This compendium opens the stagedoor for those with little or no
practical experience in acting. For actors and other theatre
specialists grappling with the challenges posed by performing or
staging the works of the great Bard, here is useful instruction
eloquently expressed that will enrich future interpretation and
performance. On Playing Shakespeare takes advantage of the long
tradition of Shakespearean acting by offering a rich treasury of
writings by noted actors who have essayed Shakespearean roles in
the past. The perspectives of these thespians offer comprehensive
exposure to the challenges of acting in Shakespeare's plays and are
emblematic of theatre repertories and popular tastes from the
mid-eighteenth century to World War I. Here is Ellen Terry writing
on her role as Mamellius in an 1856 production of The Winter's
Tale, Edwin Booth on Iago, Fanny Kemble on Lady Macbeth, and dozens
of other actors who made lasting theatrical contributions with
their interpretations of Shakespeare. These commentaries also bear
witness to the actor's eternal struggle to get on the stage, stay
on the stage, and perform Shakespearean roles to varied audiences
in sometimes less-than-ideal conditions. The heart of the book, and
its climax, deals with matters of interpretation, with actors'
differing reactions to the same role placed side-by-side for
purposes of clear contrast. The work includes photographs of John
Barrymore, Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, and others in roles they
discuss in the book. The volume proceeds in sequence from the sort
of background and training necessary to approach Shakespeare with
assurance through the performance itself and its aftermath. The
first section of adviceand commentary deals with "Preliminaries,"
such as training, body and movement, voice and diction, ease and
concentration, and more. This chapter includes four actors on
"Beginning in Shakespeare." In "Getting the Part," which includes
casting, Clara Morris writes on a young actress as Juliet. Writings
on reading the play, memorizing, observation, research, and gesture
are included in the section on "Working the Part." Interpreting,
rehearsing, and performing the part each receive separate sections.
In "Clusters of Commentary," the book's longest section, various
actors comment on performing specific roles, such as eight actors
on Hamlet, three actresses on Portia, and more. On Playing
Shakespeare speaks to actors and directors who face the
contemporary challenges of playing Shakespeare and to
Shakespeareans and scholars with more general interests in the
history, technique, and tradition of Shakespearean acting. A must
for graduate and undergraduate courses in acting Shakespeare;
courses in the history of acting; and graduate courses in
nineteenth-century British and American theatre history.
General
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