This analysis of Shakespeare's sonnets in relation to his plays asserts that the language of the sonnets is primarily performative rather than descriptive. It discusses the 1609 quarto of sonnets and the Petrarchan discourses in a selection of plays. David Schalkwyk addresses embodiment and silencing, interiority and theatricality, inequalities of power, status, gender and desire in the published poems, on the stage and in the context of the early modern period.

Intended for actors, directors, teachers and researchers, this book offers an exceptionally clear and thorough introduction to the renowned acting technique developed by Michael Chekhov. Sinead Rushe's book provides a complete overview of the whole method, and includes illuminating explanations of its principles, as well as a wide range of practical exercises that illustrate, step by step, how they can be applied to dramatic texts. Part One provides an outline of the ideas that underpin the work, which help to prepare practitioners to become responsive and receptive, and to awaken their imagination. Part Two charts a journey through the foundational psychophysical exercises that can both orient an actor's training routine and be applied directly to the development of a role. Part Three focuses on more specific and elaborate methods of scene work, characterisation and the art of transformation. Drawing on the full range of Chekhov's writing in English and French, this book also examines unpublished material from the Dartington Hall archives and features interviews with actors who have worked with the technique, including Simon Callow and Joanna Merlin. It illustrates Chekhov's approach by referring to Rushe's own productions of Nikolai Gogol's short story Diary of a Madman and Shakespeare's Othello, as well as characters and scenes in Sarah Kane's Blasted and the contemporary American television series Breaking Bad. Michael Chekhov's Acting Technique is an accessible, comprehensive and contemporary point of reference for those already trained in the method, as well as an initiation and toolkit for practitioners who are just beginning to discover it.

How do you actually set up a theatre game? And how do you actually play it? There are many books on the subject that describe theatre games, some even show illustrations. But the only way to really understand how a theatre game works is to see it in action. In a workshop setting, Adrea Gibbs directs students of all ages in a series of creative games for learning acting skills. Skills include: Imagination, Observation, Emotional Expressiveness, Listening, Teamwork, Trust, Improvisation, Scene Structure and Development, Focus, Confidence, and more. Over fifteen games and variations are demonstrated including: Name Game, Animal Farm, A Simple Piece of Fabric, Emotion Tag, Mime Alley, Improv Starters, The Bench, Concentration, The Orchestra, This Is A ...and more. This is an excellent resource for learning basic acting skills.

Encountering Ensemble, is a text for students, teachers, researchers and practitioners who wish to develop a deeper understanding of the history, conceptual foundations and practicalities of the world of ensemble theatre. It is the first book to draw together definitions and practitioner examples, making it a cutting edge work on the subject. Encountering Ensemble combines historical and contemporary case studies with a wide range of approaches and perspectives. It is written collaboratively with practitioners and members from the academic community and is divided into three sections: 1. Introduction and an approach to training ensembles 2. Practitioner case studies and analysis of specific practical approaches to training ensembles (or individuals in an ensemble context) 3. Succinct perspectives from practitioners reflecting on a range of questions including: What is an ensemble?; the place of ensemble in the contemporary theatre landscape; and training issues.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

The Process of Drama provides an original and invaluable model of the elements of drama in context, and defines how these are negotiated to produce dramatic art.
John O'Toole takes the reader through a lively, fascinating account of the relationships between the playwright, the elements of dramatic art, and the other artists involved in this most interactive of creative processes. In doing so he demonstrates - with clarity and wit - how dramatic meaning emerges; how the dramatic event is constructed. Areas covered include:
roles and relationships
the drama space
language and movement
tension and the audience
gesture and movement
This is an essential book for every student of drama who wants to understand how the theatrical art form operates

eBook available with sample pages: 0203359615

'Stimulating and intelligent' Yoshi Oida Seventy percent of everyday conversation is conveyed through body language, twenty percent is the voice and only ten percent is the meaning of the words. In The Body Speaks, expert RADA trainer Lorna Marshall, shows how to recognise and lose unwanted physical inhibitions that our background, education or family have taught us and presents a fundamental re-thinking of our relationship to the body and its role in performance. Good performers - be they trapeze artists, Shakespearean actors, Butoh dancers or film stars - are able to fully reach their audience and engage with them because they have learnt to use their bodies to its best effect. Through a series of practical exercises, Lorna Marshall encourages us to unleash our potential, discover new possibility for the body and express ourselves more clearly. This new edition has been fully revised to include the latest thinking on the subject and more exercises particularly for performers in TV and film.

Rhythm is often referred to as one of the key elements of performance and acting, being of central importance to both performance making and training. Yet what is meant by this term and how it is approached and applied in this context are subjects seldom discussed in detail. Addressing these, Rhythm in Acting and Performance explores the meanings, mechanisms and metaphors associated with rhythm in this field, offering an overview and analysis of the ways rhythm has been, and is embodied and understood by performers, directors, educators, playwrights, designers and scholars. From the rhythmic movements and speech of actors in ancient Greece, to Stanislavski's use of Tempo-rhythm as a tool for building a character and tapping emotions, continuing through to the use of rhythm and musicality in contemporary approaches to actor training and dramaturgy, this subject finds resonance across a broad range of performance domains. In these settings, rhythm has often been identified as an effective tool for developing the coordination and conscious awareness of individual performers, ensembles and their immediate relationship to an audience. This text examines the principles and techniques underlying these processes, focusing on key approaches adopted and developed within European and American performance practices over the last century. Interviews and case studies of individual practitioners, offer insight into the ways rhythm is approached and utilised within this field. Each of these sections includes practical examples as well as analytical reflections, offering a basis for comparing both the common threads and the broad differences that can be found here. Unpacking this often mystified and neglected subject, this book offers students and practitioners a wealth of informative and useful insights to aid and inspire further creative and academic explorations of rhythm within this field.

Analyzing the relationship between dramatic action and the controversial art of acting, William Worthen demonstrates that what it means to act, to be an actor, and to communicate through acting embodies both an ethics of acting and a poetics of drama. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

A treasure trove of drama games and exercises, House of Games has proved itself an immensely valuable resource for teachers, theatre directors and drama workshop leaders. Following on from Keith Johnstone's famous Impro and Augusto Boal's Games for Actors and Non-Actors, Chris Johnston's book provides ideas and guidance for drama groups of all kinds.

A shop girl wins a newspaper competition and is transformed overnight into a transatlantic celebrity. An aristocrat swaps high society for the film studio when she 'consents' to perform in a series of films, thus legitimising acting for what some might have considered a 'low' art. Stories like these were the stuff of newspaper headlines in 1920s and reflected a 'craze' for the cinema. They also demonstrated radical changes in attitudes and values within society in the wake of World War I. Chris O'Rourke investigates the myths and material practices that grew up around film actors during the silent era. The book sheds light on issues such as the social and cultural reception of cinema, the participatory film culture expressed through fan magazines, instructional booklets and movie star competitions, and the working conditions encountered by actors behind-the-scenes of silent films. Drawing on extensive research and a wealth of archival materials, O'Rourke examines how dreams of stardom were fuelled and exploited in the interwar period, and reconstructs the personal narratives and experiences of the first generation to imagine making a living on screen.In doing so, he reveals a missing - and much sought after - piece of cinematic history to bring to life the developing industries, social attitudes and norms of a period of enormous change.

The casting director for "Chicago, Pippin, Becket, Gypsy, The Graduate, the Sound of Music" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" tells you how you can find your dream Absolutely everything an actor needs to know to get the part is here: What to do that moment before, how to use humour; create mystery; how to develop a distinct style; and how to evaluate the place, the relationships and the competition. In fact, "Audition" is a necessary guide to dealing with all the "auditions" we face in life. This is the bible on the subject. The casting director for "Chicago, Pippin, Becket, Gypsy, The Graduate, the Sound of Music" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" tells you how you can find your dream Absolutely everything an actor needs to know to get the part is here: What to do that moment before, how to use humor; how to create mystery; how to develop a distinct style; and how to evaluate the place, the relationships, and the competition. In fact, "Audition" is a necessary guide to dealing with all the "auditions" we face in life. This is the bible on the subject. ""Absolutely indispensable" to any aspiring or even mildly ambitious actor. There is "no" book of which I am aware that gives such first-rate, clear-cut, no-nonsense advice."--Bob Fosse "What a book What an achievement The only book ever written that makes the reader understand the theatre."--Joshua Logan "Immensely useful . . . a distillation of broad how-to-do-it wisdom."--"Variety" "The subject matter is surprisingly universal (everybody has to audition for something sometime) and the inside tales are terrific . . . What Stanislavsky was to acting, Michael Shurtleff is to auditioning."--"New York Post""" "Extraordinary. No actor will want to be without it."--Estelle Parsons "An education--in theatre savvy, in self-knowledge."--"Publishers Weekly"

In this richly detailed study, James Naremore focuses on the work of film acting, showing what players contribute to movies. Ranging from the earliest short subjects of Charles Chaplin to the contemporary features of Robert DeNiro, he develops a useful means of analyzing performance in the age of mechanical reproduction; at the same time, he reveals the ideological implications behind various approaches to acting, and suggests ways that behavior on the screen can be linked to the presentation of self in society. Naremore's discussion of such figures as Lillian Gish, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney, and Cary Grant will interest the specialist and the general reader alike, helping to establish standards and methods for future writing about performers and their craft.

Of all the subjects taught in the school system, dramatic arts probably has the greatest potential to help students prepare for life.

The study of acting helps students develop personal and social skills: increased poise and confidence, better awareness of their physical and vocal selves, and an improved ability to think and react quickly. These talents can help in dealing with sometimes difficult real life situations.

The intention of Acting Skills for Life is to integrate personal growth and the process of creative drama with the more formal skills required for stage production.

This is a very practical book, full of suggestions for drama exercises and improvisations, developed over Cameron's thirty years of teaching drama, and includes helpful information for teachers working with students on stage productions.

Staging Sex lays out a comprehensive, practical solution for staging intimacy, nudity, and sexual violence. This book takes theatre practitioners step-by-step through the best practices, tools, and techniques for crafting effective theatrical intimacy. After an overview of the challenges directors face when staging theatrical intimacy, Staging Sex offers practical solutions and exercises, provides a system for establishing and discussing boundaries, and suggests efficient and effective language for staging intimacy and sexual violence. It also addresses production and classroom specific concerns and provides guidance for creating a culture of consent in any company or department. Written for directors, choreographers, movement coaches, stage managers, production managers, professional actors, and students of acting courses, Staging Sex is an essential tool for theatre practitioners who encounter theatrical intimacy or instructional touch, whether in rehearsal or in the classroom.

Winner of a Nancy Staub Award for Excellence in Publications on the Art of Puppetry Connecting the art of puppetry with deeper learning for children, this workbook offers a comprehensive guide on how to bring puppetry into the classroom. It places puppet design, construction and manipulation at the heart of arts education and as a key contributor to 'manual intelligence' in young people. Packed with practical, illustrated exercises using materials and technology readily available to teachers, Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education shows you how the craft can enliven and enrich any classroom environment, and offers helpful links between puppetry, the curriculum and other aspects of education. Informed by developments in assessments and cognitive research, this book features approachable puppetry activities, educational strategies and lesson plans for teachers that expand any syllabus and unlock new methods of learning, including: - Making puppets from basic materials and everyday objects - Puppetizing children's literature - Puppetizing science - Film-making with puppets Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education is a core text for arts education courses as well as an essential addition to any teacher's arsenal of teaching strategies.

The Art of Raising an Artist guides parents in helping their children explore the world of acting and ultimately invest in their child's future. Actor and director, Lilia Sixtos has seen thousands of auditions and taught hundreds of artists. By raising her two creative children, she has learned every possible way a creative person's journey can be helped or hindered by their parents. In The Art of Raising an Artist, she shows parents how to: Identify the best training they can provide for their child within their means Develop a safe and loving space for the challenges of their child's journey Create the support team their child needs Find their child's niche Fit the needs of their child's career with the needs of the whole family

The first edition of The Actor's Audition Manual quickly became known as the 'red audition manual', denoting its status as the essential guide. Now revised and extended, it once more brings together a wealth of practical advice and a fresh, diverse range of speeches for both men and women that will help to make your audition powerful and effective.

'I wish I had copies like this at Drama School. Essential notes on the language for those who will get up and speak it, not purely for those who will sit and study it. An incredibly useful tool with room on every page to make notes. Next time I'm in rehearsal on a Shakespeare play, I have no doubt that a copy from this series will be in my hand.' ADRIAN LESTER, Actor, Director and Writer Arden Performance Editions are ideal for anyone engaging with a Shakespeare play in performance. With clear facing-page notes giving definitions of words, easily accessible information about key textual variants, lineation, metrical ambiguities and pronunciation, each edition has been developed to open the play's possibilities and meanings to actors and students. Each edition offers: -Facing-page notes -Short, clear definitions of words -Easily accessible information about key textual variants -Notes on pronunciation of difficult names and unfamiliar words -An easy to read layout -Space to write notes -A short introduction to the play

This book outlines in simple terms and illustrations how to safely create the illusions of unarmed stage violence. This book is intended for actors, directors, or stage managers who are new to stage violence, however experienced fight choreographers may find new techniques as well. This work aims to help prevent injuries related to stage fights.

From the authors of the successful Grand-Guignol and London's Grand Guignol - also published by UEP - this book includes translations of a further eleven plays, adding significantly to the repertoire of Grand-Guignol plays available in the English language. The emphasis in the translation and adaptation of these plays is once again to foreground the performability of the scripts within a modern context - making Performing Grand-Guignol an ideal acting guide. Hand and Wilson have acquired extremely rare acting copies of plays which have never been published and scripts that were published in the early years of the twentieth century but have not been published since - even in French. Includes plays written by, or adapted from, such notable writers as Octave Mirbeau, Gaston Leroux and St John Ervine as well as examples by Grand-Guignol stalwarts Rene Berton and Andre de Lorde. Also included is the 1920s London translation of Blind Man's Buff written by Charles Hellem and Pol d'Estoc and banned by the Lord Chamberlain. A brief history of the Parisian theatre is also included, for the benefit of readers who have not read the previous books.

William Esper, one of the most celebrated acting teachers of our time, takes us through his step-by-step approach to the central challenge of advanced acting work: creating and playing a character.