Creativity: the Actor in Performance focuses on what it takes to be a creative performer. Many stage-actors succeed in rehearsals, yet under-perform where it counts—in performance. But, as actors know, performance is a thing unto itself—something is going to have to happen out there beyond anything that happened in rehearsals. This book provides actors, their teachers and directors with insights into the creativity of the actor in performance. An historical account of the emergence and development of one of the most generative concepts of our times – creativity - provides a theoretical backdrop to a critical discussion of the creativity of acting - a discussion that includes analyses of Denis Diderot, George Henry Lewes, William Archer, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis, Zeami and Eugenio Barba. Creativity: the actor in performance concludes by offering a detailed rationale for performance-oriented actor training, offering examples of workshop exercises (CREATICS) which focus on developing four main competencies crucial for successful and creative performances: situation awareness, audience awareness, divided consciousness and presence.

Creativity: the Actor in Performance focuses on what it takes to be a creative performer. Many stage-actors succeed in rehearsals, yet under-perform where it counts—in performance. But, as actors know, performance is a thing unto itself—something is going to have to happen out there beyond anything that happened in rehearsals. This book provides actors, their teachers and directors with insights into the creativity of the actor in performance. An historical account of the emergence and development of one of the most generative concepts of our times – creativity - provides a theoretical backdrop to a critical discussion of the creativity of acting - a discussion that includes analyses of Denis Diderot, George Henry Lewes, William Archer, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis, Zeami and Eugenio Barba. Creativity: the actor in performance concludes by offering a detailed rationale for performance-oriented actor training, offering examples of workshop exercises (CREATICS) which focus on developing four main competencies crucial for successful and creative performances: situation awareness, audience awareness, divided consciousness and presence.

People who don’t know theatre may think the only creative artist in the field is the playwright--with actors, directors, and designers mere “interpreters” of the dramatist’s vision. Historically, however, creative mastery and power have passed through different hands. Sometimes, the playwright did the staging. In other periods, leading actors demanded plays be changed to fatten their roles. The late 19th and 20th centuries saw “the rise of the director,” in which director and playwright struggled for creative dominance. But no matter where the balance of power rested, good theatre artists of all kinds have created powerful experiences for their audience. The purpose of this volume is to bridge the interdisciplinary abyss between the study of creativity in theatre/drama and in other fields. Sharing theories, research findings, and pedagogical practices, the authors and I hope to stimulate discussion among creativity and theatre scholar/teachers, as well as multidisciplinary research. Theatre educators know from experience that performance classes enhance student creativity. This volume is the first to bring together perspectives from multiple disciplines on how drama pedagogy facilitates learning creativity. Drawing on current findings in cognitive science, as well as drama teachers’ lived experience, the contributors analyze how acting techniques train the imagination, allow students to explore alternate identities, and discover the confidence to take risks. The goal is to stimulate further multidisciplinary investigation of theatre education and creativity, with the intention of benefitting both fields.

Actors and the Art of Performance: Under Exposure combines the author's two main biographical paths: her professional commitment to the fields of both theatre and philosophy. The art of acting on stage is analysed here not only from the theoretical perspective of a spectator, but also from the perspective of the actor. The author draws on her experience as both a theatre actor and a university professor whose teachings in the art of acting rely heavily on her own experience and also on her philosophical knowledge. The book is unique not only in terms of its content but also in terms of its style. Written in a multiplicity of voices, the text oscillates between philosophical reasoning and narrative forms of writing, including micro-narratives, fables, parables, and inter alia by Carroll, Hoffmann and Kleist. Hence the book claims that a trans-disciplinary dialogue between the art of acting and the art of philosophical thinking calls for an aesthetical research that questions and begins to seek alternatives to traditionally established and ingrained formats of philosophy.

The Invisible Actor presents the captivating and unique methods of the distinguished Japanese actor and director, Yoshi Oida. While a member of Peter Brook's theatre company in Paris, Yoshi Oida developed a masterful approach to acting that combined the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer's need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. Written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor's method and becomes too conscious of the actor's artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides contextual commentary on Yoshi Oida's work and methods. In a new foreword to accompany the Bloomsbury Revelations edition, Yoshi Oida revisits the questions that have informed his career as an actor and explores how his skilful approach to acting has shaped the wider contours of his life.

Because mask improvisation work is relatively new in American theater training, this book is designed not only to acquaint readers with the theory of mask improvisation but to instruct them in the techniques of method as well. Featuring dozens of improvisational exercises in the innovative spirit of Viola Spolin, and supplemented with practical appendices on mask design and construction, forms and checklists, and other classroom materials, this book is an invaluable tool for teacher and student alike, as well as compelling reading for anyone interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of masks as agents of transformation, creativity, and performance.

This is a brief overview of some of the key aspects of our personality and inner life that can affect how well we access and express creative talents. Especially for teens and adults with multipotentiality. Included are references to creativity research, perspectives of psychologists, creativity coaches and personal development leaders, as well as comments by a wide range of actors, directors, writers and other creative people. A free PDF version of the book is available to purchasers of the paperback.