Movement Training for the Modern Actor

Description

This book is the first critical analysis of the key principles and practices informing the movement training of actors in the modern era. Focusing on the cultural history of movement training over the last one hundred and fifty years, it offers a conceptual framework for the understanding of key approaches to the training of the professional actor’s body. The volume looks in detail at the influence of the leading figures in movement training — Laban, Alexander, Copeau and Lecoq — on twentieth century professional actor training, and is informed by interviews with students and staff at leading English drama schools. Mark Evans re-evaluates the significance of movement training in the professional drama school by examining the ways in which movement training shapes the student as a professional actor, as well as considering the extent to which it offers a new understanding of the body as a site for performative resistance to industrialization. Despite the publication of a number of ‘how to’ books on movement training for the professional acting student, this is the first text to look behind the curtain and write the unseen biography of the actor’s body.

Reviews

'Including a comprehensive bibliography, this heavily annotated study is a must read for those who teach dance and movement… Highly recommended.' - CHOICE

'Extremely well researched… The book gives a positive message about the movement training of actors and should make students feel excited about this aspect of training.' - Teaching Drama

'Evan's writing style is accessible and the questions he raises are enlightening, relevant and often surprising' - Youth Drama Ireland

Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Movement Training for Actors Chapter One: Educating Efficient Labor for the Acting Profession Chapter Two: The ‘Neutral’ Body, the ‘Natural’ Body and Movement Training for Actors Chapter Three: Movement Training for Actors and the Docile Body Chapter Four: Movement Training and the Unruly Body Conclusion: Overview and Projections Bibliography Index

Author Bio

Mark Evans is Associate Dean of the Coventry School of Art and Design at Coventry University. He recently published Jacques Copeau (Routledge Performance Practitioners series, 2006).

Related Subject

1. Drama Education & Drama Therapy