Singer and Actor

by Hicks, Alan E.

• ISBN13: 9781574672015
• ISBN10: 1574672010
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-11-01
• Publisher: Hal Leonard

Summary

Current market forces in the performing arts, such as aging audiences, electronic media, and HD broadcasts, have changed the operatic landscape. Young opera singers entering the workforce find themselves navigating difficult and highly competitive waters. Previously ignored skill sets become assets - and, in many cases, requirements - in casting. But most singers graduate from college having never taken a formal acting class and knowing little about acting technique as it pertains to their craft. Singer and Actor demystifies theatrical acting technique stemming from Stanislavsky's Method of Physical Action and provides singers at all levels a roadmap with which to complete character preparation, using a clear and organized progression based on the work of Franchelle S. Dorn and exercises and examples (recitatives, arias, and ensembles). Singers (including choristers) are given the necessary tools to study roles from audition through rehearsal to final performance. Singer and Actor also provides a history of acting from its beginnings to the present day, including a survey of acting techniques from Stanislavsky, Meisner, Hagen, Strasberg, Larry Moss, and others. Drawing additionally on the writings of composers and other creators of opera, the book deals with the misconception that only the singing matters in opera and includes a discussion of previous approaches to operatic acting.

Author Biography

Alan E. Hicks, in nearly twenty-five years in the arts, has worked as a professional opera singer, award-winning stage director, and teacher of musical theatre and opera. He is a former faculty member of the Actors Studio Drama School and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts as well as schools of music across the country. His students have found success from Broadway to network television and from opera to major motion pictures. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction	p. xix
Background
An Argument for Opera as a Theatrical Art Form	p. 3
A Brief History of Acting Across Disciplines	p. 7
A New Model for Training Singers	p. 27
An Acting Primer
The Method of Physical Action	p. 37
Imagination and the Magical, Creative If	p. 43
Relaxation and Concentration	p. 47
The Importance of Listening	p. 55
Action and Feeling: Theatrical Synergy
Action	p. 65
Affective Memory	p. 69
Units, Bits, and Beats	p. 79
Objectives, Obstacles, and Actions	p. 87
Libretto Analysis	p. 95
A New Process For Role Preparation
Preparing Auditions and Performances	p. 111
The Process and Recitative	p. 161
"Being" the Third Girl from the Left-Acting for Choristers	p. 173
A Word About Physical Appropriateness	p. 177
Epilogue	p. 179
Selected Bibliography	p. 183
Index	p. 191
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.