Overview

When actors perform Shakespeare, what do they do with their bodies? How do they display to the spectator what is hidden in the imagination? This is a history of Shakespearean performance as seen through the actor's body. Tunstall draws upon social, cognitive and moral psychology to reveal how performers from Sarah Siddons to Ian McKellen have used the language of gesture to reflect the minds of their characters and shape the reactions of their audiences. This book is rich in examples, including detailed analysis of recent performances and interviews with key figures from the worlds of both acting and gesture studies. Truly interdisciplinary, this provocative and original contribution will appeal to anyone interested in Shakespeare, theatre history, psychology or body language.

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9780230276413

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Reviews

'What is the actor to do with her hands? The answer, according to this fascinating, highly original and elegantly argued book, is much more than you might think. A compelling account of the ways in which the action, the word and the thought are deeply, richly interdependent.' - Robert Shaughnessy, University of Kent, UK 'From the language of early modern gesture through to gesture in modern acting theory and practice, this is a wonderfully sure-footed and engaging guide.' - Peter Holland, University of Notre Dame, USA 'An ambitious and important book. Tunstall draws on contemporary cognitive understandings of the metaphorical content of actors' gestures and applies them transhistorically to examine shifting social moralities embodied in Shakespearean performance history.' - Bruce McConachie, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Author Information

Darren Tunstall was a professional actor, director, movement director, writer and dramaturg before becoming Lecturer in Acting at the Guildford School of Acting, University of Surrey, UK.

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