Will Power : How to Act Shakespeare in 21 Days

by Basil, John

• ISBN13: 9781557836663
• ISBN10: 1557836663
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-01
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Summary

Thousands of young people set their sights on becoming professional actors each year, hoping to get a foot in the door with a solid resume built in high school, college, and local theatre company productions. But competition for parts is fierce, and no list of credits is complete without competency in the classical works of Shakespeare. Will Power guides both professional actors and aspirants through a lively 21-day rehearsal process leading up to the day of an actual audition or performance. Actors need never again be confused about where to begin or how to follow through when developing a Shakespearean role. Clear stepping stones have been laid out before them-by Shakespeare himself. Even seasoned actors, familiar with verse, are fascinated when they learn about the acting clues and stage directions embedded in the original First Folio text of Shakespeare's work, in the form of particular punctuation, capitalized letters, and spelling. Putting actors on their feet in dynamic and fun rehearsals, this practical guide helps them develop the 7 Cs of acting: commitment, concentration, conditioning, control, confidence, courage, and clarity while also demystifying how to perform these these magnificently crafted plays.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS	ix
INTRODUCTION: YOUR 21-DAY JOURNEY WITH WILL	1	(14)
THE SHAKESPEARE REHEARSAL	15	(2)
PHASE 1 Map Reading: Secrets of Your Script Unfolded	17	(133)
DAY 1 Revealing Your Repetitions	19	(13)
DAY 2 Cracking the Capitalization Code	32	(9)
DAY 3 Verse or Prose?	41	(23)
DAY 4 Picking Out Punctuation	64	(23)
DAY 5 Revving Up Your Verbs	87	(18)
DAY 6 Amiable Adjectives, Saucy Similes, and Merry Metaphors	105	(12)
DAY 7 O! Thy Status Is Showing	117	(14)
DAY 8 Your Secret Formula for Persuasive Rhetoric	131	(19)
PHASE 2 Scouting the Landscape: Going on Instinct, Getting Off Book	150	(30)
DAY 9 Script Rotations	152	(7)
DAY 10 To Memorize, Physicalize	159	(7)
DAY 11 Now, Go Ahead and Look It Up	166	(5)
DAY 12 Draft Your Newspaper Headlines	171	(9)
PHASE 3 Charting Your Course: Moments of Variety and Nuance	180	(82)
DAY 13 Playing with the Pace	181	(23)
DAY 14 Finding Your Focus	204	(11)
DAY 15 Surely, You Jest	215	(24)
DAY 16 Art Thou Parent, Child, or Adult?	239	(11)
DAY 17 Greeks Bearing Gifts	250	(12)
PHASE 4 Staking Your Claim: Stanislayski's Approach	262	(71)
DAY 18 Your Given Circumstances	264	(14)
DAY 19 Five Basic Human Needs	278	(21)
DAY 20 Your Doings	299	(18)
DAY 21 Presto, PASTO!	317	(16)
SHAKESPEARE IN ACTION	333
On Day 22...	335
RECOMMENDED READING	315	(4)
INDEX	319	(41)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR	360