The Actor in You: Sixteen Simple Steps to Understanding the Art of Acting » (4th Edition)

The Actor in You enhances the reader’s appreciation of the art of acting by helping them realize that they already possess, in principle, the ability to play a role, 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 contains more material on the history of the modern actor, greater emphasis on script analysis, and revisions suggested by teachers who have used it successfully in the classroom. Drawing exercises and examples from readers’ everyday lives and from well-known films and television programs, Benedetti succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to the creation of stage role.

Booknews

An introduction to the fundamentals of acting for beginning students. The 16 steps are arranged in three parts--examples from everyday life to explain the basic principles of acting, exercises to prepare for creative group work, and a step-by-step approach to creating a role. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

P A R T O N E The Actor’s Art

1. Understanding the Actor’s Job and Tradition

The Tradition of the Actor

Getting into the Tradition

Summary of Step 1

2. Discovering Action

Stanislavski’s View of Action

Making Action Stageworthy

Using Action In a Scene

Summary of Step 2

3. Experiencing Internal and External Action

Interactions

Summary of Step 3

4. Understanding Emotion and Character

Character and the Magic If

The Actor in You

Summary of Step 4

Summary of Part One

P A R T T W O Preparing Yourself to Act

5. Relaxing and Centering

Relaxation

Finding Center

Summary of Step 5

6. Breathing, Sounding, and Moving from Center

The Cycle of Energy

Your Relationship to Gravity

Phrasing Movement

Summary of Step 6

7. Collaboration

Seeing and Hearing

Pursuing an Objective

Summary of Step 7

8. Entering the Actor’s State of Mind

Public Solitude

Dual Consciousness

Indicating

Discipline

Summary of Step 8

Summary of Part Two

P A R T T H R E E Preparing to Rehearse: Analyzing the Script

Selecting Your Scene

Example Scenes

9. Understanding Your Lines

Word Choice

Rhythm

Melody

Summary of Step 9

10. Understanding Play and Scene Structure

Finding the Crisis

Units of Action

Finding the Function and Crisis of the Scene

Summary of Step 10

11. Experiencing the Character’s Function and Given Circumstances

Function and Recognition Traits

The Given Circumstances

Who

Where

When

Summary of Step 11

Summary of Part Three

P A R T F O U R Rehearsal

Getting and Giving Notes

12. Personalizing

Emotional Recall and Substitution

Summary of Step 12

13. Exploring Inner Action

The Stimulus

Automatic and Spontaneous Actions

Strategic Choice

The Inner Monologue

Summary of Step 13

14. Defining Objectives and Action

Defining Useful Objectives

Playable Strategic Actions

Direct and Indirect Action: Subtext

Not Doing

Obstacles and Counter-Actions

Summary of Step 14

15 Finding the Scenario, Score, Through-Line, and Superobjective

The Score

Through-Line and Superobjective

Personalizing the Superobjective

Summary of Step 15

16 Preparing for Performance

The Stage

Moving on Stage

Blocking

Shaping and Pacing

Spontaneity

Emotion in Performance

Evaluating Your Work

Summary of Step 16

Summary of Part Four

Afterword

Your Sense of Purpose

Appendix A

A Sample Television Scene

Appendix B

Suggested Plays and Anthologies

Plays

Play and Scene Anthologies

Anthologies for Students of Color

Glossary of Theater and Film Terminology

Index