Movement : From Person to Actor to Character - Softcover

Mitchell, Theresa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 081083328X ISBN 13: 9780810833289

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 1998

Synopsis

The acting process is an interlocking trinity: the person, the actor, and the character. The person has habits and idiosyncrasies cultivated over the years in response to life experiences. The actor may have developed another set of behaviors that manifest themselves during a performance. The exercises within this text will guide the user toward making the necessary choices needed to achieve the extension of self to character--whether that involves utilizing personal traits that are congruent to a character's make-up, or discarding personal habits which do not fit. Movement: From Person to Actor to Character concisely collects many common movement principles such as use of breath, alignment, relaxation, imagery, and surroundings. Illustrations are included which provide the actor with a basic knowledge of the human body and function that can serve as a foundation for advanced movement techniques. Case studies outline a variety of characterization projects from a range of well-known plays, to further illustrate some of the exercises within the text. Mitchell's text will be useful for beginning to intermediate movement courses or as a supplement to acting or directing courses, or by actors seeking to enrich their movement technique.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Movement: From Person to Actor to Character is a guide to fundamental movement concepts for actors, teachers, and directors. Mitchell synthesizes the common movement principles of ballet, modern dance, tai chi, yoga, and the Alexander Technique clearly and concisely so they can be taken easily from the classroom setting and applied to work on the stage. The illustrations provide the actor with basic knowledge of the human body's structure and function that can serve as the foundation for greater movement potential and a broader range of acting choices. Mitchell explores how breath, center, alignment, relaxation, sound, imagery, space, time, and weight can serve the actor as he or she works through the process of creating a character. Movement: From Person to Actor to Character includes exercises and projects designed to link physical and psychological expressive behaviors with acting and to enable actors to make the choices necessary to create vibrant and vulnerable characterizations. Mitchell also includes model character studies and journal entries as tools for the beginning acting student.

About the Author:

Theresa Mitchell has been teaching movement classes for more than fifteen years and is associate professor of theatre at Webster University where she is head of the Performance Program and the Director of the Webster Movement Institute.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 081083328X
• ISBN 13: 9780810833289
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176