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The Actor and the Text
These words of Cicely Berry the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company speak to anyone who needs to speak his or her piece ä in any arena at sales meetings or religious revivals. Berry's book will insure that the speaker and the text gets heard ä accurately and with true emotional range. Never again will one be accused of simply reading a prepared statement. Berry's exercises to develop relaxation breathing and muscular control will literally help everyone breathe easier when confronting the printed page.
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 17, 2018
Read a long time back, so sketchy review. This is an extremely in-depth exploration of how an actor can get the most out of a text. It focuses mostly on Shakespeare because he has it all going on, but Berry's techniques are plainly universally applicable.
Berry's great strength is in discovering the value and effect of every detail of the language: the implied pause in the middle of a line, the insertion or omission of a syllable in the pentameter. She provides exercises - marching out the line, passing the dialogue around actors in alternating words - to help the serious actor unearth the potential in the text. I read it merely as an occasional narrator of audio books, but I found myself underlining something on almost every page.
This is not a book to read out of casual interest and can be hard-going; but it's surely invaluable to a professional actor.
Berry's great strength is in discovering the value and effect of every detail of the language: the implied pause in the middle of a line, the insertion or omission of a syllable in the pentameter. She provides exercises - marching out the line, passing the dialogue around actors in alternating words - to help the serious actor unearth the potential in the text. I read it merely as an occasional narrator of audio books, but I found myself underlining something on almost every page.
This is not a book to read out of casual interest and can be hard-going; but it's surely invaluable to a professional actor.
December 18, 2025
Holy shit. An essential read for any aspiring actor.
October 13, 2011
The Bible for Shakespeare actors and directors.
January 14, 2012
A guide to exploring the written and spoken styles of theatre and language and how to approach them as a performer. Includes warm-up exercises and rehearsal techniques.
September 25, 2015
Very useful for directors (I think, in particular) seeking exercises for actors performing Shakespeare.
Want to Read
December 31, 2015Awesome pressie from my sis. I may quit writing about actors, and just become an actor myself.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews