Acting Emotions

Acting Emotions
Author: Elly Konijn
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2000
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9789053564448

Actors and actresses play characters such as the embittered Medea, or the lovelorn Romeo, or the grieving and tearful Hecabe. The theatre audience holds its breath, and then sparks begin to fly. But what about the actor? Has he been affected by the emotions of the character he is playing? What'sgoing on inside his mind? The styling of emotions in the theatre has been the subject of heated debate for centuries. In fact, Diderot in his Paradoxe sur le comedien, insisted that most brilliant actors do not feel anything onstage. This greatly resembles the detached acting style associated with Bertolt Brecht, which, in turn, stands in direct opposition to the notion of the empathy-oriented "emotional reality" of the actor which is most famously associated with the American actingstyle known as method acting. The book's survey of the various dominant acting styles is followed by an analysis of the current state of affairs regarding the psychology of emotions. By uniting the psychology of emotions with contemporary acting theories, the author is able to come to the conclusion that traditional acting theories are no longer valid for today's actor. Acting Emotions throws new light on the age-old issue of double consciousness, the paradox of the actor who must nightly express emotions while creating the illusion of spontaneity. In addition, the book bridges the gap between theory and practice by virtue of the author's large-scale field study of the emotions of professional actors. In Acting Emotions, the responses of Dutch and Flemish actors is further supplemented by the responses of a good number of American actors. The book offers a unique view of how actors act out emotions and how this acting out is intimately linked to the development of contemporary theatre.

Acting with Passion

Acting with Passion
Author: Niki Flacks
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2015-04-23
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1408183730

Modern breakthroughs in neuroscience and mind-body psychology now offer an alternative approach to the classic systems of acting. So much more is now known about how the brain visualizes, imagines and remembers; neurochemical processes are much faster and more fluid than earlier acting teachers could possibly have realized. Acting with Passion draws heavily on the world of mind-body psychology, primarily the work of Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen. Their theories – that the release of chronic muscular tension can be accompanied by the release of emotions – offer actors the keys to demonstrating emotion on cue. Through a series of physical exercises, actors learn to access feelings through the body rather than the mind. Beginning with the body as 'the instrument', Acting with Passion leads actors through a series of physical exercises combining movement, tactile exploration and vocal release. Once physical blocks are removed, the actor then uses memorized text to place the feelings where they belong. Written with her characteristic verve and accessibility, and using practical exercises to guide the actor through each stage, Acting With Passion is the result of Niki Flaks's popular acting workshops.

The Lyndon Technique

The Lyndon Technique
Author: Amy Lyndon
Publisher: Amy Lyndon
Total Pages: 67
Release: 2009-02
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0615275281

Amy Lyndon is Hollywood's Premiere Booking Coach and creator of the revolutionary Lyndon Technique: The 15 Guideline Map To Booking Handbook. Besides being a Coach and Mentor, she is also an Actress, Award Winning Director, Producer, Casting Director, and was a CEO of a successful Personal Management Company for 9 years. Her clients are Series Regulars, Guest Leads and Starring in Feature Films around the globe. Some of her Clients include: Nadine Velazquez (My Name is Earl), Adam Brody (The OC), Christel Khalil (The Young and the Restless), Hosea Chanchez (The Game), Sterling Knight (Sonny with a Chance), Kenton Duty (Shake It Up), Matthew J. Evans (Bad Teacher) and Raini Rodriquez (Austin and Ally). Lyndon won one of the Best Cold Reading Teachers in Los Angeles Backstage Magazine 2010, 2011 and 2012! The Lyndon Technique proves to be a practical approach to auditioning and booking the job on the first take. Each chapter provides detailed insight into each of Lyndon's 15 Guideline Map to Booking Technique. Lyndon travels Internationally to teach the principles of Booking, Marketing and running a successful business as an Actor. The information is applicable no matter where you live or where you are in your career.

The Invisible Actor

The Invisible Actor
Author: Yoshi Oida
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2020-10-01
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1350148288

The Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook's theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer's need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor's method and becomes too conscious of the actor's artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida's work and methods. In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.

Performing Emotions

Performing Emotions
Author: Peta Tait
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1351912119

In Performing Emotions, Peta Tait's central argument is that performing emotions in realism is also performing gender identity. This study integrates scholarship on realist drama, theatre and approaches to acting, with interdisciplinary theories of emotion, phenomenology and gender theory. With chapters devoted to masculinity and femininity specifically, as well as to emotions generally, it investigates social beliefs about emotions through Chekhov's four major plays in translation, and English language commentaries on Constantin Stanislavski's direction (of the play's first productions) and his approaches to acting, and Olga Knipper's acting of the central women characters. Tait demonstrates how theatrical emotions are predicated on embodied social performances and create cultural spaces of emotions. Performing Emotions investigates how sexual difference impacts on the representations of emotions. The book develops an accumulative analysis of the meanings of emotions in twentieth century realist drama, theatre and acting.

The Real Life Actor

The Real Life Actor
Author: Jeff Seymour
Publisher:
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2014-05-02
Genre:
ISBN: 9780692210253

There is a sense that permeates most acting classes which promotes the idea that acting is hard and you need to do a bunch of traditional steps if you're ever going to get anywhere. The flame of this concept is kept lit for two reasons. One is tradition. Successful actors and teachers in our theatrical history supposedly believed in or espoused such ideas and two; it is easier for teachers and actors to follow a path that is well worn. Actors feel intimidated to challenge the ideas and teachings of past masters. But isn't that exactly how every field of endeavor evolves? Think of where we'd be in science or medicine or sports if no one questioned past methods or tried to discover new ones. This book will show you an approach that is direct and to the point, an approach that will be far easier to remember and utilize. We'll use real life. We call it acting only because people are watching. "If you're an actor, this book will restore your sanity." Steven Pressfield, Author: The War of Art, Turning Pro, The Legend of Bagger Vance

Sanford Meisner on Acting

Sanford Meisner on Acting
Author: Sanford Meisner
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2012-11-07
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0307830632

Sanford Meisner was one of the best known and beloved teachers of acting in the country. This book follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Written in collaboration with Dennis Longwell, it is essential reading for beginning and professional actors alike. Throughout these pages Meisner is a delight—always empathizing with his students and urging them onward, provoking emotion, laughter, and growing technical mastery from his charges. With an introduction by Sydney Pollack, director of Out of Africa and Tootsie, who worked with Meisner for five years. "This book should be read by anyone who wants to act or even appreciate what acting involves. Like Meisner's way of teaching, it is the straight goods."—Arthur Miller "If there is a key to good acting, this one is it, above all others. Actors, young and not so young, will find inspiration and excitement in this book."—Gregory Peck

Acting Face to Face

Acting Face to Face
Author: John Sudol
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013-05-15
Genre: Facial expression
ISBN: 9781490561196

Acting Face to Face: the Actor's Guide to Understanding How Your Face Communicates Emotion for TV and Film is the first book to define the significant difference between acting for the stage and acting for the camera. That difference being how your face communicates thought, feeling and emotion. The actor who has the tools and skills to create and control how and what their face communicates is the actor most suited to work in front of the camera. Acting Face to Face is also the first book in a series about the "Language of the Face" - or how the face communicates nonverbally. The book is particularly useful for actors transitioning from stage to screen, by clearly defining the difference. On stage, you communicate with your body and voice; on camera you need to add a third means of communication - your face. When you understand this difference, you also understand why only a small percentage of actors get the majority of on-camera work. Acting Face to Face reveals the tools you'll need to level the playing field.Acting Face to Face exposes the myths and misconceptions about on-camera while addressing some of the major challenges most actors face when relying solely on their stage acting training to work in front of the camera. The book contains detailed photos and experiential exercises; it also helps you understand how you personally communicate and what's missing or misunderstood about your facial expressions, so you can take your acting to the next level.After working with thousands of actors and studying the work of leading researchers in the field of emotions for over 10 years, John Sudol - a veteran actor, director, casting director, Hollywood acting teacher and audition coach - has developed this book series, which stands to change the face of acting.Though developed specifically for actors, this book is also helpful to anyone in the communications business who would benefit from knowing how their face nonverbally speaks to others.* The second book of the Language of the Face series, Acting Face to Face 2, How to Create Genuine Emotion for the Camera is now available. Whereas the first Acting Face to Face defined the challenges of On-Camera Acting, Acting Face to Face 2, reveals a step-by-step process to overcoming those challenges.

Acting (Re)Considered

Acting (Re)Considered
Author: Phillip B. Zarrilli
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2005-06-28
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1134575440

Acting (Re)Considered is an exceptionally wide-ranging collection of theories on acting, ideas about body and training, and statements about the actor in performance. This second edition includes five new essays and has been fully revised and updated, with discussions by or about major figures who have shaped theories and practices of acting and performance from the late nineteenth century to the present. The essays - by directors, historians, actor trainers and actors - bridge the gap between theories and practices of acting, and between East and West. No other book provides such a wealth of primary and secondary sources, bibliographic material, and diversity of approaches. It includes discussions of such key topics as: * how we think and talk about acting * acting and emotion * the actor's psychophysical process * the body and training * the actor in performance * non-Western and cross-cultural paradigms of the body, training and acting. Acting (Re)Considered is vital reading for all those interested in performance.