Action Theater: The Improvisation of Presence

Front Cover
North Atlantic Books, Jun 15, 1995 - Performing Arts - 302 pages
Each chapter of this book presents a single day of the twenty-day training which Ruth Zaporah developed into Action Theater, her investigation into the life-reflecting process of improvisation. This book shows through exercises, stories, anecdotes, and metaphors how to focus attention on the body's awareness of the present moment, moving away from preconceived ideas. Improvisations move through fear, boredom, laziness, and distraction to a sustained awareness of creative options.
 

Contents

FormContent
1
The Bodys Voice
13
A Way to Proceed Body Imagination Memory
23
Composition
39
InnerOuter
57
Pretend to Pretend
71
The Body of Language 58888
87
Transformation
103
Response
143
A Scene
155
Action as Sign
167
Beyond SelfBig Awareness
179
Freedom
193
Relationship
205
Practice
221
Stalk
233

Imagination
115
The Watcher and the Watched
129

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About the author (1995)

Ruth Zaporah is a teacher, performer, and director. She travels widely in the United States and abroad, performing and teaching in theaters, dance and theater studios, on college campuses, and psychological training programs. She has twice been the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer's Fellowship.

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