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From Word to Play: A Handbook for Directors
"There is a mystery in every play that is written, no matter whether classical and poetic or modern and demotic, and it is the sound and the rhythm of the writing which take us there."
Cicely Berry, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Voice Director, has been working alongside some of Britain's greatest actors and directors for over fifty years and is widely regarded as one of the most significant voice teachers in the world.
From Word to Play draws on Cicely's extensive experience of working with theatre companies in Britain and throughout the world. It is her manifesto for a return to the words for moving away from an over-conceptualised, over-literal view of language and rediscovering the meaning in its sounds and rhythms. At the heart of this book is a concise, practical guide for directors in rehearsal, setting out work strategies that help bring out both the shape and the details within all kinds of text - whether verse or prose, seventeenth-century or contemporary.
With a Foreword by Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the RSC.
Cicely Berry, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Voice Director, has been working alongside some of Britain's greatest actors and directors for over fifty years and is widely regarded as one of the most significant voice teachers in the world.
From Word to Play draws on Cicely's extensive experience of working with theatre companies in Britain and throughout the world. It is her manifesto for a return to the words for moving away from an over-conceptualised, over-literal view of language and rediscovering the meaning in its sounds and rhythms. At the heart of this book is a concise, practical guide for directors in rehearsal, setting out work strategies that help bring out both the shape and the details within all kinds of text - whether verse or prose, seventeenth-century or contemporary.
With a Foreword by Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the RSC.
- GenresTheatre
184 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 2002
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September 4, 2009
I stumbled upon this at the Notre Dame Bookstore and figured it might give me some new ideas on how to work with actors who might be struggling with a scene or monologue. Unlike the Barton or Basell approach, which focus on the grammar and textual structure, Berry's work uses movement to propel the emotion and variation needed for the scene. Since I began reading this text, I have employed a number of her exercises while working with actors on multiple productions. Even performing a few of the exercises on myself proved beneficial and helped me deliver better monologues. Her techniques are especially good when working high school actors, because it helps to break down numerous performance barriers. Using Cicely Berry's techniques in conjunction with those of John Barton would help any director bring out the best in his or her actors
Displaying 1 of 1 review