Shakespeare and Meisner: A Practical Guide for Actors, Directors, Students and Teachers

Gonsalves, Aileen/ Rokison-Woodall, Abigail (Editor)/ Irish, Tracy/ Dobson, Michael (Editor)/ Beale, Simon Russell (Editor)

ISBN 10: 1350118397 / ISBN 13: 9781350118393

Published by Bloomsbury Arden, 2021

About this Item

138 pages. 8.75x5.75x0.50 inches. In Stock. This item is printed on demand.

Seller Inventory # __1350118397

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Shakespeare and Meisner: A Practical Guide for Actors, Directors, Students and Teachers
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Arden
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1350118397
• ISBN 13: 9781350118393
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.2 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

This practical handbook is invaluable for anyone performing, teaching, studying or simply wanting a new way to enjoy Shakespeare. It provides an outline of Meisner's work and legacy, a discussion of that legacy in the light of the enduring global popularity of Shakespeare, and a wealth of practical exercises drawn from Meisner's techniques.

Shakespeare writes about the truth in human relationships and human hearts. Sanford Meisner's work unlocks truthful acting. They would seem a perfect match. Yet, following Meisner's note to his actors that 'text is your greatest enemy', Shakespeare and Meisner are often considered 'strange bedfellows'.

The rhetorical complexity of Shakespeare's text can often be perceived as rules an actor must learn in order to perform Shakespeare 'properly'. Meisner's main rule is that 'you can't say ouch until you've been pinched': in other words, an actor must genuinely feel something in order to react in a performance which is alive to the moment. This book explores how actors can use Meisner's tools of 'acting is reacting' to discover the infinite freedom within the apparent constraints of Shakespeare's text.

About the Authors

Aileen Gonsalves is Artistic Director of Butterfly Theatre Company, which specializes in immersive theatre online and in extraordinary spaces. Her expertise is in authentic acting and directing, particularly with Shakespeare, and she teaches her Meisner rooted actor training approach, the Gonsalves Method, across the globe. She has worked extensively with the RSC and as an associate artist with Kali Theatre Company, and has been Head of the MA in Acting at Arts Ed and Head of BA Acting at Drama Studio London.

Tracy Irish is an associate learning practitioner with the RSC and a visiting lecturer at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, UK. She is is a theatre practitioner, education researcher and teacher with a specialism in Shakespeare and communication.

Michael Dobson is an award-winning game designer and co-author of Fox on the Rhine and Fox at the Front. He served as a member of the team that built the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

Abigail Rokison-Woodall is Professor in Shakespeare and Theatre, The Shakespeare Institute, Stratford upon Avon, UK and was formerly a professional actor.

Sir Simon Russell Beale is the leading Shakespearean actor of his generation, having played King Lear, Hamlet, Macbeth, Malvolio, Timon of Athens, Benedick, Falstaff, Prospero and Richard II.