Hugh O'Gorman

Acting Action (eBook, ePUB)

A Primer for Actors

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

"What is it that we're doing, when we're acting well?" This is the question famously posed by Earle Gister, the legendary head of the acting department at Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1999. In Acting Action, actor, director, and teaching artist Hugh O'Gorman invites readers to explore the question in detail. Focusing on playing action-one of the essential components of acting passed on to renowned acting teachers Earle Gister and Lloyd Richards by Paul Mann-Acting Action is divided into two parts: context and practice. The first section provides a thorough examination of the theory behind the core elements of playing action. The second section presents a step-by-step rehearsal guide for actors to integrate playing action into their preparation process. Acting Action offers a foundation for how to get started and build the core of a performance. More precisely, it provides a practical guide for actors, directors, and teachers in the technique of playing action, addressing a void in the world of actor training by illuminating what exactly to do in the moment-to-moment act of acting.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 290
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. Juni 2021
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781538139301
• Artikelnr.: 61763310

Autorenporträt

Hugh O'Gorman is an actor, director, teaching artist, and co-executive director of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers. Since 2002, he has been the head of acting at California State University, Long Beach. His acting credits include Broadway, Off-Broadway, and over a dozen of the nation's most respected regional theaters. His many television credits include AMC's Emmy Award-winning show Remember WENN (SAG Award nomination) and HBO's John Adams. O'Gorman is the author of The Keys to Acting.

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Part 1: Context
Chapter 1. The Space Between
The Essence of Acting
The Beautiful Game of Acting
Ma
Acting is Like Love
When the Penny Drops
Dissolving the Ego
Daily Self & Artistic Self
Chapter 1 Summary
Chapter 2. Acting is Action
The Two Actions
The Script & Invisible Action
Performance & Visible Action
Nomenclature
Feelings
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 3. Acting Defined
Living
Verisimilitude
Believably vs. Truthfully
Imaginary Circumstances
The 'As if."
Precise Repeatability
The 'What'
The 'How'
Complete Spontaneity
The River of Action
Chapter 3 Summary
Chapter 4. Playing Action
The Action
The Objective
The Need
The Event
The Super-Objective (Hopes & Dreams)
Play's the thing.
Chapter 4 Summary
Chapter 5. Sculptors of Energy
Lifeforce
Attention
Paying Attention
Talent is a Lifestyle
Properties of Thought
Targets of Attention
Curiosity
Sourcing
The Release
The Allowing
Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter 6. Deeper Not Wider
Intimate Harmony
The Cost
Artistic Love
Courage
Landscapes of Paradox
Perception
Reception
Chapter 6 Summary
Part 2: Practice
Chapter 7. Invisible Action - Cognitive Analysis (Preparation)
Reading the Script (or Becoming Event Detectives)
The Arc of Action
The Five questions
Coming from some place
Chapter 8. Visible Action - Physical Analysis (Rehearsal)
Études, Actions and the Event
Action and Counter Action
The Obstacle
Sourcing Your Scene Partner
Sourcing Images
Evaluation
Relationships
Chapter 9. Advice from the Front
Unconscious Competence (or forgetting technique)
Loving the plateau
The Beginner's Mind (or remaining an eternal student)
Confidence and Antifragility
Fail Better
Objective Observation
Luck
Role vs. Character
Character vs. Characterization
Competition
Frustration (the first sign of creativity)
Attention vs. Concentration
Creative Individuality & Interpretation
Birds and Frogs
On Being Sexy...
The Label Libel
Finding the Right Teacher
Gratitude
10. Epilogue
Bibliography
Notes
Index
About the Author