The Actor In You: Sixteen Simple Steps to Understanding the Art of Acting

The Actor in Youintroduces aspiring actors to beginning acting by helping them realize and develop the basic acting skills they already possess and hone them for the stage.  By drawing the principles of acting from observations about everyday behavior, the author shows acting students how they already possess many acting skills. Acclaimed for its direct and enjoyable writing style, The Actor in You draws on exercises and examples from well-known plays, and popular television programs to lead the beginning student through the process of creating a role. Revised based on user reviews, the book succeeds in deducing dramatic principles from those experiences and then applying them to everyday life for artistic purpose.

Table of Contents:
Notes on This Fifth Edition                                Preface                                                                                  About the Author                                                                   PART ONE   Preparing Yourself to Act                          1 Understanding the Actor’s Job                         Engagement                                                          Truthfulness                                                                        Skill                                                                       Dramatic Function                                                              Discipline                                                                             Summary of Step 1                                                                2 The Tradition of the Actor                                             The Twentieth Century                                                      Getting into the Tradition                                  Summary of Step 2                                                                3 Relaxing and Centering                                                  Relaxation                                                                             FindingCenter                                                                    Summary of Step 3                                                                4 Breathing, Sounding, and Moving from Center     Your Cycle of Energy                                                         Your Relationship to Gravity                                            Phrasing Movement                                                            Summary of Step 4                                                                5 Collaboration                                                                  Leading and Following                                                       Seeing and Hearing                                                            Getting and Giving Notes                                   Summary of Step 5                                                              Summary of part one                                                            PART TWO   Discovering Action                                                                                   Example Plays                                                                      6 Actions and Objectives                                                               Stanislavski’s View of Action                                           Public Solitude                                                                    Dual Consciousness                                                           Indicating                                                                              Raising the Stakes                                                             Summary of Step 6                                                                7 Action, Emotion, and Character: The Magic If     Action and Emotion                                                             Character and the Magic If                                               The Actor in You                                                 Selecting Your Scene                                                         Dramatic Function Revisited                                            Summary of Step 7                                                                8 Defining Objectives and Actions                                Defining Useful Objectives                                               Subtext                                                                                  Not Doing                                                                              Obstacles and Counter-Actions                                       Summary of Step 8                                                                9 The Flow and Shape of Drama                        Internal and External Action                                             The Shape of Drama                                                           Crisis                                                                                    Summary of Step 9                                                                10 Exploring Scene Structure and the Given Circumstances     Units of Action (Beats)                                                       The Given Circumstances                                                 Summary of Step 10                                                           Summary of part two                                                             PART THREE   Developing the Character                     11 The Character’s Traits and Needs                             Function Traits                                                                    Recognition Traits                                                              Needs and Personalization                                                Emotion Recall and Substitution                                      Summary of Step 11                                                             12 Getting into the Character’s Mind                  Perception, Arousal, and Attitude                    Automatic and Spontaneous Actions                               Deliberation and Strategic Choice                  The Inner Monologue                                                         Summary of Step 12                                                           13 Exploring the Character’s Language Word Choice                                                                        Rhythm                                                                                                  Melody                                                                                   Summary of Step 13                                                           Summary of part three                                         PART FOUR   Final Rehearsal and Performance        14 Finding the Scenario, Score, Through-Line, and Superobjective    The Score and Pace                                                            The Through-Line and Superobjective                           Personalizing the Superobjective                                    Summary of Step 14                                                             15 Staging                                                  Types of Stages                                                                    Moving on Stage                                                                  Blocking                                                                               Shaping and Pacing                                                              16 Performing                                                                    Emotion in Performance                                                    Spontaneity                                                                           Evaluating Your Work                                       Growth After Opening                                                       The Actor’s Sense of Purpose                                          Summary of Step 16                                                           Summary of part four                                                         Appendix A: A Sample Television Scene     Appendix B: Suggested Plays and Anthologies     Plays     Play and Scene Anthologies    Anthologies for Students of Color    Glossary of Theater and Film Terminology     Index