The Way of the Actor: A Path to Knowledge & PowerFor thousands of years, in traditional societies around the world, actors were seen as the guardians of intuitive wisdom, and the way of the actor was a path to knowledge and power. Brian Bates believes that this is still the case today--that actors and actresses fulfill an important function in our culture as modern-day seers and shamans. He portrays the actor as a creator of visions who transports spectators out of their habitual ways of being and leads them on a journey of self-discovery. Personal magnetism and charisma, intense body awareness, and psychic sensitivity are among the special powers that contribute to the actor's mystique. |
Contents
The Lost Tradition | 15 |
Actors Not Acting | 30 |
But Is It Art? | 39 |
Copyright | |
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acting actor-shaman actors actress Alec Guinness allow Antony Sher appearance aspect audience aware become behaviour believe body Bogarde Bruce Dern centre character Charlton Heston colour communication concentration consciously course create cultures described director dramatic dreams Dustin Dustin Hoffman emotional energy everyday example experience expressed extrovert eyes face fantasy feel film Glenda Jackson Guinness happen Hoffman imagination inner inside interview introvert intuitive John Boorman Kalter Kinski Klaus Kinski Liv Ullmann lives London look Lynn Redgrave MacLaine make-up Marlon Brando Marowitz mask Meryl Streep Method mind neurotic observation Olivier one's ourselves path to personal performance physical play possession presence psychic psychological RADA rehearsal reveal Rip Torn role Sam Waterston says scene sense sensitivity shaman Simon Callow someone sometimes spirits stage talking television theatre there's things tion traditional societies transformation understanding voice walk watch Waterston