The Actor In You Sixteen Simple Steps to Understanding the Art of Acting

by Benedetti, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780205781232
• ISBN10: 0205781233
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-01-04
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

The Actor in Youintroduces aspiring actors to beginning acting by helping them realize and develop the basic acting skills they already possess and hone them for the stage. By drawing the principles of acting from observations about everyday behavior, the author shows acting students how they already possess many acting skills. Acclaimed for its direct and enjoyable writing style,The Actor in Youdraws on exercises and examples from well-known plays, and popular television programs to lead the beginning student through the process of creating a role. Revised based on user reviews, the book succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to everyday life for artistic purpose.

Table of Contents

Notes on This Fifth Edition	p. viii
Preface	p. ix
About the Author	p. x
Preparing Yourself to Act	p. 1
Understanding the Actor's Job	p. 3
Engagement	p. 4
Truthfulness	p. 5
Skill	p. 7
Dramatic Function	p. 8
Discipline	p. 8
Summary of Step 1	p. 9
The Tradition of the Actor	p. 10
The Twentieth Century	p. 11
Getting into the Tradition	p. 13
Summary of Step 2	p. 14
Relaxing and Centering	p. 15
Relaxation	p. 16
Finding the Center	p. 19
Summary of Step 3	p. 20
Breathing, Sounding, and Moving From the Center	p. 21
The Cycle of Energy	p. 22
Relationship to Gravity	p. 24
Phrasing Movement	p. 26
Summary of Step 4	p. 27
Collaboration	p. 28
Leading and Following	p. 32
Seeing and Hearing	p. 34
Getting and Giving Notes	p. 35
Summary of Step 5	p. 36
Summary of part one	p. 36
Discovering Action	p. 39
Example Plays	p. 40
Actions and Objectives	p. 41
Stanislavski's View of Action	p. 42
Public Solitude	p. 43
Dual Consciousness	p. 43
Indicating	p. 45
Raising the Stakes	p. 46
Summary of Step 6	p. 47
Action, Emotion, and Character: the Magic If	p. 49
Action and Emotion	p. 50
Character and the Magic If	p. 50
The Actor in You	p. 53
Selecting Your Scene	p. 53
Dramatic Function Revisited	p. 54
Summary of Step 7	p. 55
Defining Objectives and Actions	p. 57
Defining Useful Objectives	p. 58
Playable Strategic Actions	p. 59
Subtext	p. 60
Not Doing	p. 61
Obstacles and Counteractions	p. 62
Summary of Step 8	p. 63
The Flow and Shape of Drama	p. 64
Internal and External Action	p. 65
The Shape of Drama	p. 67
Crisis	p. 69
Summary of Step 9	p. 71
Exploring Scene Structure and the given Circumstances	p. 72
Units of Action, or Beats	p. 73
The Given Circumstances	p. 77
Summary of Step 10	p. 80
Summary of part two	p. 80
Developing the Character	p. 83
The Character's Traits and Needs	p. 84
Function Traits	p. 84
Recognition Traits	p. 86
Needs and Personalization	p. 87
Emotion Recall and Substitution	p. 88
Summary of Step 11	p. 90
Getting into the Character's Mind	p. 91
Perception, Arousal, and Attitude	p. 92
Automatic and Spontaneous Actions	p. 94
Deliberation and Strategic Choice	p. 95
The Inner Monologue	p. 96
Summary of Step 12	p. 98
Exploring the Character's Language	p. 100
Word Choice	p. 101
Rhythm	p. 102
The Music of Speech	p. 105
Summary of Step 13	p. 106
Summary of part three	p. 107
Final Rehearsals and Performance	p. 109
Finding the Scenario, Score, Through-Line, and Superobjective	p. 110
The Score and Pace	p. 112
The Through-Line and Superobjective	p. 113
Personalizing the Superobjective	p. 115
Summary of Step 14	p. 116
Staging	p. 117
Types of Stages	p. 117
Moving on Stage	p. 119
Blocking	p. 121
Shaping and Pacing	p. 122
Summary of Step 15	p. 123
Performing	p. 124
Emotion in Performance	p. 125
Spontaneity	p. 126
Evaluating Your Work	p. 127
Growth After Opening	p. 128
An Actor's Sense of Purpose	p. 128
Summary of Step 16	p. 129
Summary of part four	p. 130
A Sample Television Scene	p. 131
Suggested Plays and Anthologies	p. 134
Plays	p. 134
Play and Scene Anthologies	p. 137
Anthologies for Students of Color	p. 138
Glossary of Theater and Film Terminology	p. 140
Index	p. 148
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