A Beginner’s Guide to Acting Methods: Understanding Practitioners and their Legacies

Author:   Kimberly Shire
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN:  

9781350434165


Pages:   360
Publication Date:   26 June 2025
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained


Our Price $140.00 Quantity:  
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A Beginner’s Guide to Acting Methods: Understanding Practitioners and their Legacies


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Overview

Wanting to understand the workings and methods of your favourite theatre practitioner? Look no further. This accessible guide summarizes the methods of 20 practitioners by collecting the most important features of their work and framing them so that even the novice actor will understand the material. Introducing us to the work of practitioners such as: Konstantin Stanislavski, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Bertolt Brecht, Michael Chekhov, Jacques Copeau, Maria Knebel, Lee Strasberg, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Viola Spolin, Uta Hagen, Augusto Boal, Jerzy Grotowski, Tadashi Suzuki, and Anne Bogart among a number of others, the book sets readers on the path to discovering the methods they want to explore in greater depth. It does so through each chapter offering: - biographical information on each practitioner - a description of their method - suggestions for digging deeper and further exploration - journal and discussion questions - the opportunity for practical application with 3-6 hours' worth of in-class activities for instructors to use As a whole, the book seeks to offer an introduction to the many acting teachers and their methods in one place, demystifying terminology such as ""biomechanics"", ""active analysis"", ""grounding"" and ""viewpoints"", and introducing readers to the founders of the principles that make up modern acting.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kimberly Shire
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Methuen Drama
Dimensions:   Width: 18.90cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9781350434165


ISBN 10:   1350434167
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   26 June 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  A / AS level
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Chapter One - Thespis Through Diderot: The First Masters Chapter Two - Konstantin Stanislavski: A Master of the System Chapter Three - Vsevolod Meyerhold: A Master of Biomechanics Chapter Four - Yevgeny Vakhtangov: A Master of Justification Chapter Five- Jacques Copeau: A Master of Masks/Play Chapter Six - Michael Chekhov: A Master of Imagination Chapter Seven - Maria Knebel: A Master of Active Analysis Chapter Eight - Bertolt Brecht: A Master of No Illusions Chapter Nine - Lee Strasberg: Master of The American Method Chapter Ten - Stella Adler: Master of Modern Acting Chapter Eleven - Sanford Meisner: A Master of Reaction Chapter Twelve - Viola Spolin: A Master of Play Chapter Thirteen - Uta Hagen: A Master of Endowment Chapter Fourteen - Augusto Boal: Master of Performance-Activism Chapter Fifteen - Jerzy Grotowski: A Master of Ritual Communion Chapter Sixteen - Tadashi Suzuki: Master of Grounding Chapter Seventeen - Harold Guskin: A Master of the Moment Chapter Eighteen - David Mamet: A Master of Practicality Chapter Nineteen - Anne Bogart: A Master of Viewpoints Chapter Twenty - Declan Donnellan: Master of the Target Conclusion Glossary Further Reading Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Kimberly Shire is Associate Professor of Theatre at Carroll College, US. She has been training actors for 25 years as a high school teacher, children’s theatre artistic director, college acting professor and theatre director.

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