Acting In Shakespeare - Softcover

Cohen, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1575254220 ISBN 13: 9781575254227

Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc, 2005

Synopsis

". . .an excellent basic guide for anyone who likes to get behind the scenes, be it the actor who performs or the student who studies Shakespeare's script as a literary text." THE SHAKESPEARE NEWSLETTERActing in Shakespeare helps actors at all levels develop the skills they need to perform in Shakespearean plays. Lessons proceed in carefully graduated steps from simple, single lines to short speeches to more difficult, sophisticated scenes. A wealth of historical information and insightful descriptions of Shakespearean times and players bring Shakespeare's work within the actor's reach.· Abundant exercises build gradually in difficulty, giving student actors confidence that they can act in Shakespeare. Exercises are appropriate not only for use in the classroom but also for independent study.· Actors often find Shakespearean language and customs unusual and intimidating. Acting in Shakespeare relates Shakespearean acting to real-life, contemporary situations and common acting theory, helping actors realize that performing Shakespeare is well within their grasp."Acting in Shakespeare is difficult. . . . His verse is not the language of our everyday American speech; the costumes in which he visualized his characters are not the clothing of everyday American life. Playing Shakespeare may mean living in a very different world from the one we normally inhabit." Robert Cohen, from the Preface"By book's end, students can reasonably be expected to be comfortable and confident with Shakespeare's demands. . . . [His] chapter on physicalizing Shakespeare contains a number of stimulating exercises (Cohen's strength as an acting teacher). . . . Cohen helps students apply his lessons: I can't imagine a group of students not being enthralled by Cohen's ingenious concept. . . . Acting in Shakespeare is so readily accessible and full of such "do-able" exercises that it should be a staple of period style classes for years to come." THEATRE JOURNAL

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Cohen is the chairman of the drama department at the University of California, Irvine. He received his doctor of fine arts degree from the Yale University School of Drama. Cohen is an acclaimed Shakespearean director, whose stagings are regularly seen at college and theater conservatories here and abroad.

Robert Cohen is the Claire Trevor Professor of Drama at the University of California, Irvine.

From the Inside Flap:

Acting in Shakespeare helps actors at all levels develop the skills they need to perform in Shakespearean plays. Lessons and exercises - appropriate for both classroom and individual study - proceed in carefully graduated steps, from simple, single lines to short speeches, to more difficult, sophisticated scenes. A wealth of historical information and insightful descriptions of Shakespearean times and players bring Shakespeare's work within the actor's reach.reviews for the first edition of ACTING IN SHAKESPEARE "Cohen's analyses . . . are perceptive and well articulated; . . . Cohen helps students apply his lessons: I can't imagine a group of students not being enthralled by Cohen's ingenious concept. . . . Acting in Shakespeare is so readily accessible and full of such "do-able" exercises that it should be a staple of period style classes for years to come." Theatre Journal "Practical instructions for dramatizing Shakespeare's scripts for a contemporary audience . . . how to decipher unfamiliar Shakespearean words and expressions, how to analyze and illuminate character, and, ultimately, how to convey the characters' emotions to the audience so that a bonding occurs. . . . The reader's comprehension and appreciation is enriched . . . and Cohen's text becomes an excellent basic guide for anyone who likes to get behind the scenes, be it the actor who performs or the student who studies Shakespeare's script as a literary text." The Shakespeare Newsletter "Acting In Shakespeare . . . exhibits a good understanding of Shakespeare's drama . . ." Richard Hornby, The End of Acting Robert Cohen is the Claire Trevor Professor of Drama at the University of California, Irvine. He has directed 21 Shakespearean productions, mostly at the Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals, and has written many books on acting and theater, including Acting One, Acting Power, Acting Professionally and Theatre.

About this edition

• Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1575254220
• ISBN 13: 9781575254227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304