Tackling Text (and Subtext): A Step by Step Guide for Actors

by Houseman, Barbara; Branagh, Kenneth (CON)

• ISBN13: 9781854597991
• ISBN10: 185459799X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Consortium Book Sales & Dist

Summary

This is an intensely practical handbook for students, actors, and teachers on how to cope with text, character, and situation. Barbara Houseman's method is to state a precept and devise an exercise to explore it. The result is a book with a practical exercise on almost every page.

Author Biography

Barbara Houseman is a well-known and highly respected voice, text and acting coach, with thirty years' experience

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction and Basics
Why Read This Book?: How This Book Can Help You	p. 3
Where Do I Start?: The Basics	p. 9
Are There Any Golden Rules?: The Three Connections	p. 31
Text
What Do I Say and How Do I Say It?: Handling Modern Text	p. 35
And How the Hell Do I Say This?: Handling Classical Text	p. 71
Subtext
Who Am I?: Building Your Character	p. 154
Where Am I and When?: Establishing Time and Place	p. 175
What Do I Want?: Identifying Your Character's Objectives	p. 183
What's Been Going on Before?: Fleshing Out the Back Story	p. 191
What's Going on Now?: Exploring the Internal Dynamics of a Scene	p. 195
Helpful Extras
How Do I Stop Sabotaging Myself?: Dealing with the Inner Critic	p. 237
How Do I Share the Work Truthfully?: Transferring from Rehearsal to Performance	p. 243
How Do I Convince Them?: Handling Auditions and Castings	p. 252
What Do I Do When ...?: Troubleshooting	p. 260
Conclusion	p. 277
Appendices
And What About ...?: Extra Notes on Classical Text	p. 281
And Where Will I Find That?: The Exercise Finder	p. 303
Endnotes	p. 311
Index	p. 313
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