Clues to Acting Shakespeare

Wesley Van Tassel

Allworth, Oct 1, 2006 - Performing Arts - 288 pages

"A workhorse of a workbook!"—Library Journal. American actors, fear Shakespeare no more! Through a series of inspiring, easy-to-follow exercises, an acclaimed director and drama coach shows both students and experienced actors how to break down the verse, support the words, understand the images, and use the text to create vibrant, living performances. This popular guide—more than TK,000 copies sold—has been revised and expanded to include the unique challenges facing teachers and their students in performing Shakespeare’s works, as well as time-tested tools for overcoming these obstacles. Effective delivery, correct breathing, scansion, phrasing, structure and rhythm, caesura, and more are covered. For text analysis and character interpretation, both classical British training and American methods are explored. In addition to ongoing, long-term practice exercises, Clues to Acting Shakespeare offers a one-day brush-up section to prep actors cast to play Shakespearean roles immediately. • Long term practice exercises and quick one-day brush-ups for auditions

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

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Clues to acting Shakespeare

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If Brine and York's book, with its elegant pedigree, is a race horse, Van Tassel's beautifully conceived and executed text is a Clydesdale, a workhorse of a workbook that is purposefully divided to ...

About the author

Wesley Van Tassel, an acting teacher and stage director, has coached Acting Shakespeare to hundreds of actors as a professor, through workshops, and as a private coach. He has directed nearly 200 productions and has served as artistic director of several theaters. He lives near Seattle, Washington.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Clues to Acting Shakespeare
• Author: Wesley Van Tassel
• Edition: 2, revised
• Publisher: Allworth, 2006
• ISBN: 158115464X, 9781581154641
• Length: 288 pages
• Subjects: Drama / Shakespeare; Performing Arts / Acting & Auditioning; Performing Arts / Theater / General; Performing Arts / Theater / History & Criticism