
Style for Actors
A Handbook for Moving Beyond Realism
Robert Barton(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
3rd Edition
Published on 31. December 2020
Book
Hardback
434 pages
978-0-367-18609-8 (ISBN)
Description
Style for Actors is an award-winning handbook and the definitive guide to roles in historical drama. Anyone who has ever struggled with capes, fans, swords, doublets and crinolines should make this third edition their constant companion.
The past is a foreign country, and this outstanding book is concerned with exploring it from the actor's point of view. Specific guides to each major period give readers a clear map to discover a range from Greek, Elizabethan, Restoration and Georgian theatre to more contemporary stylings, including Futurism, Surrealism and Postmodernism. New material in this edition covers Commedia dell'arte and non-Western forms of theatre, theatrical fusion and developments in musicals and Shakespeare. The book's references, images, resource lists and examples have all been updated to support today's diverse performers.
Robert Barton takes great care to present the actor with the roles and genres that will most commonly confront them. Containing a huge resource of nearly 150 exercises, suggestions for scene study and applications not only for theatrical performance but also for stylistic challenges in the reader's own offstage life, this book is an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of acting and drama.
The past is a foreign country, and this outstanding book is concerned with exploring it from the actor's point of view. Specific guides to each major period give readers a clear map to discover a range from Greek, Elizabethan, Restoration and Georgian theatre to more contemporary stylings, including Futurism, Surrealism and Postmodernism. New material in this edition covers Commedia dell'arte and non-Western forms of theatre, theatrical fusion and developments in musicals and Shakespeare. The book's references, images, resource lists and examples have all been updated to support today's diverse performers.
Robert Barton takes great care to present the actor with the roles and genres that will most commonly confront them. Containing a huge resource of nearly 150 exercises, suggestions for scene study and applications not only for theatrical performance but also for stylistic challenges in the reader's own offstage life, this book is an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of acting and drama.
Reviews / Votes
"Excellent scholarship presents and wealth of information for actors interested in how to approach plays of different periods and styles." - Dawn Arnold, Northern Illinois University, USAMore details
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Undergraduate Core
Illustrations
42 s/w Zeichnungen, 81 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 123 s/w Abbildungen
42 Line drawings, black and white; 81 Halftones, black and white; 123 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
927 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-367-18609-8 (9780367186098)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
12/2020
3rd Edition
Routledge
€59.60
Shipment within 15-20 days

E-Book
12/2020
3rd Edition
Routledge
€51.49
Available for download

E-Book
12/2020
3rd Edition
Routledge
€51.49
Available for download
Previous edition

Book
09/2009
2nd Edition
Routledge
€178.27
Withdrawn from sale
Person
Robert Barton is the author of Acting: Onstage and Off and Acting Reframes, co-author of Voice: Onstage and Off, Movement: Onstage and Off, Theatre in Your Life and Life Themes, and editor and adaptor of The Craft of Comedy. His seminal essay "Creative Acting" appears in Creativity in Theatre. His works aim to help readers move beyond acting in theatre to use it to more effectively act their own lives.
Content
Part 1: Finding Style 1. Recognizing Style: The eyes of the beholder 2. Analyzing Style: Survival questions 3. Mastering Style: The classical actor Part 2: Achieving Style 4. Greek Period Sytle: Three generations of tragic vision 5. Elizabethan Period Style: Theatre of earth and stars 6. Restoration Period Style: Decadence as one of the fine arts 7. Relatives of Restoration Period Style: Morals, manner and madness Part 3: Exploring Style 8. Fusion Style: Imagination and innovation 9. Global Style: Worldwide influence and invention 10. Personal Style: Creating reality Appendices