Clues to Acting Shakespeare

Front Cover
Simon and Schuster, Sep 7, 2010 - Performing Arts - 288 pages
"A workhorse of a workbook!"—Library Journal. American actors, fear Shakespeare no more! Through a series of inspiring, easy-to-follow exercises, an acclaimed director and drama coach shows both students and experienced actors how to break down the verse, support the words, understand the images, and use the text to create vibrant, living performances. This popular guide—more than TK,000 copies sold—has been revised and expanded to include the unique challenges facing teachers and their students in performing Shakespeare’s works, as well as time-tested tools for overcoming these obstacles. Effective delivery, correct breathing, scansion, phrasing, structure and rhythm, caesura, and more are covered. For text analysis and character interpretation, both classical British training and American methods are explored. In addition to ongoing, long-term practice exercises, Clues to Acting Shakespeare offers a one-day brush-up section to prep actors cast to play Shakespearean roles immediately. • Long term practice exercises and quick one-day brush-ups for auditions

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
 

Contents

Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
For Actors In Training Acting Shakespeare
The Basic Skill Set for Working with
Scansion Phrasing and Caesura
Support the Line and Thought
Practice the Breathing Skill
Practice the Speaking Skill
Session Nine
Session
Session Eleven
Session Twelve
Session Thirteen
Session Fifteen
Session Seventeen
Session Eighteen

Working with Structure and Rhythm
Practice Identifying Antithesis
Text Analysis
Love the Imagery
A Demonstration of Teaching and Learning Skills
Session
Session Three
Session Four
Session Five
Session
Session Seven
Session Eight
Session Nineteen
For Secondary Schools and Community Theatres
Worksheets
Scenes and Monologues
For Professional Actors and Coaches The OneDay Brush
The Afternoon Session
The Evening Session
Resources
More Exercises
Glossary of Terms
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (2010)

Wesley Van Tassel, an acting teacher and stage director, has coached Acting Shakespeare to hundreds of actors as a professor, through workshops, and as a private coach. He has directed nearly 200 productions and has served as artistic director of several theaters. He lives near Seattle, Washington.

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