1st Edition

So Therefore... A Practical Guide For Actors

By Al Ruscio Copyright 2012
    168 Pages
    by Routledge

    168 Pages
    by Routledge

    ‘Every scene or action or speech has a so therefore. It is the goal, the ultimate statement of the character. You should know the so therefore as you begin your scene ... The climax and the payoff is the so therefore.’ – from Al Ruscio’s Preface 

    When working through a scene with a student, renowned actor and acting teacher Al Ruscio will ask, ‘so therefore, what?’ to urge them to capture the specific actions and desires that define their character at that moment. So Therefore… interweaves tried-and-tested practical exercises with sound advice, and illustrative tales from Ruscio’s remarkable career, to form a training handbook as uniquely pragmatic as his favourite phrase. Breaking down his method into three broad focuses, Ruscio considers:

    • Warming Up – including relaxation, going ‘beneath the words’ and emotional recall;
    • Scene Work – ranging from character analysis to an exploration of action;
    • The Play – discovering its spine, progressing through rehearsals and sustaining a performance.

    But So Therefore… also reflects wisely on such diverse subjects as Stage versus Film, and Stamina, Luck and Chutzpah. Enriching and generous, it is the culmination of a career that has taken in dozens of major motion pictures, and spans the entire history of television – as well as half a century spent training actors.

    Al Ruscio graduated from the famed Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and has been teaching acting for five decades. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild and is a current voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Contents

    Foreword by Martin Landau v

    Acknowledgments vii

    Preface "So Therefore" (a few words about my title) ix

    Part One: Warming Up

    Introduction x

    Relaxation x

    Concentration xx

    Imagination xx

    Beneath the Words xx

    Sensory Exercises xx

    Improvisations xx

    Animal Studies xx

    Life Studies xx

    Emotional Recall xx

    Part Two: Scene Work

    Character Analysis xx

    The Spine of the Play xx

    The Spine of the Character xx

    Your Objective in the Scene xx

    Actions in the Scene xx

    The As If xx

    Preparation xx

    Scenes xx

    Part Three: The Play

    Introduction xx

    Read the Play xx

    The Main Idea and Special Quality xx

    The Climax xx

    Character Analysis xx

    The Spine of your Character xx

    Rehearsals Begin xx

    Elements of Characterization xx

    The Use of Improvisations xx

    Blocking Sessions xx

    Detailed Work On Each Act xx

    Run-Throughs xx

    Dress Rehearsals xx

    Opening Night and Beyond xx

    Part Four: Stage versus Film

    Projecting versus Being xxx

    The Scene versus the Shot xxx

    Opposing Views xxx

    Part Five: Stamina, Luck, and Chutzpah,
    & Other Lessons

    Stamina, Luck, and Chutzpah xxx

    Remembering Lear xxx

    The Semi-Final Lesson xxx

    The Final Lesson xxx

    About the Author xxx

    References xxx

    Biography

    Al Ruscio graduated from the famed Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and has been teaching acting for five decades. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild and is a current voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    'In this succinct guide, Ruscio draws on his successful 40-year career of film and stage experience and his professional acting training with Sandy Meisner at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse School. He provides a plethora of practical, thorough, realistic advice in 41 bite-size chapters organized into five parts. His goal is to provide experiences that will help actors find truth and depth in their characters at all times, and to offer useful information about scene work and rehearsal processes for beginning to intermediate actors. He breaks down the salient points about each element of acting with examples and exercises including stage versus film acting, and how stamina and luck play a part in actor's lives. Part 1, "Warming Up," is foundational yet goes beyond other texts for beginning actors by including activities based on animal and life studies for character development. In part 2, "Scene Work," Ruscio emphasizes emotional truth and the importance of finding the spine--or main force--driving the character and the play. Throughout, he shares fascinating, humorous, and inspirational anecdotes from his experiences working with actors and directors ranging from Laurence Olivier to Matt Damon. Summing Up: Highly recommended.' J. Tomalin, CHOICE