Acting Narrative Speeches: The Actor as StorytellerMeriwether Pub., 2002 - 445 pages Narrative speeches, both classical and contemporary, are used to reveal how an actor can discover the inherent energy, the essence and the subtextual colours of every word and sentences of a dramatic speech. This book clearly demonstrates that any memorable performance needs far more than acting technique alone. In eighteen chapters actor/director/teacher McDonough defines in depth how an actor can find the often overlooked subtleties that create characters with dimension and moments of heightened reality. |
From inside the book
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Page 287
... feels the range of emotions that they feel and yet she does what she does ! The implication , of course , is that we too might commit such a deed : on stage , but for the grace of God , goes every one of us . - What else , then , might ...
... feels the range of emotions that they feel and yet she does what she does ! The implication , of course , is that we too might commit such a deed : on stage , but for the grace of God , goes every one of us . - What else , then , might ...
Page 382
... feel this country close like it was part of my bones . I could feel the presence of all the people outside , at night , in the dark . Even sleeping people I could feel . Even all the sleeping animals . Dogs . Peacocks . Bulls . Even ...
... feel this country close like it was part of my bones . I could feel the presence of all the people outside , at night , in the dark . Even sleeping people I could feel . Even all the sleeping animals . Dogs . Peacocks . Bulls . Even ...
Page 385
... feel this shadow cross over me . I could feel it even before I saw it take place on the ground . Felt like the way it does when the clouds move across the sun . Huge and black and cold like . So I look up , half expecting a buzzard or ...
... feel this shadow cross over me . I could feel it even before I saw it take place on the ground . Felt like the way it does when the clouds move across the sun . Huge and black and cold like . So I look up , half expecting a buzzard or ...
Common terms and phrases
acceleration acting action actor Agamemnon Appendix Athi audience beginning body build caesura central moment chair character character's choices circumstances climax Clytemnestra conjure create deceleration develop draft E.E. Cummings emotional emphasize endwords energy example explore expressive eyes fade father feel feet from/to gesture Gus Edwards Hamlet hand happened hear Hotspur I'm Not Rappaport Imagine implicit scene impulses indirect quote inner conflict inside the story Juliet language layered look metaphor moments Monologues move movement narrative speeches onomatopoeia onomatopoetic opposites performance phrase physical play point of view possible pullback Puntila rehearsal reliving rhythm rhythmic Romeo Romeo and Juliet Sam Shepard seam sentence set the scene Shakespeare shape single image slow snake handling sound sense space specific spondee stage syllables talk tell the story telling a story theater Titania transition trochee Tybalt voice Wesley Weston words