The Actor in You

by Benedetti, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780205479801
• ISBN10: 0205479804
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

The Actor in You serves as an introduction to beginning acting by helping students realize that they already possess the basic skills of an actor.This text enhances the studentrs"s appreciation of the art of acting by helping them realize that they already possess, in principle, the following skills: the ability to play a role, the ability to fulfill the sense of drama and to structure dramatic scenes, and the capacity to express emotion. Without losing its simplicity, directness, and enjoyable writing style, this revised and enlarged edition has benefited from helpful suggestions by teachers who have used it successfully in the classroom. Drawing exercises and examples from studentsrs" everyday lives and from well-known films and television programs, Benedetti succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to everyday life for artistic purpose. Still organized in sixteen steps meant to correspond to the weeks of a typical semester or school year, The Actor in You provides a direct, concise presentation and explanation of fundamentals for beginning students.Features Includes both individual and group exercises throughout to help students realize and experience the basic skills of acting. Provides balanced coverage of acting for both stage and camera by drawing on principles from film and television and extending them to the stage. Advocates an appreciation of a variety of styles, techniques, and approaches. Includes practical and helpful exercises at the conclusion of each chapter. Fits any liberal arts education program with its clarity, accessibility, and synthesis of current acting theories. Uses well-organized, clear, and concise writing to make it very user-friendly. About the AuthorA multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning film producer and distinguished teacher of acting, Robert Benedetti received his PhD from Northwestern University. He was an early member of Chicagors"s Second City Theatre, and then taught acting for over thirty years at schools such as Carnegie-Mellon University, The National Theatre School of Canada, and the University of California. He has directed at many regional theatres, including the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre and the Melbourne Theatre Company, and at various Shakespeare festivals. As President of Ted Dansonrs"s Anasazi Productions, he won Emmys for producing Miss Eversrs" Boys and A Lesson Before Dying for HBO. Benedetti has written six books on acting and film production, including THE ACTOR AT WORK and ACTION! Acting for Film and Television. He was Chairman of Theatre at York University in Toronto, Head of Acting Program at the Yale Drama School, and Dean of Theatre at The California Institute of the Arts. He is now on the faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Most recently Professor Benedetti was honored with the Lifetime Career Achievement Award for 2005 from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.Praise for The Actor in YouMr. Benedettirs"s text is concise and inspiring. Students will see it as an invaluable guide second only to their instructor. - Kimberly M. Chin, Bakersfield CollegeThe writing style is clear and to the point. Many acting textshellip;inundate the reader with anecdotes. My students like the fact that Benedetti gets to the point quickly and has practical exercises at the end of each chapter. - Bob Wagner,

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
About the Author	xv
PART I Understanding Acting	1	(30)
WHY STUDY ACTING?	1	(2)
STEP ONE What Does an Actor Do?	3	(6)
ACTING IN EVERYDAY LIFE	4	(1)
THE TRADITION OF THE ACTOR	5	(2)
GETTING INTO THE TRADITION	7	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 1	8	(1)
STEP TWO Action in Life and in Performance	9	(5)
ACTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE	10	(2)
ACTION AND DRAMA	12	(1)
BELIEVABILITY IN LIFE AND IN PERFORMANCE	12	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 2	13	(1)
STEP THREE Internal and External Action	14	(6)
INTERACTIONS	17	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 3	18	(2)
STEP FOUR Understanding Emotion and Character	20	(5)
EMOTION	20	(1)
CHARACTER AND THE MAGIC IF	21	(2)
THE ACTOR IN YOU	23	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 4	23	(2)
STEP FIVE The Actor's State of Mind	25	(3)
PUBLIC SOLITUDE	25	(1)
DUAL CONSCIOUSNESS	26	(1)
INDICATING	27	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 5	28	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART I	28	(3)
PART II Preparing Yourself to Act	31	(20)
THE CREATIVE STATE	31	(2)
STEP SIX Relaxation and Centering	33	(6)
RELAXATION	34	(2)
FINDING CENTER	36	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 6	38	(1)
STEP SEVEN Breathing, Sounding, and Moving from Center	39	(5)
YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GRAVITY	40	(1)
THE CYCLE OF ENERGY	41	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 7	43	(1)
STEP EIGHT Creating Together	44	(6)
CREATING A SCENE	48	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 8	49	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART II	50	(1)
PART III Preparing to Rehearse: Analyzing the Script	51	(22)
DISCIPLINE	51	(1)
THE PURPOSE OF ANALYSIS	52	(1)
SAMPLE SCENES	52	(1)
A SCENE OF YOUR OWN	53	(2)
STEP NINE Dramatic Function	55	(6)
THE FUNCTION OF SUPPORTING CHARACTERS AND INDIVIDUAL SCENES	56	(2)
FUNCTION AND RECOGNITION TRAITS	58	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 9	60	(1)
STEP TEN Play and Scene Structure	61	(6)
FINDING THE CRISIS	63	(1)
UNITS AND LEVELS OF ACTION	64	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 10	66	(1)
STEP ELEVEN The Given Circumstances	67	(5)
WHO	67	(1)
WHERE	68	(1)
WHEN	69	(1)
WHAT	70	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 11	71	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART III	72	(1)
PART IV Rehearsal	73	(34)
GETTING AND GIVING NOTES	73	(2)
STEP TWELVE Personalization	75	(5)
EMOTIONAL RECALL AND SUBSTITUTION	77	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 12	79	(1)
STEP THIRTEEN Inner Action	80	(8)
THE STIMULUS	81	(2)
AUTOMATIC AND SPONTANEOUS ACTIONS	83	(1)
CHOICE	84	(1)
THE INNER MONOLOGUE	85	(2)
SUMMARY OF STEP 13	87	(1)
STEP FOURTEEN Actions and Objectives	88	(6)
DEFINING USEFUL OBJECTIVES	88	(1)
PLAYABLE ACTIONS	89	(1)
DIRECT AND INDIRECT ACTION: SUBTEXT	90	(1)
NOT DOING	91	(1)
OBSTACLES AND COUNTER-ACTIONS	92	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 14	93	(1)
STEP FIFTEEN Scenario, Score, Through-Line and Superobjective	94	(7)
THE SCORE	96	(1)
THROUGH-LINE AND SUPEROBJECTIVE	96	(2)
PERSONALIZING THE SUPEROBJECTIVE	98	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 15	99	(2)
STEP SIXTEEN Final Rehearsals and Performance	101	(5)
BLOCKING	101	(2)
SHAPING AND PACING	103	(1)
SPONTANEITY	103	(1)
EMOTION IN PERFORMANCE	104	(1)
EVALUATING YOUR WORK	105	(1)
SUMMARY OF STEP 16	106	(1)
SUMMARY OF PART IV	106	(1)
AFTERWORD Your Sense of Purpose	107	(2)
APPENDIX A Sample Scenes	109	(10)
SCENE 1: FROM THE GLASS MENAGERIE BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS	109	(2)
SCENE 2: FROM A RAISIN IN THE SUN BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY	111	(3)
SCENE 3: FROM ZOOT SUIT BY LUIS VALDEZ	114	(2)
SCENE 4: FROM CHEERS BY TOM REEDER	116	(3)
APPENDIX B Suggested Plays and Anthologies	119	(6)
PLAYS	119	(3)
PLAY AND SCENE ANTHOLOGIES	122	(1)
ANTHOLOGIES FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR	123	(2)
Glossary of Theater and Film Terminology	125	(12)
Index	137

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