Michel Saint-Denis and the Shaping of the Modern Actor

Michel Saint-Denis and the Shaping of the Modern Actor

Author: Jane Baldwin

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2003-09-30

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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In a career that spanned more than four decades and four countries, Michel Saint-Denis - actor, director, teacher, and theorist - was a major force in 20th century theatre. In this long-overdue assessment, Saint-Denis's contribution to the stage is brought to light in vivid detail.


The Actor and His Body

The Actor and His Body

Author: Litz Pisk

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-11-30

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13: 1474269753

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'Once you start working with someone like Litz you don't ever want to stop if you can help it' - Vanessa Redgrave Litz Pisk was widely regarded as the most influential teacher of modern theatre movement of the 20th Century. She innovated and advocated a physical training that sought to combine awareness, emotion and imagination specifically for the actor's craft. Her seminal book, The Actor and His Body, is the direct result of her unique dual career as a professional movement director and as an actor movement teacher working in leading British conservatoires. Pisk's quest was to find expression for the inner impulse that motivated actors to move. Her teachings, as outlined in this book, offer insight on the specific craft of the actor, and the relationship between movement, imagination and the 'need' to move. The Actor and His Body is also a practical manual for keeping the actor's body physically and expressively responsive. In addition, there are a range of movement exercises, illuminated by her exquisite line drawings, and a complete weekly programme which concentrates on movement practice within different timescales. This fourth edition features the original foreword by Michael Elliot as well as a new introduction by Ayse Tashkiran, contemporary movement director and Senior Lecturer at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, which contextualises Pisk's work.


The Great European Stage Directors Volume 1

The Great European Stage Directors Volume 1

Author: Peta Tait

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-10-07

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 147425988X

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This volume assesses the contributions of André Antoine, Konstantin Stanislavski and Michel Saint-Denis, whose work has influenced theatre and training for over a century. These directors pioneered Naturalism and refined Realism as they experimented with theatrical form including non-Realism. Antoine and Stanislavski's theatre direction proved foundational to the creation of the director's role and artistic vision, and their influential ideas progressively developed through the stylized theatre of Saint-Denis to the innovative contemporary theatre direction of Max Stafford-Clark, Declan Donnellan and Katie Mitchell.


The Actor and the Character

The Actor and the Character

Author: Vladimir Mirodan

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-11-12

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1317527941

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Transformative acting remains the aspiration of many an emerging actor, and constitutes the achievement of some of the most acclaimed performances of our age: Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, Meryl Streep as Mrs Thatcher, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter – the list is extensive, and we all have our favourites. But what are the physical and psychological processes which enable actors to create characters so different from themselves? To understand this unique phenomenon, Vladimir Mirodan provides both a historical overview of the evolution of notions of 'character' in Western theatre and a stunning contemporary analysis of the theoretical implications of transformative acting. The Actor and the Character: Surveys the main debates surrounding the concept of dramatic character and – contrary to recent trends – explains why transformative actors conceive their characters as ‘independent’ of their own personalities. Describes some important techniques used by actors to construct their characters by physical means: work on objects, neutral and character masks, Laban movement analysis, Viewpoints, etc. Examines the psychology behind transformative acting from the perspectives of both psychoanalysis and scientific psychology and, based on recent developments in psychology, asks whether transformation is not just acting folklore but may actually entail temporary changes to the brain structures of the actors. The Actor and the Character speaks not only to academics and students studying actor training and acting theory, but contributes to current lively academic debates around character. This is a compelling and original exploration of the limits of acting theory and practice, psychology, and creative work, in which Mirodan boldly re-examines some of the fundamental assumptions of actor training and some basic tenets of theatre practice to ask: What happens when one of us ‘becomes somebody else’?


Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings

Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings

Author: Michel Saint-Denis

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2008-09-25

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1134058497

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Michel Saint-Denis was one of twentieth century theatre’s most influential directors and theorists. This book combines his seminal Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style with material from Training for the Theatre, newly edited to create a work which moves seamlessly from theory to practice. Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style collects five of Saint Denis’ key lectures, given during his time in America, and perfectly encompasses his synergy of classical theatre and modern realism Training for the Theatre is a key practical resource for actors, directors and teachers alike. It covers crucial areas such as understanding a play’s context, training schedules, improvisation and dealing with stage space, as well as a section on Saint-Denis’ use of masks in actor training Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings benefits from Jane Baldwin’s new biographical introduction and annotations, that put Saint-Denis into context for a contemporary audience. It brings a wealth of inspirational material both to the rehearsal space and the classroom.


Ink in Her Veins

Ink in Her Veins

Author: Sylvia Martin

Publisher: Apollo Books

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9781742588254

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Aileen Palmer - poet, translator, political activist, adventurer - was the daughter of two writers prominent in Australian literature in the first half of the twentieth century. Vance and Nettie Palmer were well known as novelists, poets, critics and journalists, and Nettie suspected that their eldest would grow up with 'ink in her veins'. Aileen certainly inherited her parents' talents, publishing poetry, translating the work of Ho Chi Minh, and recording what she referred to as 'semi-fictional bits of egocentric writing'. She also absorbed their interest in leftist politics, joining the Communist Party at university. This, combined with her bravery, led to participation in the Spanish Civil War and the ambulance service in London during World War II. The return to Australia was not easy, and Aileen never successfully reintegrated into civilian life. In Ink in Her Veins Sylvia Martin paints an honest and moving portrait in which we see a talented woman slowly brought down by war, family expectations, and psychiatric illness and the sometimes cruel 'treatments' common in the 20th century. [Subject: Literary Criticism, Biography]


Actor Training

Actor Training

Author: Alison Hodge

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-01-29

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1135173834

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Presents an introduction to how actor training shapes modern theatre.


Approaches to Actor Training

Approaches to Actor Training

Author: John Freeman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-03-15

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 1350316180

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This insightful and practically-focused collection brings together different approaches to actor training from professionals based at universities and conservatoires in the UK, the US and Australia. Exploring the cultural and institutional differences which affect actor training, and analysing developments in the field today, it addresses a range of different approaches, from Stanislavski's System to contemporary immersive theatre. With hands-on focus from some of the world's leading programmes, and attention paid to ethical control, consent and safe practice, this book sees expert tutors exploring pathways to sustainable 21st century careers. Designed for tutors, students and practitioners, Approaches to Actor Training examines what it means to train as an actor, what actors-in-training can expect from their programmes of study and how the road to professional accomplishment is mapped and travelled.


American Theatre Ensembles Volume 2

American Theatre Ensembles Volume 2

Author: Mike Vanden Heuvel

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-01-28

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1350051640

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A companion to American Theatre Ensembles Volume 1, this volume charts the development and achievements of theatre companies working after 1995, bringing together the diffuse generation of ensembles working within a context of media saturation and epistemological and social fragmentation. Ensembles examined include Rude Mechs, The Builders Association, Pig Iron, Radiohole, The Civilians and 600 Highwaymen. Introductory chapters provide a sweeping overview of ensemble-based creation within the general historical and cultural contexts of the period, followed by a detailed study of the evolution of ensemble-based work. Contributors examine matters such as influence, funding, production and legacies, as well as the forms of collective devising and creation, while presenting close readings of the companies' most prominent works. The volume features detailed case studies of the 6 companies from the period and cover: * A history of development and methods * Key productions and projects * Critical reception * A chronology of significant productions US ensemble companies since 1995 have revolutionized the form and content of contemporary performance, influencing experimental as well as mainstream practice. This volume provides the first encompassing study of this vital development in contemporary American theatre by mapping its evolution and key developments.


Creativity: the Actor in Performance

Creativity: the Actor in Performance

Author: Helen Trenos

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2014-01-01

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 3110427389

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Creativity: the Actor in Performance focuses on what it takes to be a creative performer. Many stage-actors succeed in rehearsals, yet under-perform where it counts—in performance. But, as actors know, performance is a thing unto itself—something is going to have to happen out there beyond anything that happened in rehearsals. This book provides actors, their teachers and directors with insights into the creativity of the actor in performance. An historical account of the emergence and development of one of the most generative concepts of our times – creativity - provides a theoretical backdrop to a critical discussion of the creativity of acting - a discussion that includes analyses of Denis Diderot, George Henry Lewes, William Archer, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis, Zeami and Eugenio Barba. Creativity: the actor in performance concludes by offering a detailed rationale for performance-oriented actor training, offering examples of workshop exercises (CREATICS) which focus on developing four main competencies crucial for successful and creative performances: situation awareness, audience awareness, divided consciousness and presence.