainstream training in countries such as Poland, Australia, Germany, and the United States, subsequent studies survey:
? Some of Asia's traditional training methods and recent experiments in performer training
? Eugenio Barba's training methods
? Jerzy Grotowski's most recent investigations
? The Japanese American NOHO companies attempts at integrating Kyogen into the works of Samuel Beckett
? Descriptions of the training methods developed by Tadashi Suzuki and Anne Bogart at their Saratoga International Theatre Institute
? Recent efforts to re-examine the role and scope of training, like Britain's International Workshop Festival and the European League of Institutes of Arts masterclasses
? The reformulation of the use of emotions in performer training known as Alba Emoting.

Britain's Sir Peter Hall is considered by many the most important director in his generation. As the artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the Old Vic, he has directed the greatest actors of our time in numerous seminal interpretations of Shakespeare and the Classics.
In his latest work, Sir Peter Hall ranges over the extraordinary history of world drama to find the common experiences that are able to create the theatrical form. This series of 4 lectures were delivered at Trinity College in Cambridge as part of the famed Clark lectures which began in the nineteenth century.
The argument of the lectures is that theatre is only created when emotions are contained by a form. That very form paradoxically gives freedom of expression. Thus the Greek mask enables the actor to express hysteria. The mask, whether it may be the actual physical mask on the face, or the form of the drama itself, makes expression possible. Shakespeare's verse is his mask. Mozart's sonata is his. And Beckett and Pinter (by the metaphors of their plays) have brought poetry back to the theatre. Without form there can be no freedom.
Peter Hall is currently in Denver, Colorado, in rehearsals for the world premiere production of "Tantalus," a 15 hour, 10 play cycle based on Greek tragedy to open at the Denver Center Theatre in October 2000.

"Successful acting must reflect a society's current beliefs. The men and women who developed each new technique were convinced that previous methods were not equal to the full challenges of their time and place, and the techniques in this book have been adapted to current needs in order to continue to be successful methods for training actors. The actor's journey is an individual one, and the actor seeks a form, or a variety of forms, of training that will assist in unlocking his own creative gifts of expression."-from the introduction

The first comprehensive survey and study of the major techniques developed by and for the American actor over the past 60 years. Each of the 10 disciplines included is described in detail by one of today's foremost practitioners.

Presented in this volume are:

"Lee Strasberg's Method" by Anna Strasberg, Lee's former student, widow, and current director of The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
"Stella Adler Technique" by Tom Oppenheim, Stella's grandson and artistic director of the Stella Adler Institute in New York
"Sanford Meisner Technique" by Victoria Hart, director of the Meisner Extension at New York University
"Michael Chekhov Technique" and "The Mask" by Per Brahe, a Danish teacher inspired by Balinese dance and introduced to the Chekhov technique in Russia
"Uta Hagen Technique" by Carol Rosenfeld, who taught under Hagen's tutelage at the Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio
"Physical Acting Inspired by Grotowski" by Stephen Wangh, who studied with Jerzy Grotowski himself
"The Viewpoints" by Mary Overlie, the creator of Viewpoints theory
"Practical Aesthetics" by Robert Bella of the David Mamet-inspired Atlantic Theatre Company school
"Interdisciplinary Training" by Fritz Ertl, who teaches at the Playwrights Horizons Theatre School
"Neoclassical Training" by Louis Scheeder, director of the Classical Studio of New York University

Arthur Bartow is the artistic director of the Department of Drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. A former associate director of Theatre Communications Group, he is the author of the landmark book "The Director's Voice."

This is a guide to interactive improvisation comprising a collection of examples, anecdotes and annotated exercises, designed to cover all aspects of this type of theatre, from concept through design and production.

Laughter is the most effective technique for teenage survival. These monologs, dialogs and short skits allow teenage performers a chance to laugh at the system, their teachers, their parents and most importantly, themselves! These are scripts for laughter and pathos. They create an awareness of the perils of drinking and driving, teenage parties, smoking, alcoholic parents and much more. Sixty superb, short scripts! For speech contests, acting exercises, auditions, variety shows and classroom use. Some of the titles include: MONOLOGS: Vacation from Hell, Daydreaming, Kiss Off That First Kiss, DIALOGS: Girls Come in All Shapes, Designated Driver, Tassels and Tears. SKITS: How to Dump a Dip, Beauty Sleep, Party Time.

Acting for the Stage is a highly accessible guide to the business of theater acting, written for those interested in pursuing acting as a profession. This book is a collection of essays by and interviews with talented artists and businesspeople who have built successful careers in the theater; it's a goldmine of career advice that might take years to find on your own. Herein, the myths around professional acting are dispelled, and the mysteries revealed. Acting for the Stage illuminates practical strategies to help you build a life as a theater professional and find financial rewards and creative fulfillment in the process. Contains essays by and interviews with working stage actors, acting coaches, directors, writers, and agents. Features discussions on selecting a graduate school program, choosing acting classes and workshops, making the most out of your showcase, landing an agent, networking and promoting yourself, and the business of casting. Covers issues of money management, balancing the highs and lows of the profession, finding work to nourish your acting career, and building your creative team and support network.

Michael Pennington's solo show about Shakespeare, "Sweet William," has been acclaimed throughout Europe and in the US as a unique blend of showmanship and scholarship. In this book, he deepens his exploration of Shakespeare's life and work - and the connection between the two - that lies at its heart.
It is illuminated throughout by the unrivalled insights into the plays that Pennington has gained from the twenty thousand hours he has spent working on them as a leading actor, an artistic director and a director - and as the author of three previous books on individual Shakespeare plays. With practical analysis, wonderfully detailed and entertaining interpretations of characters and scenes, and vivid reflections on Shakespeare's theatre and ours, the result is a masterclass of the most enjoyable kind for theatregoers, professionals, students and anyone interested in Shakespeare.
"A brilliant and intimate insider's guide to Shakespeare from one of our greatest classical actors." - Gregory Doran
"Michael Pennington is a great Shakespearian actor who writes with the authority of an academic. His book analyses the plays, the characters and the playwright's life. It will intrigue, entertain and challenge students, actors and their audiences." - Ian McKellen
"Rich and informative, and something that will be mined for many years to come by anyone interested in Shakespeare and in British theatre." - Professor James Shapiro
"Shakespeare comes wonderfully to life in Michael's beautifully written book." - Rupert Everett
"Irresistibly readable." - Peter Brook
"I can't remember when I learned so much from a single volume as I have from Michael Pennington's engaging, absorbing, congenial, informative new book Sweet William. ... Sometimes he's anecdotal, often lyrical, always thoughtful and occasionally laugh-aloud funny. Pennington's book is a must-read for anyone interested in Shakespeare from almost any angle - actor, drama student, teacher, director, technician, literature student or audience member." - "The Stage"
"The most important and best set of original Shakespeare essays that I have read in over thirty years... Pennington is blessed with an ideal combination of talents and experiences... a wonderful book." - "Speaking English"
Michael Pennington has played leading roles in Shakespeare's plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English Shakespeare Company (of which he was co-founder and joint Artistic Director), the Peter Hall Company and the BBC. He has also directed several of the plays, and is the author of three books on individual Shakespeare plays ("Hamlet," "Twelfth Night" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"). He has toured his solo shows, "Sweet William" and "Anton Chekhov," throughout the world.

'Robert Cohen's book, Acting Power, follows the tradition of his other book, Acting One, and has been the veritable bible for acting teachers for the last quarter century.' - David Krasner, Emerson College 'This book, above all else, is an attempt to explore the qualities of acting power.... to suggest to you, the actor, an approach toward not merely good acting but powerful acting. Great actors display the power to frighten - and the power to seduce - and can shift between the one and the other like a violinist can her notes.' - From the Preface The first edition of Acting Power was a groundbreaking work of acting theory which applied sociological and psychological principles to actor training. The book went on to influence a generation of theatre and performance studies students and academics, and was translated into five languages. This carefully revised 21st Century Edition (re)considers, in the context of today's field: questions such as 'should actors act from the inside or the outside?' and 'should the actor live the role or present the role?'; contemporary research into communication theory, cybernetics, and cognitive science; brilliantly illuminating and witty exercises for solo study and classroom use, and a through-line of useful references to classic plays; penetrating observations about the actor's art by more than 75 distinguished professional actors and directors. Cohen's elegant and rigorous updates emphasise the continuing relevance of his uniquely integrated and life-affirming approach to this field. The new edition draws on his extraordinarily rich career as teacher, scholar, director, translator and dramaturg. It is a recipe for thrilling theatre in any genre.

Black Acting Methods seeks to offer alternatives to the Euro-American performance styles that many actors find themselves working with. A wealth of contributions from directors, scholars and actor trainers address afrocentric processes and aesthetics, and interviews with key figures in Black American theatre illuminate their methods. This ground-breaking collection is an essential resource for teachers, students, actors and directors seeking to reclaim, reaffirm or even redefine the role and contributions of Black culture in theatre arts.

THE GOOD AUDITION GUIDES: Helping you select and perform the audition piece that is best suited to your performing skills In this volume of the Good Audition Guides, you'll find fifty fantastic speeches for women, all written since the year 2000, by some of our most exciting dramatic voices. Playwrights featured in Contemporary Monologues for Women include Mike Bartlett, Alexi Kaye Campbell, Caryl Churchill, Helen Edmundson, debbie tucker green, Ella Hickson, Lucy Kirkwood, Rona Munro, Joanna Murray-Smith and Enda Walsh, and the plays themselves were premiered at the very best theatres across the UK including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Bush, Soho and Hampstead Theatres, Manchester Royal Exchange, the Traverse in Edinburgh, the Abbey in Dublin, and many on the stages of the Royal Court. Drawing on her experience as an actor, director and teacher at several leading drama schools, Trilby James prefaces each speech with a thorough introduction including the vital information you need to place the piece in context (the who, what, when, where and why) and suggestions about how to perform the scene to its maximum effect (including the character's objectives and keywords). Contemporary Monologues for Women also features an introduction on the whole process of selecting and preparing your speech, and approaching the audition itself. The result is the most comprehensive and useful contemporary monologue book now available. 'Sound practical advice for anyone attending an audition... a source of inspiration for teachers and students alike' Teaching Drama Magazine on The Good Audition Guides

Professional acting is both an art and a business, and this book advises beginning actors on how to cope successfully on both fronts. Opening chapters describe the difficulties every budding actor encounters and explains basic acting techniques, which include memory exercises and methods for developing stage presence. Chapters that follow instruct in--

• Reading the play with understanding and learning to build the character that the actor will be portraying
• Developing the actor's voice, imitating regional accents, and more
• Expressing the character's thoughts and ideas through body posture and movement
• Adapting acting techniques to different media: stage, film, TV, and radio
• Learning the business side of acting by selling one's talents effectively
  The author strips away preconceptions and cliches often associated with acting, and pinpoints common mistakes that inexperienced actors need to overcome and avoid. More than 300 instructive illustrations.

An engaging, upbeat guide for any student thinking of applying to drama school.
If you're thinking of applying to drama school, "The Excellent Audition Guide" will give you everything you need to prepare well and perform your audition to the best of your ability. Experienced actor, director and drama teacher Andy Johnson leads you through every step of the application process: researching drama schools, writing personal statements and CVs, choosing and working on your speeches and songs, brushing up technical and vocal skills. And, of course, how to tackle the auditions themselves by being true to yourself and making fear your friend.
A reassuring, encouraging 'how to' book that demystifies an often scary-looking process, "The Excellent Audition Guide" is ideal not just for applicants themselves, but also for parents, teachers and career advisors looking to help young people fulfill their acting ambitions.
'Smart, dynamic and inspiring, this is an invaluable book for anyone thinking of trying for drama school' Michael Simkins
'There's only one book in the world I would read about getting into drama school and doing good auditions. It's this one.' Vanessa Kirby ("Great Expectations, Labyrinth, Three Sisters, Jupiter Ascending")
'This book is accurate and beautifully concise. I wish Andy's written wisdom had been with me when I was applying to drama school.' Freddie Fox (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, "The Judas Kiss, Hay Fever, The Mystery of Edwin Drood")

David Schalkwyk offers a sustained reading of Shakespeare's sonnets in relation to his plays. He argues that the language of the sonnets is primarily performative rather than descriptive, and bases this distinction on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and J. L. Austin. In a wide-ranging analysis of both the 1609 Quarto of Shakespeare's sonnets and the Petrarchan discourses in a selection of plays, Schalkwyk addresses such issues as embodiment and silencing, interiority and theatricality, inequalities of power, status, gender and desire, both in the published poems and on the stage and in the context of the early modern period. In a provocative discussion of the question of proper names and naming events in the sonnets and plays, the book seeks to reopen the question of the autobiographical nature of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Teaching Acting with Practical Aesthetics uses constructivist pedagogy to teach acting via Practical Aesthetics, a system of actor training created in the mid-1980s by David Mamet. The book melds the history of Practical Aesthetics, Practical Aesthetics itself, educational theory, and compatible physical work into the educational approach called Praxis to create a comprehensive training guide for the modern actor and theatre instructor. It includes lesson plans, compatible voice and movement exercises, constructivist teaching materials, classroom handouts, and a suggested calendar for Acting courses. Written for Acting instructors at the college and secondary levels, Acting scholars, and professionals looking for a new way to perform, Teaching Acting with Practical Aesthetics offers detailed instructions to help students sharpen their performing skills and excel on stage.

The aside is a familiar convention in drama, but surprisingly little has been written about it in connection with Greek theater, where the aside originated and developed. In Actors and Audience, David Bain traces the aside back to its earliest appearance in Greek tragedy, examining its use in Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles, before moving on to a consideration of Old Comedy dramatists from Aristophanes to Menander, New Comedy, and Roman Comedy. Throughout the book, Bain offers considerable insight into how conventions mediate between author, actor and audience, helping or hindering the degree to which spectators "participate" in the stage action.

"Outstanding ... a technical manual (for actors and directors), an historical document of importance, and a volume that is a delight to read." Ian Watson, Rutgers "An extremely valuable personal account of Roberta Carreri's process as an actor." Alison Hodge, Artistic Director, The Quick and the Dead "An excellent book with a unique voice." Ben Spatz, University of Huddersfield Roberta Carreri is one of acclaimed theatre company Odin Teatret's longest-serving actors, and the last to be trained by Eugenio Barba himself. In this book, she relives the milestones of her professional journey, including: her first experiences of street theatre the discovery of Asian performance traditions pedagogical activities and character creation encounters with artists and spectators the inception of her solo performances, Judith and Salt Interwoven with rich photographic documentation and a wealth of biographical information, this inspiring handbook reveals the professional secrets of an Odin Teatret actor as well as the story of a life of work, research, and passion.

This book is situated at the intersection of queer/gender studies and theories of acting pedagogy and performance. It explores the social and cultural matrix in which matters of gender are negotiated, including that of post-secondary theatre and drama education. It identifies the predicament of gender dissident actors who must contend with the widespread enforcement of realist paradigms within the academy, and proposes a re-imagining of the way drama/theatre/performance are practised in order to serve more fairly and effectively the needs of queer actors in training. This is located within a larger project of critique in reference to the art form as a whole. The book stimulates discussion among practitioners and scholars on matters concerning various kinds of diversity: of gender expression, of approaches to the teaching of acting, and to the way the art form may be imagined and executed in the early years of the 21st Century, in particular in the face of the climate crisis. But it is also an aid to practitioners who are seeking new theoretical and practical approaches to dealing with gender diversity in acting pedagogy.

What is physical dramaturgy? While the traditional dramaturg shares research intellectually, the physical dramaturg does so viscerally and somatically. By combining elements of text, history, dramatic structure, and the author's intent with movement analysis and physical theatre pedagogies, the physical dramaturg gives actors the opportunity to manifest their work in a connected and intuitive manner and creates a field that is as varied and rich as the theatre itself. Physical Dramaturgy: Perspectives from the Field explores the ways in which this unique role can benefit the production team during the design and rehearsal phases of both traditional and devised productions. Individual chapters look at new ways of approaching a wealth of physical worlds, from the works of Shakespeare and other period playwrights to the processes of Jerzy Grotowski, Lloyd Williamson, Richard Schechner, and Michael Chekhov, and devising original works in a variety of contexts from Pig Iron, Dell'Arte International, Bill Bowers and mime, Tectonic Theater Project, and Liz Lerman's Dance Exchange. This anthology gives dramaturgs, actors, and directors new ways of looking at existing methods and provides examples of how to translate, combine, and adapt them into new explorations for training, rehearsal, or research.